Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-29

ADJUSTMENTS,
lEZ.I lgiyg

| The local theaters have made two notable
offerings since the last Sunday review in
these columns. One, a dramatization Of a
novel which. evef before its publication in
book form. had attracted such attention and
attained such popGlatity with all classes OF
! American readers as have been bestowed upon
no other new work of fiction in the last
twenty years; the other revamplng of an old
drama, which, in its day and in hands now
| inactive, was perhaps the most widely known
and fondly loved play presented upon the
American stage. "Trilby," at the Creighton.
having for its central motive that yet half
understood and mysterious force the mani
| festations of which are thrusting themselves
more and more unfortunately upon the atten-
tion of scientists, but which has rarely been
successfully handled in play; "Trby," pre-.
sented by company of artists the general
| excellence OF which was only accentuated by
| tho remarkable achievement of two or three
Of its members; "Trilby," played to standing
room throughout Its engagement here. repeat
| ing its experience in the half-dozen other
| cities where 1t has shown. and at the matt
nee crowds were turned away Those disap-
pointed scores could have found good accom-
mediation in the gallery, which was scarcely
occupied at all; but they were dressed all in
their best. as becomes patrons Of the matt
nee and by no means willing to waste their
| sweetness on the air of any gallery.
| Without attempting to account for the prac-
| tically universal and quite ineXpliclble popu-
| larity of Du Maurier's book 1t must be ad-
mitted that that popularity is fact. 1t is
| more; 1t is fad, and it pervades all strata Of
| society, being carried to lengths surprising. in
| ways nauseating and unmentonable. This
| condition, in its turn, goes far to explain the
| great success of Mr. Potter's play. Intrinsic
| ally clever and interesting 1t may be doubted
| II 1t Is strong enough to hold the boards for
| long after the present craze shall have died
away and the delightful story assumed its
| rlghtful place among those viands which are
| "caviare to the general" The play, however,
| Is sure of a hearty reception so long as the
book is cherished by the masses. and for like
reasons; it may be little longer, for the play
affects the Philistine mind, as the
book in the nature of things, cannot.
All the foregoing is of the play "Trilby"
as 1t comes from Mr.. Potter's hand; bold
man, Mr.. Potter, who rushed in where
| angels might have feared to tread, but who
has Jared vastly better than they commonly
fare who fire Ephesian domes. Much more
| might be sld in commendation of the play
| wrght's work If time and space were avail
able. The last scene of all, the passing of
Trilby, has been the subject of adverse
| criticism from certain theater-goers who
must have their plays end happily, with
| wedding or at least a proptious betrothal;
and from certain others more progressive,
who accept the sad finale but find fault with
the technical means Of its representation. Ii
| is conceived that the dramatist meant to
| symbolic, by the pathetic isolation of Trilby
at the supreme moment of her life that
| loneliness which, in consequence of her
| gradual yielding up of her separate exist
ence. was Svengahs legacy; her solitary
death being the ,epitome of a life which,
| however full of companionship of the ord-
| nary kind, was forever denied the consola-
tion of satisfying love- If you grant the
hypnotism at ALL, you must not stagger at
| any strange phenomenon which may be at
tributed to it. Just why the photograph
| should have been sent to Zouzou, of all
others, is not quite apparent. He is too good
| fellow to have been made even indirectly
responsible for Trilbyls death. Perhaps Mr..
| Potter made 1t come to him because of the
dead musicians 'undying hatred for 'es
trois Angliches" and for all their race; but
then Svengall hated all mankind and loved
| nothing. except his art. Herein may, per-
haps, be found the only human attribute of
this portentous Jew; it quite escaped one at
the first view Of the performance although
| it there of course. Svengali spared
neither himself nor others, employing all
means Of good and evil for the advancement
| of his art. Such devotion to an ideal Is not
| without its claim upon respect and even
| sympathy. though the paths 1t treads toward
the attainment lead through squalor and
| brutality '..
Mr.. Lackaye's Svengali leaves a profound
| impression. The excellence Of the perform
snce on its ethical side has already beer
| limited at. There is not space even for :
| poor attempt at doing full justice to it, nc
| to the technical beauty of its presentation
1t is not alone the makeup, striking as
| that is nor the obscene outside of the man,
| nor the mastery business with the hands,
| which speak the same noxious language as
| falls from his lips, which give this achleVe-
| ment its most valid claim to greatness 1t
is all these and other attributes combined
and infused with the soul of true artist
| which can build Of even mean and sorbid
| things a structure which endures. Mr.
| Lackayes dialect was perhaps the best pre-
| sented 1t is a question whether it is not
| too like that OF the ordinary German speak
| ing French. and whether he conld not have
| made 1t more truthful If less intelligible. by
| studying the strange tongues spoken in some
| of the swarming districts of the East Side
| OF New York. He could have found there
a patos congruous with Svengalis origin
| wherever "out of the mysterious east that
unlovely character is conceived to have
| come.
| Dialect Is not the strongest point of the
Palmer company. Mr. Canhsld especiaily
| gave notable exhibition Of how the
Scotch brogue should not be spoken
AS for French. there were as many SHES
| at 1t as there were speakers. and outside OF
| Martinetti and Simmons ard Jennie Relf-
| ferth, none of them were conspicuously sue
| cessful. The name Gecko was pronounced
| by Svengali with an indication of the soft G;
all the others spoke it hard. Du Maurier
makes Svengali call the little Vlohnist
| "Checko" which would seem to vindicate Mr.
| the final d in speaking the name of Nine.
| Vinard others, including Nine. Wizard her
| self, retained it. And the word monsieur
was a stumbling block to almost everybody
| So generally agreeable a performance as
| these people give should not be marred by
| faults like these. in themselves small. but
| of a nature to crate upon sensitive ears.
| An entirely pleasant feature of the
| "Trilby" performances was the appearance
| of Ignacio Martinetti as Zouzou. This am
| bilious young artist the name OF whose
| friends, gained by years of conscientious and
ever-lmproylng work on the variety stage, -
legion, is winning fame of a more permanent
, character by his more recent ventures in the
| higher walks of the mimic art 1t is al
| ways good to sec man put away chiidish
| things, and although Mr.. Martinetti dances
| bstter than most men, he gives promise in
| his later endeavurs Of doing things which
will appeal to the understanding as forcibly
as his agile legs formerly impressed them
| selves upon the eye, In Trilby he Is
equally fectous in his indication OF the
| character Of the hadcap zouave and of the
| due de la Rochemartel, with the weight upon
| him Of centuries OF ancestry. One looks for
even better things than these from Mr.. Mar
tinetti, who has qualifications of very high
order for certain eccentric roles,