The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-13
BERNHARDT ACTORS GIVE PERFORMANCE
 FOR THE BELGIANS
Eeorgette Leblanc Appears in MaeerIinck's "Pal1eaS and
 Mesilande."

,is Caudebec 4enlCaux, N o m c. n y, France, Sept. 13-Madame Maurice naeterhnck, better known in Europe under the stage name of Georgette l Leblanc. assisted by various mem beTs of the company of the Sarah Bernhardt theatre recently made a substantial addition to the funds of the Belgian relief work from the pro- reeds of a rare performance Of "Pel- leas and Melisande', in the grounds and halls of the Abby of St. Wand rills. As a piece of histrionic art. the performance was regarded by critics as Ia distinct triumph. As means 1f raising money for M. Massachusetts forty dollars per ticket and limiting The number sold tosa very carefully chosen circle Of people, the perform Rnce was equally successful
 The ancient Abby of St. Wandrille. which was established in the year 84 --though very few architectural relics of that early date reqnain-lends it. self wonderfully to the out of door presentation Of such nediaevaI drama Rs those of the Belgian poet The very scent. of rank undergrowth in the grounds leads the spectator back to the long ago. Towering arches, standing alone among what seem the trees of an almost virgin forest; paths that might be the road Tristan and fseu1t travelled to Joyeuse Garde; quaint circular fountains surrounded by expresses in gracefully cultivated hollows; the massive gates and the vau1ted arches of the anbulatory all contribute to create the atnos- phere demanded for a sympathetic eettfng to the story.
 The novelty of the St. Wandrille performances lies in the moving of the audience about from place to place instead Of a resetting of the stage. The spectators follow the ac- tors to the spot in building orA Agrounds most appropriate for the Presenta- ed.z There are no foot1igats, no stage for setting. The man in the moon is the electrician, and the stage has set itself. Occasionally, the audience is called upon to imagine a river near whose edge the action takes place, Monks failed to provide; but such de- ta11s are unessentiaI.
 The scene at the tower where MeH- s&pde lets her long. golden hair trickles down the stones to the lips of Pel- leas. is peculiarly effective. The tower is theres 1t has been there for nine hundred years, the window is high-o1t of reach, as it must be to fit the scene. Yet a few fra g1nents fpf stone work from the ruined walls. enable PeleIas to climb high enough just to touch the outstretched hand of MeIisandeS The scene in the crypt, so difficult to stage with conviction, here is played as it were soff stage''
 out of the sight of the audience, behind huge, changing iron gates, through which Pelleas and his broth CT have been seen to pass, and through which the spectators, with out seeing the actors, hear their con- versation over the bettonless wells that under1ies the castle.
 n it's technical aspects, the presen- tatfpn is most satisfying The too evident canvas of the familiar rocks of the theatre; the walls whose edges have been smutted by the constant handling of stage hands; the purely artificial effects of distance sought but so rarely attained by the stage car peuter-t11ese little shocks to his ar tistic soul the spectator is spared at usheRs are in dress of the middle ages, that the paths from Ohe part of the ground to another are lit by baronial retainers in costume, holding aloft torches appropriate to the period, and the perfection of the illusion so rare of Achievement is evident.
 The acting of Madame Maeterlinck and her friends was admirable. The effect of childish innocence in Meli- sande which Georgette Leblanc makes a living fact to the eyes and hearts of her audience is a piece of the most exquisite artistry.
 And M MaeterlincAisn't he
 ssDear me. not Its an old story to him. When he has written play, thefe's an end of 1t with him; he's somewhere on the Riviera