The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-25

hgion-she Follows a Messiah to the
Woods in Order to Tempt him But is
Won Over by His Wiles and Becomes
His Devotee Instead and Actually Kills
Man in Order to Protect Her Virtue
Audience Goes Wild.
New York, Jan. 24-Sarah Bernhardt,
fresh from new triumphs in Paris, began
her New York engagement in Abbey's
theater last evening before a remark
ably large and brilliant audience, which
included a great number of her own
cOmparriots. She was greeted on her
first appearance with much cordially,
and in the course of the performance
was called before the curtain again and
again to acknowledge the frequent and
enthusiastic tributes of applause.
Although many years have slipped
away, since, in her early prime, the
made her first bow before an American
audience, she still retains all the vigOr
and much of the charm of youth. Her
figure, though somewhat fuller than Of
old, is still 1.-THE and slender, and
strength, and the lines OF her face are
scarcely deeper than they were a decade
and unfailing powers, she is, of course,
as much as ever mistress Of all the tech
nical expedients Of her art,
To display these in their fullest eff
cheney and with the greatest possible
amount frapid and striking contrast
is the object of her four act play,
'Izeyl," written expressly for her by
Armand Sylvestre and Eugene Morand,
and played with great success in Paris.
In Fedora, Theodore, Gismonda, La
Tosca, she had exhausted almost the
whole field Of morbid feminine passion,
and it became necessary either to return
to the portrayal of characters more or
less akain to human nature or to seek
theatrical opportunities in some new di-
rection. The authors conceived the no.
ti0n of of a romantic, mythical poetic
drama, semi-religious and semi-pas-
sionate, with an infusion OF spectacle
and melodrama and assigned to the Or
lent an indefinite number Of centuries
before the Christian era. 1t must be
admitted that in putting their idea into
execution hey have exhibited literary
facility, considerable dramatic ingenui-
ty, some poetic Imagination, a keen ap-
precia ton of the theatrical value of re-
ligious sentiment and no little discre-
ton in the treat ment of IT, although
they have not succeeded in yelling the
fact that poetic inspiration, didactic
purpose, and moral principles were sec
ondary considerations TO the profession
al requirements of Madame Bernhard,
who Of late has misaplied her abnormal
gifts to the not altogether successful at
tempt to reconcile the antipodes Of hu-
man emotion.
On the face of il, 'Izeyl'' is an alegory
70 the everlasting struggle between good
and evil. illustrated from incidents
drawn from Christian and Buddhist
sources. The hero Is called Buddha, but
he has twelve disciples, retires to a
mountain to fast and pray, and delivers
a sermon there. The inference is OBJ
viOus. There is, moreover, a parsonage
half dervish, half prophet, who, plainly.
is a variation of John the Baptist. Il
should be added that both these person
ages are presented with as much rever-
ence as it CONSTANT with their appear
ance on the theatrical stage.
The character assumed by Nine. Bern
hardt is a combination Of Delilah, La
Tosca, and Mary Magdaiene. and need
be considered in no other light than as
a vehicle for the display Of the actresses
manifold accomplishments. First she is
a wOntOn, who, when the young Prince
resigns his throne to learn and preach
the gospel Of remuneration, follows him
her charms being powerless, she is her
self converted and it exhibited in the
contrasting parts of temptress and de
voice. In the third act, while still fun
OF the ra ptUre of holiness she Is assailed
by the young Rajah, and, unaware of
his identity, kills him in defense of her
virture and cOnceals his body, which
presently is discovered by his mother.
No one familiar with BernhardtS re-
I -
which she creates out of such situations.
In thel asst act she is a martyr, broken,
bleeding and blind, and finally dies in
the arms of her Master" in alternate
moods of earthly passion and and re-
ligious exaltation. Her representation,
considered simply as acting. is a Won
derful achievement. although all her
skill is unable to hide the artiliciality
and incerity of the conception. In the
first act she has very little 70 do. but In
the temptatio scene she plays with eX-
uuisie art and extraordinary power Of
fascination. furnishing to some of our
younger actresses an admirable dem
onstration OF the potency of artistic sUg-
gestiOn as compared With the crudities
Of mere realism. In her subsequent CON
version she exhibited a fervor of devO-
tiOnal ecstasy which provoked a storm
Of APPLAUSE. But after all II was in the
agoniZing details Of her fatal struggle
with the Rajah, in the passionate ap-
peal and rebuke before his assault, I'm
the fury of her defence. and in the fren-
~ of remorse and despair after the deed.
that she most pleased the bulk of her
audience. She has accustomed her pub
lie to these paroXysms. and certainly no
actress can denote them with greater
effect. but il is a pity that such rare
abilities should be devoted to the fOS-
tering and gratifica ton OF an appetite
So unhealthy. Her finest work is apt 10
he overlooked in the general eagerness
for these abnormal manifestations. They
are extraordinary and startling, and
create q momentary illusion, bat really
they exceed the modeSty of nature and
are not to be accounted am ong the high
est riumphs of dramatic art.