New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-17
THE DRAMA.
COOUELIN AS TARTUFFE.

MOeres comedy Of "Tartuffe,' represented lsss
night at Palmer's Theatre, was observed with at
tcntlve interest ard received with frequent laughter
and applause by humorous audience. The ex-
celence OF this work is found to consist In its
trasts Of character its pictorial fidelity 10 life, ito
fclictes Of dialogue and It's scafhing rbuke Of
timonious hypocrisy Tarufe Is that meancst and most
loathsome Of all Impostors, the centious sounded
who conceals depraved heart and life Of sensual
Indulgence beneath the mask Of religious zeal and
moral self-abncgatlon. Many variations Of this typs
Of man--such, FOR example, Msworm DIR. Csntvell.
Amnidab Sleek and Joseph surface-hsye been dis
played, during many years, upon the Englsh-spesJp
ing stage The most deliberately drawn and most
brilliant hypocrite OF all IS Joseph surface-just a.
"The School for scandal7 IS the most powerful, most
sparkling and most trenchant and Interesting play,
upon the subject OF moral imposture, thai has been
written not even excepting Ben Jonson's Fox VOl-
pone.
Moeres comedy when viewed as play. is found
TO be somewhat deficient In interest Of Plot and In tia
essential dramatic element Of action. The first two
acts arc devoted description or statement Of cir
cunstances the posing Of the characters, and, gen.
orally speaking, the work OF preparation. fartufe
docs not enter til act third. In that act he makes
lcentlous proposals to the wife of the friend In
whose home he has established himself, and, beng
repulsed and IN danger Of exposure conrves to DINA
that friend stl further by adroit assumption Of
exposed by the wife herself who leads him On to avo
his base passion and eachery in the hearing OF her
husband, concealed under table. Then he assumes
his real character that Of cruel and relentless
villain, and Is only prevented from running the friend
who has clothed and fed him by the Intervention OK
royal authority There two effective scenes In
the piece, which of course eliminates at the exposure
Of Taruffe-deveopment OF character and not Of plot
being the purpose of the comedy.
Tartufe may be acted In at least two ways.
The author appears TO have conceived him as
plump, horid sleek Individual, with fluent delivery
and with a bland and sIecious demeanor Of affected
humility. Such persons are, in active life, usually
made known to close observers by the eye which Is
hard and bold in expression, fat and watery, crafty
when aware of being Observed and horribly carnai
and cruel when under the influence Of any stimuent
An assumption Of oily good hum0r IS not unusual
with this type of villain, but he Is
more commonly grave, polished and nsdlons. The
latter image Of him Is the one usually presented on tho
stage and probably It IS the that MoIere intended
-becatse the one that Is the most dramatic Mr.
Coques presented suaye easy going, knayish rascal.
selEindulgent and genial. except at certain moments
Of eprl ana OF Gefmsive plgnacity. His vein Is moro
that of Aninida5 Sleek than that Of Joseph Surface
Simple animal appetite rather than calculating sent
mental luxurious sensuay asserted pre-
dominant motive, and the effect of hateful wckedness
was thus subor1inated TO that of physical bulk and .
curIousy humorous inertia II IS hardly conceivable
that Burton, with his fine intellect, would have acted
Tartufe upon this theory; but If he had acted
IT, he would have been laenly cOmical In Mr.. COqueins
manner-only he would have been comical This
hint may clarity this description of Mr.. Coque
Inns work. subtle drollery seemed just beneath tbs
surface, and where this absent the coonng
duh Mr.. Coquen assumes gravity but this is heavy
rather than imposing. The afectatlon -
conrrition at the end OF act third should
he named, however, a beautiful stroke OF nature
not an attractive or plausible amatory ard: In this
Tartufre's declaration TO the wife; there only
eNultant of desire aud Of the good fortune Of
possessing pieStly role convenient for the
cealment OF sin. More than once, indeed, the rogue
seemed to be laughing at himself, and taking all his
depravlty and all the trouble occasoned by him
capital Joke The embodiment was framed and
fashioned and lumned with fine INTEL gence and rps
and assured mmec SKILL but surely there is in
Tartuife than swinh animalism-and the personation
OF 1t ought to shock with rapacious lust, hateful
malice, and gry interior spirit of crafty and wicked
intellect, as vol TO amuse By surface traits OK
humorous hypocrisy and comic cynicsm. Here then,
as In some other cases, the observer Is compelled
little to question Mr.. Coquen's ideals The iustifca
ton for the revival of such play Tarue' is that
its hdeous central figure should be so truthfully
and well presented be made lOathsome and hate
full 1t is not important that the audience should
he amused with almost dro impOstor as that 10
shall be made to detest vile and impious wretch
Mr.. Coquen's artistic methods Of making sport are
often superbas when this priest told the lady not to
trouble about Heaven" A man may display great
alen in acting, when he does the dubious thing.
But TO do the precisely right thing and do i superoy
5 the best success. The audience had abundant
enjoyment and this fact certified by great pudts
The personation Of Tartuife is Of Mr. COqueln's
most Intellectual achievements and one that explains
and justies his peculiar fame. The harmony Of the
entire representation last night impressive and
beautiful Mr.. Duquesne and Jenny Rose acted with
Drlla ant ability, as Orgon and Dorine. The entire
cast should be recorded