Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-19

few believe that novel can be made inter-
esting without great deal of love and in.
trigue However, Alphonse Daudet has
proved to them the contrary, for his works
possess little passion, whereas they are
filled with sentiment. 1t is as though the
pale rose of cold England transplanted be-
meath French skies had bloorned and
fourished without altogether losing
its native color. Ernest Daudet, the
brother of Alphonse, has also written a
number of novels, but he is never men
toned in connection with Alphonse, as
French critics place them far apart. The
collaboration of Mr.. Daudet, in the prepa-
ration of his novel " Jack for the stage,
is Mr. Lafontaine, one Of the most remark
able actors of the day. He devotes his
talents entirely to the drama, otherwise,
long ere this, he would be member OF
the Theatre Francois. He belongs to no
particular theater but when an author
produces a difficult and remarkable
character Mr. Lafontaine is engaged to in
terpret it, it matters not at what theater
it may be presented. | remember seeing
him at the Odeon during the last EXPOSE
ton in the character of Joseph Balsamo, a
play of the same name which Alexander
Dumas, ills, had dramatized from one OF his
fathers novels. This play is historical and
almost spectacular, and the author ex-
pected it would in consequence be very
much goMe by the foreigners then crowd
ing Paris, but the piece was soon with
drawn from the stage, for, as historical
character, Marat was introduced, whose
appearance and remarks were the signal of
protestations and kissing on one side and
applause on the other. There was
REMARKABLE SCENE
OF fete given in honor Of the marriage of
the Daupshin, Louis XIV. SOME years
later sky-rockets were sent of, colored
lights alternately illuminated the .stage,
and great animation reigned At last a
panic occurred, an historical fact, and
mauy, very great number of people were
trampled upon, and so put to DEATH 1t
was at that moment that the young doe
tor, Marat, appeared to attend to the
wounded and to express in language which
prophesied his later destiny his contempt
for oppressive royalty, and it was then the
exciting scene took place in the house
which caused one to tremble for peace
sake. Mr.. Lafontaine was really remark
able as Joseph Balsamo, and had it not
been for this one regretful incident, the
piece would have met with great success,
and had long run. The anti-Repub-
licans were furious against Alexander
Dumas, ills, and called him traitor, since
they had always considered that he be-
longed to them, for he who could so
pleasantly gid vice must necessarily be
one of them; indeed, so great was the
Indignation of Mr.. Dumas friends that
he duly apologized and Withdrew his
play from the boards of the theater.
In this drama an actress, Leonide Leblanc,
better known in the monde gallant than in
the theatrical world, and who was the
rival of the notorious Cora Pearl in the
latter part of the Empire, played the role
of the Duchess du Berry, the pretty young
washerwoman who, with bright eyes for a
passport, traversed all the social stages
until she reached the presence of the King,
and with her smiles unlocked the incon-
slant heart of that monarch, where for
years she reigned as governor of the cita-
del. Mile Lsblanc's costumes for this play
were copied from portraits of this famous
favorite, and her own diamonds we're used
Tor tire occasion, which were so costly and
magnificent that detective was employed
to remain in her dresslng-goom to watch
over them. The scene of The presentation
at court of the Duchess Gu Berry is given
in this piece, where one sees the Kings
daughters offer their cheeks to be kissed by
this woman whom for more than one rea-
son they despise. The effects of the toilets
and the richness of the mise en- scene, be-
sides the historical correctness of the
whole. had apparently endowed the play
with long life, and it is easy to believe that
the next generation viii look upon it with
calm, since the good old royalists by that
time will have sufficiently diminished in
number
AT THE THEATER DIES NATIONS
They are rehearsing a play which promises
to be very interesting, called "Zoe Chen
Chen, a strange title indeed, and one
which can serve as no key to the plot.
This play is also taken from a novel, by Fl.
Mathey, whose real name is Arthur Ar.
mould, young man who had been SEN
fenced to Punishment for participation in
to Switzerland and from there sent differ
ent manuscripts to the. journals of Paris,
signed with his nom de plume Mathey,
since he was not permitted to sign his own
name. This novel of "Zoe Chen Chen J"
first appeared in the .teuitieton of the jour
nal La France, for the majority of novels
appear for the first time before the public
in like manner In fact, no newspaper can
be found throughout the country which
has not it's ,teuiIetoR-the end of the first
page devoted each day to a piecemeal of
some exciting story The majority of
newspaper readers here think more of their
feuilleton than of anything else contained
in it, and they are kept in constant state
of anxiety about the fate of their hero and
heroine, for whether it is the authors in
tention, or the newspaper director ar
ranges it so, the bit of story always
ends at the most exciting point, which
circumstance, while it aggravates the
spirit, at the same time eXcites the ap.
petite. | have known one lady to be so
anxious to obtain another bit of the story
she was reading that she took the greatest
trouble to procure her journal an hour
earlier than usual, which, however, left
her in as impatient state as before. All
stories are finished and another well CON-
menced at the moment to induce one to
renew ones subscriptions, which is trick
calculated to retain all subscribers. Mr..
Arthur Arnould has written number of
novels, all of which have met with much
success, but "Zoe CHEN Chen u is far
superior to any he has yet offered
to the public, and is not only marvellous
in its conception, but is wonderfully vigor-
Gus in its style that it has been pro
nounced by all critics as a chef
Fqarre. The success of the play is
assured in advance, and the old
and celebrated Theatre DIES Nations, which
has morally fallen in ruins, will once more
be restored to something OF its former
popularity. This theater is the same as the
Theatre Lyric, in which g Faust " was first
produced, when the very superior artist,
Nine. Miolan Carvalho, created the role of
Marguerite 1t has frequently changed its
name since, and not long ago was called
Theatre Historieue, but its different bap.
tisms did not invest it with grace in the
ewes of the public, and it was only when