The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-07-13
OF THE STAGE.
Hubert Wilkes Bounce---S arah's
Joan of Arc.

Mr.. Hubert Wilke, the strutting and
self-conscious baritone OF the Sea King
company, appears to be somewhat disap
pointed in life just at present. Mr. Wilke
recently undertook to carry on with his
manager the sort of conduct which ap-
pears to be exclusively the province Of
people who happen to be born with voices.
He was attacked with sudden and mys-
terious hoarseness upon two or three oc-
casions last week, and sent his personal
manager Qmagine being manager of a
salaried baritoneD to the theatre with
vague MESSAGES regarding his condition
of health. Finally, he sent word that he
might be able to appear today or tomor-
row. and when he did come to the thea
tire he was told that his services were no
longer required. Thereupon Mr.. Wilke
became exceedingly indignant and
threatened to bring suit against Mr.. Gill
more, the proprietor of the organization.
AS it is a somewhat difficult matter to re-
cover salary for services not rendered, Mr..
Wilkes pathway through the law may
turn out to be long and tortuous.l
A London letter says that Sarah Bern
hardt as Joan of Arc is disappointment
We were led to expect so much that her
failure to excite the smallest amount of
interest or enthusiasm was all the more
pronounced. IL might have been anybody
who was lolhng about the vast stage of
Her Majesty's in most unbecOming cos
tume--which may have been correct, but
which was horribly ugly-and it was al
most difficult to believe the dull, uninter-
esting aud semi-dormanG individual was
the great Bernhardt. | have never seen
her TO greater disadvantage, and when the
curtain was finally rung down at just five
minutes past midnight an audible sigh of
relief went up, everybody being so glad TO
get away that no one remained TO applaud
49,. a . loo
j Jules Barber, is simply contempt bl
Long and dreary speeches, like street.
corner orations, preachy duologaes; tes
dious professions ard innumerable
ehoruses are its distinguishing features:
while en- Monday night five waits, each of
thirty minutes duration, still further
tried the patiencesof singularly good
natured audience. There might have
been introduced some stirring battle
scenes OF mediaevai warfare, but there
were none; there might have been gor-
geous procession at the coronation scene,
but the ssgorgeOusnesgf consisted of half
a-dozen seedy looking supers in dirty cos
tunes and some dirty fifth rate stock
scenery which would have disgraced an
East End theatre The orchestra made
things more dismal by every now and
then bursting into funeral strains which
were only welcome for one thing-namely,
they drowned the lugubrious and irritat-
ingly monotonous dirge of the actors who,
from Sarah downward, delivered their
lines as if they were in church chanting
the responses. Mol we do not want to see
Bernhardt at all if she cannot give us any
thing better than this am told that the
actress was really ill on Monday night
and while thoroughly believing if-for in
very truth she looked bad enough do
not think that had she been well any in
terest in the performance could have been
aroused. The remainder of the cast was
so poor that any mention Of the same be-
comes unnecessary.