The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-01 00:00:00

Parliament.

THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

The Vaudeville will soon produce a new five-act piece
of M. Ameded Rolland.
M. Gaston Dufey succeeds M. Maurice Coste as manager
of the Theatre du Prince Eugene.
"La Duchesse de la Vaubaliere" is in rehearsal at the
Theatre de Cluny.
There are now thirty-nine theatres in Paris, and twenty-
three cafe's concerts.
At the Theatre des Nouveautes, "La Crevotte et le
Philistin," of M. Paul Avenel, is in preparation. Vavas-
seur, of the Folies Dramatiques, will play the principal
part. . .

There is some talk in Paris of commencing cheap trips
to Brussels to enable the Parisians to see the performance
of " Ruy Blas," which has been interdicted in France.
Madlle. Celine Montaland has been engaged at the Gait 6
to play the Duchess de Nevers, in the "Rome Margot" of
Alexandre Dumas.
At the last performance of the "Grande Duchesse," at
Liege, the audience presented Madame Rosa Bell (the
Grande Duchesse) with a valuable diamond ring and a
splendid bouquet of the French national colours.
A four-act drama, by Alexandre Dumas, " Valentin et
Valentine," is in preparation at the Theatre duo Prince
Eugene. There is some question of reviving at the same
house the "Chasse au Chastre" and "Paul Jones" of the
same author.
Fifty-six academicians voted at the appointment of the
new perpetual secretary of the Academie des Sciences.
The votes were as follows :—M. Dumas, 30 ; M. Costa, 23,
M. Claude Bernard, 2 ; and one blank vote.
" Le Pilt6 de Grives," a one-act comic operetta, by MM
Meilhac and Busnach, with music by Madame do Grand-
val, has been read at the Opera Comique. It will be sup-
ported by Potel, Leroy, and Madlle Cico.
The Holborn will open early in March under the ma-
nagement of Miss Fanny Josephs. A new drama by Mr.
Dion Boucicault and Mr. T. W. Robertson is in active pre-
paration. _ _ .

We are requested to state that the " super" so favour-
ably alluded to in a notice of "La Vivandiere" at the
Queen's Theatre last week, is Miss Cushing, of her Ma-
jesty's Theatre, with whom a special engagement has
been made, in order to give additional effect to the con-
certed music. •
Madlle. Schneider having returned to the Varietes
Offenbach's " Barbe-Bleue" has been revived. A crowded
and extremely fashionable house welcomed back on the
first night both piece and singer. "Barbe-Bleue" is cer-
tainly one of the best works of the most popular of com-
posers.
Another new Parisian theatre will be opened next
month. It is situated in the Rue Richer. Its title will be
"Les Folies-Bergere." It was at first intended to call it
the " Folies-Trevise," but to this the Due de Trevise was
opposed. Desire and M. Gobin, a young and intelligent
tenor of the Palais Royal, have been engaged.
A grand concert is to take place on the 6th of February,
at the Salle Herz. The orchestra, consisting of 150 musi-
cians, will be under the direction of M. Charles Lamou-
reux. Among the pieces to be performed are Beethoven's
Pastoral Symphony, Webor's overture to " Oberon,' ;and a
march and chorus from Wagner's opera, " Lohengrin."
Pike's new opera-house, New York, of which an account
has appeared in the papers, is rapidly approaching com-
pletion. A private performance has already taken place
within its walls. The auditorium will seat 2,600 people,
The decorations of the theatre are beautiful, though the
roof is a trifle too ornate.
The presence of Charles Dickens in America causes
many of his works to be performed. "No Thoroughfare"
has been produced at the Boston Museum ; "Dot" is being
played at Selwyn's Theatre, Boston; "Nicholas Nickleby'
at the Howard Athenreum y "Our Mutual Friend" at Ban-
vard's Theatre, New York ; and " Oliver Twist" at
Wallack's Theatre in the same city.
The great success attending the pantomime of " Little
lied Riding Hood," at the Crystal Palace; has induced the
directors to communicate to Mr. Nelson Lee, through the
general manager, their intention of continuing its repre-
sentation. The entire pantomime is admirably acted, and
produced on a scale of completeness not often witnessed.
It reflects the greatest possible credit on Mr. Nelson Lee,
the popular pantomime writer. The transformation scene
is one blaze of splendour.
The Gymnase has had a run of bad luck of late. All its
recent productions have been failures, and the latest piece
is the greatest failure of all. "Le Comte Jaques," a three-
act comedy in verse, is by M. Gondinet, the clover author
of "La Cremate Blanche." Like more than one English dra-
matist we could name, M. Goudinet is not content with the
reputation his short and brilliant pieces have brought him,
and has ventured on a bold and dangerous experiment.
" La Comte Jaques" is a poorly-conceived and feeble story,
which, under the most promising conditions—which, how-
ever, do not attend it—could scarcely hope for much suc-
cess. Le Comte Jaques, owing to a quarrel with his father,
has lived for many years away from home. At length his
father dies, and he returns to enter upon the estate. Ho
finds it in the possession of a pretty girl, Blanche, whom
his father had adopted when a child, and who, as the sud-
denness of the attack from which the old cuunt suffered
left him no time for explanations, conceives herself the
legitimate owner of the estate. He will not shock her by
revealing too suddenly the truth. Accordingly, he re-
mains as her guest. Blanche and the Comte fall in love
with each other. Misinterpretations arise. He thinks
another is the favoured suitor, and retires, leaving Blanche
mistress of the estate. After he is gone Blanche learns all;
summons him back, and bestows upon him her hand and
happiness. This story is simple, but it is too trifling for a
three-act piece. Many not over-ingenious devices are
resorted to in order to strengthen it. The hero is led into
a duel, and a variety of other adventures are thrust upon
him. The piece, however, remains dull and uninteresting,
and failed on the first night to please any one except the
claque. It was fairly acted. Madlle. Massin„who played
the heroine, is one of the prettiest women on the French
stage.