The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-10-16
THE TRANsGREssoR.'

out unnecessary verbiage. That Is what
| everybody wants to-day. The unfor-
| tuLate dramatic critic who feels that
he positively has people depending on
| his Investigations is uneasy and OPP
pressed. Occasions often arise when he
wishes that he had never been born.
| This Is one OF them. Miss Nethersole
has been very largely doomed as the
coming actress, the Bernhard of the
| future Sarah forgive 10, the great
dramatic novelty-,and so on. She comes
forward with the star-mark branded on
| her rehead-branded there by ill-ad-
vised admirers. and under those circum-
| stances II IL always difficult to shine.
The stars in the heavens above would
grow pale beneath such obstacles.
Miss Nethersole made her first appear
| ance In America at palmer's Theatre
last nigt in n play by A. W. Cattle, en-
titled THE Transgressor. She was
! fearfuly nervous, poor little lady--so
nervous az first that she transposed
words, but she overcame this sensation
later on. and gave tolerably fair dis
play of what she can do, She is nice
lookng-not pretty with features on
which the placidity of Mrs. Kendall
Helen Dauvray and Jane liadinG seems
to be the most striking characteristic.
She is slight and small but she is not
| sinuous or graceful. Her appearance, In
fact, Is most eminently commonplace
not that this matters very much.
stars can triumph over physical facts.
and beautiful women are sometimes
LUMINOSITY stupid.
| The young actress was called upon to
play the part of "A girl who has married
silver-haired gentleman She loves
him fervcntly, and believes that at the
| time Of their marriage he was a widow
er. 1t is discovered however, that Eric
I.angleys wife lives She is hopelessly
insane, and has been in that condition
twenty years. A railway accident
robbed her of her reason. Eric seems to
| be most uncanny person For two
decades he had not even looked upon his
wife, because when she went insane she
gave horrible laugh, and that fright
ened him. Sylvia has a big scene when
she learns how she has been deceived,
but she clings 20 Eric, and at the end of
the play a telegram Is received bearing
the news of the wife's death.
How did Miss Nethersole interpret
these episodes! In the first two acts,
| where she is supposed to be fascinating,
ingenious, girlish and natural, she over
acted most lamentably. She laughed
irritatlngly she gurgled, she kissed-and
with what large, noisy, smacking kisses
she overwhelmed them all!--she threw
herself about the stage and she clawed
at the air. Such simple phrases as
"Win you have cup of tea?" or Some
| No M hy har N ba
most theatrical way There was not
a vestige OF ease or repose in her man
ner She did not save herself up for
her big scene. 1t was perpetual strug-
gle for efrect-a case OF stage manager
needed very badly. The programme de-
cared that Miss Nethersole supervised
the production herself. She should in
stantly secure an assistant.
The big scene came in due course.
Mind, we had suspended all iudgme mt
until this scene arrived. We were still
disposed to adore Miss Nethersoe. We
made all necessary allowances for her
timidity. due to the ordeal through
which she was passing. Alas! in the
third act Miss Nethersoe was absolute
ly crude. She had one or two quiet. ad-
| mrabie moments, instants OF pictur-
esque theatricalism, but they were few
and far between. She -anted: she tore
her hair land poor WE'or Lsckaye's, n,
welD; she pulled down her eyes unit
they Japanesed themselves; she extend
ed her mouth; she clutched at every
body, and she chewed up the scenery.
Miss Nethersole has dramatic instinct
OF course: she has temperament, as well
but ut present her ability has not ma
tured She is not ripe enough TO star
She would be "A valuable leading lady
and good stage manager would be o
infinite service to her. Al least, that 4
% what her performance last night sug
n gested. In other plays, she may develop
=, other personal advantages. 1t would b
j absurd to condemn her irrevocably, be
r. cause she failed in play that is simpl
y beneath contempt.
J. II is a positive duty, however to ad
that there are leading ladies here VIII
N would have done infinitely better witt
: out seeing Miss Nethersole again. l dis
. tinctly assert that she IL not to be CON
pared with either Julia Arthur or Mil
: ME Selgman. Miss Arthur. who electr
n ned an audience in such vlllainou
70 affair as The Black Mask would HAY
made The TransgresSor" tolerabl
n Miss Nethersole moreover. IL not &
: good an artist as Mrs. Bernard Beer
a. She Is younger, comelier, more pleasing
4 but abe Is unable to score the fine poin
Va that poor Mrs. Bernard Beere succeede
In realizing.
Mrs flowers was the best member
the supporting company, She did r
ia markedly well with a bad part, and 81
6 could teach the young actress a thing
10 two. Grant Stewart was effective In Il
u role OF a clergyman-an excellent part
and Nj Lackaye was soulful as II
~ silly husband of the dcmCnted lady. Il
where did Mr.. Llckaye get his evenii
ar clothes7 Where ala he raise that viii
u waistcoat that seemed TO be button
under his chin? II made him look like
master OF ceremonies at an east-si'
ball. ]. II. Barnes was unimpressive al
n. weak, but f. NJ. Holland did a good de
with a few lines.
= The way OF THE Transgressor''
d. hard. There's no doubt about that.
ALAN DALE
IA "a = z. siri