Word: svengali
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Dates: during 1910-1919
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...lovers of Du Maurier's tale have imagined the real Trilby to be. Clothed in garments well suited to acentuate her statuesque beauty she moves through the piece, at times merry, and mischievous, at times pitifully sad. And in the scene, where under the influence of Svengali she sings "Sweet Alice Ben Bolt" her voice won the hearts of the audience even as that of Du Maurier's heroine won the hearts of the audience he describes...
Greatest of all in the way of acting, however, was the "Svengali" of Lyn Harding. His personality was the dominant note throughout the play and his impersonation of the malevolent hypnotist was an admirably powerful one. There were times, perhaps, when the effectiveness of his presence was marred by the mechanism of the stage. The occasional use of a green light upon his features, for instance, detracted rather than added to the force of several otherwise highly dramatic scenes...