Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-23
BERNHARDT AS LEAH.
Tho Play Lugubrious and Over-Long, bnt
illuminated by the Great Artist.

Tho Play Lugubrious and Over-Long, but
illuminated by the Great Artist.
Either "Leah, the Forsaken," )" in q foreign
tongue, is not palatable to our people, or the
melting weather kept them away from the
Alvin Theater, for Sara Bernhardt pre-
sented that drama last night to very select
audience. The play is not the most cheer
full or exciting in the world, in either Ian
guage, but It seems to be q trifle more lugu-
brious ana tedious in the French of the ac-
complished actor NJ. Albert Darmont, than
we have found 1t in English.
The dismal tone of the piece was deepened
by the PREDATORY delays. 1t was rumored
around the theater that Mime. Bernhardt
was i'll. and when the clocks hands had
reached $3.50. and still the curtain had not ris-
en-, itlooked rs if Pittsbur= was about to meet
the same fate as Minneapolis. But happily
these fears were dissipated, for after the or
chestra had played three or four overtures
the curtain assembled. Leah only appears at
the close of act l., but Bernhardt's imperso-
ably pathetic that the audience forgot
the talky prelude and gave her a
hearty fsi1 recall tho when 49,, the curtain radn
Of s the Al five the acts ena thereafter Fl ssSe eSe
received from three to i've recalls so that
the audience may be said to have made up
in enthusiastic appreciate ton what 1t lacked
day night carried the play. When she was
not on the stage it was dark and doleful to a
degree. Her chief triumphs were in acts II.
and III. In the former her passionate love-
making with Rudolph, in whose arms she was
locked for the space OF ten minutes, was won
derfully pretty as well as fervent. No less
true to nature was her distracted grief
when the cowardly Nathan had slain her
father; and some actresses We know, who
think sorrow cannot be shown upon the
stage without staccato shrieks and whirl-
winds of sobs, would have been astonished
to see the effectiveness Of Bernhardt's sub
dued emotion, marked with hardly more
than heaving bosom and cries low enough
to be called sighs. 1t was a beautiful study
of real grief and evoked tremendous ap-
of the evening. though in the strong dra-
matte episodes in the descent from the clt-
max the great actress shOne, Of course. Mr..
Darmont as Ndthan confirmed the good i'm
from the length of the solf1oquies and con-
versations which fell to his share. The
other actors made reasonably good back
ground.
The scenery was rather effective, espe-
cially in Act H., which was done in semi
mittently lit by moonbeams. among the
trees and brush of q common, making good
frame for lovers tryst. The thunder in
Act III. was realistic, and the audience en-
joyed it as something that had not to be
translated to be understood. Only the final
and would-be terrific thunder-clap, as the
bolt strikes Abrdhdns's hut, revealed its the
atrical origin rather plainly. Tonight
"Fedora" will be given, and to very large
audience, no doubt. The sale of seats for
the rest of the week is large, Fridays house
being practically sold.
Owing to the demand for seats for "Cleo-
patra, )" Mr.. Abbey has chosen that play for
the final performance on Saturday evening.