Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-28
MRS. GARTER IS
GREAT IN 'DU BARRY
STILL A MAGNET, DESPITE THE
BREAK WITH BELASC0
EmotIonaIism and Her Flaming Hair
Prove Strong Drawing Cards.
Play Series of Lurid
Episodes


the emotional the hysterical, the lurid-
ly fearful and the tattered passions
Despite her absence from here for sew
eral years, with all that has happened
meanwhile, her break with Belasco, her
creator, after wedding which he did
not approve; her disastrous obscurity
while in other managers hands, her
row over the proposed "Oleo," and her
final start via the syndicate route un-
der her own direction, she still pos
sesses acting abilities little short of the
marvellous and powers which should be
the envy and despair of other equally
well known and even possibly more
capable players-certainly ones who
present more delectable plays.
The lady of the lurid locks made her
bow at the Mason last night, and an
overf1owing-with tears-house wit
messed her simulated gayeties and
agonies in "Du Barry" the play which
she presented here last. They enjoyed
it, doubtless, in fashion folks have
of finding pleasure in others woes and
delight in others affections. Certain
ly. they d-furiously.
Both Mrs Carter as an actress and
"Du Barry as play have been dis
11iissseSd most thoroughly in this city in
the past, and little remains to be said
of either. "Du Barry" as drama, is
not; it is a series of comedy or melo-
dramatic episodes, strung together on
the memory of a certain French dame
of easy virtue and perfervid senti-
mentality and it really takes consid
cradle stretch of the imagination to
work up pity and ones tear ducts for
SO very soiled a dove as she was.
This French grisette who became a
kings mistress and made him her
slave actually came to rather fitting
end by the kife of the red hand, and
in a strict sense of justice her demise
thusly should be cause for graduation
instead of misery.
Hence, to make the actual heroine
fit for stage usages, the histories and
gossip of the time have been consid-
erably violated, the while the gamur
of feeling has been ravished for emo
tionalism, till we have decoction
supersaturated with sublimated suffer-
ing and tinctured with maudlinism
almost forced and false enough to win
the attention of Theodore Kramer or
a Lincoln j. Carter.
This material, of course, by the al
chemy of Belasco, was sugar-coated
and perfumed and deodorized and gild-
ed-pardon the mixed metaphors-till
it is almost believable that here we
have a great play. But analysis de-
velops the mawkish sentiment underly-
ing the tears, the banality beneath the
pathos and the dross below the gilt,
and the sane lookeron thus sees that
he is witnessing a series of perhaps
gorgeous and enhancing stage pictures
the while woman tears passions to
tatters, but that after all it is too pal
Ii. k~,ta - rfNN1f fN11r
plainly a mirage to be substantial. OF
it all, the byplay of the millinery shop
and the titantics but overwrought and
forced fourth act climax are alone real
ly worth serious while and attention.
The final act is almost as much an
anti-climax as is the drivel which ends
"Zaza."
1t is in her emotions that Mrs. Carter
makes real claim to greatness as a
player. and perhaps after all anything
that affords them excuse for rioting is
justifiable Certainly "Du Barry" does.
The millinery shop scene is an occasion
of delight; she is fetching, witching
and lovable then-though for paradox
she is least emotional withal. But she
never forgets her charming vulgarity
and is ever the grisette. This same
vulgarity she keeps too near her, per-
haps, during the rest of the paly; the
6iOoS VI 4lllC 4dhSllOObB WLllCll WOIudl
is SO quick to acquire, is not manifest
enough, If one may say so. She is al
ways the harridan. Even at the end,
in the tumbril, one sees hints of it.
But the scarlet hair is also there; age
does not gray it nor does terror whiten
it, and thus mayhap the taint of
the gutter also is inherent. Still, this
does not prevent her making a damp
though rather banal place of the audi
fnriI1ro hI1s tLa 10,
dress of fine kerchiefs next day.
That Mrs. Carter is great it was the
habit of asserting unqualifiedly in the
old Belasco days. Whether or not she
is to be so without that wondrous
mentor time will tell. She is now doing
play which he conceived-some say
filched, but certainly he revamped it
and appearing In a role to which he
devoted many months to coaching. hTe
personification is still Mrs. Carter's,
but the mind back of it is David Be
lasco's. When she, the puppet of his
manipulation, breaks away from his
evolvings and does something of an
others in her own unaided fashion. it
will be time to pass upon her individ-
uality, inherent methods and merits.
Meanwhile, we still have the Mrs. Car
ter of the Belasco training-God be
thanked!
Yes, and she is wondrous, i fact.
Last night she rung the change on
life from gay to grave, from froth to
funeral gloom, and she carried her au-
dience right with her from end to end.
Though badly made up in the first
act, and anything in appearance but
the winningly fascinating cocote, she
yet gave truth to the role from her
very skill in depicting it and one for
got her deceitful personal appearance
in her work. Then as she progressed, |
she even seemed to grow younger, and
as she increased in power and wealth
and gorgeous gowning so did she in
ability displayed and in superb stage
craft till, indeed, one marveled that
she should mount from height to height
and wondered what zenith could limit
her triumph. Never in the writer's
view of her-and he has seen her many
times in many things-did she ap-
proach the splendid exhibition which
she placed before her Los Angeles au-
dience last night.
With Mrs. Carter on the stage her
company fades into monotone. no mat
ter how fine 1t may be, against the eff
fuIgence Of her aureole of glittering
golden-red hair and her all-sweeping
emotionalism. When she is off the
stage the members of it seem but pup