The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-28

act comedy In rhymes by young author.
1t was Coppee's lie Passant," a little
masterpiece of stage literature, though no.
body expected much of it that night.
The leading part, an Italian troubadour
named ZanettO, was intrusted to young
girl, who sat rather nervous and lonesome
in her pretty costume. A cap with
feather was pressed negligently on her
yellow hair, hanging loose about her
shoulders; velvet jacket laced with
white cords, and tights covering her rather
lean and angular limbs. completed her
costume. 1t was in exact imitation of the
"Florentine Singer" the famous statue
by Dubois, now in the Luxembourg gall
lery.
The other members of the company paid
but little attention to her except to joke
about her gestures, gait and makeup, and
her pretentions to assume a leading part.
What an ill-shaped woman" remarked
one of her rivals.
And, in truth, her most realistic cos
tune left no doubt about her form. She
was thin to ridiculous degree; even the
bones and hollOws of her limbs were per-
ceptible; her hands and feet were too
large for the slender body and far from
beautiful in shape.
This youngest actress was Sarah Bern
hardt, then about % years old. She had
met with but little success hitherto. Like
Lillian Russell, she had appeared in flesh
colored tights in burlesque to get an open
ing. The papers had not yet mentioned
her name. Only the great, fat critic, Sar-
cey, had written a few lines about her, and
Pierre Lott, an elegant, jolly, young naval
officer, and now q well-known author and
member of the academy, were among her
first admirers.
She stepped out on the stage with pale,
melancholy features, showing traces of
Jewish descent in the delicate, refined
manner of the French Israelite The
movements of her tall and serpentlne
form, so supine and odd, so refined with
out any searching tor coquetry, already
betrayed the nervous will power which
has often mesmerized her audience in late
years. Her playing was noble and natural;
so natural, indeed, that some failed to see
the beauty of it.
Her SOFT deep voice, capable of endless
meditation, penetrated into the soul of
the audience and called Indefinitely to
mind sultry evening with its tender
careSses. or the warm, heavy breath waited
from field of clover.
Even Turgeniew. who has said very Bit
ter things about her could not help aC-
knowledgiug: Il have never heard such
q wonderful voice."
The unexpected success of this evening
was her first step 10 fame. (Other male
parts she rendered successfully were
Zacharie in "Athalie" and the Marquis de
Nilleniers.)
Her next appearance OF importance was
in the "Etrangere, by Dumas. She only
represented a comical. freaky, heartless
woman, whom the poet had imagined de-
moniacal, but whom the actress possessed
only the power to render grotesque and
bizarre. Her costume was striking; she
wore an eXtravagant dress, a combination
OF red and yellow, and her headgear re-
semhed the comb OF peacock.
Her voice ruled the conversation as an
organ the divine service. In the second
act, when she relates the story of her
youth 10 the duchess, She developed re-
markablc Su0kclkc WiDdIDgS and curves,
which set Paris talking for some DAYS.
\ picture Nero irving a Poison on One
of His Slaves" was exhibited in the salon
of 1876. The slave twisted himself in
spiral ContortIOnS on the marble door and
the Parisiaus affirmed that the painter
was inspired in MS creation Of the wind
ing Slave" by the "Etrangere'
Her phenomenal ieapness is pr0verhial
in Paris and the constant theme Of many
WlttlClSnS. An OIlCer once remarked that
she could battle ia the barrel Of gun. A
dressmaker said Sarah could make herself
a dress out Of a thread. An ART critic as
serted that Sarah could drink from well
without wettiug her cheeks. and professor
of zoology that, in consequence OF a total
absence of cheeks. she could look into her
own ear with her large eyes.
her leanuess u connected with q very
delicate constitution. IL does not hinder
her. however. TO drink in fun drauSht
from all the sources of pleasure. she
rides spirited horses, drives lerv Rms
s}an team and L. a passionate fencer. She
lives in the Boulevard Perairr, in q fabu-
lousy luxuriant dwelling, which res0unds
wiki her extTayasaut festivities aul capri
e.uus adventures from her cream tinted
b1udo,r 10 her studio in which she CHS
eled her charming group After the Thun-
der storm wrote the drama, The
Golden Pin" and made the sketch which
the house Of Mouere presented 10 the
Prince OF Wales. and represented on the
Partisan stage in Daudet's lie Nabab.'
However, the greatest success OF her CA
reer was in the tragedy 'Vauquished
Rome, by Parodi. In the third act an
old Roman matron. tall and blind. dressed
n a black, flowing robe, leaning on u
servant, above whom she lowered by u
head, appeared on the scene. As she
STROBE along, 80 tall and majestic, while