Year: 1867

ndood che could hardly be an Italian and not feel
cordial movement Of sympathy toward people whose
interest in the welfare of her native hnd has
been deem and constant and whose delight in the


liberation of Italy from the hateful despotsm of Aus
tria and from the patronizing insolence OF French
tuteage is as sincere its faith has been strong in
the ultimate fulfillment of her noble aspirations
Yet feeling so warmly to us, she must sometimes
have accused us, to herself, of an almost English
apathy and thought that the blood flows but coldly
in our transatlantic veins; for much of her most
careful art has seemed at times to be accepted with
indifference, and such slim applause as has been
doled out has often been bestowed upon those por-
tons of her acting of which she has least to
be proud. But being as intelligent as she is, and
generous she must doubt have reflected that the
fact of her acting in foreign language is bar to
perfect sympathy and that the spirit of man, wanting
the easy road of speech, is long in finding way to
mingle with its own. But at last the great actress
has found the way to our hearts, and the applause
which she received last night upon the occasion OF
her performance of Mary Stuart must have convinced
her that we are not incapable of approaching
excellence nor slow to acknowledge 1t with our
hands and voices when once we are fairly moved.
We wish that our English reserve did not so chain
our tongues. 1t sounds cordial and spOntane-
Gus greeting TO welcome an actor with the voice
as well as with the hands, rather than with the hands
alone old as the fashion is of giving the hand for,
egn audiences have more friendly, social air than
ours, from this habit that prevails OF expressing
appreciation and delight as well as their occasional
contrarics by word Of mouth. 1t at once brings the
actors and the audience upon a plane OF sympathy
and equality which makes the altists spirit flow
freely and gladly to its work. SO, when Ristor
is at home in her It0l the people follow her finest
parts with intense eagcrness and loud cries of de-
light Of pity, and fond caresslng epitnets
nv unrestrained from mouth to mouth On an sides
na11, POLL Rra
vissma y Mia caram mia Bella and as the act
resss attitudes recall some woll-known statue, All,
Niobew "Laoco6nw they cry-these well-peased
children of the sun. SO, as we see she is used 10
sympathy and coriia greeting, this Italian woman
and trained though she be to go through her parts
without depending on her own moods, or on That Oh
the audience still she must act with more IRE, we
may think, when she feels that she IL moving the
people than when she sees hundreds of eyes fixed on
the pages of book, and when the only sound that
greets her is the rustic of the leaves that are turned
with lndicrous simutaneousness-ofte In the very
climax of burst of tragic pain. ,


AS usual, without any help from the critics the
people have rightly judged which Ristoris finest
impersonations, and crowd the theater when Eliza,
beth" is played or Medea," or Mary Stuart" And
actress in these parts for it is skill of rare attain
ment and carries her talent close to the goal which
only genius ever fairly sezes.


There is tenderness in all these characters, but 1t
is tenderness born in the nature of different women
In Elizabeth it is coquery and remorse in Medea It'll
passion and motherlove, and jealousy; in Mary Stu





in captivity the loyalty of fallen lordship to faithful
friendship the fervor of religious faith. And kls-
toris conception of each of these parts is admirable
for its consistency and for its truth to nature No
less admirable is the simplicity with which she
evolves her conception her power of restraint, her
exquisite attention to details, the conscientious pa
thence with which she finishes the picture in every
part and up to the very limits of the There
is but exception to make to this remark and that
we have already made in these columns; alude to
the last act Of Elizabeth, which admiration would be
blind indeed TO justify, even on the ground OF its
clevemess. Let u.s. then, leave out OF the countths
last act of Elizabeth let us try to forget tas if we
could then it remains to be said that Rstori's act
ing in the rest of the play and i'll the plays OF
"Medea" and Mary Stuart is unapproachabe by
any living actor.


Yet il IS to be observed that none Of these parts
demands the highest acting: none of them calls FOR
the highest imagination. They can be well acted
without genius; talent, study, care conscience VIII
suffice. These gifts. qualities, not
rare as genius lying more within the reach OF the
will. but, STILL so rare that we are TO make sacrifices
to see and enjoy them, when God gracOusy bestows
them. But we must make distinctions and keep them
clear Ristori has not genius, and when she takes
part that demands it, she fails She can express the
external or that move external natures but the pro
found, the immeasurable the delicate, she cannot at
tain We can measure her hight and her depth and
feel that we comprehend her in the parts that. br
sympathy and thought and world of study and care,
she has made her own. How much more can we
measure her in parts on which she has rarely laid
hands too bold


Then, nature has been good to Ristori. and being
good to her, she has been good TO She has given
her face so beautiful that 1t IL and health 10
look at it, and voice that is all concord of sweet
sounds, and body whose movements the reflex
of her own large, abundant nature. She does not,
indeed make statues Rachel did she rarely rests
In attitude long enough to suggest sculpture and
when she does, as when in Medea" she falls upon
the altar steps after her children have been taken
from her, excaiming 4" have lost my sons" she
recalls no Greek statue. but rather Roman Empress.
with her robes abont her i'll nultitudinOus, fine
folds Her face is of the most mobile we have
seem but its of expression stops somewhat
short of the deepest tragic power. and is at
home in other moods. She impresses us as person
who has studied her capacity and gifts well, and
clearly comprehends them, and knows how TO
them all to the best advantage Her figure Is not
particularly good, but her bearing makes it so,
and whenever nobeness is required, or freedom of
movement, OF energy, 1t never disappoints us. SO,
her hand is not handsome her arms. but she
them with such meaning and grace and so cunningly
suits her actions 10 the word, that think only Of
the grace, and quiet truth Of the gesture, and this
grace and trdth make the limbs themselves seem
beautiful.


The play Of MARY Stuart is an Italian version of
Schiller's drama, and follows it quite literally. Like
that of all iibrettos the translation is stupid and it
is also incomplete. The actors several times pro-
nounce long speeches not set down for them-besde,
which is not the fault of the libretto, Omtting
speeches which are in the text Any omissions which
gratefully acknowledged; we cannot have too little
OF them, and are inclined to rebel when, not content
With wearying, US with two long acts i'll which
RstOri does not appear we have Elizabeth going off
into a long recitative of which not more than
quarter is in the book. mild infusion OF comedy Is
kindly given us by the gentle Mortimer who has the
best disposition in the world to make us laugh and
whose death-scene enables us to minge our laughter
with our tears in way altogether delightful. But
the play, although quite dull as Schillers is rem
dered bearable by Ristori's acting which shows the
power of a genlne piece of work to hold the at
tention of an audience in default of incidents,
situations any Of the usual extraneous sources of
interest Rlst0rs conception of the part is so clear
and her skill in celebrating it fine that she holds
us firm to the very end and when she is the stage
IL i'm ha AL 10 in
historical one It not only violates peipetnally the
truth of history in its Incidents but the whole char
acter of Mary given by Schiller Is mere fancy
hio how II