The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-05-11
BY Ralph E. Renad in San Francisco
ChrAicle.

The more one witches Sarah Bern.
hardt the more ore succumbs TO he
Circean spell. At her first performance
the most importan. fact for considera-
ton was her age. aid there were scott
ers I'm the audienC But those who
came to scoff renamed, if not to praX
at least to praise.
The offering yesterday afternoon
La Femme X" OF Madame X" as II
Is known in Eng sh, was peculiarly
Interesting on account of its recen,
presentation here by an excellent
American compan Bissons melo-
drama is not great play. but 1t is a
cogent one by reason of the skillful
way IL reaches among the chords of
maternal love. Madame Bernhardt
doubtless includes in her repertoire
because of its sur emotional appeal
To women, because of the overwhem-
ing acting role it Offers. and because il
permits her TO die which appears to
be at once her greatest recreation and
her most powerful and direct means of
conquering an AUDIENCE.
Nine. Bernhardts performance of
Jacqueline Fleurid is incontestably
superior TO anything seen i'm America,
Judging from the Interpretation offered
here by a talented young American
actress. Adeline Dunlap, who is said
To have founded her conception of the
role closely upon the New York pro-
duction. The reason is not far To seek.
The Americans, in their effort to create
'naturalistic" atmosphere, looked upon
the lower side Of the character. Bern
hardt wisely refrains from playing up"
the degeneration OF the woman at the
expense of the mother-love-the broad
theme of the play to which everything
else contributes.
This is peculiarly apparent i'm the
second act. or at least, i'm the act which
follows the prologue. The famous
Hover of France does not emphasize
the sordid degradation of the woman
or exploit the details of her absnthe
and ether tipping These are made
purely incidental, while she takes
pains to suggest a faint echo of faded
gentility. That, however is only i'm re-
pose and while unhappy tedium over
powers her When she is prodded into
excitement. however, the vulgarty she
has acquired oozes quickly To the surf
ace and she uses all the fertilization
of her gutter volubility i'm a fierce and
shrewdish protection of what she still
loves. sg
And right here she exhibits a very
clever touch. The ether swinging.
which she had refused to use as a sem
sational incident to pander to morbid
curiosity she now employs to further
the dramatic action. In her growing
frenzy she gulps drink after drink of
the stuff as stimuant. She is prac-
tically on the edge of INVESTIGATION
when she seizes a revolver and sends
a bullet through the disreputable ex-
istence of Laroquc 1t is logical and
reasonable to n degree.
Indeed at no time did Nine. Bern
hardt become pathological. except per-
haps i'm the death scene. and even here
her dissolution was pictured not so
much as scientific, fact as a culver
ing domestic tragedy. The courtroom
scene was presented In rather a re-
pressed spirit which did not embrace
the fun melodramatic possibilities. |
This was because the final scene stood |
as an act by itself and was given with |
much more elaboration than i'm the
English version. Perhaps this would |
have been an artistic blunder If anyone |
else but Bernhard played the role. |
Under the circumstances II was alb
sorbing To a depressing degree. The |
of II was so expressive that |
no one needed TO understand a word |
OF the French. Perhaps 10 per cent of |
the audience could follow the lines as
hey were spoken from the stage. Fiji |
~ per cent of them were openly weep-
ing. l myself, hardened as I am to
such scenes, felt my barometer drop
ping dangerously near the indications
or downpour.
Lou Tellegen played Raymond. but