The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-25
BERNHARDT AT REHEARSAL.
Six Hours of Hard Work. Marked by
Patience and Good Humor.

G. II. Meltzer, in New York World.
All were seated. Sarah had ensconced
herself near piano which stimulated the
orchestra. Little could be seen of her
but the outline of her long. delicate face,
the occasional fash of her eyes and the
halo formed by her fiamboyant golden hair
Some strenuous moment in the story of
the poor little Eaglet had evidently been
reached. For as we entered the company
suddenly rose as one man and began vocif-
Grating. Whether they were cursing or
merely applauding it was hard TO say. The
effect was noise-loud, stirring and tumult-
uous noise.
1t subsidized. And Sarah, who had just
then caught sight of us. glided our way.
A smile was on her lips, and her hand
that wonderful and eloquent handicapped
our two hands Putting aside our thanks
for her welcome with an "Oh. yes / know.
know. I am an angel" she rejoined her
fellow-actors. Next instant she was at
work again, apparently as unconscious of
our obtrusion as though we had not ex-
listed.
The real woman, the Bernhardt of the
smile and the wonderful outstretched
hand, had, as though by magic. merged
herself in Rostard's Eaglet. And the fact
that she wore an ostentatiously feminine
dress-wh,te, trailing skirts and a white
bodice, fastened at the hips by a down-dip-
ping belt of what we once called the ''Theo-
odora" pattern-did not ruin the illusion.
Then almost before we had had time
To recover from the surprise with which
we had watched this change, she had
transformed herself into a new charac-
ter Passing from poetry 10 prose- she
forgot the actress In the stage MANAGER.
For Sarah practically stsge-manages her
productions herself, under the advice and
the guidance of her dramatists.
Within three minutes we had seen three
Bernhardts.
There. This chair must go here. That
table there Are you all ready? Then We
will begin.
Sarah, however. did not say word of
all this. She merely acted X, aragslns
the furniture about with rapidly that
would have shamed the ordinary stage
hand of America, IL he were capable OF
shame, and conveying her intentions by
q look, a gesture, an exclamation, fespoho-
ed to on the instant
Now Sarah sat at the table, Z. c., fac
ing the professor, and listening with ORA
matte impatience TO his mock lesson in
history.
"The Emperor won two battles. captured
the bridge Of"
In the middle of the rebuke which the
Eaglet administers to his instructor Sarah
broke of.
..Ah, that will never do. mon ebert You
must pick up that cue more quickly Come.
Try again..
Three times she went over the scene be-
fore she was satisfied. never losing her
temper, never scolding. never showing
even so much as the shadow CT annoy
ance anger or fatigue. Her relationship
toward her company seemed that OF
woman TO large household of admiring
sisters. brothers. cousins and aunts, rather
than that of omnipotent and fnccm-
parable star directing her subordinates.
Therein. perhaps, lies half the secret of
the success which through so many well
filled years has attended the actress She
Is always considerable. always ready TO
give help to her less gifted feilow-artists.
always willing to work harder than any OF
her associates.
Her patience. her high spirits. her pas
sionate enthusiasm at rehcarsals, such as
the one were watching, are. in their
way, almost as remarkable as the magma
ton which enables her to grasp. assimi-
late and illuminate her characters. Genius
OF itself would not have brought her the
enduring fame she knows. To see Bern
hardt at a rehearsal is a theatrical educa-
ton.
Bang, Bang, Sarah lifted the chairs.
planted them in new positions and sat
in the first seat she found. dancing her
foot up and down like girl In her teens.
while the promoter turned over the
leaves and summoned the actors required
for the garden scene. She herself had
could give her mind to the superintend-
ance OF the supers-most OF them Amer
tcan-Who trooped ACROSS the room. drank
TO the health Of the Metternich and