New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-01-29
THE PARTISAN STAGE.
LETTER FROM HENRY JAMES. JR.

PARIS. Jan. THAT the theater plays In Pans
larger part in peoples lives than it does anywhere
slse is by this time fact too well established 10
need especial comment. 1t is one of the FIRST 1acts
that comes under the observation OF the resident
foreigner who very soon perceves that the thea,el
IL an essential part of French civilization IN 1egu
to which it keeps up lively process OF actlon anu
reaction. 1t is not a mere amusement as II ~ III
other countries il is interest, all nsl'uoh' oon
nected through a dozen open doors with literature.
art and society There are of course, plenty OF
peone who assure you that the French stage OF To-
day is nothing but name; that its great days are
over and that TO know the perfection OF acting
ana sbould have been born 10 years
soo Born. unfortunately, more recently, 1
have seen neither Talma, nor Mile. Mars
nor Mile. Georges, nor Madame DorVal, nor
Rachel nor Frederic Lemaitre and In such case
Though il is disagrceabe to have to assent 10 lhd
ous reflections it is difficult to galnsay Them bu'
even without this questionable privilege OF depress
inc comparison must add that find it easy to i'm
agipe the French stage being better than 1t Is.
remember vaguely Rose Cheri, and distinctly Mile.
Descl4e The best acting in Paris extremely good,
st the present time but the second best is not so
much better than it is elsewhere as it is sometimes
assumed to be. l take it that the sign OF highly
Hourishing state of dramatic art is excellence IN
secondary positons-nish in out of the way places.
This is what Mr.. Ruskin praises in the art OF the
greatest architecture and the analogy may be car
red into the labOrs of the actor is 1t true, then
that the golden days of the French stage are over
shall not pretend to say, but think that critic
Of greater courage might find some support Tor an
Affirmative answer. lie might indeed, while he was
about it, 60 on TO argue that the happy time OF
the acted drama has passed away the world over
He might. if he were philosophicaly inclined re-
mari that the dramatic art requires. both in perform
,rs and spectators certain simplicity, ndIrete, an
allowance of the critical spirit which are rapidly
passing out of human life. To produce very good
acting there should be a class of performers ana
nublic In whom subtety has not attained its maxi
num- If evidence in favor of this assertion were
needed I should venture to point to two striking
cases of essentially modern acting which have
lately witnessed as samples of the harm that can he
done by the absence of what | have called ndrete.
One il the Macbeth of Mr. Henry Irving, VI lch
lately saw in London the other is the Mdcteih
of Sienor Ernesto Rossi, which / saw the other
night here. do not know how Garrlck or Charles
Kemble or Edmund Kean played the part or how
Tama would have played il if he had been allowed;
but as watched the English and the Italian TRACE
dian murmured within myself, "Oh, for one touch
OF Kemble OF Of Talmaw one touch of good
faith of the ideal, the simple. But Irving
and Rossi are very clever actors, and
these remarks have perhaps an air of alteration 10
far such matters in Pacs are concerned, II may be
enough to allude, in confirmation of gloomy view OF
the future of the stage to the inordnate prosperity
of late years of opera bOuffe This phenomenon,
should say, could only have been possible in com
munity which had ceased TO take the theater with
that degree of seriousness which necessary for its
perfect good health.
person fond of the stage and Indifferent TO opera
bouffe has not just now very comfortable time of
It. At least third of the theaters given over to
the strains of Ofenbach, of Lecocq. and of Herv6,
and the photographs of the actresses who impat to
these melodies the requisite complement of grlmace
and gesture, shipper at you from every second shop
window My present complaint of the "Cruche
Cassee" and the Creole is not that they are vul-
gar or trivial or indecent but simply that they
unhistronic They give up the stage to something
which not only is not acting. but is positive denial
of acting To act is 10 produce illusion; TO inter
pref Ohenbach is to snap your fingers and
thrust out your tongue at ilusion-to try and
make il appear that young woman in the audience,
too frocsome, really, to be suffered to go at large.
has scrambled upon the stage and is using the foot
lights IN the interest of her sentimental relations
with plurality Of ndividuals in the house. The
favorte actress in opera bOue at the present hour
is Nine. Judc, an extremely pretty woman. An in
ventOry of Nine. Judics artistic stock in trade would
be really very curious document. After Nine.
Judic in popular favor comes Celiue ChaumOnt,
who if not nearly pretty, but infinitely cleverer
Nine. Cbaumont Is indeed so clever and has such
genuine dramatic gifts that it is very dismal to
what opera bouffe is making of her.
The Winter season is in full operation at the
theaters, but hardly know upon what novelties to
confer the honor Of an especial MENTION / have
already spoken of Ross to whom just now alluded.
He pursues his triumphant career, and having ex-
hausted the popularity of Kesn" has added Mac
beth" to his ShakespeaTean performances His
acting in this part in every other is at once very
fine and very coarse. | should say he poorest
IN the best places and best in tho comparatively I'M
important ones. In tins he resembles Mr.. Henry
Irving, who Is so meager In the essential and 40
redundant In the relatively superuOus. ROss is
superb stage figure, and every now and then he has
cry, movement, look, which goes straight to the
mark; but, as whole, / thought his Macbeth a de-
cidedly bungling affair. Ii udicrously Italian
am sorry 70 associate so disrespectful adverb
with so glorious adjective. 1t is true. however
that In of alienation of good taste and
bad the genius of modern Italy decides for the bad
The scene OF Duncan's murder is disfgured by the
most absurd ventrloquial effects the part of the
shudderlng Thane, who makes elaborate attempt
TO give his wife an idea of the way the voices
Of the sleeping grooms sounded Fancy the
distracted chieftain Keeling out red-handed
from his crime and beginning TO give "imita-
lions" The with Banquo's ghost was
disappointing and the address to the specter singu-
larly weak. 1t is a good indication of Rossis caliber
that he depends for bus final effect here upon very
puerile piece of ingenuity. The scene has been vul
carly acted and vulgarly acclaimed; signor Rossi