New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-05
THE DRAMA
NINE. DUsE AT THE VICTORIA

4 great lachrynal opportunity is now offered 20
the Inhabitants Of this capital IN the presence and
proceedings OF the Italian actress. Nine. DUse who
came forth last night. at the Victoria Theatre in
Mr. D'Annunzios play. OF La Gioconda," and who
can be seen there for two weeks. IN that and two
other dramas from the same hand. Nine. buses
professional condition Is that o. anguish She car
RES grief by the ton, and nothing will con
tent her soul but TO behold her audience stepped in
tears To this end she has provided herself with
several stage heroines. each one OF whom Is entan-
gled IN the most distressing circumstances. con
vUlsed with the most dreadful emotions. contorted
with agony. and 5lghted with despair: and this
corrosive sublimate OF grief is invariably amstory
Each OF these heroines Is desperately enamoured
OF a man. and IN each case IL is either the wrong
man. as in Francesca da Rimini.'' the who
does wrong, as in la GiocOnda.' and la Citta
Morta.' For the embodiment OF these afnIcted
females Nine. Duse is amply. endowed by nature
nd adequately equipped by art. her qualifications
being febrile temperament. morbid imagination,
a hayward, undisciplined. egotistical mind. pas
sonate tremulous. excitable nervous system.
woful. saturnine aspect. suilen countenance. a
1.-THE nervous figure. melting voice. and expert
skiu.-acduired through long experience on the
prosy Continental stage-fn the professional prac-
tce Of initiating the surfaces of actual life such,
at least has been the testimony OF her acting
through which IS woman OF Wild and law
less emotion without intellectual purpose or con-
troll reveller in delirium, and a photographer OF
Nine, DuSe was hailed with enthusiasm by a
great assembage OF desoIated mourners for whose
manifest edihcation she expounded the sor-
rows OF Silvia Settala. an abused neglect
ed. insuted, outraged wife. who. being welded
TO despicable milk SOP Of a husband. has
neither the strength of mind the dignity OF char
acter. the decent Self-respect TO control her
htatuation for him. but condescends to quarrel
with his mistress. and allows herself to be literally
crushed. in her abject devotion 70 him Many per-
sons appear to like this kind of thing and to sup
pose. when behOlding it, that they are seena, Won
derfUl sights vrile feelings tor ali that is animal
and sensual. nowadays. is 'virile'l, and tremen-
dous powers-the fact being that the grandeur of
human nature Is not surrender Co passion but
conquest Of il; and the farther fact being that
there is neither sincerity Of moral purpose nor
valuable impairment OF any kind in these nantes
tatons and that actors who make business OF
trying to show how much they feel when they are
seXuaIly infatuated. and now much they suffer
when their sexual infatuation is repulsed or be-
trayed. are essentially, humbugs Very wisely was
II said. by the poet Emerson.
Had Had, lover who w, was noble and free.
The theme has grown very tiresome- There has
far much stage glorihcation Of the jackass
propensity in human nature: far too much analysis
OF the resultant vices and sores. An ECSTASY Of
praise is, of be expected for the writings
Of Mr.. j. 'Annunzio; just such depoTable rapture
hailed the advent of the feculent Zola: but the
reader Of those writings will seek in vain for its
Justification. They are bold writings. indeed. but
LlSy are only bold because they are shameless IL
is, apparently. of Wifu literary depravity
Just as the drelry and ponderOus Mr. Ibseu trafics
in heredity asseveratng that the girl whose grand
father once ate cucumber must inevitably get into
pickle. the bland. prOfuse, reckless and
loquactcus Mr.. DAnnurzio traics in the universal
ity of carnal desire, and declares with the cate
chism, that lin Adams fan we siuned ALA cir
ermstance that he seems TO regard with the great
est satisfaction In La Cioconda' his theme is
adultery: in La Cttta Morta' is adulterous pur
pose combined with incipieut incest IN Fran
cesca' II is erot1c frenzy. Nine Duse, in
producing the odoriferOus works Of this
"eonsummate analyst" understood to consider
herself freighted with moral lessons" She IS
And the chief of them is the lesson that foreign
performers who come before the American people
for the OF attending their moral culture
and teaching them TO keep the ten commandments
are presumptuous persons. who would show better
Judgment and better taste by keeping their super
nuous morality to themselves Our public does
not need homilies. On the stage; IL needs plays
Nina Buses professional e1pertness.--which was
exerted. LOST night, with beautifully pluvia results