New-York tribune., 1902-01-29
THE DRAMA-MUSIC
MRS. PATRICK CAMPBELL IN MAETER-
I1NcKs "PELLEAs AND MELIsANDE."

L1NCKs "PELLEAs AND MELIsANDE"
A ritual service was duly said, yesterday after
noon at the Victoria Theatre, by Mrs. Patrick
campbell the remains of ''Pelleas and Nell
sande"-two feeble minded persons untimey dead
~ inanition. early age.-and the solemn cere-
rnony was viewed with becoming decorum by a
great company Of bereaved and sorrow-stricken
friends The interment is appointed for Thursday
and the relics can be viewed at that time-iust
precedent TO the burial, which will occur at sun
down Mrs. Campbell appeared to be deeply affect
ed-so much so that once. in the candor of grief
she forciby exclaimed: I'm dreadful like this,'.
and there could be doubt that her words car
ried conviction to many suffering hearts. With ref
erence TO the dear deceased. however it was gen.
orally remembered that they had been born N
troubles. verbal no less than amatory as the
sparks fly upward and that their demise was the
best thing that ever happened to them-because it
at once delivered them out of much distress. When
two brothers one and the same girl and the
girl gets married TO the elder, and subsequently
becomes enamoured of the younger finding him re-
sponsve, and making her husband Jealous and
causing fratricide, the conditions existence. in
her family circle strained; and this is what had
happened TO Goulaud. who was Melisande's hus-
band; 10 Pelleas. who her innocent lover. and
10 Melisande herself. Recalling these facts, the
rnourners were able to find consolation-in spite of
copious incidental dirges of kind well calculated
10 produce green-apple collie.
To speak grsvely (although indeed, the subject
IS not worthy Of serious thoughO, the proceed
ings Of Mrs. Campbell her associates, in their
Interpretation OF Mr.. Maeterlincks insane Belgian
drama. revealed ghastly spectacle OF imbecility,
and dinused a general CONSERVATION. Whatsoever
things silly. absurd and idiotic: whatsoever
things indicative of freakish folly and mental
ALTERATION, all those things concentrate in the fan
tastic devices and the puerie style OF Mr. Maeter-
unck's plays. Some of them, indeed, have mean
ing whatever In the present example of them
there is a thread OF story; but the thread is so
slender story is trie the incidents so trivial
and the language assigned to the several interlocu
tors so mawkish and insipid that, at last, the pa
tience Of even the most tolerant auditor is over
ghelraed and exhausted. Disciples of the Maeter
lnck fad have of course. proclaimed that this pro-
dieious genius aims to instruct mankind by means
Of symbols and that each of his pictures secretes
2 vast and comprehensive meaning. 1t may be so;
l,t 10 the eve and ear of sense taking those
pictures for what they are, and hearing the vacu-
o1,s twaddle with which they are accompanied his
symbols are about as nationally significant as the
vegetable marrows were with which Mrs. MCKEE
bvs lunatic wooer pelted that old lady, across her
garden wall
Description could give adequate idea Of the
sbsurdity Of Mrs. Campben's behavior as Nell
Eande-a behavior, doubt, completely warranted
nv the part.-and only Mr.. Maeterlnck's own words
can convey adequate idea Of the wretched
batbos of which he is capable One law of the
Naeternck style appears to be that every plattuoe
suoken shall be spoken twice. and, as almost every
t-6sed dannable OF dramatic art in the represen-
-e+ion there was not trace except for the acting
NJ Mr Tftheradge, who twice succeeded IN
bs,nr impressive in spite Of the ridiculous situa-
lions in which he was placed and the nonsense
that he was obliged to speak In Goulaud's scene
with the child for example he even suggested
Tson-as in massage Of The Winters Tale Mr..
ar,,ss in q scene that Gilbert might have devised
Car Mr. Bunthorne posed with row OF five old
women all dressed alike. and stated that he mao
..beard flies crawling the door," but did not
know Why Il was that he wanted TO go down
cellar Mrs Campbell frequently said that she was
.unhappy" but IL was not observed that her SUI
fsrngs as Melsande. impeded her in the olsplav
oS various Burne-Jones gowns. or in the assump-
t,on NJ numerous church-window attitudes. AS TO
.be meaning Of her impersonation, those can d.
,ree who understand it For the most part, the
heroine appeared 10 be distranght-and when you
sra distraught In a Maeterlinck play. you must
Iook axe6ly Ct nothing and beat. Obstetrcal COM
piications mentioned as having occurreo'
toward the close of this farrago. and aged KING
7roduoed an infant In a bundle Of flannel; ana
Mrs Campbell died beautifully. in a beauu1ul peo.
It's all extraordinary: but perhaps II viii serve
ma eoo5 puruose after abby teaching the pup4ic
-ha- 10 avoid Nothing is more desirable JUST mo-"
sr the Eorld Of the drama than tota1 reJece4o %
s-saks and frfpperies, and a return TO the healIh
3" ". W.