New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-12
BERNHARDTs NEW ROLE.
MADAME SARAH AS LENA-A TRIUMPH OF
ART AND DRESS-NiAKING.
ry,om TuR RESufAR CORRESPONDENT ~ TIE rnIBUEE.l
NN~"- - Do ia Anvil

IPBOM THb hsssANh ~S''''N-'
Paris, April %.
Sarah Bernhardt as Lena hopes TO make stir
IN the United States. She has carefully read
all the criticisms on Mrs. Langtry and Mrs.
Beruard Beerc in that character; not however, for
the purpose Of taking them as examples to be
initiated, but as ones TO be avoided. She was
careful 10 be rs Sarah BegnhardtiSh IS possible
in her manner Of dressing. and in her rendering
Of the part from beginning to end. Lena Is IN
disposition q twin sister Of Sarah. She KNOWS
nothing Of true love, and never will come 10 tho
knowledge of IL; but passion really springs up
IN her heart for Ramsay, who, by the by' striKes
the French as nincompoop, evolved Out o!
the brain Of the author, Mr.. Philips, the son Of
q clergyman, and, Of course, brought up -" ''pe'V
every conventional standard Of English society.
Mime Bernbarat. in talk with which she favored
me, said that she was determined TO be herself
only IN the character Of Lena. She lost, she
thinks q GOOD deal OF time In studying the
f.mops coouettes and sdventuresses Of English
literature Naturally she began with sh"Ke-
spcsre's Cleopatra. II that queen was Greco
Epvptjan In name Sarah thinks that IN nature She
was an English lhdy OF the sixteenth century anu
mot n model for the nineteenth century Vpe' IL
not elvays lively, Cleopatra IS very mnon ahVc'
and Berubardt loves soft, languishing ehectS' cal
,rIatoA .o Iull the senses. The one scene from
which she thought hint might be taken Tor
,ho ,r,atusnt Of a naughty English beauty, lated
% 40 an unnatural death, is the one IN wmcn
tho ASH Is brought in 20 bite The poison ti'at
Io, rrder that serpent's tooth enabled Cieopatra
n sink with soft, pathetic grnce INTO inc 'oh'"
Arotber famous coquette Of English literature
,,os pea,rtce Esnond, and the famous actress
studied her. "whAt do you think OF herF l
asked.
" Thu. she IL not interesting was the reply
q She * n dinboical manslAughterer, ana sings Tor
the fun Of the thing In trying to INSPIRE passion
sbo il herself "a cold as ice. Beatrice ESmond
even dspends for her charm on the descriptions
the author gives OF her and on the Glamor OF MS
STYLE. She is when young unAmiable' deSRnlhg'
naughty and has not one redeeming 'hhroc't'-
istic On the stage she would he as odlous ~ sne
becomes when she Is brought forwhrd IN her on
srp as the cardplsying Baroness bernstein lher'
no soft spot in her heart which passion might en-
large II there is dramatic rule than hoids 8oo'
in all cases. IL is that no character must oe 50
thoroughly bad as 20 dchar - from Neru'ct IVY
thc audience Of extcnuating circumstances in re-
gard 10 itE guilty actions
And Iaro ~ | asked.
. VIII I have not studied him we'll But
,bip,, that there was In his case Retrospective
jealousy The Moor and Emilia once upon time
yerc on rather intimate terms, and lngo was one
~ those Italians who like 10 cat their vengeance
co,a, The mischief he made between Othrllo and
Desdernona was vendetta. lingo was n complex
bcinq, Il may bc that, while Jealous OF byGonc
affairs. br was angry with Desdrmonn for having
ruined the doubtless profitable supremacy OF Fmiha
over OtheTIo However, IaEo is wide OF my mark
and Shakespeare docs not come within the range
Of the common law
You lrow As in a Looking Glass Of which
Lena is too close translation 70 SUIT Frcneh
taste Nine Bernhnr,lt took indiclonS conr-e IN
slurrina somewhat the incidents OF tho hrst TWO
acts. so far rs she was brought Into them. Hhe
TINS kept inprohabilitv Somr what OUT o. sight
end expectation on tip'oe. What Al" hid herself
ont 70 do was 20 he n nntohl"Ss figure In series
Of tablcau vivRnisr The dresses heped ber
in this Oscar Wilde would have given them
his approval, ~ well did they lend Themselves
20 the panther-like motions Of tho nct1rss. Ihere
is q good deal Of the smoke in the feline was
allowed 20 study the dresses they were being
draped on block figures. and thought the art
Of French women wonderful when they were
engaged in the work OF composing the different
toilets each OF which WAS really in itself
picture The compositions wcre achieved ny
iadcd mranly clad work-wOrncn. There WIRE
three, 80 far as I could ace, engaged IN each
dress, and none OF them querrrlcd over n, though
they oil had ideas 10 suggest. They hTd the
play 20 rad and were taken 10 the theatre
20 sec the rchearSals Sarah mid TO them thAt
she wished 10 he very much herself. and still
wanted 1uitn new dresses IN regard 20 style,
materials and arrangement. They ought 20 suit
her and the che racter OF Lena they must be
very flexible, very rich. very odd, and not
bit coricature, though striking as they could be
What wos moro, the great actress wanted 20 be
extremely modern, and still 10 have more than
touch Of antiquity in the folds OF the dnperes
She is becoming stout, and she wanted {, give
tho illusion OF her old slendernrss. II may aston
sh mrnr fair readers 10 hear thnt oil her rquirc-
ments were satisfied. Tho slaves OF the needle
and scissors worked wonders Madame Infrrriere
the dressmnker who employs them. gets all the
credit A wealth Of rich materials WIS thrown
aside aftrr the first and the second tryinss on
Of the dresses. Sarah is the most fastidinuS
creature alive ia respect 70 her toilets. The
four dressrs that, two days before she 70
sppenr in them, il was finally agreed 10 give her,
were only finished Just rs she going on the
stage. Zach was brought into her resing-room
at the thentre from Nine. Laierricrc's worlC-rooms
and between the acts.
To recur 10 Nine. Snrahs personatlon OF Lena
She looked I'm The FIRST aud second nciS rs IL tire OF
vice and vicious associates She wns very evil
nnd her inner being was i'll NJ in consequence
and fell into a state OF moral atrophy. The re-
action began at Monte Carlo after sho had broken
the bank Generally speaking women and chill
dren give the examples OF virtue and Innocence
that redeem the world. This time the redcemer
through the transparent honor and goodness Of his
disposition, is Lord Ramsay, Scotch noheman
Lena falls more IN love with his virtues than with
himself They are 70 her delicious and refresh
ing novelty. Under their influence she becomes
transforned-though am afraid not from pulpit
point Of view converted.
Perhaps there is too much whimsicality in lenl's