Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-02
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
The IEARfNG ATTRACTIONS AT
TIE METROPOLIS.
Mrs. Iangtry Appears as Lady Mac
beth Fine appearance Accepted
in place Of Fine Acting.
Correspondence of the RrcoRD-Ux1ox.l
NEW YORK. January 26. 1889

NEW YORK, January 26, 1889.
A frli house and an appreciative audi
ence was accorded Mme Lehman on her
appearance this week at the Metropogi-
tan Opera Building in lie Juiyc.p From
the boxes flashed an extra radiance of
high-pricsd jewelry il SHINE upon an au-
dience prepared to do its best in welcome.
and the singer found it. Nine. Lehman is
certainly Mr.. Stauton's trump card Bet
taque and Lochstrom, though both Young
and pleasing, make no pretensions to great
ness. and Moran-OIden, though often great,
is not always pleasing, by reason of
rough .Asval presence Lille Lehman is
the one singer who combines beauty, fine
voice and dramatic power, and The recep-
lion given her correspondent with the gen.
eral estimation Of her gi..s. An sxlsaor-
dinarily Interesting concert has teen re-
Gently given III ,Ae Metropolitan Opera
House by The SYMPHONY Society, the music
in large PARK aling Russian, ana the per-
formanee won unstinted praise from critics.
MRS. i.ANGTRy AS LADY MACBETH.
Swallow-tails and dress bonnets turned
ont i'll f,sIl force on Mrs. Langtrys first
Macbeth night Impecunious sightseers
stood at the rear and crowded the gallery,
and all were rs indulgent 10 the Lily as
an old grandmother to ;he oae psl.ed
grandchild. Why else did t.,,,y .arsist-
entity call her teurc lie our;as. .sd ,p-
plaud her efforts? Perhaps because those
Efforts were 50 childish. AT any rate, her
struggles to attain the inattainable were
not rebuked. Doubtless moreover, the
evidences of sincerity on Mrs. Langtry's
part carried with them an innate influence.
We are not angry with the little one when
1t stretches iufantile arms to grasp The
moon we smile at the delusien and pat
the baby's young cheek. People saw that
the engaging woman before them was
making a real effort and they forgaye her
Now and then, too, she did succeed. no.
tably in reading the letter from Macbeth
This was good piece of work, showing evil
dent feeling and moi ct all stacy. Nor can't
be said that she was stacy elsewhere Her
acting was natural and gave not the idea of
mere acting. But it was not an imperson-
alton CT the right order. When she urges
her husband to murder, her manner of
doing it is that of an ill-governed child
who threatens in order to have its own
way when she doclaims horrid resolves,
she but escapes pout, and when she cline's
to Macbeth's shoulder and in a wifely way.
endeayors to win him, it is with the
soft persuasion of soft-hearted woman
not the momentary relaxation of
strong nature. So in the banquet
scene, when robed as a Queen.
she tries to sway those around her:
there is but the shadow of command. nor
is there greater substance in the effort of
rousing the King back to himself. In the
sleep-walking scene she bravely dis6gur,s
herself that she may seem haggard. and
her lines are carefully given. But the
ring OF the true metal is Except in reading
the letter nowhere Yet, when before the
curtain, she smiles beautifully and looks
appealingly. Where was the man so cal
lous as not to please her at the expense of
few thumps? And tl.en that smilel A
really beautiful one, and not meaningless.
but throwing glad light over the entire
face. Let it moreover be written that
beautiful smile is one of heavens choicest
gifts not TO be counterfeited nor attained
by practice. No educated parting of the
lips can give 1t like the expression of the
eye, it must be done by nature only and
must evince the genuine prompting of a
soul.
Coghlan as Macbeth came well up to
his part, showing much facial power, and
evincing often deep feeling both in tone
and attitude. Joseph Wheelock as Mac
duff was good, of course, and warmly APP
plauded by the house. The play was fairly
well put on, but not to an extraordinary
degree.
Mrs. Langtry's beauty was marred by
unbecoming dresses of the flowing order, |
with long mantle falling backwards from
her head. Exception, however, must be
made to a magnificent robe and train worn |
as the Queen, and in which she was careful
to make an effective picture both alone and |
with the richly habited King beside her. |
The contrast presented by the smaller lac |
mantle is excellent, while the gorgeous |
train of gold and crimson is in unison |
with the blaying bodice and handsomely !
embroidered skirt. RosALIND MAY.