The record-union., 1899-02-14
: AMUsE16ENTs.

Nance O'Neil had good house at the
Clunie last night, when she made her
first appearance in Sacramento. But,
for arts sake, the house should have
been crowded. The play was Magda,
an unlovely but intensely attractive
thing, the philosophy of which ON one
side is as offensive and irritating as
any doctrine could be; on the other
as strong, true, manly, Christ-like as is
conceivable. The play is the story OF
a life of passion, wrong and the bitter
fruit of SIM At the same time it is
contrast, as the blaze of the sun is to
Cinmerian darkness. in its picture OF
virtue. honor, elf-sacrdfice and loving
kindness, against a background OF
passion, pride and dishonor. Nance
O'Neil is a central figure in the story.
A young California woman, yet but n,
divinely tall and fair, and superbly
graceful, but virile, assertive,s almost
masculine in her presence, and yet pas
sionately, defiantly womanly. She has
the fire of dramatic inspiration IN her
soul, and the physical capacity and
power to make it's manifestations IN
tragedy tell like blows of the sledge,
cut like keen, cold steel, or scar as a
red-hot iron Her voice is rotund, tull,
strong, penetrating, assertive. she
reads with the virility belonging to
manhood, but at no time obscures her
feminine quality. Beyond question hers
| is a strong, gifted, splendidly equipped
personality. that is destined to make
for itself a secure footing upon the
stage. one that will be enviable-indeed,
lis SO now. The actress, who has so
much of power and grace, such splendid
facial control, such expressiveness oI
motion. still suggests-as is perhaps to
be expected from one so young-tnat
the pose, the gesture, the facial speak
| ing, is studied to suit the word. Ine
impression remains that it is cunning
adaptation of the physical expression
to the text demand rather than the re-
sult-the natural, uncomfortable result
l-of the thought. That will come; she
will very soon cease to have concern
about the pose, the gesture or INC
countenance. but with true conception
of the meaning and purpose OF tie
thought of her subject or character;
with that as the sole object of her art
the action will follow irresistibly, nat
urally, almost unconsciousiy. Nance
O'Neil is assuredly a coming emotional
ana tragic dclIGSS, W11OoO PoSS~>A -
will much honor the American stage.
Even now she is a surprise, a wonoer'
blazing like a. newborn star IN cihi-
liant armament. AS Leah to-nlgnu III
s.vYhe Jewess" we shall expect OF her
great. good work She is equal TO IT,
and will not disappoint That the 1uos-
ment of the audience was all IN her Ia
yor was made manifest last nlght IN d
triple and enthusiastic recall IN tue Iirsl
act in which she appeared, ana repe-
tition of it at the close OF the next. l.
would have been again repeated at Tue
final fall of the curtain mad tn~
dramatic situation permitted Inc sec
ond central figure was that OF the par
alytic. proud old German ofhcer, the
loving father but resolute man OF nolof'
Schwartze, personated by Mckee hal-
kin faultlessly. 1t was noble exainpls
of refined, realistic acting, an assunp-
ton of character the study OF WHICH
might well enchain the attentlon anu
fire the ambition of any asplrant lor
| dramatic glory Truth is, he falriy dl-
yided the honors with Nance y Nell
and made ssher Magda all the
more remarkable because she piaseu
| it in the strong light OF Tue
matchless work of Mr.. Rankin.
The third character in the play OF
special note was the German pastor
| Of Mr.. Carr, a strong, emotional
well-sustained, symmetrical character
drawn by an artist of intelligence ana
feenng. The support otherwise was not
ceptional-neither very good nor very
weak. However, it is fair to say, 10
the others very little is given, II we
except the unlovely and unsympathe.'c
role of the Counsellor, assumed py M 4
Millard, a careful and palnstaklhs