Omaha daily bee., 1902-05-12
AfnuSe
At the Boyd.

At the Boyd.
la Madeleine" a tragedy in four acts
by II. J. w. Dam. Produced for the first
time in Omaha Saturday night by
Blanche Walsh and her company. The
cast:
Louis, Marquis de la Bray............
Raymond Whitaker
Baron Oldenburg. ...... Emmett Shackelford
Julien, Conte de Vreilliere: Forrest Flood
Victor .................... FREDERICK darrls
Monsieur Rousse. ........... .Denman Malley
Joseph, a head waiter. Robert Harold, Jr.
Bernard, a waiter. ......... William Wallace
Marsy, a porter. .........R Richard Fitzgerald
Philippe, a butler........".I.:Pe Perez, Wynn
Toni souchette of the Cafe des Ambas-
sop Sdee9 Chariot. mother Of 'E kiBaTtin Marinon
Mrs. ]. r. Haywood
The Duchess of Seaumer. ..... Rose Anthem
Lucille, her granddaughter. Emily Baker
Rose Mel of the Opera Comique.
Mother Micou, wife OF Micou. Dora Norton
Madamoiseiie E~vangeIine. Adelaide Reeves
Siba, a slayey ;..".....i9E thelyn Clemens
Marie Monnier, La Madeleine" .........
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Blanche Walsh
La Madeleine is a world story in
French garb. No matter in what language
IL may Dt ClOlutu llo mural lIuluS are dS
everlasting as the hills. Platitudinous at
times, cynlcally pessimistic at others, airily
soothing now, and again sounding the depths
Of soberest thought, the words Of the play
serve merely to illumine a series Of pic
lures the somberness of whose colors is un-
relieved by a single dash of light. BE
sure your sin will find you out" is the one
great central truth, and while an apparent
effort is made to soften this fact, it is
driven home finally with unrelenting force.
In some respects the piece is reminiscent
OF Camille" the story and the action be-
ing very much the same. Candor compels
the statement that this is not a pleasant
theme, but the treatment in the present in
stance is so modified as to give advantage
to whatever may tend to ameliorate the
actual conditions. A girl of the half-worl1
meets a youth. They love and she tries to
reform for his sake. Her sin comes be-
tween them and she is finally strong
enough to sacrifice herself for his future.
In the final act she throws away a crucidS
and drinks poison as he gives assent to
the priests question, "Wilt thou" ETC., In
the marriage ceremony. In the hope OF
forgiveness before the bar of heaven she
dies.
Miss Walsh finds in the part ample scope
| u ~ tANAAAot " al hNA fSN
ers as an actress. 1t demands ability Of
the highest order, and she meets the re.
quiremonts fully, portraying the emotions
the passions, the love, the despair, the hope
and the disappointment, and the final agon!
Of desperation that leads her to curse Co
aud die with unquestioned power and fore,
and with exceptional taste and discernment
Miss Walsh is not a ranter; no woman OF
the stage today reads her lines with sucl
discrimination and taste, and she is there
fore able to give virile life to the most in
tense passages without offending. In tw
places does she appear TO decided advan
tage in La Madeleine" In the third &C
a gambling scene, striking I'm resemblance
to that in Camille" only the parts ar
changed, and she scorns the gold an
Jewels. denouncing the man who seeks I
buy her life and makes complete her sac
rihce for the man she loves. II is a httin
climax TO an act of thrilling interest an
won for the star last night a quadrupl
call to bow to an admiring house. Tn
: final scene, wherein she dies, after kissin
4 the cross she had spurned in her soul
: desolation, peace coming TO her with az
preaching dissolution as she recalls III
. promise to the magdalene, Though tn
> sins be as scarlet, /" and a smile comes ov'
c her dead face as she lies before the alta
; brings a hush and subdues any though
save that of her sacrifice in life and hoI
for peace in death.
q Miss Walsh's company shows to muC
! better advantage in La Madeleine" this
in Janice Meredith" Robert Lowe
Father Varsi has a decidedly dificult rol
but acquits himself with much cred
None OF the other parts are particular
heavy, being merely incidental TO the sto
rather than Of It.
= Last nights audience was both lar
5 and sympathetic and cheerfully, even e
Is Enthusiastically. paid to this talented womi
the tribute Of applause she so largely me
tied.