New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-17
THE FRENCH HAMLET"
A BRILLIANT SPECTACLE DEVOID OF SOUL.

race. | believe It Is even one OF much deeper
interest to reflective and intelligent Americans than
| to English of the class. Last night this
Shakespearean drama which perhaps more than
any other affords insight into the personality OF
Shakespeare himself was produced at the Theatre
| Francois. think that stage decoration and
illusory effects carried there to higher
pitch Of perfection than on this occasion The cast
was very strong. Got played P0lonius, CoqueIin
the younger was OF the graye-digging clowns.
and Villon and Mile. Martin were the mock htng
and Queen Agar re-entered after an exile OF eleven
years as Gertrude, Queen of Denmark. The part OF
parts. that OF hamlet was gned to Monnet- Suy.
and cute "-looking Nile. Relchemberg was Ophelid
| She Is lady-llke and has a meagre figure, meagre
graces meagre talent. and looks to fearful degree
the blonde daughter of a money changer. Bnt she
has delicate taste. good Judgment, and pleasing
! though thin voice. However. she cannot put on
the naive hysiognomy of sweet, fresh minded
and rather characteress girl who Is very much in
love- she was not In the early scenes Of the drama
an ideal Ophelia She n pretty. lustreess soft
faile dress of light blue with blue ribbon bind
ing her head at the corOnal region The hair fell
unbraided down her back. In the mad scene"
she was like alabaster, owing suppose, to some
limeght effect. There was a radiance about her
which made her seem an angelic victim OF fatanty
Her hair. this time unbound was several shades
fairer than when she had on the blue dress, and
streamed about her shoulders. She looked gently
historical and as If lifs had half left her and
consciousness of every kind been deadened in her.
never saw Optolia 80 well Dersonated as in this
scene. The dress white, of the cream shade.
very daphanous with ample sleeves which each
time she raised her nragre hands and arms seemed
the commencement of angels wings The skirt was
very finely peated in vertical pleatings down to
about the level of the knee. and the upper garment
was long aisted cas1qae forming an ample tunc.
In white nuns yelling stud OF the fimSest KIND
and very much looped up She carried the wild
flowers (which did not answer to their names IN
front told of this garment In giving daisies, for
instance she distributed peoples. The wreath or
blue corn-howers was not carried round the head.
but the ends of it Coated with her long streaming
hair over her shoulders. | think she must have
studied the expression of these hysercal girls at
the Sapetriere, who have been unhnged by love
disappohtmeDts
The Kiaq SilvaiD, was not so good as have seen
him in Racne's classical tragedies. He looks much
better in the light. eful drapery of antiquity
than IN the barbarousy splendid mantle which
made him look like a king belonging to a pack of
cards. His garment cost ii 900. 1t was. as were
most of the other costumes. ordered by the late NJ.
Perrin who had passion for cOurtly pageants,
such as he used when pictorial artist to represent
on canvas. But there was nothing in him TO show
TO the eye that he a cold-blOoded, sensuous,
hypocrtical villain. He looked rather a good
humored and easy going fine gentleman. The royal
mautle had a small tippet of stamped yellow plush,
bordered with crowns of gold, and was of earn Ne
velvet with a large stamped pattern of n deeper red
This pattern was bordered with small pearls, and
there was a bordering of larger ones mixed with
gold crowns on the edge of the vesturo itself. The
ii. III. al ofrt
and a collar OF some order shone on the chest.
The crown enclrcled and rose above a cap of deep
crimson velvet, aud Was OF gold enriched with
diamonds rubies and black pearls.
Bianchini. the designer OF the different costumes
went round the museums of Europe in which there
arc works of pictorial art and Orfevrerie of
Albert Durer. from hom he largely borrowed He
also studied packs of cards and illustrated
manuscripts of the Olden time. To sccentuats tho |
scandinavian character of the court he used good
deal OF far. Hdnlt and Ophelia were among the |
few who wore none The get-up of the players' |
WAS capital. They are tawdry rather than rich, |
gaudy rather than Bne and have the air OF persons
" no had battered through lie. and rather came
of the van OF strollg company than out of L |
bandLox. In point of decorative harmony every
thing from beginning to end was admirable. |
MOunet-Suys SILK hose. very short baggy |
breeches. and the enormous siashed sleeves OF his
black Jacket which WAS Spang cd on the chest with |
jet. were in Keeping with tie chairs aud sofas III
Which he sat and with the tapestry curtains
against which he stood.
have now to speak of Mounet-Sully as Hamlet.
He was peculiar. picturesque, and compelled
attention from iirst to last But he was not only
plainly and palpably but shockingly Semitic In
the strongly emotional parts he was Ike the Jews
y ho clqmOred for Jesus To be cruciied like
those VINO rent their clothes because the Roman
Governor of CHsarea refused 10 deliver Paul over
A. >hyiock he would nave been admirable tie is
a man of short stature aud has limbs that arc
rather feminine than masculine in their form. and
especlally above the knees. " nth this lie has the
rapid pace OF Il waiter in caft. and unless when
he was 10 a tantrum of passion his gestures were
often insignificant. For instance no often
shrugged his shoniers ana slightly threw up his
hands as Frenchmen do u hen thov ars unable to
give clear answer - PLAIN question Moreover,
he looked lcss the reflect We STUDENT than one who
had passed his uighls IN wassa and IN revelry. 1t
was not the pale hue OF thought which sat upon his
brow.
There was no hign moral lesson TO be deduced
from Ham e" AS played last night at the Theatre
Francois IL was merely spectacular and
scenic art was carried to the highest pitch of
lection. The funeral WAS triumph OF stage
management Beautiful young girls were en-
pOyed to act as ngurantes. The priest who only
accorded MANNED rites 10 the drowned daughter of
PoiOniaS was a proud. stOuy-hearted Churchman,
not in sympathy with the griefs and Affections of
the lOyelorn. Following the example o. Sarah
Mile. Reichemberg did not allow yelled
gurante TO represent bptetld Oh the bier. but was
borne in herself with her face uncovered She
made a beautiful corpse. and contrved to put on
the aspect which death gives before
shows itself. Got richly comic
rs Foioaia5 lie quite the nobleman. and yet a
lroly gaTrulous and unconscious bore HIS dress
Was u crimson velvet tunlc trimmed with gray fur
vs. it'll an uadergarmeDt of dark satin and crimson
stockings When he took oil his broad fiat yolvet
'ap he preserved bis head from the cold by means
Of very dressv skullcap. he and his chamber
aims wand OF oil .e lnseparable. Laertes was
sttired in black velvet in the Philip ii. style.
NJ. Paul MeurIce. the translator, was almost
lifelong disciple of Victor Hugo. HIS translation
IS of Old date and the joint work OF HIM
self and the elder Dumas, who Was the hrst French
nan who had a clear insight into Shakespeares
genius Nutaire thought the greatest or dramatic
poets a rough diamond the lapldary's work Of
cutting which Duus undertook. Ola Dumas |
hongnt his translation absurd ana longed TO epro
luce some of the leading tragedies OF Shakespeare
" they impressed himself On the French stage | ,
5ut he could write novels faster than he could