Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-01-08
TIE OLD FRENCH STACK
ANECDOTES OF ACTORS OF TWENTY
900 YEARS AGO.

900 YEARS AGO.
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NJ rreieri. Febvrs, societaire Of the Co<ne-
die Fra,scaiss. hiss jast published sosums %
winch, with Questionable tasre, be has Givea
the punnins title On the Borders OF IN
Scene tS<.iu.,, the French word "Sreoe' o.
ing pronounced exactly ike the nausr Of the
river Like most OF tie works written ~
famous actors, it Is rather Disappointing.
Yet il contains some curious AneS>totsA he
,eIlx. for instance how the manager Of the
Theatre de ia Gate, when Henry Ill and
Hi, Court Was To be revived ut that houss
in 1855, remarked proudly. Il have Juss
ruinssi myself for the costumes and furniture
and acss-snries. they viii cost me AZ iee~
&l.Sn~ That sum" continued teovrc.
..reprssents ABOUT what vas paid for my co..
TUNES. armor and arms in the role OF the
Due de Curse when that piece was mounted
at the Coine,iie Franchise in 1881
ALL WE'RE LEV vIpErrE"
He also cites a superb remark made by
Pr,ler,c LetDaitre when Henry III WAS
given al the Gate All the leading perform
ers ,,eu,an,ei the privilege Of having their
names zen vesette." that is TO say. ut the
head of the programme. and in letters larger
| than the tyle allotted 70 the rest In his en-
bara.,,nen, H,~,ein consulted Lemai,re - 70
xhat he should do put everybody 'en 70
| ,iette.' responded I<smaitre, land stick me
| in with the rest the public will ind me OUT
at the performance" So the entire cast WAS
published with the names arranged in the
| form of a horseshoe.
NJ Febvre quotes the following REMARK "
Talna which was told hun by one OF tns
sons Of the tragedian One evening, III q"
dressing rooui, Talma hal just put On toe
costume of Manliux After having east .
hong GLANCE ON the draperies Of his tosa, he
said TO his son, There! half of my part Is
plavel.r Which proves the extreme import
| ance attached by the celebrated tragesiian to
the details Of his dress. Melingue. who was
widely famed rs u melodramatic actor, and
who created several of the leading roles In
the principal pieces Of the elder Dumas. was
also noted for the carefully studied details Of
| MS costume The artistic drAping OF biz
| classic robes rather worried the tragedians OF
| the Rue Richelieu,
| II remember one day." says Febvre, I'VE
were playing two Circ,ssian chiefs in the
'sschamyr Of Paul Meurice At the Porte st.
! Martin MeliDgue was accustomed to come
| to the theatre at Z O'Clock, though the per
formancc did not begin till half past T. On
passing before his dressing room noticed
! that he was very busy. | entered, and was
struck dumb with amazeinent He was shay
| ing his legs from the knee 10 the ankle. ~
| man shaves his chin. Then, this operation
finished, he painted his legs as he had painted
his face. and put on his babouches. As may
he imagined no tights, however fine, could
have given u result similar to that obtained
by this novel process
yet, in trying TO be too accurate, ths &C
tor may more easily attain the comic side OF
the well known phrase, "A picture stepped
| from its frame. OF this will give two ex-
amples, In the drama Of Oliver Basselsn at
the Theatre de Ia Renaissance, Adolphe Ber-
ton was to play King Charles VII Ip his
love Of accuracy the actor had borrowed from
the Museum of Artillery . real hetnlet Of the
period. Had it become rusty during its long
sojourn in the midst of all that historical
ironware, or did 1t possess hidden spring Of
which the actor knew nothingf AT allevents,
| in the midst of the most thrilling scene Of the
drama, the vizor suddenly fell. and Berton,
in spite Of all his efforts, could not raise it
again So he was forced to finish the piece
in that unpleasant predicanent, anil Charles
VII anticipated the legend of the Iron Mass"
| Febvre gives an amusing instance Of con
seriousness in costume on the part of an actor
called Brunei. In a comedy called "A House
as Lottery Prize, he played the role of a
landlord, who spoke on the other side of the
wall, and in consequence was unseen by the
dressed himself carefully even to the wig and
spectacles. The manager remarked to him
one evening that he took great deal Of use
less trouble, since none Of the spectators could
Judge of the correctness Of his costume NO,
| mol II is not useless, answered Brunei, with
tue dress Of the landlord assume his bear
| ing, and with his bearing his voice. Besides.
suppose the wall were to fall"
| Febvre also notes the fact that certain stvl les
Of dress are only suitable for certain kinds Of
plays lie remarks. for instance, that the
Louis XIV costume is seldom employed for
tragic dramas, but is perfectly suited for
comedy, as are also those OF the Regency and
OF Louis XIV The Middle Ages and the
reign of Louis XIII are the most appropri-
ate for the cloak and sword dramas" The
Louis XVI costum, is reserved for calm and
discreet plays. which cause more drawing
| forth OF handkerchiafs on the part of the
| spectators than of swords among the &C.
| tors, a costume often employed in dramas
Of demi-tone and always with success Is
that Of the First Empire. The hardest Of all
costumes for the actor to wear is, without
coniradi cthn. tuat Of the reign of Louis XIV
the embroidered coat, satin hreeches and
high heeled shoes demand iii Ihs wearing a
peculiar ease Of manner and bearing
COMMENTS OF SPECTATORS.
| Fcbvre gives some amusing Inst inces of the
| lack Of comprehension manifested by specta-
tors, certainly of average intelligence. con-
corning the plots and incidents Of plays that
they have witnessed. He once gave u young
servant of his own tickets Of adj mission to go
SO The Co,.ricr Of Lyons" He asked him
the next day il he thought that Iesurques
was guilty or innocent "Uf course he was
guilty, monsieur was the answer, las the
two men only the same one disguised"
Then in "Toc Childrens Doctor" by Der
merry, when it was represented at the Gate
theatre. Febvre played the part Of the lover
of the piece, young officer who only appcars
in tue second and fifth acts There was alss
the role Of young mother whose death TOOK
| place early in the action. In the last act the
heroine was supposed TO be dying, and her
| lover, forcing his way into her room, cried
veheIneutly, Let nae pnss-let me pass, Alive
or lad. must see herr The girl revives
md the curtain fell on the bappiest kind Of
| announcement, namely, the approaching mar
riage Of youthful pair. Ono evening after
the play, Febsre and several Of his compan-
ions went TO the cafe Of the theatre to take
some refreshments Near the table at which
they had placed themselves sat party Of old
| clothes dealers from tine Temple, who had
been prese..t at the performance, and who
were discussing the piece and the actors
One Of them, stout old woman. whose
reddsne,l ey Is showed how much she had en-
| JOY ed lie pay Remarked: There was one
scsns tnat liked iinmenseiy: it was that at
tle end. ~le.s the mother diss aises herself
Is Hl o.iic-.' Ia get - see her dying dauxh-
ter" 1t Was Ia thai way sl. lad comprs-
hended ihc sudden entrance of tue soldier