New-York tribune., 1919-02-12
Opera
Miss Garden Displays Herself
as Cleopatra in the Lex
ington Theatre
By II. f. Krehbiel

Miss Mary Garden hung new nor
trait in the Massenet operate gallery
at the Lexington Theatre last night
when "Cleopatre' had its first per-
formance in New York. She gave the
picture place ION the line" no doubt,
in the estimation of those operaeoers
(there were many OF them in the the
stre last nighD who find excellence in
everything she rocs, and extcnuate
even her attempts at song when thew
do not also pronounce them admirable.
We might be willing to subscribe to
the phrase II IN using it we might be
understood as saying that the portrait
Was that of a familiar physical dram
attic and musical figure draped (more
or less) IN garments of a different
fashion and texture than the old. In
other words, it was on the line of the
modern monotony of Mary Garden.
Here we had q Cleopatra with diff
ference. Even an operate Cleopatra.
infused with real poetic insight and
skill in portrayal, might have been
made to partake OF at least a modicum
of that infinite Variety with which
historians have invested the woman who
IHC 44R4O E444dL VI lUC NOTlQ IIanS
formed
Into strum pits fool
Ever since Plutarch described hsr,
Shakespeare put upon the stage MS b
wildering mixture of wantonness and
allurement, both physical and in.ellect-
ual, and the first of Massenit's preda.
cessors set her to music more than 250
years ago.
Miss Garden, to whom New York ars
owe their knowledge OF much o. HAS
senit's characters would rot have Been
the first representativ. of the latest
operatic Cleopatra last night, had mat.
ters run their normal course las5 wear.
The opera was in Mr. Campanni's pros
pectus then, but. unless memory plays
US false Miss Marguerite Sylvia was
then set down for the titular role.
Fortunately or unfortunately, as orc
happens to be inclined to look at it,
there came about a congestion OF rail
way traffic which somel ow prevented
the production and it was thus reserved
for Miss Garden to array Cleopatra
alongside of That's, Fanny lie Grand
(in "Sapho"), the Patriot Grizal and
the Lady Dulcinia del Toboso (in don
Quichotti"), and delight the souls OF
the many who not only admire what
tuSy Nd4l lIl dLS UQb eNtSO lStl EdtSIul
TO her for having been the prime cause
of giving New York better measure
Of French opera than they would have
enjoyed had the management OF he
Metropolitan Opera IL ouse been Ter-
mitted TO pursue the even tenor of its
provincial Italian way without stimu-
lating and worthy oppos:tion. We do
not include the Juggle, of Our Lady
and Prince Charming IN "CendrilloaD
in the list simply because they ace not
portraits of women and we can as l;ttle
persuade ourselves tha. Miss Garden
has given or can give Us the counter
felt presentment of man as she can
that of woman gifted with some
thing more than beautiful physical
veature.
1t would. perhaps. be expecting too
much to ask any combination of libret-
tlst. composer and singer to reproduce
IN an operate character even a faint
rejection of the Cleopatra Of history,
TO say nothing of Shakespeare's ere
alton. cast in the mould of his high
Imagination. yet a closer consonance
CT his other women. The librettist who
elaborated with Massenet did little
enough to arouse memories of that
deal, but Miss Garden did less. No
dramatic impersonation OF Egypt's |
Queen will ever be tolerable which |
fails to clothe the character with some
thing more than feshly allurement.
On the testimony of Plutarch, though |
the arch seductress Of the world trust
ed more to "the charmes and inchant-
ments of her passing beawtie and
grace eve quote the English of Sir
Thomas North to inveiglc Rome's
'rlumvir than to gifts from the $50
wealthle and rich realme of Aigypt,"
that 'beawtie was not so unmatchable |
OF ether women, nor yet suche as upon
present We've did innamor men with
Ter" 1t was the sweetness of her
"companie and conversation" which was
such that man could not possibly but
be taken. "And besides her beawtie
the good grace she had to tall5c and
discourse, her courteous nature that
tempered her words and dedes, was
splrre that pricked to the quick.
furthermore, besides all these, her
voyce and words were marvellous
pleasant; for her tongue was an in
s'rument Of musicke to divers sports
and pastimes, the which she easily
turned to any language that pleased
ner' Plutarch knew these things
because he had them from his grand
ia'her' who had them by direct report