The San Francisco call., 1904-03-20


dav nieht In the Alcazar ~ParsifaI'' de-
cided me shat I should much like TO
talk Nundry with Miss Block. OF all
the Wagner women the character is
most curiously interesting. and Miss
Blocks is a conception Of the part that
much outranks anything the actress
has hitherto done, and Is inherently Of
remarkable variety and beauty. There
fore I thought I would get her views
of course she had 'em-for mine own
Enlightenment and yours. Incidentally
would take in a little more ''Parsifal''
atmosphere from behind scenes and
md If the player folk were as much
affected by the sacred story as their
audience. So by the courtesy Of Mr.
Price. / found myself on the stage last
Tuesday evening at eight
Miss Block was upstairs, and came
down in the terra Gotta complexion and
skins Of the first act 10 tell me that
not until the second acts end should
we have time TO talk. Her makeup
in its integrity could be recommended
10 any Aida The actress has achieved
the fire burnt rose Of Eames' MOTTO
be-forg0tten slave girl, from her cheeks
10 her logical toes. Skins OF fox and
leopard clothed her, and Miss Blocks
handsome eyes shone out from under
The ratty locks Of Kundry like sun
shot brown pools in a woodland thicket.
p Very well, would be there. II would
suit me better SO, as I could absorb
Harold Bauer's Schumann Fantasie
in in the meantime. I watched
awhile then, and il was like a bit Of
Tennyson, with the yellow haired, blue
garbed pages soberly fitting about:
bearded knights Of the Grail solemnly
awaiting their cue; the venerable locks
II GurnemanZ. and Amfortas' sorrow
tuI face, lifted against the forest back
ground Of M0ntsalvat.
Z seemed not such q far step to the
Bach Italian concerto 10 which I soon
found myself listening Nor did il
sem out Of pitch when returned from
The land Of Bauer's Schumann-late,
Uea culpa-t0 the impressive scene Of
me return CT the Savior knight.
Like the resr-Amfortas, the flower
sirls. pages. stage hands. took the
nearest crack 70 watch the scene. II
Is The mQs- difficult Of my acquaintance.
j IS also the most daring. That il does
NOT offend, even where the Kundry
Aagdalen washes the feet Of the Parsi-
tal-Christ is due entirely TO the
simple sincerity and reverence Of the
actors. one could wish q more sternly
l5ered. less graceful-so TO speak
Parsital than Ar. Durking in the
scene II the knights overcoming by
fatigue. One could hardly desire
more notable grace and uplift Of ex-
preston than he has at some moments.
nrFze r27nrT- -f--0r-r r-77-rrr "a Is
admirable. Nearness only lent new
conviction 70 the reverent wonder,
alteration. faith that her face ex-
presses SO eIoquently. Orient eyes.
cloud Of midnight hair. face Eastern
in all its suggestion, doubtless added.
for pictcriaIy also Miss Block is the
ideal Magdalen. Il took. indeed, all
my remembrance Of her savage Kundry
o. persuade me that I had a right 10
tread the same boards with thesei
AIr. Durkin's Play ball, George as
he came of with Mr.. Osbourne, doubt
less relieved the strain Of things for
him as for me. Il was solemnly enough
said. however. Titurel, under the black
velvet pau Of the next scene, begging
that the bearers would not permit the
bier 10 wobbIe. also helped. But the
atmosphere soon closed in again and
came 10 a climax with the final picture
Il the dove descending upon Parsifars
head Even the prediction from a
practical stage hand that IL was going
70 hit him one" failed 70 cheer or the
lively hustle after the final curtain 10
bring one quite 10 earth again
I followed Miss Block 70 her dressing
room IN exDectantly exalted mood We
should decide, perhaps. that the relig-
ious instinct imbedded, ingrained in
the fiber Of US al. made a "ParsifaI"
not unusually difficult, but unusually
easy of performance. We should set
lie Kundry's complex hash. determine
the effect OF such plays upon the pub
lie and actors. pass upon the compare
tive artistic mOralities Of a Tivoi
~Tannhauser" and an Alcazar "Parsi-
faI": decide why a Verdi may make a
ssTravfata'' from a Camille" and a
Murphy may not, according 70 some
lights. make q "ParsifaT' play from
'Parsifal" music-drama, and other such
questions. We didn't, however. This
is the history of how We didn't:
I think IL was the clothes partly. As
soon as we reached her dressing room
Miss Block disappeared into the ward
robe 20 change her garb. I occupied
the interval IN looking round at her
picture gallery: at the Aim high and
believe yourself capable Of great
things" motto that conspicuously
adorned her mirror; at the good wishes
for her first night at the AIcazar from
Henrietta Cr0sman. ditto, ditto; at the
canned compilations and usual profess
si0nal truck Of the actress w0rkrOom.
Miss Block was gone but a moment,
but there were 200 centuries between
the sad creature who left me and the
bright thing that returned This was
a Nine. Butterfly, whose white arms
shone from a cherry and azure flow
cred kimona. whose long black locks
were twisted carelessly above smiling
japanese eyes. She sat down in front
n the mirror To remove her makeup.
and suddenly Kundry seemed millions
Cf miles away.
with a little cough Miss Block be-