, 1880-08-15
Victorien Sardou's "Daniet Ro.
chat"-The American !.
Version.
1 Play Illustrative Of Atheism in
Man and ReVerential Faith !,
in Woman.
Sour Theatres ''-Business Of the Past,
and the Program for the Com~
" ing Week.
Ham1in's Scenic Artist-Actors, Actresses,
. Managers, and Plays Briefly Con-
sidered.

aDACIEL ROCIIATo IN AhlEKlCA'
An informal reading to few friends and son.e
members Of the Union Square Thea1re eompa-
NJ Was on Friday given in Haver1ys ofhce OF tne
plny Of "sDaaiel l}ochat." with which 4. ~
Palmer has concluded to open his tenth Fegnia1
season in Ncw York This play is from the pen III
Victoricn Sardou. and is his first work nuce MS
election to the French Academy. 1t is also the
first serious work ever accepted from him by
the Theatre Frnncais- Apart from the value OF
tho ptay as piay. one cannot but admire the
ast1tencss with which S1rdou selected his sub
.tecr. The subject of the play is atheism in
1nub, reserential taith in woman Without
deciding in favor of either. sardou has
managed dramatically to discuss both
their theories and their feelings, the clashfn0 of
which afford the dramndc incidents Of the work
The astutcness in selecting such subject for
,pIay at such 4 time was not at first apparent
the Committee OF tho Theatre Fran
ais nor even to the critics or tho
Committee Of the Chamber Of Deputies
who passed upon It's merits 1t was
not until the. order WAS issued e1pel1fug the
Jcsuits from France that the ti1ueliness OF the
work was understood. Nor was it until the
second order WAS issued recalling the Com
unists to thai same country that the e1traordl-
nary anticipation Of public feeling in the play
became apparent II is scarcely possible to
er Or lesser degree. tho sume timely interest
here, for fl is In vain VIC might try to deny that
We have now an artasonisn between faith and
disLelief, running from one end Of the land to
the other, forming the topic not only OF public
discussion In lyceums and halls, but that OF con-
ycrsution around thb family hearth. In our
clubs. and IN all assc1nblages, gfcat and little.
the marriage Of an atheist to a believing girl.
In this way the struggles Of life are made to in
-tensify the divisions between the man who does
not believe and the woman who does
When first the play WINS produced last season,
the readers OF THE TRIBUNE were made ac-
auainted with its reception at the Theatre
audience. and Just RS .vehemcntly cheercd by
tho other half. Isoth hisscs mud ieors were
tG The wer aof a1 ns IND s pav
were condemned by the critics The piece vas
damned Us play never YVES before at the Fran
cited had diod out sardon:s work was recoe-
penn criticism that Sardou had handled the
upon the stage With a deftness and a willy acunep
that fairly justified his recognition By the The
Etre Francats, and with a tite.ary sktli tnaf
vindicaLed the votes which elected him an ncad-
eElican.
Tho translation to be produced at tha Union
tie 1heories % les advanced IN Il The original + work
The only difference betweeu the pro- |
ducton to be made ~ at rat6s the Onion Onion
EIuaIG A1lu t114aL Hk Lu0 AuCAtIt
will be first in the different languages: sccandly,
in the east selected to represent the characters;
and, thirdly. in the mourning Of the play on the |
stage The list Of the cast tor the American |
production We nre unable wholly to obtain We |
were refused it on the ground that Manager |
Palmer bad not yet otfcia!ly given it FOR pub
licaton; hut. hearing the play read. We haye |
little doubt that we can cast it for Manager |
Palmer ourselves Such parts as Da,1icl Rocaat |
cast themselves to the best leading |
actor prncurablc, and. rs Mr.. Thorne is |
the leading actor Of the Union Square |
Theatre, we suppose 1t will fail to |
his lot to portray the thinking phiaanthrop1st, |
statesman. and atheist. The dry, positive. old un
believer could find no dryer Representative than |
Mr. Stoddart. willis the natty Mr.. Ramsey would |
be cast for young Cdss;mer Farjts, the |
dandy Of Monte Carlo. and the victim OF Esther
HentLc1sGn's destinations The leading femAlc |
part, that OF the wife Of Daniel Rochat-Lea Hem
ucrscn-wili, VIC might almost say Imperative
~ fall to the lot Of Miss Sara Jewctt, while her
llghter-hearted sister Esther should find I
4 good representative in Miss Maud |
Harrison A's- Fo,pers the aunt, au American
woman grown gray in good works, will be In uu
prQpabiIitY allotted To Mrs. Phillips.