Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-13
A TEXAS GIRL ABROAD.
French Theaters Compared with Those
of England and America.
The "Frenchy's" Acting Criticised-An Ideal
French Hamlet Fernbardt's Jeanne
All Paris Euthused.
FRENCH %TnEATERs.
Special Correspondence of the Gazette.

Special Correspondence OF the Gazette.
PARIS, March The French theaters
are built quite differently from those in
England n ID America. The theater is
higher and the parquet smaller in pro-
portion, so that the curve Of the galleries
is more abrupt, and the seats on the side
consequently very poor. Half the thea
ter is taken up with those wretched little
cubby holes OF boxes, which are barely
large enough for four or for six straight
chairs placed two and two, the back
rows being but slightly raised ABOVE the
front row. The seats IN the second or
third row of a box upon the side are cut
of almost entirely from view of the
stage by the partition Of the box which
renders useless what would otherwise
be good seats. Altogether q box is hot,
close and uncomfortable. There are
chairs III the orchestra, but in some the
alters and in the opera house they are
placed so closely together that ladies are
not admitted. The balcony also has
fauteuils, which are usually the most
expensive. seats in the house, ranging
from two TO three dollars in price; then
to find any more single seats one has to
mount above two or three rows Of boxes
next the ''peanut gallery - where you
will paw a dollar for a seat in front, or
about half as much for one on the side.
To secure reserved seats in advance
one pays from q half TO two francs more
tina if one bought them at the door.
1t is very easy to select a seat for there is
always a printed list of prices hanging
in the Office at the theater, and an il
Illuminated model of the house, showing
ell the seats numbered. II o buy of
al agent you will pay from five TO eight
francs extra for the privilege Of securing
your seat in advance. "HGwkers' are
always hanging about the theater door.
When you v found the proper en-
trance to your seat, you are besleged by
a flock of
UNCoMELY OLD WOMEN
in caps, who entTeat and implore you to
leave your wraps in :heir care; they re-
fuse to unlock the theater door and let
you in; they cling to your skirts, and
grab your umbrella; then when they
have %unwrapped you by tears or by
force, you are at liberty to go search
your seats for yourself, and get into them
as best you can. Programmes are never
furnished, but you can buy one at the
door for three cents. The waits be-
tween the acts are uncommonly long,
a there is no music. The French
think music distraots the attention from
the acting, but if there were an orches-
ira no one would hear it, for everybody
makes a rush for the fresh air OF the
foyer at the end Of every act like divers
who have stayed under too long. The
length of Que act is about as long as it is
safe to remain in q French theater at
one time. Ladies are not obliged to take
of their bonnets as in England except
in the balcony at the opera where
FULL RES is ALWAYS REQUIRED.
One does not see the ladies in full toilette
very often, except at the opera. The
selling of refreshments is not such a
business as in English theaters; there is
a buffet in every theater. but it is nor