The age-herald., 1900-11-18

Stephen Phillips, a young English writer. received the most extravagant praise for his work entitled "Paola and Francesca He has just written another drama in three acts entitled "Herod." This play was pro- dueed at Her Majesty's Theater in London by MT. Beerbohm Tree the last of October and has received the instant and enthusias- tic praise of the English press.
 Some months ago the news spread over the country with alarming rapidity that M. Edmond Rostand, the popular young French author of "Cyrano de Bergerac," was confined in an insane asylum with small hopes of his ultimate recovery. This was totally untrue. M Rostand was suf- fering somewhat from overwork but there were no mental complications whatever. It is somewhat remarkable that the two most popular plays running in Paris last summer were the work of this one author, and played, too, by two of the very fore most of French actors. Coquelin In "Cyr4- no de Bergerac" nightly drew large crowds although the play had been running for some time, while the theater of Madame Sarah Bernhardt, who was appearing night ly in ''LAiglon," was filled to it's utmost capacity. "L' 'Aiglon' as played by Maude Adams Is now published in English, beau- tifully ornamented and illustrated in the style of the Empire.
 Apropos of the two great French actors Bernhardt and Coquelin, it was an inter- esting thing to watch the effect made by each of these great actors on people who could not speak a word of French AL though perfectly familiar with the play of 'Cyrano de Bergerac," Coquelin, 1t seemed to us conveyed very little idea of his emo- tions by means of his acting when one could not understand the spoken word Particularly were we disappointed in his death scene, which seemed very tame and lacking in dramatic fervor and effect; while on the contrary, while we only knew the merest outlines of "L'Aiglon," and had not read the play the intensity of Bernhardt's dramatic skill kept us spellbound, and 1t did seem that the spoken word amounteo to absolutely nothing in the presence of such art Not only the incidents of inc play were thoroughly understood, but also equally as well the psychological develop ment and emotions of L'Aiglon. Her death scene was a perfect marvel of artis- tic acting; and as the curtain went down the unanimous expression on our lips was that 1t was the very finest thing we had ever seen on the stage, which seemed to me the acme of praise of this incomparable artist; for it was her acting pure and sim pie which had made the extraordinary im- pression upon us At an early date Mad anne Bernhardt will play "LAiglon' in this country and Coquelin will with her take the part of the old French grenadier.
 
 Clement Scott the veteran dramatic crit ic, has written a delightful little volume on Ellen Terry, that charming actress who never fails to delight her audience. MT. Scott has known Ellen Terry since her very childhood, and early says in his volume, that 'in fancy Ellen Terry must have been the love dream of many men of susceptibil- ity and strong imagination, for in her days of girlhood she was distinctly the most TO- mantic-oo<ing creature I had ever seen." So 1t is probable that she began to charm her audience even in those early days, and has never forgotten the art.
 The interest of the story of Miss Terry's career is greatly increased by the docu- mentary matter which MT. Scott has repro. duced in his book. He has published a number of important letters bearing on the bright and characteristic letters from the ton of "The Merchant of Venice" by Ban- croft at the Prince of Wales Theater, and his selection of Ellen Terry to play Portia. It was this performance which started the actress on her serious career in the drama. We saw Miss Terry play the part of Portia this summer, and certainly she is the most winsome and charming Portia that ever appeared on any stage. One striking de- parture that Miss Terry makes in regard to costume is the wearing of a scarlet robe