Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-12-31
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ERaEN houses had the holiday season all
TO themselves, and made the most OF It. At
the Burwood the business was record
breaking in size, the house being absolutely
sold out for each performance. The pro-
duction Of the Hall Caine play, THE Chris
tsn,' was uncommonly good, and won for
the company much deserved praise. At the
Krug the Rose Cecilia Shay company lacked
a little of creating a furore for Paul
Jones' but the letter end Of the week. with
quincy Adams Sawyer" brought more
people to the house. The Orpheum had a
good bill and did a splendid business
throughout the week. Altogether, barring
the emptiness at the Royd, the week was
quito Up to managerial expectations.
.
Another tack hrs been taken by the Shu-
borts in the fight on the syndicate" Using
Sarah Bernhardt's name. they have made
approximations to NJ. Jusseraud. French
ambassador al Washington, calling his at
tention 10 the fact that a number Of thea
tors throughout the country decline to open
their doors to Mime. Bernhardt because she
plays under the management OF the Shu-
berts. Louisiana and Texas, where a large
French population is alleged to exist, are
especially instanced. and the divine Sarah
complains Of this hardship. NJ. Jusseraud
has agreed to look into the matter. In one
aspect. this is a serious matter, and again 1t
Is to laugh. No one can seriously imagine
Sarah Bernhard complaining because she
is deprived of the pleasure Of going into
Louisiana or Texas to play to the French
population of those states. That is very
funny. IL the complaint is made in good
faith, it raises the right of a foreign actor
TO come to this country and dictate terms TO
resident managers. II Nine. Bernhardt has
the right to choose her own manager, and
she undoubtedly has, the manager of tho
theater to which she seeks admission cor
tainly has tho right to specify terms on
which she can come in. These terms must
necessarily be mutual, and il the actress
determines TO appear under the direction of
managerial firm that is at outs with fully
30 per cent OF the local theater managers Of
the United States she must expect to be
shut out OF many cities. 1t will not do 70
say that the public is deprived OF any of its
rights in the premises. 1t is q natural re-
suit of the competition that exists between
rival firms Of managers. Klaw & Erlanger
have contractual arrangements with the
house managers. The Shuberts have similar
arrangements with the star. II these firms
can agree on terms, then Nine. Bernhard
can play in Texas or any other place from
~hich she is now excluded. But Ambassa-
dor Jusseraud is in no position to complain
That his countrywoman is being discrimi-
mated against as such. She merely suffers
because of contracting with a firm that does
not do business with majority OF Amcri-
can theaters. Plainly. the matter looks like
another Shubert advertising dodge. II isn't
AT all likely that Sarah Bernhardt would
have been seen in more theaters than she
has visited, even had she been under the
direction of the syndicate, or had all the
syndicate houses been open to the Shubert
attractions.
limo. Bernhardt has concluded her en-
gagement in New York. which marked the
high water of her achievements In America,
both from an artistic and financial Wow
1t Is not likely that she will ever again
Visit America, for she has nearly reached
the point where she will retire from active
life on the stage. In his final review Of her
WORK John Corbin writes follows in tho
New York Sun: o.
It is just possible that those of us who
Fortnight ago went into ecstasies over
Nine Bernhardt's youthfulness and vigor
nad subconscious sense of gallantry.
Last Monday, at the Jewish benefit, Mark
twain wearing his shock of white hair
lights. declared that she was the young
est person of his acquaintance-except
tbe yatsra5 SUI 1neTe was senueness i9
SGfnXetlon no and and IN point OF fact, what
as he? II he laid himself under suspicion
OF being satirist, he laid himself equally
under suspicion of log rolling, for had
not Bernhardt lately declared that he was
the greatest OF all Americans, next to
George Washington?
For myself. 1 have seen Bernhard
eleven times In nine days; an experience
calculated to make youth itself appear
high-top bald with dry antiquity; and my
mental vitality has steadily increased
sometimes II is true, there came, mo-
coavrelr' She seemed for the the most most part gi
spectral and wan. This attributed al
the time to defect in the technics OF
of the time In the center of the stage
gave her little or nothing to do. Certain
II is that the traces of the years were
most evident in repose and least so il
active action
Whatever the cause Of the defect was
Immediately remedied La Tisbe was 4
mere girl, and the very toes of the san
daled Phedre showed like the pinkest OF
Magda / felt as II in contact with tn,
nres of eternal spring. My. fading prim,
as she is. or even Mark Twain.
For mere man 4 iS enough to know tina
EE een 9 and beauty NY ws Bst there hay
and they have inquired-in a spirit o
pure science, no doubt-how the effect wal
arms appeared thin and gray in the glar,
of the footllghts they attributed to a lacl
Of rice powder and the effect OF BLU
cess OF shadow painting and an undu
accentuation of the line from the corner
OF the eyes across the temples.
All, hut at the worst there remained tn
Wonderful softness of the cheek!
one scientist declared that this
triumph OF mere facial massage, and sh
gave reason for her deduction. The effec
of massage, she said, is to preserve tn
soft outlines of the cheeks at the eX
pense of the lines OF character and eN
preston. II is like the work of the 50
ciety photogra pher, who irons out tn
wrinkles In his plate, making the dodder
ing dowager look like cigar box beauty
From her chin to her temples. she said
Nine. Bernhardts face, soft and fai
though II is, expresses nothing.
Fond male that | am | had invented
more reconcile theory TO account for this
that the art OF the actress has always deal
with the simple great emotions, tran
scending the denotement OF character. how
ever intimate and varied. Its range
though not by any means vast, ran tn
gamut OF elemental passion, and each O
the notes absolute In quality an
strength of tone. Perhaps l deceived my
self As science criticism is certainl
fallible-so fallble that one is tempted {
grant Oscar Wnde's contention that II
In reality one Of the foremost OF the crea
tive arts! Many have suspected Turne
OF withholding his true opinion Of RuslNin
fine spun theories merely for fear OF spoil
ing his best advertisement. When peopl
fEtf nfR int