The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-15 00:00:00

FRENC if THEATRICALS.

VAUDEVILLE.—Has any Jcttatore hovered over
this theatre ? Misfortunes follow closely upon each
other ; failures and fiascos are all that is left to the
critic to chronicle. The " Nouveau Cid" is the last
'yet most-slgnal of all the-Vaudeville fiascos. The
condemnation, which was general and unmistake-
able, was assuredly well deserved, but it had some-
thingin it personal. Pipe-en-Bois hooted "Gaetana"
and " lienriette Mardchale " from the stage, as he
hissed the " Nouveau Cid " away. Now Gaetano.,
and Henriette had some good points, the "Nouveau
Cid " has none whatever. Yet all were hissed and
hooted away because the town entertained personal
prejudices against M. About, MM. Goncourt, and
M. Hugelman. It so happens that justice has run
with caprice, but we must protest against these
personalities. The fiercest of democrats might
write a good play, even should he have changedliis
'political opinions. With these the play-going public
have no right to interfere.
GYMNASE.—They have acquired an excellent habit
at the Gymnase of bringing out a batch of novelities
at once. The other night they produced " Les ,
Wagons des Dames," and " Les Sabots d'Aurore,"
and on Thursday they played two new pieces, both
well entitled to the plaudits they received. "Un
Manage h l'Enchere' will owe its success toßlaisot's
laughable impersonation of a " tender parient" who
is always prating about his disinterestedness and
paternal affection, whilst he is ready to sell his child
to the highest bidder. The young lady knows a
great deal too much. She is a sort of " Pucelle de
Belleville," one of those pleasant books which our
dear readers used to poke under the sofa cushion
when visitors were announced. But in these Benoi-
ton days we wonder at times where young ladies of
the best regulated families acquire all their surpris-
ing information upon subjects which were tabooed
by the stricter propriety of our youth. Anna (Mdlle.
Menty) enters into all her papa's enlightened views.
She gives up her cousin for a betterparti, whom she
abandons for a yet wealthier nephew of her notaire;
but the steamer which was to have brought this
Caesar and his fortunes to Havre went down with
all hands, and thus the lady loses all her lovers, and
is forced to fall back upon her cousin at last.
Blaiset is about as good a sketch of a Parisian papa
as ever appeared upon the stage. No one should
miss going to see him. If the first piece reminded
us of Paul de Kock's tale the " Amour d'une In-
genue" bore a strong resemblance to Mrs. Inchbald's
" Simple Story." An uncle, who hovers between
30 and 40, is left guardian of his sister's child. The
uncle is very kind to his niece, but is yet kinder to
Mdlle. Olympe and other ladies who have played
in the Olympic games of the denzi-monde. The niece
falls in love—with whom do you suppose of all
people in the world—" Oh! my prophetic soul, ray
uncle." When she discovers that he is bent upon
f
going out to shoot cocottes, or any other sport
hiso
that kind, she sews up his coat sleeves,
The
white chokers, and torments him exceedingblyid:esT
revealed due
at
teterrima causa of these wars is
borne for
season ; she contrives to keep
.hainin _
d the amorous
her own particular amusem,reOnt
uncle marries his niece.
enotisn: °. ur taste there is
On the fly-leaf
something nasty in
thifin„u'res a long list of ladies
of the old family
bibiteth'e pale of matrimony. It
who arc placed
, without
interdiction, " A man may
begins with the
injunction against a niece.
same
not marry his grandmother," and ci\omlunddeseNiv,Eitnhetihoes
is said to have
andi It cl
Tome oo fr
e herhags rsaunndgs otnh sev
loamongstes
her admirers, of
a young gentleman who was detected flagrante under
li
the same circumstances. For us these circumstances
would not be attenuantes, nor would they be any
more admissible in the other case. An Englishman
would no more think of making love to his grand-
mamma than to his sister's child. But these restric-
tions are not imposed in France. Uncles and nieces
are constantly buckled together, and make excellent
menages; therefore was the marriage of this Ingenue
rapturously received. Mlle. Barataude, the debu-
tante, is aulngenue who might inveigle any one into
' matrimony. She is a great acquisition to the Gym-
nase. She has the bluest of eyes, blue as those which
shone from under Athenes' brow upon the Greeks
before Troy ; and she has learned the art of turn-
ing
,them to the best account, as she darts glances
from them upon the poor inflammable wretches in
. the galls as murderous as from a Zundnadelgewohr.