New-York tribune., 1869-03-30
MUSIC.
LA VIE PARIsIENNR.

The pleasure of making acquaintance with
another folly Of Ofenbach's, and at the same time Of
Offering compliment 10 the manager who has devoted
himself with the greatest singeness OF heart and lavish
ness OF hand, to the Interpretation Of that oracle
OF Partisan nonsense and naughtiness, drew OF
course O large audience last night to the French
Theater; and presume that Mr.. Grau's compliment
tary benefit resulted thersrom In the most satsfac
tory manner. Musically ia Vie Parsienne" offers
less opportunity for remark than any Of the works OF the
class that have preceded tin EewYork. The music
is very scany. unusually largo proportion OF the play
consisting OF spoken dialogue What little there Is seems
TO have constructed the old familiar themes and
constructed more carelessy than Is Oenbachs wont.
The ghosts OF the Grand Duchess" La Belle Helene
and other loose dames haunt the and remind US at
almost every measure OF the tunes we have heard
day and night for the past two years.
Nobody goes to the French Theater, however,
for the sake OF the So long the dialogue Is
broad the action suggestive and the dancing fee most
of the audiences ask mOre the gods OF the gallery
have peculiar notions Of enjoyment and the ladies In the
boxes could blush Just well to the air Of Old Dan
Tucker as the choicest melodies Of Auber and Ros
sni For those who want blush are bound to say
"La Vie Parsienne" affords sufficient opportunity.
1t ia picture Of the adventures Of q Swedish
baron and baroness who visit Paris on o tour Oh
pleasure and live few hours in atmosphere OF fash
ionabo infany The scent Of tho bagno infecs every
scene Incipient Anonymas faunt the stage aud
and wives away from each other to the arms OF
strange lovers and almost every In the play at
least one mans mistress 1t Is not wholesome enter
talnmen and utterly at loss to understand how,
TO persons OF average refinement, IL can be, except
in q few isolated scenes, even tolerably amusing.
In several OF these exceptional 1t is certainly
funny as anything have yet in the way OF opera
boue Most OF tho laughter provoked by NJ Carrior
He assumes several dsguses in the OF the even
Ing and s droll In all Of them. He Is nch Brazilian,
with the face OF baboon and the fiery manners OF
| gorilla. He is German shoemaker He Is knaylsh
servant He is fat and whiskered major.
| He Is a dilapidated dplomatist. His makeup
| I'm several OF these characters Is marvellous.
NJ Genot In a double part bears him good company The
principal female part assigned to Madame Rose Bell
She acts with sufficient vvaclty, looks pretty and sings
well nearly all the little good music there is falls to her
share Mdle DescauZas has part but small one, and
she hardly does II justice NJ Beckers as the Swedish
baron is prominent character and except for tenden-
cy TO exaggeraon and lack Of spontaneity In his fun
deserves commendation. The minor parts filed by
Mesdames Gueretti. Rlzarelh, and Bageard, and MSt
Mussay and Delgne. The play affords no excuse for
elaborate scenery decorations and does not require
large chorus These departments, however, were salts
factory as they always have been under Mr. Graus man
| aeement