The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-09


rank reading Ii IL, nevertheless, called
! healthier than D'Annunzio's. WhyP Be-
| cause. l." liz hasten TO answer, the itallan
, has the audacity TO gloss with his poetic
style gross idea. And that il his capital
| offence
Both plays this past week a. the Victoria
gave bus. and her company admirable
opportunities. Her people act with the
ease and unanimity of ".H-r"hearsed
/ orchestra Not false note ohtrudes
| Every gesture has It's definite value. For
/ instance. one observed with respect the
| entrance of the old sculptor IN the last act
| Of La Gioconda" Mazzanti, who plays
| the part was about to salute the handle~s
| woman with o,rstrctChed arm. Like "A cat
| ne transpo-es the movement and pret.nds
| To rub his ct her arm. Ii Ii done so rapidly
: that the manned woman does not notice
! the awkward impulse; her sister, standing
| behind her does, and thanks the old man
with her eyes II II in such miraculous hl's
| of by-play that these Italians renew con-
| tinually the illusion Of real life.
In America We prefer the more academic
| patterns of the French drama. Even IN
! the volcanic Sarah YOU can detect the work
! ing of the ns.rrdtOlre springs and puleN-
The men and women of the Duss' company
translate thought into action with such
velocity that all traces of method vanish
OF D,i-e there IL little new To relate"
Where the old-fashioned screamers OF the
trHDCD- American SCHOOL Nolill nav wv u
passion into strips she gains her effect 10y
much uuietsr. trucr. therefore intens"r
means The mere crushing of her hands
| i not the genuine d(nouemsnt Of Act III
II l. the lighining-like flash that reveals TO
her her own soul, already corrupted ~
| contact with two baser natures. In" ne
she utters would he a pid frdus for the aver
| age woman; not So for this noble nature
this high-Strting, imaginative woman, tins
latter day martyr Of marital crime she
has debn-ed herself with talsehood:
although il was spoken for the purpo--' OF
saving IN ar, work Her physical Is tran
scended by her moral agony She derpi-'s
herself And that is the reason why We
are not treated 10 crsscendo of barhari'
writings and cheap posturings AGAIN
has bus. demonstrated her superior ar'iS'ry'
The cruz of the play has Browning
favor, has II not!
Still. the Illusion might have been better
maintained If puse had not appeared later
with her hands unbandaged. This was.
Tor her. an astonishing concession 10 poru-
lar prejudice The prompt-book calls Tor
blood stains. Happily We were not shown
them At least the narrow borderiana
between art and pathology was not crossed.
A too -slow" curtain on the opening nlght
attcnuatcd apprcciahly the effect of tIe
scene In reality Diise's greatest episode
is at the end Of Act / There she displays
the entire range Of her genius
II Wa a IElIl h1ufilt tll d'l'l Wv" T''''
that il would be great idea II American
managers would close their theatres Tor
a month so a. Ia allow their various com
pauie~ leisure for studying tho methods
of Duse and her associates The NOTION
I. n divertinc one Much might be- learned.
The art of not acting. the value OF repose.
would be the most profitable lesson ac-
quired II il in what II does not do tha' th'
Italian organization Is 80 renarkah"
Acting and emotional tohogganing arr often
corfoliuded 10y the American public. not 10
rertirr the native actor and actress
II does not escape the attention that
D'Annunzio i. more successful with his
portraits Of women than men. His Gio-
condG. his Anna. his France sch-for she
hears his individual stanp-his Duchtss
Elena Mut in the play la uioria, not 10
recall the women of his romances, are
all moulded on larger. more vital lines
Than his detestable heroes. These are
true decadents; pleasure loving. artistic
I'm a di.Udnte fashion, and all betrayins
a morbid erotic streak D'AnnunZio IL
tministe like Paul Bourget. He loves
the sensuous rustic of siken skirts and he
registers with artistic reCttude every
sigh exhaled by passionate soul HIS
ART is "A thousand miles away from Anglo
saxon ideals. If be Is corrupt, he L. eN;
nui.ite II the English dramatist and
novelist are healthy, they are often vulgar
and usually lnartistic. And 80 II goes.
Every man TO his task. Some prefer Ga
hriel. the Announcer of artistic tidinHs
what pr.ttily contriv.d pen name
others Mr., Hall Game and his eterna! pIat-
tudes.
A. Duse quite overshadowed the con
temporary theatrical canvas, we accord
her prime place IN the review 81 he week.
IN, other new attractions were Mr.. Ftchs
comedy "The Stubbornness Of Geraldine"
Al the GarriCk and The Children Of
King at the Herald square There j.
NOT hing novel to record Of the Fitch comedy
[, is a success. That was easy TO predict;
its reception by pleased hrst-niSht audi
ence settled doubts raised by the obvious
structural defects Of the piece. This play
wright runs to smart" dialogue and minute
happ.uingS His work il all stlprllng
he never paints with broad, fouri-hing
brush The line that appealed most forcihly
M the prerni,r re was calling wcll-known
hyphcnated hostelry "a damphool hotel!'
When Won Rosmcrs 'konigskinder
was produced by Mr. Conried at his Irving
Place Theatre few year. ago Agnes Sorrna
was the GooseGrL Not 50 POLITICALLY fra
The Buried Bell, she lent to the role some
heeting resemblance Of Haupt mann :
heroine The two creatures are not un-
like Rosmcr, unConSclously, perhaps, APP
propraled some of the rarer poetic at
mosphere of Hauptmann's play Sorma
was charming. and Herr Christian, with his
finely modelled features and dext'rlty in
| delinca,ing the moods Of the youthful
| roval idralist, was "A sympathetic colleague.
Mr. Martin Harvey, with a courage that
| deserves heartier recognition than II has
| thus far received, gave tis an English version
| of The Children Of Kings" 10y Frederick
| Iangbridge and A. II ferro, at the Herald
| square last week, Ihe production Is far
| in advance of Mr. Conried's, though il can
| not b. denied that much Of the atmosphere
| has disappeared in the English paraphrase.
| Mr.. Harvey, however, makes much of TN"
| King, his refined method, diction and per
sonality being well adapted To the char
acter. This picture play, fairy melodrama,
| nevertheless does not give the English
| actor the chances he 50 ably manipulated
| in THE Only Way" but he acts with deli
| cate skill and artistic reasonaDlnncs~. His
| support il excellent. Praise can bc awarded
| Mis- de silva, Mrs de Sofia and Mcs-r-.
| Havland Fuller Mcllish. Wright and others.
| A very delightful spectacle Is The Children
| Of King" with Humperdincks post-Wag-
| merriam and effective incidental music,
| JAMES HuNEKER
NOTES or MISIC EVENTS.