The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-17
Sardou's Helena at the Califor.
MIA Proves an Artistic
Treat.
DAN sULLY AT THE COLUMBIA
Melodrama at the Alcazar and Grand
Opera.House-Other Attrac.
tons.

Victorien Sardou made play especially
suited to Mrs Robert Downing's talents
when he constructed "Heiena," which was
produced for the first time in this City at
the California Theater last night.
The action of the drama is laid in
medieval Italy, when the factions were
raging between the Guelphs and the
Ghibellines. Like most tories of
that unhappy epoch, there are wars
and rumors of wars, running all
through the plot, but the real
Interest of Helena" is Il more human one
than that of the internal factions that rent
Sienna, along with the rest of Italy, in the
fourteenth century.
Orso, the chief of the Guelphs, ''base
mechanic" sprung from the people, has
presumed to publicly throw some flowers
into the balcony of Helena Saracini, sister
of the chief of the Ghibellines, the
daughter of one of nobest fam
lilies in Sienna. The lady throws
them back into his face with
scorn, which so maddens Orso that he
arouses his faction to arms, burns Helenas
palace while her brother is defending the
fortress and humbles her i'll the dust. A
few hours later Helena recognizes Orso by
his voice as the man upon whom she had
invoked the vengeance OF her brother.
She stabs him herself and believing him to
be diving relents and nurses him in her
ruined palace, while her klnsmen are
seeking him to Stay him.
AS Helena Mrs. Downing has strong OPP
portunities and she makes the most of
them. From the time she entered in
suited and brokenhearted, to cry for re-
venge, till she died from poison, given her
by her brother to end her supposed
disloyalty in sheltering her foe,
Mrs. Downing was always natural,
sincere and thoroughly artistic. She was
canting, nor did she once jar on her hear
ers by false or over-acted effect. She was
Helena to the life-a proud, gentle hearted
girl, who, maddened by insult strikes,
and, seeing her foe at her feet, relents, and
lets her woman's pity lead her to her own
undoing.
Mrs. @Downing's appearance was thor
oughly in keeping with her role. She
looked girlish and majestic withal, and
she knew how to wear her quaint medieval
gowns with grace, which is a good deal
more than can be said for every actress
who dons such robes. AS Orso Robert
Downing had role that did not
particularly commend him to the
sympathies of the public, but his ROBUST
style enabled him to play it realistically.
Edwin Terry was graceful and efficient as
Helenas brother, and the other parts were
we'll sustained, particularly that OF a
messenger, which was played by B.
Williams.
In spite of some of its brutal character
istics Helena" is a strongly romantic
play, and its real attraction depends, not
on the incidents, which crowd thick ana
fast on one another, but on the human iu-
terest which surrounds its heroine.
The acts are short and the interest does
not flag. The staging is excellent and has
the commendable characteristic of being
painted from Italian models, for the scenes
are true to the country represented. Taken
altogether ''Helena" makes q strong addi-
ton to the Downing repertoire. 1t will be
repeated tonight.