New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-30
CHRONICLES OF THE ODEON.



The audience was the most eXactng. the most
merciless and the least manageable IN IaTlS. Inc
authors more than once allow thelr leeilheS 10
cscape them by brief reference To " co punlc IN
sn,nnrtabIeu and they certainly give abundant
evidence for the most pessImist possible we" vi i'S
capacities. police inspector was always Oh inc
spOt and was wont to call upon the audience 10 RNc
the piece hearing when they were particularly
unruly. The students had special objection 10
the claque which then an Institution al inc
Od6On as at other Partisan theatreS: ana ON one
occasion not content with replying by storm OF
Kisses to the unmerlted applause which tne cidquo
had too literally bestowed, lell upon the i"ltel
tooth and nail, and bundled them out or the
theatre. Bernard, who directed the theatre from
1924 10 Sc one Of the few directors VINO D'id
discovered the art of managing TINS nnmanAge4Dle
audience. The pit was fond of calling MIN before
the fOOtliehts when dissatisfied with THIS OF thdU
detail of the performance, and bernard woulu cN-
plain with an air ct paternal bonhome Wh9 9l pu,
everybody IN good humOr. These qualities ala nOt
fail him on occasions when most men would
have lost their temper. In the winter OF $50 q
certain meOdrama WAS produced from the pen Oh
Thomas Savage, a well-known literary hack OF the
time under the title of IreciOsa." The reception
awarded to this unfortunate piece was so terrible
that the curtain was lowered before the end but
even so the audience not satisfied. They
carnOrcd necessarily for Bernard, till .he director
at last appeared. and asked them what they
wanted. d" The end, NJ. Bernard. How does III
end p "Preciosa Is recognized by her parents and
/" BERNARD had been playing the villainl am
hunc-that's the end was the reply.
The authors were treated quite as uncercmon-
iously as the actors and even the possession OF "A
great name was 40 security against the caprices OF
the parterre A story is told OF one unfortunate
who was so exasperatcd by the reception given TO
his piece that in the middle of the fourth act he
rushed to the stage sezed his manuscript out OF
! the hands of the prompter, and made oil again,
shaking his fist at The audience, only too delighted
| 10 have the opportunity of avengng us lnsnlted
dignity hy making a more than usually hideous
| row. But even Balzac not TO be exempt from
these little tourtesies, though. being Balzac, he
I pcel them IN very different manner. Les
Resources de Quinola" performed for the first
Time al The Odeon III 1912. was the second unsuc-
cesslul piece OF the great novelist II was cOnsid-
cred to be Door imitation of the Spanish drama
! unworthy oil Balzac, and was received from the
second act onward with storm of disapprobation.
BalZac looked gu from his box while his piece was
| beng mastered Never, even at the Odeon, were
the misses, catcalls ana Interruptions continuous
| and terOclous. Everybody expected that at the
termination of the evening Balzac would be found
overw he lined and III despair When the would be
CONSIDERS ventured into his box they found him. AZ
his friend and bOgrapher. Leon Go1lan. informs us
asleep and snoring. 1t was only with the greatest
difficulty that they could awaken him"