The Mystic in the Theatre: Eleonora Duse

by Eva Le Gallienne

While Eva Le Gallienne's approach to Eleonora Duse is reverent, it is also scholarly, stylishly written, and considering her personal debt to Duse, remarkably objective. She disposes of the hard-dying myth that the great Italian actress played simply on the inspiration of the moment. Miss Le Gallienne's thesis is that Duse's artistic triumphs resulted from her victories over herself, triumphs of character achieved through intellectual and spiritual struggle. In support of her title Miss Le Gallienne adduces evidence of Duse's long and earnest study of the writings of mystics and philosophers. This book is thoughtful, sensible, candid and literate. Miss Le Gallienne's own memories provide a fascinating glimpse into both herself and the tired, fading great actress whom she adored.

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, Biography

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Eva Le Gallienne (1899-1991) was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, translator, and author. A Broadway star by age 21, in 1926 she left Broadway behind to found the Civic Repertory Theatre.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transcendent and inspiring. I loved everything about this book, sometimes in ways that won't go into words, but here are some things I especially loved:

-The way Le Gallienne writes about Duse's acting being a process of "self-naughting," of erasing herself so that the character can come through
-The low-key, between-the-lines info drop that Eleonora Duse was queer
-The way that Eva passionately deconstructs bad reviews of Duse's acting line by line with citations 40+ years later. Get you a friend who will write a whole book to prove your critics wrong!
-The way that even though Eva's not writing about herself, she's there in every word, and I can see all the allusions she's making to events in her own life

tl;dr: I just really love Eva Le Gallienne and Eleonora Duse.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was motivational. I'd only heard about Duse and this gives a just-detailed-enough account of her career and the forces that likely contributed to her development as an artist to make for a captivating read. La Gallienne makes Duse so vivid and relate-able through her own understanding of acting as a a craft. Duse comes off as an inordinately driven individual and one whose drive began and ended with the feeling of communion with, I guess, a universal life force. I imagine every artist has felt that communion in a flash from time to time, as I feel I have, and Duse had the discipline and really just the most vanity-devoid desire to build a stable technique in its pursuit. It's incredible, hearing of her behavior in preparing to go on stage as well as her behavior in life trying to understand how one attains enlightenment, to realize that through patience alone (basically) this woman arrived at a technique which the vast majority of us have to be instructed in by an expert. So, yeah, a great, moving, inspirational read.

[Kelsea Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already want to read this book again. For me as an actress, inspiring. Her ability to connect to her audience seems even to pass through these pages to its reader...I feel both like I know her and that I wish I knew her more. Read it.

[Lauren Gullion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind-blowing and beautiful. If you are at all drawn to this book, please read; you will be introduced to quite a soul.

[Begonya Plaza]

An inspiration of purity of heart and craft. I continue to pick up and read passages.

[Joe Leone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a transformative spiritual awakening! Eleonora Duse showed and proved to us not only what it means to be an actor but to be human. To truly indulge in story, one must forget self, drop the ego, in order to become others. As a young actor, new to theater, this book reinforces the commitment to creating and living in the imagined life. To create worlds within your own. Work is the only remedy. To work and to learn! To really grow as individuals, we have to be able to empathize, it is the heart and art of acting. Hearing the story of one of the greats, I am inspired to devote and commit myself to serving others through the theatre, just like Eleonora did. She teaches us to sacrifice and to listen, to create and to be, in order to have a "revolution of the human spirit."

[Bridget Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eva Le Galliennes admiration of Duse might be a bit too strong to write an accurate book about her, despite this, it is clear Duse knew what she was talking about when it came to acting and this book has lots of quotes and ideas that are extremely interesting.

[Anton]

The mystical art of acting

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful peek into an artistic life. Inspirational.

[Jackie Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspirational to say the least.
I'm so proud to be on the path that Duse so boldly laid oout for me.

[Melisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woman was such a master at the craft of acting she was known as a mystic in the theatre! She would actually blush during a scene. Incredibly interesting!