The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-16
TIE DRAM 4.
WHAT ~ DOING Ov THE STAGE HERE
OPERA-DRAMATECs NOTES.
NaturaIism on the Efoards.'

Naturalism Is now tho word most In vogue.
1t was born only yesterday, which explains
why il is not as yet understood by every one.
It Is d sort Of dramatic pest which has seized
upon q certain class but which I trust will
not become contagious. Should this new ira
ditiou ever take possession Of the stage, the
theatre which passes for being the school III
good manners would become the special aud
exclusive schoolof manners. Grand passions
and noble sentiments would disappear as Il by
enchantmeut togive place to abject instincts,
to low appetites, 70 drunkenness, to alcoholic
delitium- III word, to the Injuries Of the
gutter. Authors. instead Of torturing their
wits to introduce IN their dialogue iinesse,
gayety observation and pathetic feeling,
would content themselves with making their
peraonagcs speak a language commonplace,
c0lorleBa, vulgar and animated merely by u
wretched kind Of trivialty. And in regard
to theatrical artists their physical defects
would inevitably become brilliant qualities;
epiIeptc motion, bad taste and want If tact
would take the place Of every kind of talent
Tho high priest of naturalism IL N. Emile
lola. Every one has read his novel, LAS
sommoir." But the work should be read Ill
this special kind Of slang to comprehend the
nnwholesome success Of this sort Of ltera-
ture. 1t has been attempted u transfer por-
tiOns Of the novel to the theatre by modify
ing and transforming them The drama II
q commonplace and tircsome work. such rs
we have already seen hundred Ut, and 1T IL
worse than the ninety-nne others. But the
evil kind of sensation which was created by
the novel has followed it to the theatre. For
some time people had to bear a severe crush
Ing to secure places at the box-oilice o. the
Ambigu Now, notwithstanding furious
system Of putting, the cagcrnes5 Of the public
has cooled OT, and it is easy to foro5ee that
before long nothing more will be heard of this
unfortunate piece. Everything had been DONE
however, to reproduce faithfully the warts
and scoria of the novel. The dirtiest black
guards Of the city were hunted UP to figure In
it. One OF the scenes represents, with
a truthfulnesS more rfpul5ive than the
reality itself, q lnrOU' where the women Of
the lowest class Of the population 20
10 wash their dirty linen-aud very dirty 1t il.
The suds are passed In full buckets and per
fume the atmosphere. Having M. lola to
deal with, we uay expect something even
more repulsive still. After the Lror we shall
no doubt have ablttoirs, the Morgue the
amphitheatrc OF the School Ut Medicine, with
real corpses in the process Uf dissection, and
the depotoir Of La Nillette. with it, authentic
emanatOn5.
But It will be said to me, "whero is the
naturali3m tn all thls Tho piece s perhaps
fithier aud more repulsiye than any other
drama, but 1t Is the more natural fOr thatl"
| own that should tjnd myself greatly en-
barrasscd were ! called upon to give 8 deli
milton Of naturaiam. / have questioned the
partsans Of the author; they have no clearer
ideas on The subject than 1 have. We shall
adhere, then with your permission to tie
definition of VictOTihu SHdOu
The characterization ~ Just now at Nice,
busy with the important piece which he Is
preparing for the Comedie Franchise and en-
ploying his leaaure in visiting and purchasing
property. Recently, III the course Of his Pc
yersation turned Oil Ipla and bis 81 Assom-
moir." well, said the lady, 'you st least
win be able to tell me what Il naturalist is n
"a naturalist, replied the author Of Dora, "
"he Is TN enpaiiiicT ia taxidermist)."