New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-11
SARAH BERNHARDE.
SOUND AND TRUE WORDS FROM BOSTON.

SOUND AND TRUE WORDS FROM BOSTON
Boston journalists, as class are chiefly remarkable
for the liberaty with which they point out now 'he
newspapers published in other cities ought 10 DC
edited and for the precision with which they grasp
the fact that something has been said by SOMEBODY
else. Here and there an individual mind among them
sometimes expresses itself in view Of original vigor
ous independent thought, and when this happens inc
result is indeed refreshing. The leader oil dramal'c
criticism In Boston is Mr.. Benjamin f. Wooit' Oh ihe
Boston Gazette and this is what he says WIN REFER
ence to the recent performance OF Sarah Berinaru'-
Judgment wise, subtle instructive ana "hoiesoh'e
that IL ought to be widely known and well consldercu
nv ALI people who attend the theatre: "'La ToSa
and cleopatra of the stage, STACEY lhea'ricsi
effect is their end and aim The first Is coarse anu
cruel melodrama reared structure OF bestiay aho
horror Everything is sacrificed to the presentatioh
Of the heroine in effective situations In when she can
pose for applause. The other characters arc merely
feeders to the principal actor Her lover Is tortured
In the next room her. in order that she may oepc'
the agony ii her. Every cry wfung from MIN
is uttered that she may the workings OF impotent
rage despair and suffering. In the scene where inc
beastly scarpia attempts to buy her momentary love
by the promise OF her lovers lfe IL is the same when
she murders him the same obedience TO the purely
theatrical Is maintained The death OF the SPACIOUS
scamp only opportunity for the woman to wrench
the paper giving her lover freedom from the dead
the crucHx his breast; for stealing from the apart
ment of death in the most impressive manner
possible. There is no drawing OF CHARACTER
no analysis of motive the dramatist Is only
concerned with stage effect This subsection OF the
true TO the theatrical is maintained to the end When
her lover dead pierced through the heart by the
bullets of his eXecutoners, he lies on his face In ORDER
that the woman may believe that he is feignng, ana
display the skill of the artist In sudden transition
from hope 10 the despair which sezes on her when she
the body and sees the blood on ms BOSOM.
And when il is all what do the long SIX acts OF
repuIsive incident means Nothing. No lesson Is
taught no principle Of life is illustrated nothing
profitable TO thought is evolved. Everything Is SUD
ordinated 10 providing the chief actor with so many
situations in which she can display her command over
the resources of her art Only this and nothing more
Except perhaps 10 test the capacity OF an audience
TO enjoy the morbid the ustful and the horrible.
In CLEOPATRA tho text given TO the character is
mostly of purely elOcutiOnary order, and II was oe
lvered for the most part in a monotone Varied al
regular intervals by rising and falling OF tne Noce
that had the effect Of chant within narrow musical
compass. At last it became indesc1bably tIesome'
Her love-maling was exactly the same as that OF La
Tosca and Camille in its suggestive animahSm Las
civious glances through hafclosed eyes, sugary SUI
suousness of voice, limp cngng to the object Oh her
affections sleepy murmurng and anguorous embraces
are its characteristics. There were vigorous lie anu
an approach 10 truth in the with the messenger
who brings tidngs about Octava, but the EFFORT was
in the MAN, cOldly deliberate insnceFe and theatrical
1t interesting for the consummate mastery ais
played by the artist the technical eSsenuals Oh
her art; ii wholly Intelligent often intellectual
but IL never stirred the emotions beyond the point
named. 1t was brilliant art and stage nature Even
the death scene with its real and almost inconspcuous
SNAKE left the spectator cold and the carefully stded
fall over the body OF Antony intensified TINS ieehg
10 freezing point This Cleopatra is only La
Tosca in other surroundings. The purely sensual DOM
mates both. The only difference is that the one IS
streetgrl and the other is queen. But attire Geo
patra in the same garb as Tcsca and take from her
the title of queen and the story OF the Serpent OF Old
Nile' told by Sardou, might easily be an omltueu
chapter in the attachment of Flora Tosca for Mano
In three plays the public called upon 10 witness te
effects of passion natures II is revolving
in La Tosca' and Cleopatra and provocative OF
SWIVEL I'm Camille Unalevated moral degradation
is not pleasing theme TO set forth for the entertain
ment of serespectng people; and when II Is SET iort
as il is in these dramas when the lascivous pure ana
simple is illustrated with startling unreserve, point
closely approaching II not overseppns, inc Inc Vi
artdagradation has been reached.
ain considering Sarah Bernhardts acting, we must
concede without cavil her complete command OF the
technique Of her art. Here she IS supreme supcrl
tive Skill immaculate finish, stage art in It's highest de-
veopment indsputaby her possessions In ali that
she the precision the certainty and the power OF
her touch impress themselves wildly on the critical
spectator Her workmanship is always perfect, and
keen artistic intelligence colors her acung In every
aspect of its stage mechanism. But, despite all this
she seldom II ever, the heart she excites ad
mraon, but rarely stdrs the finer emotions There Is
art but there is more artiloalty We interested
in all that she does, but VIC never lose sight OF the
actor and her stagecraf. Even in the murder scene in
la Tosca,' powerful it Is in its symmetry, its
swiftness of action, and its impressveness, we are
more carried away by the situation in which she is the
principal figure than by the truth of her acting There
was one fine moment here that was genuinely moving,
and tho inward struggle depicted her coun
tenance when listening to the infamous proposition of
scarpa The placing Of the candles at the head Of and
the crcfx on the corpse and the creeping out of the
door, were merely stage business In the earlier scenes
of the part there little that calls for notice. Her
love making lacked nothing in the matter Of scnsuous
ness but had no suggestion Of sincerity. The acting
was good throughout but never reached to greatness
There was searching thrill in the cry with which she
heard the threat OF further torture OF her lover and
terrible swftness and hate in the blow that perces
scarpa TO the heart but this is rather physical than
intellectual through the entire drama the former
rose superior to the latter All that was thoroughly
convincing the perfection Of her technical work
For the rest it required no effort TO remain entirely
unmoved before her most imprisoned hights.'