The San Francisco call., 1906-05-17
SUSTAINS WELL
HER AUDACITY
Bernhardt as "SapphO' Is
Again Triumphant in
Oakland.
Displays Her Fine Art In
a Fashion That Is
Marvellous.
BY GEORGE EsEY.

BY GEORGE EBEI.
OAKLAND, May le.-Tneater-go-
ing persons who paid three dollars per
seat TO see Sarah Bernhard play
"Sapho" tonight got the impression
that they enjoyed a vastly more init
mate acquaintance with the Partisan
lady's personality than had been
vouchsafed them through the medium
OF Sardou's glittering ladies, La
Tosca" and the like Of her. Not few
congratulated themselves upon the
fact. A large number fancied that the
three dollars had purchased a view OF
the actress real self. such as was i'm
possible to get IN the preceding Sar-
dou plays Of the engagement. Really
nothing OF the sort occurred. All that
happened was another bit OF proof
that Bernhard is a miracle worker,
the only. divine. matches Sarah.
Foolish folk. to suppose that Sarah
did other than to trick you smartly
into the delusion that "Sapho" is more
than another one of her gallery speci-
mems, with the lights turned on at a
different angle. Truly, you saw a
more intimate picture Of a woman S
soul Certainly the wads Of drapery
that Sardou wraps around his people
50 that they are thoroughly stuffed
personages was not in evidence to-
night, and one watched, instead, a
group of near-real individuals go
through movements that resembled
life.
Sappho, compared to Sardou's bogus
queens and barbarian heroes, bub-
bles with genuine, pulsing, red cor
puscles, yet Bernhard, in putting on
SapphO's fnery and speaking Sap
~ -. T. Il
task Of making Sappho, because OF
her humanity. bounce farther over
the footlights than did la Tosca"
and La Sorciere."
Bernhardt indeed is obliged to draw
to the limit on the audacity that has
helped to make her a marvellous act
ress, when she essays to play Sap
pho" at this time Of day. That is be-
cause Fanny Legrand is no queen, nc
opera singer, no Moorish lady of the
awfully dim and distant past, nor re-
motely resembles those quaint ladies
whose personalities are so vague that
IL is a minor trick for Bernhard, al
three score years, TO wear their clothes
and speak their words, and convince
folk that IL is something besides q
burlesque they are seeing.
Now. when Bernhard plays Fanny
Legrand, she must become a child OF
the Partisan studios, an ebullient lit
tie sister OF the night, with myriad
suggestions Of modern gayety, and
perfectly human suffering, and trag-
edy that is close enough UP TO the
sort that goes in the police court tc
help folks recognize it when 1t is seer
IN ''Sappho."
In brief, Bernhardt must suggest
life, as Fanny Legrand, with none OF
the gorgeousness of a Sardou story
10 exc out what may be lacking ir
the perfect humanness Of the picture
Sappho, elemental, unsubtle, modern
a child; Bernhard at so. very far from
youth. grandmother, with the
weight OF forty years stage toll upor
her, is to paint this "Sappho" picture
for you. Talk Of sheer nerve!
And an Oakland audience decided to.
night that II had been vouchsafed &
greatly superior look into the hear
Of a great actress when that actress
came on and as Fanny LIE Grand, and
in two hours made that little witch
live on the stage. Their investment o.
SO apiece seemed money well spent
better spent than when the price wen
10 see Bernhard as the weird sorceres,
or the fashy La Tosca-" It wa
money better spent, they reasoned a
1880 o'clock, because Bernhard had
thrown back the curtains and giver
glimpses Of a real woman's soul-st
decided the seat holders, figuring III
the profit and loss of the investment.
Mistaken folk. Bernhard had sim
ply scored another and easily th'
greatest triumph OF her three days
engagement in this city. To trick yol
into forgetting sixty years Of an &C.
tress' life that is part OF the triumph
To reproduce Fanny lie Grand's gauch
cries and the rawness Of Fanny l.
Grand's loves and always to sugges
yOuth-yOuth, with it's royal selfshnesi
and recklessness Of results, was Bern
hardt's task. Because, Of course, sh'
succeeded, the SO seat holders decidet
that they had really seen a properl,
played Fanny lie Grand, and wer'
soundly satisfied. That was Bern
hardt's extraordinary achievement
There never lived, nor ever will liv'
again an actress to duplicate the fea
under like circumstances.
Camille another sort OF woman
tasked Bernhardt's art at the matine
by only one-thousandth part of th'
requirements called for In "Sappllo,
and there is no need to write that
houseful OF weeping Oakland and Sal
FRANCISCO laoleS were sure that Ca
mile" is no doubt the greatest bit o
stage portraiture that Sarah has il
her gallery OF grand old art works
Another score for Bernhardt, ii viii
be seen, and another reminder tha
there is no limit to the Partisan ac
tress' powers.
Tomorrow on the stage OF the Greel
Theater at the university IL will be
different story. Then Racine's "Phe
Ore" viii be the bill. There will b
pure tragedy as the climax of the ac
tress' playing in California. The intel
.lectuals will be in the front rows an
an academic flavor viii be distributed
The conclusion Of the whole matte
viii be that Bernhardt, tonight a cigar
cite smoking, light OF love young thing
the ~Sappho" OF the ataliers will b
a great tragedy queen, filing all tn
picture and laying on not so much a