The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-04-04
MAKES A GREAT SUCCESS


The following opinions appeared in
the New York papers upon Blanche
Bates success in the character Ut Mi
ladi. Miss Bates played i'm Honolulu
for two seasons. as leading lady in the
Frawley company and counts hosts Of
friends here Soon after her return to
the coast she Joined Days Company in
ter appearing in the initial perform
ance of the Great Ruby with i'm
mense success. She Immediately sign
ed with the "Muskcteers' Company,
and is highly praised.
The New York Daily News says:
MIR. James O'Neiu is featured ON the
program as the star i'm the role Of DAT
tagnan. but the honors were all With
Miss Bates. who unprecedented Miladi
In two scenes last night this actress
proved herself the equal of any actress
Of the present as portraNer ut violent
emotions. In the prologue. which
shows her In one of the early episodes
of her Career-the branding Of her
shoulder with the tleur de lis badge OF
criminality--she electrified her audience
by really marvellous display. 1t was
wild. eXtravagant. and modified by
none of the psychological aspects that
would have been introduced by Dusc
or Modjeska. but it went straight to
your soul 1t caused your hair to sit
up" as Mr.. Kipling expressed it, and
when that occurs you do not care to
cavil about method. After that 1t was
a Bates house. Mr.. O'Neill and his
sword. Bob, and the other big hats and
long swords, appeared as if seen afar.
down a dim vista. 1t was the adVen-
turess that held the attention of the
audience. and the scenes that were
without her presence We're endured
restlessly. Then came the third act,
and a scene in Miladi's lodgings where
she endeavors to entrap D'Artagnan.
He discovers her brand of shame, and
she flies at him as a demon would,
Shrieliing, swearing, raging, raVing,
the most perfect and thrilling picture
of a maddened, reckless woman ever
shown upon the stage. This may sound
eXtravagant but | doubt if Sara Bern
hardt could have equalled her out
break of fury 1t set the audience
unanimously applauding, and gained
half dozen curtain calls for the act
ress. After seeing it there could be
no doubt about the talented Californian
having arrived i'm an artistic sense.
The New York Tribunes critic
writes;
The triumph of Miss Blanche Bates
in this narrowing and most exciting
situation, should be recorded as one of
{ enuine and remarkable power. Amid
cal scheme-the plotting cardinal, the
eaVesdrOpping. the secret panel, the
talk of an imperlled queen, an infu-
rated noble. the states welfare and
the rewards of falsehood, and all the
stuff and nonsense of a wild and thrill
ling nOvel-she made her auditors for
get the theater. and yield themselves
completely to the charm of a bad wo-
man, superb in her beauty, and, siren
like, Turing honor to destruction with
the Internal WitChery of sensual love.
AS to her study of the human nature
of this baleful woman there may be a
question: nobody can steep the soul
in evil without leaving some record of
it in the face, and Miss Bates, until
the moment of the frenzy, evinced no
inward struggle, and no sign of pain;
but, as to the brillianCy and power OF
acting, there could be no question
whatever. A new actress has arisen to
adorn our stage, and at last the new
theatrical generation may have a rea-
son for its enthusiasm. Miss Bates
was recalled many times.
Alan Dale writes in the New York
Journal:
Miladi is the most interesting feat
ure of this Liebler show Miss Blanche
Bates was able to give us a touch of
electricity in tableau No. that was
most welcome. For a moment she eX-
hibited the tigress-like ferOcity of
Bernhard. 1t was a capital piece of
work and Miss Bates has not been ov-
GRATED. If she will take my advice,
and avoid facial cortortions she will
forge ahead. She was even better in
this scene than in The Great Ruby"
1t is always a pleasure to chronicle
such a success. This young woman re-
minds me something of Julia Arthur
at her best. Let her beware of Rosa
finding and Galatea-ing us into apa-