Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-30
STAR PRESENTS
TEDIOUS DRAMA
FAMOUS TRAGEDlENNE OPENS
ENGAGEMENT
Excellent Picture Of Noted English
Queen Is Given, but Miss o'Neirs
Work Is Hsmpered by Awk-
ward Dialogue

The opening performance of Miss
Nance O'Neil at the Mason was made
last evening under circumstances made
particularly adverse by the selection Of
an unpopular drama and by Madame
Calves concert as q counter attraction.
The audience which Witnessed ELIZA
BETH was consequently small, but 1t
was enthusiastic and accorded Cali
fornia's tragedienne a rousing well
come.
Paola Giaomettis f1ve-act tragedy
presents what most students OF history
can accept as a tolerable picture Of
I1ngland's famous sovereign, and de-
serves shelf room In library, but Its
right to place upon the stage could
well be disputed in favor of volume
OF the Congressional Record.
The entertainment Is n pageant; a
series of pictures from English history,
but grouped with absolutely no effort
for dramatic sequence. In a period of
history so rich in romance and thrill
ling scenes and so clouded as to essen
tials that the dramatist need not be
hampered by his facts at hand, the
result of the effort presented last even
ing was anything but satisfactory.
Play Lacks Plot
The utter lack of any plot and the
irrelevance of the greater portion of the
drama was unpleasantly emphasized
by the inability of several of the play
ers. The first two acts dragged fear
fully and left the audience with
scarcely so much as hint of the basis
for play. Long dialogues, which
meant nothing and were badly done by
minor actors, can only be excused
upon the grounds that Miss O'Neil
is more generous with her company
than thoughtful of her audience.
All that is necessary to the play Is
/ L.. = LII -
would make wonderful curtain raiser
for sorne OF the shorter pieces of Miss
O'Neil's repertoire and would give the
actress every opportunity to present
her remarkable portrayal of Elizabeth,
and to show every phase of her art
which could possibly be brought forth
in the five acts Of the drama as it
stands.
The character of Elizabeth suits the
star probably us wei. as anything in
her repertoire. There seems to be hot
blood in the veins of this actress; It
is at the opposite pole from Carmen
where she will finl herself most at
home. In her art it is almost too evil
dertly the head that rules and not the
heart Her character picture is photo
graphic rather than enc painted.
Perfect Self Possession
Miss O'Neil is perfect in her possess
sion Of herself. Even in the awkward
ness she .mparts to the queen ere is
in absolute command. She Destroyed
her beauty by the startling arrange
mint of her red wig and the clash Of
colors in her hair. ';tlr bY these very
features she presents ed a vision OF the
q. cen that will be welcomed by all
sre eculn ting historians.
The climax of the drama gave her un-
usual opportunity to use her beautiful
voice. She impaired the grief of Eliza
beth over the execution of the Earl of
Essex in most mellifluous periods and
changed her tones and cadence with as
much precision as singer. Her act
ing here also showed her at her best.
She made the grief of that powerful
queen most pitiful; if you did not feel
with her at least you felt for her.
More general criticism of Miss
O'Neils powers must be reserved for a
comparative study which her extended
repertoire so warmly invites. Her play
tonight will be Macbeth and the famous
star should be at her greatest powers
in this character.