New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-12
NOTES FROM ABROAD.
THE NEW PLAY IN PARIS-PERsoNAL.


terest IN the taking of Tel-elkebIr equalled their
interest in the production Of Los Corbeaux NJ
tho Theatre Francois Both these great events
happened last week, but one was victory and
the other came near being great disaster. Les
Corbeauxr was in fact all but Missed oil the stage,
and NJ Henry Becquo. who wrote it, has now a
pretty fair hint OF the sort of thing French
audience will not stand. Most Of the leading critics
damned the play with exceeding heartness The
critics. however. are not inialnDlc. " happens
from time to time that the critics condemn play
which the public persists IN liking. but IN Ills
case the public is nos eager IL new play Do u
real success at the Francois it is ell but impossible
TO get n place at the box-office window for many
DAYS and sometimes weeks ahead. Spectators
snap them up, and it is one of the Unexplained
mysteries OF the management OF this theatre now
spectators can buy tickets which are refused 10
the public. Tho speculate rs are IN large way OF
business with large offices at largo rents on the
Bouleyards and the Avenue de Popera, and they
condescend to sell you tickets at rather more than
three times the regular price. But OH Tuesday,
though Tuesday Is subscription night l found
no difficulty in getting stall at the Theatre for the
same evening. Whence / infer that =" Les Cor
beaux" spite OF tho usual effort to make out that
cabal had been organized against it, does not really
prove an attractive piece.
Nor is it. cannot remember to have seen
more melancholy spectacle anywhere unless per-
haps at a funeral. The COrbeaur are two scoundrcs
who plumber the estate of dead friend and ruin
his family. The first act ends with an apoplexy.
During the whole of the last three everybody is In
black and so lngubrious is the elect that one
wonders that a clever manager like M. Perrin
should have rishcd it. There are three daughters
One Of them is engaged to be married. is thrown
over by her lover at his mothers bidding because
the dOwry is no longer forthcoming. and goes mad
second is musician, applies to the teacher for
help In Publishing her music or in giving lessons.
and is calmly told she has no resource but life of
vice. The third attracts the attention of ore of the
two COrbedur. an old villain who had been her
fathers partner and who proposes to make her his
mistress She refuses and the fourth act ends
with a proposal Of marriage, which she accepts to
81 20 her mother and sisters from starving. Cheer
full, is 1t not
Against his dismal sequence of unredeomod in-
iquities the soul Of the French audicroo revolted
they Kissed with impartiality the scenes i'll which
ono marriage is broken of and the other agreed to.
1t is an every day occurrence in France that mar
riages are broken oil money questions. which
here are paramount In matrimonial negotiations
more so in Franco than nywhere else in the world.
What most shocked people IN this case was the
hideous brutality of the lovers mother. who per-
sists in withdrawing her son after she has learned
that he has seduced the girl he was engaged to.
They eXasperatud also by the cynical prohl.
gacy of the old partner; and TO some extent by the
rascality of his associate; because he notary.
and it is an article of faith here that nOtaries are
honest Nothing saved the piece on the first night
but the acting of Nile Rechemberg as the betrayed
daughter, and of Mile. Blanche BarTetta as the
daugher who in the end is married
1t was tho same Tuesday. The house cor |
daily disked the play and cordially apDlauded |
the actresses above named The remark of a |
Frenchnan near whom | sat VIII help to explain |
the antIpathles OF the house: Does NJ. Becdue sup
pose it amuses mo to be told that this sort of thing
is what will happen TO me when my turn comes" |
Nor. in a serious play like this, will the French
tolerate gross Inconsistencies. When sister
tells the other that she is already i'll truth the wife
of the man she is to marry. the other answers: |
don't understand" Nothing could be more perfect
than Nile Barrctta's air of innocence as she utterS
the words. But when her venerable sUltor few |
minutes later proposes to this CIR! in-the most
Gil cui1us terms that she should accept an cqulgO-
cal position in hls household. she percelves per-
fecty that she il asked TO DO his mistress. Mile
Barrettas energetic Tepulso of this venerable |
runian deserved not less applause than her artiul
artlessness in the other case; and got IT, But that
did not save the author from sharp crticsu for his
palpable contradictions in misunderstanding. |
When she sacr fees herself at the end. the house
was divided between tho party who wished to ap |
paud the daughter and the party who were deter |
mined to drive her tempter off the stage. The !
actors became confused with the characters Of the |
piece. have seen the same thing happen III Eng |
land often enough. whore art WAS less ia question |
than nero sentiment. III France | should say it is
nu Oh less common.
No. you will not see " Coquelin this year in |
America. So much is settled; the rest is OF less |
interest. Mayer replied, of course, to the state
ment of NJ. Coquelin hich summarized in my last
letter. lie denies that his object in revivlns this
American scheme was to extract forfeit from the |
Taking no notice OF tho conditions inn |
posed by NJ. Coquein or of his objections to going
" itnout Mmc Sarah Bernhardt. without a company |
and without theatre, NJ. Mayer again summons him
to depart. This morning another legal document |
appears. Notwithstanding NJ. Mayors denial that |
he wanted an indemnity, he demands 8l0, 900 from |
NJ Coquoln. lie Gdul0is publishes remark of |
Nine. Sarah Bernhardt to the effect that NJ. Mayer |
is an entrcprencW des debts. She ought to know.
She paid NJ. Mayer round sum for the privilege of |
going to America with another manager and has, |
believe Just paid him another in connection with |
her future management Of tho theatre DIES Nations |
Upon this latter speculation Nine Sarah pro- |
poses to enter at the end of her engagement with
the Vaudeville and she will avail herself of her
right to terminate this in year. The piece with
which she is to open the Nations has already been
fixed upon. and notices OF it have begun to appear
" Jane Grey" drama in four acts and in verse; by
Mile. Simonne Alnaud. This lady is wholly UNI
known as an auGbor dramatic otherwise. If an
explanation Of Nine. Sarahs caprice in such ven
tnre be needed, 1t may possibly be found in the
personal intimacy existing between her and Mile |
Arnaud. Jane Grey" now told. was read 90
NJ. do Grardin last year, and NJ. de Girardin pro-
nnnnced il q play of the first ordor. Il it had |