The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-25
BERNHARDT'S SPIRIT DRAMA.
Sardou, Believer in Spiritua1ism
the Author of the PLAY.


Boston Herald: If reports from Paris
may be relied on, the role which Sarah
Bernhardt is to create in the new and
modern play that Sardou has completed
Tor her is not masculine after all. but
viii proDaoly come in as a relief from
maie attire between her success in De
MuSsetS Lorenzaccio and the proposed
revival of Hamlet. Spiritisnle. which the
play IS boldly called, is a Sensational
drama The announcement of a play so
corsrs S;S, named as Spiritualism is ac
gard to Sardou's attitude on the matter.
| Wnlie many who know Sarah Bernharit
wen are ruby aware that she is most
| superSuuous, and believes in spirit rap
pings and is always listening for them,
| ana always declaring that she has re-
| celved warnings and messages. Many
| a game OF poker, in the wee sma' hours,
| nas been spoiled during the actress tours
| OF America by these spirit rappings.
odrdou admits that he believes in spirits,
| remarkable powers himself He even
goes so far as to declare that spirit
MOVERS have been thrown down from
| the ceiling of his own room-iust as Nine
Blavatslfy used to have them in her DAYS.
1t Is expected that Spiritisme will make
a tremendous sensation in Paris, al
though some scoffers merely speak of the
production as for the time being likely TO
turn the Renaissance into an Egyptian
nall There is scene in the play in
which there is a realistic seance. with
spirit rappings and conversations from
departed souls
Nine Bernhardts part is that of an
excitable. passionate woman, whose
nerves are easily played upon. Her hus-
banda part to be played by Leon Bre-
mont, who was the Christ of the Passion
Play" done a few seasons. ago at the
Theatre d ApplicatiOn, in Paris-is ''un
brave homme." honest, unaffected, loyal
OF course there is a lover, from Havana
this time, to be played by Paul Maurice
Clerget. and DevaI, who was here with
Bernhard, is TO have the role of the
heroine's friend. a laxative, inquisitive,
superficial man-about-town, typical
Partisan. OF course there will be a Rus
sian countess. No play in which such q
topic as spiritualism is introduced would
be any more complete without a Russian
countess than a nihilistic play would be,
for these titled slavS are always mixed up
in Paris in all doubtful affairs. This
Marie Alexandrine Caron. lately suc-
cess in the original production of Hotel
du Libre-Exchange''- supplies. says
Sardou, the Indispensable element OF
are two doctors in the playa French
man, DIR. Parsot, a typical scientific
man OF the bouleyards, who believes in
finitely in himself, and a Scotchman,
DR.. James Douglas, who represents sci
ence tempered with belief"
While considerable mystery is still
maintained in regard to the development
of the play, it is known that Sarah sur
wives the fall of the curtain, and the play
ends happily
One reason that a great success is an
t-cipated for the piece is that for the
past few years the interest in spiritual
ism has been growing in Paris. The emf
nent followers of the hope are divided
into two camps, those who follow Nine.
Blavatsky, who. though dead, is as in
f1uential as ever. and those who swear
by EHphas Levi, and cry down all else.
In addition, there are quite a number OF
well known men with followers. There
are DR.. Encausse, Jules Bois Stanilas
dc Guaita and Sar Paladau. The first
mentioned, best known as 'Papus, is the
leader of ''Martinism," q sort of spirit
ualistic Freemasonry, which has Roman
Catholicism for a basis. In addition to
that, one only has to recall the tremen-
ago by the frances Henrietta Coeudon. the
seeress, through whose young lips the
archangel Gabriel was supposed to prOph-
esy and who, in spite of many plumbers,
was for a fortnight such an Excitement
in Paris that the sound of the furore
she created was heard all over the civil
lied world, and then forgotten 1t is to
be hoped. however, that the play is poll
tic, for should Sardou stir up the fac
lions there is no knowing what might
happen.
the success of ''Lorenzaccio." which
waited nearly half a century for hear
ing behind the footlights. She recently
told a friend that the great difficulty in
preparing for the play was that OF
thinking and feeling as man would
which, combined with the necessity to
comprehend the 18th century psychology
of the poetic anarchist of the play, made
her task far from easy one.