The Washington times., 1907-04-23

Miss NethersOle's "SaphO" with which
last night she opened q weeks engage
meut at the National. is almost too
familiar 10 require extended comment
1t is the same frankly sensual "Sapho"
that reused such a storm Of futile and
foolish protest on its first production
some six or eight years ago. Perhaps
one should say Clyde Fitch's "SaphO"
or Alph0nse Daudets "Sapho." since II
is dramatiZatiOu by the one, of a novel
by tho Other-but after all Il is neither
Of these that the public knows and adj
mires, but Olga Nethers0le s-aIlurlug,
radiant, pathetic by turns. a very ten
der tigress, q complex, passionate YAM
pire Of a woman
II is not a pleasant part. Miss Meth
ersolC never does play pleasant parts
/ wish she did. But such as X is she
brings TO It the temperament, talent
and technique Ct great actress, and
makes Of il a really notable achieve
ment. Unfortunately she brings 10 its
quieter scenes the mannerisms and arti-
fatalities that too often spoil her work,
though they drop from her always at
the climaxes-
1t Is rather a wide range Of character
that she has 70 cover, from the thC1trl-
Caily seductive wautOn Of the first act
10 the heart-brOEeu woman OF the
third and fourth. The picture OF Fanny
lie Grande.s development from the one
into the other Is, however, cCuFlucluEly
pictured. There is a certain feeling or
sUperhciality to IL all, the lingering
artihcially, perhaps, that Fannie cannot
quite shake of when she leaves the old
artificial life.
Frank Mills is the Jean Gaussin this
time. and IS. on the whole an accept
able one. He plays II In a pleasant,
manly fashion. without affeCtati0u,
and is al his best in the disgust and
weak revolt of the earlier scenes of the
third act. though he rises very well 10
the climax OF jealous rage TO which he
is wrought by the Child's presence, and
in which he leaves Fanny William
Clark does some good comedy work iu
the fliTtatious tussiness OF the uncle
Caesaire Gaussin- Miss Ina Goldsmith
does Francine acceptably. and the rest
OF the cast, except for little Roland
Wallace. who is really capital as little
Josef, IS neither ObtruSlEeIy good nor
0btrusiyely bad SCeuically the prOduc-
ton is all that could be desired The
o0peuiug scene of the bal masqUe at
DeChelette's is as elaborate and Drill
liant and colorful a scene OF reyelTy as
has been seen on the stage
The desirability Of such plays as
"Sapho" remains debatable. Certainly
they leave a sufficiently unpleasant inn
presssiOn of the black cold ashes OF
life that remain 10 the woman IN the
Of such an entanglement on the masCu-
line fiber, to say nothing of the havoc
wrought with the masculine career.
Apart from all that, the play does not
seem 20 me a good play The drama
tizatiOn has lost all that was worth
while in the book. But that is Clyde
Fitch's fault, not Miss NethersCle's S.
Her Fanny lie GTande is a magnificent
bit of dramatic poTtraiture. The most
serious fauIt-and the entire perform
ance suffers from it's an overelab-
Grafton. Things are done with too much
detail. Each Of the cast. including the
star, seems to have been thinking Of
new ways Of expressing the character,
and adopted them all without wedding
out the old. Naturally the characters,
especially Fanny lie Grande, are very
Thoroughly expressed But the result is
a tendency TO drag scenes are drawn
out numerically; the whole thing moves
too slow. II was I-50 last night before
the audience was released; IL had be
come restless; its attention wandered,
though Miss Nethersole could always
bring il back. The whole performance
would be much better for being a little
brisker. II should, in the language Of
the street, get a move on it."
NJ Med.