New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-12
Plays and Players Seen Last Night

ernor Of Toledo and so she contrives, after the
wedding, 10 mesmerze Joanna. and to elope with
the bridegroom. Then follows seizure of these
fugacious lovers by the grim relentless authority
of the InQuisiton, and elaborate and formidable
trial ensues in the course of which Zoraya saves
her paramour by acknowledging herself to be
witch, and she is condemned to be burnt alive, for
sorcery. All this time the mesmerized Joanna
mains asleep. and. nobody but ZOraya
awaken her, the Governor of Toledo is constrained
to pardon the sorceress, a reward for rousinS
his daughter from protracted sumber- This pro-
ceeding displeases the popuIace of Toledo and
Zoraya is attacked by mob. Don Palacos de-
tends her as long possible. at church door;
where she has sought refuge; but resistance being
useless, these lovers perish together, by suicide
Ii is mournful tale, and heavily freighted with
The total meaning of it can, perhaps, be
best signied by the sympathetic words of Touch
stone: I'VE. that true lovers. into strange
capers: but all is mortal in nature so is all
nature in love mortal in folly
The part of Zoraya is deftly fashioned to adj
just itself to Nine. Bernhardt's personality, and
several of the situations in which this heroine is
placed are such provide abundant scope for her
peculiar power Of expressing suppressed, ugerllhe
wrath. and her copous resources of vehement volu-
bility The most dramatic incident of the play is
perhaps the murder, by strangulation, of the III
qusitorial agent The supreme scene IS that or the
trial and in delivering Zoraya'S Remuneration OF
the ecclesia stical tribunal Nine. Bernhardt at
the zenith alike of mmitigabe fury, fiery eoquence
and incisive articulation Time has dealt knoly
with this actress but it has not entirely neglected.
her. The bloom is not the rye. but the rye re-
mains AS a theatrical executant Nine Bernhard
continues to be proficient and admirable The wires
are visible, but they good wires and they are
we'll worked Her utterance of the French IAN
Notwithstanding the monotony and the
nasal twang of that celestial speech-s delicious
In seductive, feline wies m viperish rage, ana IN
the delivery of impetuous vituperaton, she Is as
felicitous and potent as ever The poet Gray
noticed that Zen in ashes live their wonted
Rrnc Tn 1nTTu ofa a.
continues to be the woman who wishes to fascilate
and to be loved-never the woman who is fascinat-
ed and who loves. The tme-honored method OF
cIinging purrng, cooling, and posturing remains IN
excellent order Loves low nlurmur is still aud1-
BILE and loves lingering OSCILLATION is not omitted
In the making of abrupt transitions this actress
was always felictous and in this respect she con-
tnues to be finely effective. Her knowledge Of
stage method is abundant. and her trained facul-
tes are under complete control. Her expert style
Except in those moments when she fingers over
details, gazes modify at nothing, ana appears 10
be lost in the rapture OF contempative self-aoola
toni is a Joy But, with all the advantages thus
indicated Nine Bernhard leaves the observer cold
Her acting has not at any time impaired, and does
| not now impart, abiding impression OF nooli'E'
noetrv tenderness, sweet wOmanhood, or great ORA
| matte sway. She neither kindles the imagination
nor touches the heart Repose, force. and symmetry
ne execution are among the finer attributes of her
acting and her strong individuality possesses ior
| MANY persons, an eccentric charm. Furthermore
/ the actress is FRENCH anu tilS PAo't4AoA'@A '
| from which part Of this community has never
quite recovered ascribes heavenly virtue to all art
| that comes from France.
| different view of that subject has been eX-
pressed even in France-for Delsarte lntrnateo tue
opinion that the best actors are the Engsn-speak-
Inc actors and certainly the weight of thougntIui
opinton seems to be that the best plays extant are
| those of Shakespeare. The best Of French actors
| excel in comedy, but the most of French actors
| are tedious because they degrade great suoJectS
HI, little treatment of them-as Mounet-SulIy ala III
| ..I5arn1et Great emphasis is placed on trites'
| and that is called nature" Nine. BerhIlaiu' n"S
| newer adequately personated a noble woman
| Charles Fechter's professional metnoo IN nalHie'
did not lift the part above the level of Sir Charles
C1o,5s+raano The mercurial- Gallo temperament
naturally tends to elusive demeanor. The trench
! actors are photographers of everyday lie. Inc
! oononosite English temperament is deep and pas
sionate and in everyday life 1t IS grave ana reIl
cent: hut once aroused and liberated II moves anu
eneaks with tremendous CELEBRITY and Vigor 1t mas
- saia before in this place that the idolatry of
French art is pernicious delusion The french
have never produced such poet as Shakespeare OF
Rxron. such a captain Nelson, such STATES
-, os PITT such an orator Fox, or such actors
| as Mrs Sddons Edmund Kean Edwin BOOTH FL
| Ia, Terry and Henry Irving In acting. the Irish
| hove achieved greater things than the French
their record In the dramatic neld being exception
a1lx brilliant But Garrck in his day, predoml-
,ofed over his Irish rivals-hard driven though ne
/ 80 have been by both Henderson and Barry; and
Lean in his day, eClipsed, for a time, everybody
-, the stage The French sometimes proauce
genius like Rachel, the Jewess who shattets lheir
| +o+aI fabric of lace and embroidery; but the es-
! o,+i.1 Greatness of achievement in the dramatic
art is found in the record of the English speaking
oe. and it is stultifying error that the Votary OF
| .cting is bound to worship everything uranHtlc
| that comes out of France.