The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-09
At THE THEATERS.
METROPOLITAN

Leslie Carriers superb art almost con-
Vmced good sized audience at the Met
ropolltan theater last evening that Be-
lasco's creation. Zaza, is worth all
the intensity Of emotion wasted upon
her. Concerning Mrs Carriers coneep.
ton OF the character there can be no
two opinions. 1t is so complete that
there are times when one feels as if he
We're attending Vivisection, only, in
stead of bones and flesh being cut I'D for
his delectation, all the quVering nerves.
the emotions and the passions are laid
bare. There are no deep subtilties about
Belasco's heroine. What she feels she
shows and she is capable of ire
mendous unreserve that Mrs Carter
handles in a mastery manner Since
the character was made for Mrs Car
ter one can understand, in measure.
how she is able to sink her personality
SO completely in it. One is not reminded
OF Mrs. Carter at all. One Is simply
fascinated by the vaudeville artist. Zaza
at least while the curtain is up. When
it falls one marvels at the incongruities
of this creature who is so common in
that dressing room scene in the first
act and who reveals so fine perception
in the scene with Dufresne's child.
The play possesses all the frankness
of Camille Like Camille it doesn't
deal with the woman ith-a-past
problem" Zaza's past is in process of
construction and even in that first act.
her dressing room in the concert hall
in Saint Etienne, she is taking life at
very rapid tempo. The play tells the
story of vulgar enough Jason. A man
about town and vaudeville actress are
attracted toward one another The first
meeting takes place in the dressing room
of the concert hall, a scene which, for
frank realism, is a little In advance OF
hi
America. The girls make UP, men drop
i'll for a chat How thunder and light
ming are made, and the approach of
horses simulated-all the mechanical
devices employed in theater are shown
There are evidences of jealeusies, there
is coarseness, in fact there is all the
serdidness of life behind the scenes OF
a cheap concert hall Zaza meets Du-
fresno, wins him over against his better
judgment-for he fears her-and the cur
tain falls.
There is nothing unusual about the
acts which follow. The brief happiness
the anxious fear, the jealousy, the dis
covtry of Dufresne's marriage by Zaza
the mad journey to his house why the
ventureseme have read many such his
tories in the penny dreadful novels.
The denouement only Is different.
An absence of two years from her low
er transforms ZaZa. who dusts the furni-
ture with her petticoat and then polishes
! the glasses with the same convenient
article. into pensive and severely moral
young person who waves sad adieu to
her returned lover and drives home alone
in peaceful state. It is all uplifting and
subduing, but it isn't at all convincing.
1t is impossible to understand how such
a creature as Zaza can possess the ca
pability of suffering SO tremendously To
realize depth one must have fallen from
heights. Lucifer would have been less
a devil had he not once been an angel.
Zaza never knew any heights. She was
brought up on the streets. and she never
got near enough to the sky to escape the
soil She was a creature easily capable
Of the wild passion displayed in the