Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-04-17
THE THEATERS OF PARIS,

From the Interesting book entitled, 1.-THE The.
aters OF Paris written by j. Brandner NJ ith-
ews, we quote the following:
CLAQUE.
In the front row OF the pit Immediately no.
hind the orchestra chairs SIT the Ci.uJ.ie "a the
hirelings who thunder forth the repeated 5 ilyos
are called, marshalled under the eye OF the
contractor for success" as the chief OF the
band grandiloquently styles himself Ii Is only
the Chief and two or three picked hands who
come TO the theater every night; the rest are
volunteers picked up each evening and doing
their share OF the applause under the orders OF
the chief, In return Tor a chance to see the play
gratis humble minded man. OF broad palms
and liberal views, BY little manuyering may
thus manage To see every play in Paris for moth
Ing. one finds the CidT'Ie every where except
or late at the opera and the Theater Franc1l5-
Al these two houses u was found possible TO I'll
penSe with IL during the rush and excitement OF
the exhibition OF 1915 and the experiment nav
Ing succeeded then, the htreling braves have
net yet returned. The Ct1Ite is autOcrdlc ana
1ntolerant; like true Frelchmen. the members
OF IL know their own Importance, ana are lncnn-
td 10 regard themselves as pubic funct1Ondr1eS-
A Characteristic letter Is IN circulation written
To Rachel by "A Chief OF the C{dT"e, who had
heard That she was dissatisfied with the ap-
pIiuse she had received OH the second perform
ance OF al successful piece ''AateInOiSelie. can
not REMAIN uLdEr the Ubl0luy OF a re5rOich
from % such yours, The following IS an
aujnt,i I. statement Of what really took place.
AT the INST representation led the attick In
p;'TSo:. Ia less indn thirty times, We had
three aGitf-,,tIo1S, four hiidritieS, Two thrilling
movements, IU'IT renewals OF applause and two
iuurtIuIte explosions. iu fact TO such an ax
tent did We carry our applause that the occu-
parts OF IN" stalls were sc1hdaiZed, aud cried
cut. -IurL-Jhen ouI. Ny Een were positively
over ,n'- WIN fatigue, 'and intimated 10 me
That they could not again go through such an
e. Mag. Seeing such IO be the case abolit.i
10 the manuscript, and, after having pro
Iounuly studied the piece. Vas obliged to max
up my mind, for the second representation Cd
certain cnrJailmeDtS In the service OF my men.
1. however, applied them only to NM -:
and, III The temporary office which hold affOr,iS
me the opportunity, will make them ample
AMENDS In such "a situation as that which [
have just depicted, have only TO request you
10 believe firmly in my profound admiration and
respectful zeal; and venture TO entreat you to
nave some consideration for the difficulties
which environ me- am. mademOiSelle" etc.
The spirit OF performance In Paris really
does In great measure depend on the clag,ie
Having had the matter so long out of their
hands, the people except on rare occaSonsl
seem to have forgotten how TO applaud Now
applause Is necessary 10 the actor. Ii gives en-
couragement, and, as Mrs. SiddonS said better
still-breath." Hired appreciation is better than
none at all. There Is a curious aDecdore AT
once pertinent to this, and peculiar In It's reve-
latiCn OF great artist WhimS. Once after
playing one OF his best creations in a minor
theater, Frederick Lemaitre was not called be-
fore the curtain after one OF his finest bursts Of
passion. Indignant and impudent the actor
cauSet! the curtain TO be raised and walking to
the center OF the stage in front OF the footlighf
he asked II ". jules was present. No one an
swering, he then demanded NJ. Auguste. Nor
was there any reSpOne TO this either. Gentle
men,. said the actor. Il have been ch lated-
rooocG paid those two fello VS. TIVE ty francs
apiece TO call me before the curtain 10 nigh:
ami they have not done it,
Kissing.
Although Partisan play-goers have seemingly
abandoned the privilege OF applauding a good
performance, they have not surrendered the
right 10 hiss bad one. This right Is sometimes
exercised gently and wittily, as was the case In
the last century when the heroine OF Marmon
tells tragedy OF Cleopatra cIdSDed uDon her arm
= mechanical asp OF cunning Workmanship, de-
3lSed Oy NaUcanSon, and the venOmouS beast
reared its head, and before plunging its aDpar-
fnt fangS into the arm or the actress Kisses
shTllly; Whereupon spectator arose and went
out with the simple remark, Il agree with the
asp" More generally in our day the Kissing is
cone Vigorously. In hit at the times called
'le6i, produced at the Porte 1t. Martin Mile
silly was roundly Kissed for a parody on her
weeks later Nile. Deval. Mile SfIly,S stattesnue
sister. appeared as Truth, robed only in her in
nOceDce and halo of electric light a Clothing
deemed Inadequate by the audience and so she
leo was Kissed on both these occasions the
t'dGEe frantically applauded trying In vain to
hide the Kisses; and when the police In the
tbeater turned the hiSserS out the audience re-
1ust 10 allow the play to go on until the elected
spectators were permitted to return.
TAXING TICKETS AT THE DOOR
When the theater-goer In Paris enters the
door and presents his ticket that document is
not glazed az hastily by a single gateman. as
IN New ORR, But critically examined by three
grave officials who consider it Carefully One
OF these is the ticket-taker OF the theater: the
second is the government envoy 10 see that a
correct statement OF the gross receipts Is made
up. so that the poor may get their tithe; and
the third is the agent OF the Society of Dranati
Authors and Composers. who also verif1es th
gross receipts, so that the author may not b
defrauded OF any OF his dues.