1825
6
ROLOFF LANDS AT BANES.
Cubans Get a Seaport and Will Try
to Hold It—Gen, Garein Gets
Arms from Laurada.
(Special to The World.)
HAVANA, Cuba, by way of Tampa,
Fla., April 15.—Gen. Roloff, the Cuban
Secretary of War, and his expedition,
arrlved yesterday at Bones on the
steamer Laurada and landed 2,400 rifles
500,000 cartridges and several rapid-fire
field pieces.
Gen. Garcia, with 5,000 men, met the
expedition and took the arms into the
conntry.
Banes has been entirely deserted by
both parties lately but the Spaniards,
hearing of the expedition and fearing
thatthe insurgents might intrench
themselves there, prepared to send five
gunboats to bombard the town.
The insurgents got word of this, has¬
tily planted. torpedoes in the harbor,
planted cannon on the surrounding
heights and prepared to hold the place
if posslble, thus giving the insurgents
a seaport and a basis upon which to
ask for recognition as belligerents.
A spirited attack was made lately on
a small Spanish stronghold near Bara¬
coa. The insurgents began storming the
fort and a detachment of 600 Spanish
soldiers left Baracoa to attack the in¬
his ieft Baracoa practically unpro¬
tested and execitement ran high in that
place for fear of an attack. The report
got out that Baracoa was captured, but
this is a mistake,
The insurgents have been concentra¬
ting around Befucal and the Spanish
forces withdrawn, giving the positior
tothe rebels.
CALTE AND CARMEN.
Excellent Farewell Performance
Seen bya Moderate-Sized, En¬
thuslastle Andience.
Ir Calve does not return to us next
season wé shall probably not have an
opportunity of seeing her Carmen
again for some time, so that to the
rather moderate-sized but highly enthü¬
siastic audience present last night the
performance partock much of the nature
of a farewell.
To my thinking, Calve’s Carmen is
never so artistic as when she is sup¬
ported by Jean de Reszke as Don Jose.
And this without any reflection on the
artistic capacity of Salignac, who is
really excellent in the role, and whc
sang better last night—especially the
Flower Song’'—than I have ever heard
him.
Calve was in good volce, but was at
times à littie inc.ined to be careless, and
was certainlv most kittenish in manner
and action. Calve should remember that
a lack of artistie restraint and conti¬
nence may serlously impair even th
most artistie, finished and considered
impersonation. But even if she dees
overact a little occasionally one cannot
but acclaim the skill with which Calve
suggests without coarseness the real
Carmen. Her Carmen is, indeed, no
saint, but, as compared with Miss Neth¬
versole's, it is an angel of light.
Lasalle sang the Toreador song much
better than usual, possibly because—1f
my ear did not deceive me—he trans¬
posed it a tone lower. The rest of the
cast was as usual, except that Mme. De
Vere sang the role of Michaela and sang
it very prettily indeed; the aria being
given with so much taste and feeling
that it was redemanded.
The performance on the whole was an
excellent one and fully up to the usual
high standard. Sig. Bevignani’s work
in the conductor’s chair was, as always,
competent, and the orchestra played
capitally.
REGINALD DE KOVEN.
OBITUART NOTEs.
Atthe Germania last night, before one
of the most representative and brilliant
audiences that ever assembled in Diree¬
tor Philipps’s Theatre, she made her
reappearance In this city after an ab¬
sence of tweive gears in the title role
lof Therese Krones.“
When it is known that Carl Haffner
wrote this vaudeville specialty for her
over forty gears ago; it speaks volumes
for the extent and value of her theat¬
rieal experiencesthat she is still able to
make it potent and effective. Therese
Krones“ is a mere serles of disjointed
scenes, nine in number, divided into
three acts. As a story it is trivial and
commonplace. Only something akin to
genius can make it acceptable to a mod¬
ern audience. This Frl. Geistinger cer¬
tainly did last night by the finish and
authority of her comprehensive art.
There were moments when the action
flagged, but these were quickly followed
by scenes in wllich the famous Viennese,
by her skill and talent, quiekly revived
the interest and brought the curtain
down on situations that compelled spon¬
taneous and enthuslastic applause.
is imposslble to cheat theatrical
hlstory. Frl. Gelstinger is a seagenar¬
ut unless informed beforehand
lan,
hardly & person could imagine that the
plump, stralght-backed, vivaclous blonde
who strutted her hour on the stage last
night was more than forty-five. Where
nature failed art took its place. Frl.
Geistinger perfectly realized her liml¬
taticas and gauged her condüct ac¬
cordingly. When she sang the orchestra
played pianissimo. The high notes were
skilfully attacked and successfully over¬
come. There were a smoothness and
feeling in every song she sang, and wich
tne ald of gschrußn eink or gesture
she fully atonedifor the lackof a higni
and sustalned note. Noching could have
better emphaslzed her skill in this par¬
ticnlar than the finish and dash with
which she sang the patter number in
the second act.
and
Her comedy throughout was 11
buovant and when sne enacted Ophella’s
mad scene it was easy to sec how this
admirable actress was ever able
command attention whether ehe played
*Camille“' or“Boccacclo.“
Her support was excellent. Max!
Lube as Ferdinand Raimund, the play¬
wriht, acted with hls accustomed comie
florce and divided the honors with the
star. Bernhard Rank, as the comedian
who played Napoleon, was genuinely
and artistically funny, and in sketchy
roles Charlotte Durand. Clara Bonne
and Eugenle Schmitz lent valuable as¬
sistance.
Saturdav Frl. Geistinger will appear
in" Drei Paar Schuhe.
SORMA IN A NEW ROLE.
Flawless Technique of the German
Actress Further Displayed
in (Flirtation.)
Agnes Sorma presented a new play at
the Irving Place Theatre last evening.
Ihe pleyed the part of Christine Weiring,
the unhappy heroine, in an emotional
plar Flirtation,! by A. Schnitzler.
The play is a rather remarkable one in
its straightforward, realistic and concise
treatment of a theme which forms the
basis of almost every emotional drama
that has been written—the contrast of
a man’s love for a woman, a mere in¬
cident, born of a whim, a fancy, the'
Usearch for pleasure; and a woman’s love
for a man, deep, intense, all-absorbing,
all-dominating. the passion of a lifetime.
The author presents his story. simply
and naturally. He does not discuss the
problem, he does not seek to explain the
great mystery; he makes no attempt 'to
teach a lesson or. draw a moral. He
allows the audience’s imagination to do
all this. In his construction and develop¬
ment he avolds all the devices of the¬
atricism and adheres rigidiy to realigtic
methods. The theme is human and is
formulated and elaborated in the com¬
monplaceness of real life by characters
that are absolutely true.
The locale is Vienna, and the atmos¬
phere of country. class and character is
perfectly reproduced.
The technique of Agnes Sorma is flaw¬
less. Facial play gesture, movement,
modulation of voice and diction are em¬
ployed with sobrietv and rare judgment.
She produces her effects by the simplest
methods. Last night she individuallzed
the poor girl whose romance became a
rragedy with extraordinary definiteness.
There was not a detail which was su¬
perfluous, not a moment of inconsistency
nor a lapse in characterlzation. She
presented a perfect, graphic portrait, so
complete that it laid bare heart and soul.
In doing this by purely natural methods
she illustrated the high power of the
school of realism.
But there is unfortunately a shadow
on her art—the lack of feeling, of mag¬
netism, of power to touch the heart, as
well as to satisfy the intellect, to draw
one’s sympathies while evoking one’s
admiration.
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