The sun., 1901-09-01
SOME TOPICS OF THE STAGE.
a LUSTY DRAMATIC HERO AT
THE AGE or sIxTY-THREE.
Wi,liam Favcrshams Renewal ef the Old
Fa,erite's Youth th-Eieenora Duses
Abnse Of Her Profession Depths
neached ny the Buri~sque Companies.


Fa,erites Youth -Eleenora Duse'
aiuse Of Her Profession Depth
Reschcd ny the Buricsque Companies
That favortts soldier Of fortune Do'
Cesar De Basan h es years old In stage life
yet he Il as e1uberant ~ ever, as amusing
Go audiences and a. SURF 90 enhance th'
popularity Of all the suitable actors whC
undertake 20 impersonate him. He diher'
from the recent heroes of fervid and horsc
rumanco In b~ing imperturbably good
humored He makes fun Of his deadlie-'
dangers and treat. his life a. Joke. Ever
IN his love he IL hardly for moment serious
and he does not lot us witness hjs deeds OF
perilous valor These charactertstics oi
hi deprive the play Of easily practicable
uaelodrnmatio episodes akin TO the theme
Ior which our fashionable n well a. our
Oiscellaneous audiences have liking
when an approved actor figures In them.
It's almost altogether ~ a romantic COMEDY.
and not at all as q whooping melodrama.
that a ROYAL Rival. the version OF the old
play that h now at the Criterion, should be
regarded II was In that vein Of genial
hilarity that Edwin Booth. Lester Wallack.
Prank Mayo, Charles Matthews and Others
used To depict the buoyant Cesar. and now
William FaverrhaIn IL wisely and happily
making the same kind Of q portraiture Of
the impossible hut captivating daredevil
The only difference Ia one which will doubt
les- help 20 heightsn and prolons Mr. Faver-
sham's sucess In the role 10 which Mr.
frohman has assigned him at the Outset OF
q career as star Instead Of the old
fashioned grandiloqueno- he gives us the
now fashioned naturalne~s which most OF
us prefer. and In which he il particularly
proficient
The number Of inquiries sent TO The Srs
indicate- a confusion Of ideas a. TO the
origin and evolution Of Don Cesar de
Bazan' The character OF this merrily
conqucrtng Cesar was created 10y Victor
Hugo as a subsidiary chap in -Ruy Bias
That was away back Ia isss. Hugo gave
permission to Adolph D'Ennery. then
new playwright, 20 make the fellow a
principal In a drama. and D'Ennery col
aiorated with pumanoir In writing the
piece which has endured 80 long Several
English versions were soon brought out
in London. one of them to Wsllace's music
in .Maritana Tn. frs, performance
in America was IN ~. n, Nitchelrs Olympic
with the elder Charles Walcot In the title
part Lester Nallsck did not appear
IN II until four wears later at the Chatham.
aud he had freuuent recourse to II during
the ensuing quarter of a century. In one
of his caste the elder Mark Smith and
In another John Gilbert were the sub
serNien, MGrgvis o. Montsfore and neither
Vas ever able 20 make much Of him. The
expcdi.n, Of having him carcatured at
the Criterion. with the dwarfish SG.tz Ei-
wards 10 make him grute-que. at least
forces laughter. and IL to that extent iustih-
abb. though tho fsrcical passages involv-
ing him are thu poorest portions OF the
entertainment The la-, previous revival OF
Don Cpsar de Balsn- was in half
hour condensation a, keith's with George
Clarke in IT,
u is no, possible 90 know that EleoEora
D,Ise talks with the real cccentricity or
genius. She may have sbiur'd common
sense in order TO arrest public attention.
ln cithcr case II II pity. She a~serts
thar she will have no more TO do with
Theatres after her American tour next y~ar
Il needn't repeat. she says In n seemingly
suiheniic interview, that : leave .hr stage
without regret I can't be forever play
Ing Dumas and Sardou. llrsen and Suder-
MANI. No one Of account "a writing new
plays Tor me. and thO-e that are written
might ~ we'll remain unacted am
threatened with literary famine That
sounds strangely inapfrccia'iv~ OF her
sentimental comFade. Gabrielle D'Annun-
yic. fou- ot whose pieo-s, sho IL 10 Introduce
60 us Her complaint that she IL starving
for lack of actnhl' literary fare suggests
that sope friend ought 10 call her attention
Co the WORKS of one William Shakespeare.
whom hnr Italian compatriots, Saivini.
RosSi and R'Stor. fed and fattcned on. Her
sitcntion might II, called also 10 Sarah
R.rnharit Rs a great actp-ss who has al
wavs been able to keep h"rself provided
with material in plenty D'ise Vas appre-
ciat,-! fully upon hcr first appearance in
this country There was no hesitation
IA accepting her a. a genius in quiet vet
eHcC,ual expression. Something in her
nature quite "a much lee IN her art enabIes
her ,o d~n"s intens. feeling without phys
ical ooinnotion. But h"r foreign tongue
and the restriction of her rcp-rtorv 10
PLAYS Of generally rpulsive lcchery kept
hor IRON commercial pro~rerity while she
Wa herr. N'fF y lohlfl 70 Nne
condi,nns which are largely Of her own
making.
D,ses aiuae 81 stage people Is sure
Ia raise tho question by them whether she
is rot throwing Stones from glass house.
'Of my many companions she says. Il
cannot think without loa'hing. Most Of
a.. a",ors and actresses I mea, are CON
tcnpiibl" No on. can imagine the horror
that ovcrcuinsS me toward evening ON
dnvs wheu | am To imp~r-onate some mon
sior ~ good or evil. A feeling Of sslf-abas.s-
meut takes Possession Of me. | assure
you Il j. hell. downright belt This eter-
nal diving that I nave Ia do! Poison. knife
consumption iIs too disgusting /
couldn't play these abominations two
evenings M suc,',sion. not 10 save my
life Our public quite agrce- with Durs
tina, her cl,o,c- of hectic aud abnormal roles
To the exclusion of th,se that are whole
some. - deplorahle. and u is very regrctta-
bio that sh" ha- decided 90 add to them
four inop' 81 the same kind by D'Aununzio.
Still ni"ra damaging 10 ia" esteem In which
most of w. hold h"r a. au artist N the sus-
t.ts.