New-York tribune., 1912-01-28
.PANTOMINE AND DANCING
Two Artists in "Sumurun"-
Their Work and Training.

The principal arts which the actors in
..surnurun'' are called upon to know and
10 display-the somewhat allied arts of
panton1ime and dancing-have in this play
two unusually fine interpreters Leopoldine
Konstantin and Susanne Herzcg. Fraulein
Konstan1in has attracted universal atten-
tion for The vigor and simplicity of her
wordless acting, and the extreme grace and
poise of the little Fraulein Herzog, whose
every movement is an invitation TO the
dance has added a new feature to
"sunurun'' which it did not have before
for Fraulein Terzog is a recent acquisition
to the company.
Both of these artists in stage play are
very young. and, strangest of phenomena,
both have been trained for their work and
have worked hard for their training. This
is indeed unusual among contemporary
stage celebrities who are, as a rule, fond
OF describing how they popped into perfec-
tion and fame in a night as result of the
sudden outward manifestation of AWKWARD
and invisible grace.
Ieopoldine Konstantin, whose interpreta-
ton Of the passionate, malignant and
treacherous dancing Slave, is really re-
markable piece of acting, wanted to go on
the stage when she was eighteen. Her
mother who was an actress herself and
therefore prejudiced against the stage, per-
suaded her TO wait until she was twenty.
Instead of going to a dramatic school, as
is customary in Germany among those
preparing for the stage. she went direct to
Max Reinhardt who, his devotees claim,
Is a whole dramatic school in himself.
That was FIVE years ago, and the young
actress has never played under any but
the Reinhardt direction.
Fraulein Korstantin began her stage ca
reer as page. As a matter of fact she con-
tinued to play the part Of page for some
months before she was allowed 10 bear
any heavier responsibilities
Gradually she worked her way into minor
speaking parts, which, although they were
not Of first Importance. required an end
less variety in method of Interpretation.
The seasons programme in a German
theatre. by the way. is entirely different
from that Of the theatres in this country.
Here a theatre is either a stock house, where
the programme changes weekly or at fire.
quent intervals. or els- = houses a play as
long as that play wsS'1aia. In Germany the
greater number of theatres are genuine
'repertory theatres, where a new programme
is offered every night, sometimes every
other night The repertory is composed OF
new plays, standard and classic; plays of
ell varieties, long, short. comedy, tragedy,
farce, dramatic poems, translations-every-
thing adaptable for stage use.
Playing IN this way for five years at
the two Reinhardt Berlin theatres. the
DeutSches and the Kammerspiele Fraulen
Konstantin has learned hundreds Of parts
of all varieties and shadings-some of them
being boys parts. Among the latter were
Puck, in "A Midsummer Nights Dream"
and the boy in part two of Faust" To
contrast these with the Slave OF Enchant-
ment that she plays now, without words
but with all the free, wild passion of a
primitive creature, and then to add that
when she returns to Berlin after her Amer
fcan tour 1t will be TO appear at the
Deutsches Theatre as Light in Maeter-
lncks ''Biue Bird will give an idea Of the
range Of ability that Fraulein Konstantin's
training has given her.
The young woman declares that she has
learned everything that she knows about
the stage from Reinhardt.
mot that he shows you what TO do and
makes you reproduce his Interpretation, I"
she explained He merely uses the power
Of suggestion. and If you are sensitive to
that there is nothing you cannot learn
from him.
Frauletn Konstantin likes her part in
"Sumurun"
'Tt is good for me-" she said, laconically.
She feels that the accentuated acting re-
Quired by the absence of words has given
her deeper power Of physical expression
than she ever had before.
But II / were allowed to choose parts
that I liked best of ali would take COM
edy roles,'' she declared MY feelings
bubble and by nature 1 have the lightness
of comedy"
The five years OF all work and no play
which have developed Konstantin do not
lie back of the achievements of Susanne
Herzog. For one thing. the little dancer
numbers only eighteen years altogether.
One of the sage reasons why the lovely
FTaulein HerZog went on the stage at her
present age-much to the displeasure, il
not worse. of every relative, however re-
mote-was that, being extremely young.
she could spontaneously give expression to
the feelings of youth in way that when
older she could not simulate
A little over year ago the prospective
NdlCtI hdo III a yOuHB lduicS peHSlOuudl
going through the usual routine of learn
Ing. Suddenly 1t came over her that she
was not willing to live the average German
life. There was much dance in her and
she would go and learn how TO bring II out.
She left school and went TO her home in
Hamburg, took a months lessons from
Professor III. f. DeQuine, French in
structor Of dancing in that city, and then
went TO Gent, in Southern Germany, where
there is celebrated school of dancing.
Frauiein Herzog spent about six months
there under the direct tutorship OF Mime.
1ayantIe
The ambitious youngster decided TO wait
no longer before submitting her ability 10
the public. She sent her photograph and a
letter OF explanation to a Berlin manager
and followed them up with herself. asking
for ''try-out"
The result was that a series OF bookings
was arranged for ner, under the description
OF solo danseuse," which gave her mat
inees In the best theatres of Berlin, Ham,