The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-24

Who says that Nine. Bernhardt Is 81
years olda Pouf! She is young with
the fire and love of youth in her veins:
What does it matter if she is painted
to her very finger tips and that we
know that she has spent nearly her
allotted threescore years and tent She
is the embodiment of the. passion Of
ent as Marguerite Gautier, the frail,
fragile heroine Of Dumas feverish
story It radiates from her mobile face,
the long curves of her body, her flut-
tering hands and, most Of all, from
her voice, that marvellous voice that
soul, for it IS the emotional power, the
pathos Of Bernhardt that are shown
in her picture of ssthe lady of the
camelias,,' not the blacker shadows
of tragedy. t ~
mille'' a dozen times. The story is so
familiar that it was expected the play
repertory and expectations were more
than realized, for every seat in the vast
Auditorium was sold long before the
hour for the curtain to rise.
~ Dumas himself, declared that Mar
| guerite Gautier, the creature Of his
and it is a wondrous vivid character
that she paints with the magic Of her
4 genius. Pensive, rather than gay, yet
full of joy and love of life, her interest
in Armand Duval, reused by the fact
that he has secretly loved her for two
TTe edi s her life. It is ism marvellous, the
way she conserves her energies in those
! first acts. She glides over really
significant phrases, touching them bu
! lightly, for she is not anxious to make
points at every moment, and her ere
scendos are the more impressive be
cause they are so subtly approached
royalty In that great third act, where
she yields to the pleading Of Armand
father and promises to renounce he
lover. The broken EXPLANATIONS of fea
and horror when she realizes what M
Duval would ask Of her, her passlonat
refusal, the realization that the sacr1
Ewell of the room in which she had bee
J so happy, her brave attempt to hide ne
), agitation from her lover are told In :
language ineligible to everyone. Their
! are tears in her voice, every line Q
face and figure breathes pathos as sh
stands in, the doorway to- take las
lingering look at the man she loves.
beauty in her sorrow that is seldo,
,, last last a au Bernhardt has robbed tn
death scene of much OF its ghastilnes
and given it delicacy that softens it
morbid fascination, Her low laugh Q
amusement when Prudence borrows he
money, her radiant Joy in the letter 9
! Armand father, her inarticulate, mu1
murs of happiness when she nestles i
: the arms Of Armand, the pathetic COY
ering Of her face with the bridal We
! of her friend, are all touches of a
! artistic who knows and understa and
! Eevery. throb3 Of a woman heart. It
a real creature who has loved and su;
] fered, and it is real woman who fall
back on the shoulder Of her love
dead. 1~''..E. ,*2H-
J The Armand of M. Deneubourg SUI
plements the Marguerite Of Nine. Berl
Z ner,~~ He is dignifed, sympathetic,
- lover of strength as we'll as sentim3en
The others in the cast are equally plea
\ ing, every character stands out Gle;
q and distinct, all subordinate to the Ma
! guerite, but all aiding in contributill
& to the marvellous harmony Of the. who'll
III | p R. s.