New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-14
THE DRAMA IN SWITZERLAND.
SARAH BERNHARDT IN GENEVA.

| SARAH BERNHARDT IN GENEVA
THF DUKE CF BRUNswICKs LFGACY-BLUE LAWS
~ THE GrEENRoOM-GREAr ENTHUSIASM II
| THE CITY ~ CALVIN OVER MILF BFRNlIAhDf
HER PERFORMANCES N "ADgTNNE LEcpU-
| vRuUR AND FRoU-rBOU"-IHE REAL stCREr
OF HER SUCCESS.
IRON THE REGULAR coRRpsPoNnzNr or TUE TRTRrSE.l J
| GENEVA. Sert 24.-Out Of the 22,000. 900 francs
| left 30 Geneva 10y that mad Duke OF Brunswick,
tho city has thought fit to devote 100000 to the
building OF a theatre. This eGIiice. which was
completed last year OF the year before, is now one
OF the sights Of Geneva; standing by itself IN The
Place Nouve fronting the park of much architec-
tural pretenson. and of a size ludicrou5B out OF
proportion TO the OF Geneva itself. The interior
with It's spacious halls and corridors and broad
staircases and lofty foyer. and its general air Of
overdone splend0r recalls. as perhaps it was meant
70. the new Opera House IN Paris. French archi-
tects and ART lists employed upon lt the Swiss
themselves not having done much in the way of
constructive or decorative ait since hc time Of the
skilled workman who put together the Alps. Nor
have the Ereuchmen, whoever hey were, added
anything TO Che reuown of French art. The general
effect Of this Gorgeous interior is crude violent 10
color and sometimes vulgar In detail. the at is
of an inferior kind. whether YOU look at the i'es-
Goes the statue. the busts. tho medalHons or the
more purely structural ornamentation. The drst
thing that strikes is that money Inns been pent
layishly and foolishly. Very likely the Duke OF
Brunswick would nave thought II line. he has
left the measure of his taste in that astonishing
monument now nearly fin shed on the other bank
of the Ehone. quail du Mont Blame; the des gner oi
which is said to have been the Duke bins II. bat
was more probably his pastry COOK Tho anh-
toriuln on the other hand. though ela1oratcly em-
bclshcI Is wautin; IN gayety and i-ntncss; il Is
|Ntrra.
atcd by a single cen raj ustre which leaves the
circura ference obscure. The stage arrangements
are good the space cleanliness, and order prevail
ina I'm this part of the theatre contrasting syorahy
with what one commonly finds behind the curtain.
There is probably no theatre M the world wh1e
the rules Don't admission 10 the wings alc 80 rl-ld
The municipality Of q ncga. though readily sguan-
d.rug 80 many of IT'S TOO easily got millions on the
dramatic tcnlp',. relaxes none Of its stId puritan
care Tor the morals o. the Genevese youth. The
director told me that the whole discipline OF ms
theatre was "a matter Of municipal ordinance. lie
Is not master ~ his own house The City Council are
masters. and they have drawn up a list OF persons
vino are privileged to pass the door Of commuuica-
ton between thar part " the theatre open TO the
public and that part reserved for the artists On
the inner side of this door stood policeman, LIST
IN hand. and with the most stringent orders to cy-
ilq TO let the strayer pass through from the stage
10 the house-so said VI. Bernard, though III
NJ Demands company " He would not obey my
orders: he is not my servant he would very likely
report he tor violating the rules If tried IT, And
vet there seems to be no rule which somebody may
not break. Later in the evening | regained my
seat passing through this door and under the eyes
Of the policeman. by help OF the protecting guild
ance of Geneva magistrate whom I had Che
honor TO know. The policeman looked at rs
grlmlv enough and it not clear whether the
magistrate OF the constable would prove the
higher authority in conflict. hope the con-
stable did not feel 10 hs duty to report my friend 10
the Council OF state.
BEnNHaRDT II TIE CITY OF CALVIN
Vow. il is all very well to have a theatre in
Geneva but the Geucvesc must often have asked
,hcr,,rivc- what they should 90 with it-what real
use they could make OF their costly toy. When l
was here d fortnight ago, the theatre was in the
POSSESSION of an opera bouite company, who were
giving. to hall-flIed benches, thrd-rate style,
the casr-of pieces Of the Partisan houses. They
have since improved upon th,, and two nights Of
this week have been devoted to Mile. Sarah Bern
hardt. whose appearance IN Geneva Is explained
bv the neaIness OF Geneva 10 Lyons, where she had
bcen acting for four nights For the purposes OF
these two nights. the Swiss city tuned French
and was included in the tour through certain
French prov .nces which Mile. Sarah Bernhartt
began at Anglers e Dtember ,, and will finish at
Nancy October |; PLAYING meantime at Nantes,
BOrdcaux. Toulouse. Lyons, Geneva AarseIlies, aud
Dion. IL was not surprising that the people of the
French towns should have welcomed with enthu-
slasm great French artist But Geneva-why
should this quiet and pous Swiss city rival Bor-
deaux and Lyons in doing homage TO Nile Sarah
BernhardtH Whatever the reason, there could be
no question about the fact The first announce
ment OF her coming had set on foot an excitement
when has not wholly subsidized with her departure
Swiss TICKET SPECTATORS.
The sale of tickets began three weeks in adj
vance II was three days after the bureau opened,
| think, that came to Geneva. and saw the
director OF the theatre. He told me that nearly
every place in the house had been sold at once and
that it was useless to apply at the 0 ice. asked
where tue outside ticket agencies were, bu. be sol
EMMY assured me that speculation in hcatrc-tckets
WAS n crime unknown in Geneva IL Is true that |
heard queer stories aftcrward which seemed neon
sstent with Nj. Demands account-a story, for ex-
ampl,. that one enterprising merchant had bought
nearly the whole house mt the opening OF the
bureau But even if that were true, VI. Bernard
was not Obliged to know anything about IT, One of
the Paris papers told later that son of the ex
Kbedive of Egypt had offered 500 for box, and
could not get 1t. The Paris papers, unlike the
American sometimes write in an imaginative
vein and the sum may be Oycrstatcd But heard
OF an American who paid S2CO for box Of four
places. and Of another who did not think two stalls
dear at $50 apiece. In front OF the theatre on
Monday night some OF those Spectators who do not
exist in Geneva were dsposing OF seats in the upper
gallery. which sell in common times for 10 cents
At 81. and was offered the privilege OF standing
ND wherever | could find room for the sum Of ~
And AT these or whatever other prices the theatre
was crowded The Place Neuve IN front was
hardly less crowded. People who had no hope OF