The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-15 00:00:00

French Theatricals.

The first representation of the " Liberte dies
'rhelires" was given at the Varietes on Wednesday
evening. It is an amusing collection of incon-
gruous " quips and cranks and wreathed smiles"—
a perfect jumble of drolleries of all kinds. As to
the plot it amounts to nearly nothing ; but as there
must be some sort of method even in dramatic mad-
ness we may suppose the story to be this : —An am-
bitious pastrycook of theatrical proclivities wishes
to take advantage of the new law by opening a
theatre of his own ; but his neighbours, the grocer
and the butcher, have formed a similar idea, and
hence a comical competition between these and

other managers desirous of securing the services of
a lot of good, bad, and indifferent artistes assembled
in a cafe, who are sold by auction and knocked
down to the highest bidder by Mme. Duval, who,
armed with a punch-ladle for a hammer, sells off
her lots with great vigour. This gives occasion
for much drollery, as each artist has to give a speci-
men of his or her dramatic or musical powers. The
successful competitor starts a Theatre Restaurant,
in which the pleasures of the table are en-
joyed along with those of the drama—each dish
being served up with its corresponding artist—
soup with the soprano, veal with the jeunepremiere,
roast beef with the basso, and so on. The piece
played before this gormandising audience is "Don
Quichotte," windmills, and all, which is interrupted
in a pathetic part by D alcinea, who has got hungry
at sight of so much good fare, and refuses to do
more without her dinner. The❑ follows an opera,
the " Violon Enchante," in which M. nerve as Ca-
bocino personates an enraged musician as chef-
d'orchestre in an amusing manner, and Madlle.
Vernet, an actress of Lyons, plays an air on the
violin in a masterly manner ; but the tenor has
fallen ill, and so we have a Guiqnol—the puppets,
as large as life, representing in laughable style Le-
maitre, Beauvallet, and other well-known artistes.
Then follows a ballet amidst pretty scenery, with
a real fountain in the centre, whose leaping waters
are illuminated by electric light in brilliant colours,
producing a singularly beautiful effect. After that
we have the rehearsal (in costume) of an extrava-
gant military melodrama of the old Cirque Imperial
kind. The whole ends by a grand ballet in honour
of theatrical liberty, in which we have characteristic
dances of all nations. The piece is lively, and, if
not overflowing with, is at all events provocative of
laughter.

For the Opera, M. St. Georges is preparing a
grand ballet, " Don Juan," the choregraphic
arrangements to be composed by that master of the
art, M. Rota. Madlle. Sax, whose engagement at
the Opera ends next year, is about to renew it for
five years.

The director of the Italian Opera has engaged
Madame Penco for the coming season, Zucchini, the
well known buffo, and half a dozen tenors, Fras.
chini, Negrini, Nice°lini, Corsi, Baragli, and Naudin.
This last, however, is said also to be engaged as
tenor for " Vasco di Gams" at the Opera.
The Opera Comique is undergoing a thorough
repair, at the expense, it is said, of some 60,0001 r.
and will be opened towards the end of this month,
fresh and brilliant, with " Lara," " L'Eclair, and a
new musical drama by M. d'Ennery, to be called
" Les Drames du Cabaret," in which M. Paul Menie:
is to have the principal role.
At the Lyrique, besides M. Legouve's " Deux
Reines," and other attractive novelties, we are to
have an opera by M. Brizet, the composer of " Le
Pecheur de rerles," to be named " Ivan le Terrible."
M. Carvalho has offered a prize for the bast opera
on the subject of the " Bride of Abydos," to be com-
peted for by young composers who have each gained
the prize of Rome. Mlle. Nilson, a young Swedish
soprano, has been engaged for this theatre, and is
to appear next month in the " Traviata."
Mme. Victoria Lafontoine has met with much
success at the Francais in the role of Agnes in the
" Ecole des Femmes."

M. Sardou, unappalled by the critical hail with
which he has been assailed for not being quite equal
to Cervantes, is preparing " Les Pommes du Voisin"
for the less ambitious audience of the Palace Royal,
in which the chief parts are to be taken by Geoffroy
and Mlle. Honorine.

At the joyous little Bouffes Parisiens, M. Varne y
the late director, has subsided into the office of chef
d'orchestre, and M. Mestepes 1e to be his successor.
In the meantime M. Offenbach is getting " covered
with laurels" at Ems and other German spas, where
he has brought out two new works with success,
"Le Soldat llagicien" and "Jeanne qui pleure et
Jeanne qui At Baden, M. G. Ilequet's hew
opera, "De par le Roi," has been greeted with
equal success.

A new theatre is in course of erection on the
Boulevard St. Germain, and will be opened next
month with half a dozen new dramas and operas.
The " Societe du Grand Concert" have com-
pleted arrangements for converting an upholstery
establishment, the Colonnes d'Hcroule,
in the Rue
three.
tion into a music-hall, where, under the
tion of M. Felicien David and M. Lorbac, the finest
music, classical and popular, is to be dispensed to
the masses at the charge of one and two francs.
This hall is large enough to accommodate 3,000
persons, and the orchestra will be composed of 100
musicians, assisted by 200 chorists.
A question is now pending before the law courts
as to the right of the "Imperial" theatres to break
the engagement of an artist with a provincial theatre
and appropriate his services. AM. Lamy had en-
tered into a contract to act at Marseilles, and after.
wards engaged to play in the " Gandre de M.
Poirier," at the F7ancsis ; the provincial director
protested against this breach of faith, but the man-
agement of the Francais claims the privilege of en-
foroing it, and people are clarions to know whether