The herald., 1898-03-13

ments in vaudeville was the trial at Pas
tors of a new short play in which three ac
tors. made their appearance in a variety
performance Indications of its tentative
character are abundant. The program did
not mention 1t. The proscenum cards bore
the words, Extra Turn" Yet the chief
player was Henry Bagge. both his assist
ants were capable, and the sixteen minnie
farce was sufficiently diverting to insure
its three interpreters steady employment
in vaudeville for some time
! A local application of this tendency has
been seen at the Orpheum, where the ex-
pertinent of introducing a comedietta has
met with much approval from the audi
ence. During the past week very clever
pair. Filson and Enrol, have been doing a
capital dramatic skit and they will intro
duce another one of the kind tomorrow
! night. The relief is a pleasant one to the
monotony of the average song and dance
performer.
From a recent review in the New York
Sun of Modjeskas Camille l make the
following extracts. which go to show the
high estimation In which the great actress
| is properly held. The article says: Helena
Modjeska played Camille yesterday af-
| ternoon at the Fifth Avenue theater and
actresses were numerous in the audience.
1t seemed as though a hundred of them
were there. like pupils at a school. and
very likely twice as many more amateurs
and students were present. They could
have made no better use of their time and
| money. The Modjeska Camille was an OBJ
| 5ect lesson that could not fall to do them
good. They had seen many another actress
| in the role and were therefore able to make
| comparisons and contrasts. The heroine in
Dumas vicious play Is not a commenda-
BILE exhibit in morals, but in this instance
she was valuable example In art. Nine.
ModJeSka Is long past her youth and beau
| ty. AS the entrarieer of young Armand
| as the belle of her set and as the victor and
victim in encounters of love, she was inev-
itably absurd from realistic point of view
But for that very reason she was the best
teacher that the actresses could have gone
to- There way no glamour of physical
ioveliness to prevent instructive observa-
ttOn or critical judgment. The methods CT
the great player were thus barred to disil-
lusionized study. Thus looked upon they
were seen to be admirable. The intelli-
gence of the elocution, despite the foreign
accent which mars 1t, the graphic convey
ance or meaning in every pose and gesture
and the seeming ease and spontaneity of
1t all were accomplishments which every
young actress should strive to acquire.
Modjeska's idea Is that Camille would be
absorbed in her passion for Armand, and
she reveals this with a certainty and deli
cacy that would be possible to only the
most careful and finished art. In the same
act her return to De Varville. as we'll as
her sudden return to Armand's love: is as
sure in It's delneaton Of what Modjeska
takes to be Camille's feelings then. Even
the attitude she assumes in Armand's arms
as the curtain falls indicates her absorption
IN the love which she thought was lost. .
Her final yielding to Duval's persuasions
and her last words with him were deeply
pathetic, but In that respect they were
less effective than the writing of The fare
well letter to Armand. That was the best
point of her performance yesterday after
noon, and, as portrayal of utter hopeless
despair it was superby effective.
No better model could be taken today than
Modjeska. She should. at least be able 10
convince actors that abiding results can
be obtained only by cease,ess work and
constant study. 1t Is many years since
beauty and youth helped her to engross
an audience. Her force has waned. for she
has been in ill-health. 1t is her splerdidly
artistic method which keeps her an inter-
esting actress and which will keep her so
as long as she is able to appear"
O o o
The death Of Mrs. Robert Mantell, better
known as Charlotte Behrens. took place
at Port Huron. Mich, on the Sth inst, after
somewhat prolonged Illness. Miss Behrens
was an attractive woman and graceful
actress, possessing no great range of
power, but showing much sympathy in the
delineation of the clinging heroine of melo-
drama and fairly average ability in the
assumption Of some of the heroines of
Shakespeare. Her last appearance in this
city was at the Grand opera house in July,
1885, when she played the part OF Desde-
mona to her husbands Othello.
o O O
lie Theatre" is the name of the latest
% ri flttct tod
twenty-four pages and costs two francs
Published by Boussod, it contains the
beautiful color-printing process by Goupil,
and devotes itself entirely to the drama.
The San Francisco Music and Drama is
out in new typographical dress and with
a quality of paper which permits the re-
production of the finest kind of half tone
work for engraving. Its advertising COL
umns give evidence of prosperity and it's
news notes and correspondence are always
up-to-date and interesting
o o o
T. Daniel Frawley is not about to marry
the tough girl. 1t Is tough on T. Daniel
that the newspapers continue to worry him
on this subject He will have to marry
some one in order to keep his classic fea-
lures from the tender mercies of the wood
|
nance shown cheek by jowl with an at
tractive girl, be she tough or otherwise
After all, Miss Lewis has the strongest
cause for complaint
O o %
The New York Dramatic Mirror cele-
brates its one thousandth weekly issue and
almost simultaneously the arrest of it's
editor on a charge of libeling the members
of the theatrical trust Both events are
matters for congratuation. The Mirror
as a dramatic newspaper Is ahead of all
Its contemporaries and is the recognized
organ of the profession. Its influence has
grown SO that 1t is a matter of annoyance,
not to say dread, to the gentlemen who
compose the theatrical syndicate. They,
naturally enough. want to be left alone,
and cordially dislike to have the Mirror
stirring up the press of the country to
comments, mostly unflattering, of their
methods. AS to the libel suit, 1t is rec
ognized dictum in Journalism that paper
is not to be considered prosperous and in
fuential unless 1t have at least one good
sized action for libel on its hands. The
syndicate people have made mistake,
though, in having Mr. Fiske arrested. The |
act. showing vindictiveness, will make him
thousands of additional friends. Thel