New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-09
THE LONDON STAGE.
FRENCH PLAYs-OTHER THEATRICAL
MATTERS.

appeaIcQ
before an audience which considerably less than
half filed the house. 1t was first night, and such
a performances would have crowded to OVERLOOKING
any theatre LII Paris But 1t must be said that the
French drama has never really taken root vgorousn
London Till NJ Mayer and Mr.. John Holingshead De-
came interested In lit wo- hardly foohoid Ihoso
energetic managers now contrive to give yearly
season of several weeks and 1t Is safe to say that
they do not continue O losing experiment. but III
IL only part fthe season which pays and which hae
to make no for the losses of the other part except
so far as the ticket agents and Spectators they are
both one) may divide with the manager the dehcit'
To the general public in London the French drama
means Mme. Judic, Mme. Chaumont. M. Coquehh'
and Mime. Sarah Bernhardt. The admirable com
panies of the Gymnasc and Vaudeville are hardly
known and nobody with the requisite SOCIAL au-
thority seems to care to make them known
"Odette," to be sure Is now an old story. In Its
English version and with Nine Modjeska IN the
title role the play ran for some months at the
Haymarket Theatre last year Public curiosity In
the original work there is little or none The Eng
lsh public has not got to theFrench point OF regard
ing the drama a serious part of life IL requires
to be amused. When Mile. Pierson came on the
stage last night, she seemed fairly appalled, by the
state of the house. and the first act went with MOTH
ing like the rapdlty and decisveness OF effect when
insured the of the piece in Paris But the house
though meagre In numbers. contained good many
people who know what acting is and whose ap-
plause restored warmth to Mile. Persons manner.
London for the first time saw the part OF Odee played
as NJ Victorien Sardou meant 1t to be played. say
nothing OF Mime. Modeska. She has her merits
and her admirers but her Oette thoughn the end 1t
proved attractive. never. think, really moved her
audience. Mile Pierson woke a storm of sobs and
cries in Paris and even i'll the chill of last nights
atmosphere thrilled the house. Few better ex-
ampies of emotional expression have been
seem and the finished art OF the
whole Is study: the moro 30 because
Mile. Pierson began by being merely beauty and
is now one of the most accomplished artists on tbs
French stage NJ. Dupuis, as the Comte dc Ciermoaf-
Latour, is simply without a rival The audience
of last night included Lord and Lady harrington,
Lord Dorchester Sir Nathaniel and Lady de Roth
scbid and as the lists of fashionable parties say,
many others.
Ono obvious reason for the smalness Of the
honses at the French plays is the largeness Of the
prices An orchestra stall costs guinea $50 good
seats in the balcony shilling less. This is double
the usual price IN the first case. and three times in
the second. Such an increase might answer II the
attractions were increased In proportion to the
price But Messrs Mayer & Hollingshead do not
consider that they are charging prices for
an entertainment which Is caviare to the
general They must begin by educating their pub
lic, and the public will not pay high price for
being educated In the art of amusing itself 1t will
pay to sec favorites not on chance OF discovering
new ones; and Mr.. Mayer would doubtless lind a
full house at the ordinary profitable than
An empty one at rates which the public considerseX
tortionate and proves that IL does by staying away
The specializing agent SYSTEMS another grievance
against which the public rebels-silently, but re-
bells. This system is getting worse and not better.
There is no pretence of giving the public chance
to buy places at tho theatre itse or rather there
is pretence which proves under the least pressure
purely delusve. Nine. Sarah Bernhardt is TO play
Fedora for a week. beginning July 8. There Is
rush to see her. The agents began booking seats
ten days ago. and directly thew found there was a
demand for places they bought up among them
the whole theatre pit and galleries excepted. The
management offered objection 10 this proceeding.
Such thought as that OF protecting the public
does not seem TO have occurred 10 them The agents
having thus established monopoly make the most
of it, and the prices for this Sarah Bernhardt week
are trebIed instead of doubled 1t is fortnight yet
10 the opening and not q stall is to be had for the
first night. nor many for the other nights.
OF dramatic novelties there are almost none. Mr..
Irving is running through his series OF revfyals.
once described as rehearsas for his American audi
will draw when its time comes; Hamlet" will
draw not less; the Merchant of Venice" Is sure
to crowd the Lyceum for three nights, Eugene
Aramn for another three thon Louis Xl.," then
"Charlcs L." and then will come night for which
the Lyceum will not be one quarter big enough
Mr. Irvng's benefit and farewell performance before
his departure to the United States. The truth is
MIR. Irving is at the top of his long unbroken wave
of popularity; so caressed and enriched by an ever
faithful public that everybody wonders why he
should desert it and try his fortune with new and
exacting one in America
Miss Genevieve Wards season at the Olympic
Theatre comes shortly to a close, and closes with
success 1.-THE Queens Favorite" has been well
received by the public, which decidedly prefers to
be amused and iLds this cleyerly written play 10
it's taste; perhaps the less because 1t is
historical. The Duchess Of Marlborough and Boiling
broke are historical Names but not in this his
torcal characters. Miss Wards acting is of that
sound and effective and sometimes brilliant char
acter which has given her English fame in addi
ton to her American.
At the st. Jamess Theatre may be seen Impulse"
for the 176h time; at the Haymarket FEDORA;
at Her Majesty's Theatre "A Trip to the Noon; at
The Princess's "The Silver King" close on its
20Oth night; at Drury Lane, youth" neither
more nor less preposterous than Pluck; at the
Comedy, the 222d performance of rip Van
Wrinkle; at the Vaudeville. The Rivals" for the
21lth time. really astonishing incident in the
current of dramatic at the Savoy, "Ioanthe."
213th night Such is the condition of some of the
leading theatres. given over each to single piece
and now crowded night after night by audiences
necessarily composed in great part of provincals
and of such Americans as do not race through Lon
don too swiftly to bestow an evening on the play
G.,t tan0 OH ifa nat Norf hpRa
pieces. So has 1t Oh Mr.. Tooie. who "notwith-
standing the phenomenal success of the present
season 10 compelled to announce Its termination on
Saturday July z, in consequences of provincial en-