The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-20

as glorious as champagne ana she
goes to your head and makes your
heart throb and makes you foolish
and weepy and happy and you laugh
and grow serious and tender and you
long to say: go Chicka San, 1 love
you!'
She sparkles and gurgleS and lures
you to Japan and groves of cherry
blossoms SO gently-so childishly-so
vathetically that that you want to stay
in the country of kimonos and singing
birds and quaint queerness and wond-
erful flowers.
The sandalwood incense creers into
your nostrils and you wish you could
always dream and sip the champagne.
Such is Bergere-the vivid Vairerie-
the greatest actress of japanese plays
'Bullee Eoy-you--you are full of
re dev-al. You are--Mon Dieu! Ach:
De damn-you drive me to the crazy
''Biff! Bang! Bling! Marecca! to the
bathroom take heem-I-"
i covered in the long dark hall
That voice: No. no, that wasn't
Chicka San-that voice behind the
door-it was deep and cruel and for
bidding.
1 hammered loud. Why not? Hadn't
| been invited to call and see Bergere?
But that voice! The hammer in the
door was effective. Something grab
bed me and / couldn't see anything
but the wild, dark eyes, the hilarious
kimono--the tangled hair--Something
black and white flying around the
room-tinkling as it flew. Sect
down" CThis was said to me.) The
kimono and the black and white thing
were tangled up for awhile. Bang,
The dog disappeared and a triumphant
Bergere iglided to a couch, wrapped
her volurtuouS little self in her gorge
Gus red kimono and the great eyes
were not wild any more, but soft,
ana the smile was sweet and the dark
erinkly hair fell around her.
'Bullee-Boy--he-I love heem! 1
hate heemi He make me SO crazy.
He has new game. He try to get my
hair pins TO play with. He jump at
me--when / stan'--he climb on me
when | SIT down an he snip, snip, snip.
(BergCrc's white teeth snapped in inn
itation.) Then he laugh III my face.
o, Mon Dieu, he is a naughty dog
but love him.
Miss Bergere you are q wonder
you are the greatest"
con, ratsi-that what you 'Mericans
say, ees it not You just iollying!"
and that irresistible o Chicka San
laugh at me.
Bergere is not conducive to chatti-
ness. You simply want to sit and
watch her. Her hands tingle and
face beams and darkens with sunshine
and shadows: her eyes flash and grow
morose; she smiles and you long again
to say:
"Oh, Chicka San, I love you!'
Bergere lis a great woman.
When you sit in the theatre and see
her play His Japanese Wife," you
think she is perfect and you may re-
call when she played Madame Butter
fly" and went through the Southern
States on tour and then strong men
wept like babes and were not ashamed.
Bergere is bound to the top of the
emotional ladder.
To play Japanese parts is an art that
stands jrreproachably alone in my
opinion. There are only two women
of whom | know who can claim that
art as their own-Bergere and Blanche
Bates. ! admit having never seen
Miss Bates in a Japanese play, but L
do not hesitate to accept the word of
competent critics that she was excel
lent in 1.-The Darling of the Gods But
I doubt that she can excel the dainty
Bergere from France, who. strange to
say, began her career in the German
chorus on an American stage under a
great master-Conreid.
"Ah," she said, you do not know
how ] long 20 be d great actress like
Leslie Carter and Mrs. Pat Campbell"
and all the tragedy of a great ambi-
ton was expressed in her appraised
hand.
But in your particular work you
are"
mo, no, don't say that. This Jap
anese work-eet is fascinating, but il
has nearly ruined my future. The
managers say: Ugh, Bergere she can
play Messing but Jap parts That
make me crazy. / do not always want
10 play these.
''Then David Belasco-ah, he Is the
most manifique man on earth-he tell
me I too small to play big heavy parts,
and 1 say to him: 'Eet is not body
eet ees the SOUL and he say Wait,
wait awhile"
Bergere-the butterfly with soul.
When she stretches languidly on the
couch you would think lnat lanor is
not for her. That she is q creature
all luxury and laziness, that she is
merely to love and labor for. You
couldn't fancy her in modern array
and working. Bergere, | fancied-im-
bibes parts-but she doesn't; she
works hard and long. She only lux
uriates after she has played and play
ed her part-then she curls up and
suns herself That mystic setting of
She gathered every piece that is used
on the stage. Every kimono she
brought from Japan. Il do not wear
the same kimonoS every night, she
said. II have different one for every
performance. / couldn't wear the
same one. 1 would grow so tired
could not play"
But Miss Bergere, why on, earth
did you go into vaudeville"
Miss BargereS shoulders shrugged
vigorously
$3.50 you, too, have that old idea
of vaudeville? Don't you know--my
dee-ar? ~ (think of her calling me
dear) that vaudeville is no longer a
variety show? Don't you know that
Get has risen to d higher level Don't
you know Eat the greatest actors and
actresses have stepped into Vaude-
ville?"
eyes. but I thought that it was be-
cause they were passe.''