The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-17
AFFAIRS OF THE THEATRE.
,,onJESKA As A FIVE ART Ex-
,upIE TO YOUNGER ACTR ES,

rnunnuyfa htpTouuV'tVh "
ucIcna Modjeska played Camille yesterday
.aornoon at the Fifth Avenue Theatre and
.,,resses we're numerous in the audience. IL
.aomcd Ms though n hundred OF them.woro
,horc like pupils at q school, and very likely
,wice MS many moro amateurs anu students
zorro presont. They could have made no bot
tor use Of their time and money. Inc Mod
- - camille was an object lesson that could
not fail to do them good. They had seen many
.Uo,hcr octrcss in the role, and were therefore
mi, 10 make comparisons and contrasts. The
hO,oine In Dumas's vicious play Is not q com.
u,ondnble exhibit in morals, but in this instance
.hc was n valuable example in art. Mme. Mod
..sro ia long past her youth and beauty. As
~ ortrancor of young armand, as the belle Of
-. sot and as tho victor and victim in encoun-
- ~ live. she was inevitably absurd from a
.s,tAs,c point of view. But for that very rea-
- sbc was tho best teacher that tbs actresses
,o,,d have gone to. There was no glamour Of
nhvsicnl lovelincss to prevent instructive OBJ
s,r,otion or critical judgment. The methods
-, The great player were thus barred to disillu-
,io,ized study. Thus looked upon they were
,.ep 10 BIO admirable. The intelligence Of the
.Iorrtion. despite the foreign accent which
mars It, the graphic conveyance OF meaning In
avery nose and gesture and the seeming case
and spontaneity of 1t all were accomplishments
rbich every young actress should strive to ac-
ouire. From the first Of her scenes with ar
,r,nd Nh to the close of her interview with
D,roi which has always marked the highest
achievement in Modjeska's Camille, there is
M delicate phase Of the character which Is not
As clearly expressed as an artist would draw q
line TO lind out his sketch. The conception Is
aistinct in:her mind. What she docs is to indt-
cate by every possible and appropriate touch
49,. =. ,,a,ni,raa thu nhnrarfar IN hA llnn
strikipg instance Of that comes in the scene
with De Vdrriue in the second act. He has
offered to o,pp pay c5 5sf ei rescS Sna to ss' the IN p eRe Sid
which contains them, every word and motion
"a Allied with the expression Of q new and alb
S sGsO promise to her, even the thought that she
Il 10 be freed from debt, are trivial in view of
the love that is permeating her life. She sings
n entirely at times as she searches for the port
folio and then resuming it again 30 indiffer-
emily.
sorbod in her passion for armand. and she re-
yeals this with a certainty and delicacy that
would be possible to only the most careful and
Tarriilc, as well as her sudden return to Ar
pidnd' s love, is as sure in its deIneation OF what
Even the attitude she assumes in ArHldnd's
arms as the curtain falls Indicates her absorb
ton in the love which she thought was lost;
which follows were always the best incidents
n Modjeska's Camille, and to excel in them is to
do most that can be done with the role. Her
final yielding to Durai's persuasions and her
last words with him were deeply pathetic, but
in that respect they were less effective than the
was the best point Of her performance yester-
lay afternoon, and. as q portrayal OF utter, hope
less despair. It was superbly effective. Her
has hSs,As some familiar force. More than either
Bernhnrdt or Duse she Celebrates this scene. She
starts twice to write the letter. destroys each OF.
for and finally after taking mnra tfuna In do
tail than either Of those actresses. finishes II as
armand enters. In,the following passage with
o loss OF power which the preceding Incidents
had not disclosed. No better model could be
taken to-day than Modjeska. She should, at
results can be obtained only by ceaseless work
and constant study. 1t is many years since
beauty and youth helped her to engross an audi
Ill health. 1t Is her srlendidly artistic method
which keeps her an interesting actress and
appear. Yesterday afternoon the intermissions
were again intolcrably long, and there was lit
tie necessity for 1t, as the scenery was pitifully
scant and tawdry. Joseph Haworth was q ve-
hement and earnest armand, but 1t is not one
OF his best efforts.
An event significant Of recent developments
In vaudeville was the trial at Pastors yester-
day OF a new short play in which three actors
made their first appearance in q variety per-
Torrance. Indications Of its tentative charac-
fer were abundant. The programmes did not
mention 1t. The proscenium cards bore the
words, Extra Turn" Yet the chief player
vas Henry Bagge, both his assistants were capa-
bic, and the sixteen-minute farce was sufficient
V diverting to insure its three interpreters
steady employment in vaudeville for some
time. Antonio Pastor, from o seat near the
piano player. laughed like q schoolboy over it,
though he has seen several sketches before.
Most OF the fun came from o husbands decep-
ton of his wife. First she was found bewail-
ing her husbands continued absence and tho
inability of the police to get track of him.. Then
hubby appeared with q companion whom ha
had picked up to share his three days carouse.
These two were utterly at sea as to where they
had been. what they had done or how long they
had been doing it, and in seeking the date from
q newspaper ran across startling headlines An
bouncing a murder, ana became convinced that
Ihey were somehow concerned in the killing,
In this the husband bullied the other chap,
him with Tho laws punishment for his misdeed.
shd soaring him out Of his wits. With the
WE w unexpected appearance. for tho husband
ilet that the wife was away, tho tables were
turned and it was the husband who was in dis
n uesS "a , ,ahter edition Of the newspaper. an.
tlred and containing pictures of the two drink
Pr, lea TO the end, which had the wife believ-
- ~. hIopunu ldu Dctn QOllR missionary
TTork In the slums during his absence. "a
traSedy N bohemia" was the title given to IL
~ JOhl NJ. Morton, Its author. In its essay
on ~rpbbers' II had the distinction OF follow
;,g JoKerS, one OF whom declared that at a GER
IAN store he saw the announcement, "Dickens's
moTks az this week for w." whereat the other
''pneu' Dickens must be a cheap guy"
Inc contrast between "Pinafore' and Cav.
eNeFia ltusticana." between w. 8. Gilbert and
arthur sullivan on the one land and Giuseppe
'erga and Pietro Mascagni on the other. would
umuer any circumstances he startling enough.
i"e passionate fury OF the Italian play, all
rove, nate revenge. seduction, and murder, is
SsuileFeht to the placid humor of the popular
i.HSn'h operetta as 1t could we'll be. Under or
u'Hary circumstances both AVE such various
e'oDleh's as would .at one performance mako
aea' upon nearly every emotion of the specta-
sfS' AT the American Theatre there is a now
rnasc aided to one OF them. To the quiet, ra-
s'n", humor OF 'Pinafore' there have been
y me eSasgeration and buffoonery that
.rs"' almost he called the sign of the decadent
i'""'ore' II that were a quality possibly to BIO
app"eo TO such u healthy work. Whom the
,ret.tU' was rcvived'two years ago at the same
,-."'c' " was found to be overladen with gro.
ana IMh, opro.ics tia were totally at vari-