The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-03-10
n TIE eIg!Lllp.

wicked woman In literature that
Madame Nasimova purtrayed At the
|Gra1d theater Monday night - the play
.Befla Donna" Had II BEEN 1eayea by
theatrical cohblera. it had been m un-
forBettable nightmare. but touched
by the hand of Nazilnova's genius It
became an UNDERSTANDS work OF art
This Russian woman p pos1esoed Of
certain sort OF beauty Hinuous, mystic
and tragic. and with II there h q voice
strangely beautiful and rich and with
"a power that cann0ts be described.
which adds to the Hesitation she gives
to the character she impet1nqhteRs She
lis long past that school OF acting that
has to do with hyAtefia ard hectic
emotion. Her acting u an-expositton
Fof reality in art-bot Aha reality OF
the graphic, not req3fa1n. which is a
state OF the soul. The appeal she makes
to the imagination II one of the truly
great notes in modern dramatic art At
times she was seen ON the stage. Sd
lent, making no outward sign. and yet
there was the sense that emotions were
rushing to her like wireless messages
to q station attuned to receive them.
The story has to do with q Mrs.
Chepstow, q divorced woman of evil
reputation and rejected by society. To
reinstate herself, she ensnares a young
Englishman, whose titled and child
lees brother II supposed to be near
death. She is a woman without q re-
deeming trait of charau4er. To unfafth-
fulness, she adds hypocrisy. hardness
OF heart, vanity, and cowardice. and
to that she adds an attempt on the life
OF her husband. and to that the folly
Of choosing for lover a man who
scorns her. In addition, she has q
reptilian quality that is hard to de-
fine Now the serpent II the most
| q11hf1n NJ all hQaS Sta the ancient
writing Of a wise people. and the good
genius of the story, one DIR. Isaacson.
| a representative OF the nation Of Is
! rael. recognizes the subtlety of the
| woman. whose form. motion and cos
| tunes suggest the character through
out.
The opening scene is in the doctors
| Office in London, in which. by the way,
there were no cheap furnishings to SIM
| ulate luxury. The richness of the ap-
pointments had an appearance of gem
uineness seldom seen on the stage OF a
one night house. The remainder of
| the play is laid in the far east. A
villa on the Nile near Luxor IL ar
ranged with q regard for the traditions
of the land. From the deck of the
boat on the Nile may be seen the coll
losal figures In stone ont on the des-
ert sands. In this atmosphere OF the
mysterious east Is the setting for a
/ CudI6CtGE llAt III Al8 UTluI0uEC duO
fascination and weaknesses. suggests
the long dead Egyptian queen whose
tool and toys had been captains and
emperors.
The role OF the London doctor, Meyer
Isaacson. was taken by Charles Bry-
ant, a man eminently worthy of the
! leading male part in company head
ed by the Russian star He IL a skill
ed and finished actor. having the ap-
pearance and manners that we are ac-
customed to associate with our idea OF
q high bred English gentleman. Nigel
Armipe, the unfortunate husband.
whose part was played by Herbert
Percy. is an actor Of sincere methods.
and his Interpretation Of the part was
Whitworth took the part of Moham-
edan captain down in Egypt with
whom the leading woman becomes
enamOred. He was a thoroughly IN
principled and masterful villain. whose
perfidy was less appalling than the
expected from him by reason of birth
and training. The role was under
standingly taken and interpreted with
out rant or artifce.
On the characters and situations OF
a plot that is dark and forbidding
Robert Kitchens. the novelist. has
strung q succession of episodes that
contains many thrills. and the trail OF
the serpent il over them all. One
doesn't conclude what the end will be
at the middle of the. first act. and
one isn't quite sure Of the endinl
when the curtain falls for the last time
for the woman who has sinned goes
out from a gate in the darkness, witt
, no hint Of a destination or purpose
!. The close of the play il the most sym
; bolic part Of it with the startling ques
ton on the consequences Of evil that i
. leaves in the mind.
Scarcely as large an audience attend
ed the play as usually turns out fO
an actress of Naxfmova's fame, but tn,
class of people who are expected a
the Grand for dramas Of the heavie
sort. was there in force. B. H.
At Tll6 aaa 16oTl0