New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-13
NJ. MOUNET-s ULLY.
TO LEAVE THE THEATRE FRANCAlS AMI
TO VISIT AMERICA.

To LEAVE THE THEAlISE fhh-'
TO VISIT AMERICA.
Paris, November %:
In MonnetrSully from the stan
.he ,re Francois is the sensation Of the DAY.
Il is n great surprise to the public, ana ni'S'
ur,ve,come surprise. you may be sure. Every Vic
denores his departure from the famous piayhoa''
ne an irreparabe loss to the aniseuiehr"'"|
world of Paris as 1t indeed is. But IL WILL ioi
time at any rate, prove equal gain 10 'ne An'.'
lean nublic for it is announced that NJ. MounS"
Sullv will presently visit the United sta'es arr
make an extended tour, playing all MS pesV p",
in all the leading cities In this way he VIII uouDV
loes add To his fortune, which is none 100 iarsc
That he will gain the rest he declares himself IA
need Of is by no means certain There he VIII
have 70 play every night while here he goes Oh
only two or three times week. Nor VIII DE We
able there to relax his efforts An actor VINO
ESSAYS TO play Hamlet In the land OF Booth 'nuS'
be on his mettle. ..,x;nr
NJ Mounet-Sully has three reasons for Retiring
At least, there are three which he 1rahAV ""Neo
public. "In the first place. he says an
growing old. l have passed my hlue'n o''"-
day. That is not, you say, old age ! NO. pu' o"e
does not grow younger. After N.Y. Que po".'.
decline. physically and intellectually. If Tam not
Young: and do not wish ever TO become super
animated Then, in the second place, which Is
really part OF the same reason, one feahy nhu''
retire AFT some time and / very much pre-
for 70 do so before the failure of my powers De-
Gins. II | have achieved any distinction what
ever. certainly am now at the best OF ~ can
not reasonably hope to adj more to my repu'a-
ton. Therefore prefer to retire now, peiore
tbere Is danger Of lessening my standing. III you
wish a third reason, it is this That am 'rag-
edian. and tragedy acting is far more wearing
tbon comedy. After an evenings work on the
stage. let us say in 'Oedipus,' l am completely
worn out, almost Frustrated. comeulah
may go on laughing his age away. trasealan
feels the pain and burdens OF the parts he plays
and they tell upon him almost as much Us In rear
life These are the reasons why have presented
nv resignation to the committee, and sincerely
trust that it will be Immediately accepted"
Besides his many years of hard work on the
stage OF the Theatre Francois, this admlraole
actor has had other things to depress him and
make him greatly to feel the burdens OF the
world He had two sons, his only children, to
whom he was most fondly attached. Eight or
nine wears ago they were taken i'll and died to-
pether of diphtheria. 1t was blow from which
he and his wife have never recovered. Since that
time the last fortnight OF April in each year has
been observed as a season OF mourning In the
Mounet-Sully household. Nor was that the only
blow. for within q few weeks of that bereavement
NJ Mounet-Suly's mother also died; venerable
and loyable woman, to whom her son and his wife
,yere most devoted She was Protestant, and
most deyout woman, and beneath her portrait.
,vbicb hangs on his parlor wall, M. Mounet-
Suv has ever since kept her wellwtrn Bible, like
sacred relic on the shrine Of votive church. But
with all the luxury Of woe in which the actors
sentimental nature INDUCES. his home is O charm
ing one It's windows overlook the Luxembourg
Gardens. and the rooms are veritable storehouses
of choicest Oriental draperies and brica-brac The
doors are always open to his many friends who find
uncomfortable pleasure in coming in to hear him
reading the choicest passages in Shakespeare, Ra
cine or Hugo. For q few years past NJ. Mounet
Sully has devoted himself much 70 the study Of
Shakespeare Hamlet was played by him with
great success some time ago. lie las since mas
tered Macbeth "Othelo,' Lear" and some
other parts and it is his intention to present them
10 his audiences in America though he will also be
seen in o number of French plays including two
or three written expressly for production on that
tour.
The departure of NJ AIounetSuly will remove
from the Theatre Francois the last of the famous
three who for years dominated the stage the others
being Coqueln and Delaunay These men were
supreme, respectively in tragedy, comedy and rO-
nance or course there were other great actors.
Many will rank Got above Coquelin though Got
made dismal failure Of his 1ripoulet IT lie Roi
S'Amuse." lie ought not to have tried it, being
rather too old. and not well adapted to it as Co
quelin But he was the senior member Of the com
pany and he insisted on the part being assigned
to him. Febvrc also, must be ranked among the
great actors. But the three named were the real
triumvirs. There jealousy enough among
them too. They were so unlike that there
could be no rivalry for parts, but on the score
OF precedence heart-burnings were plentiful A
charming American lady once found this out, to
her great embarrassment. She set out TO fill
her album with choice autographs Gounod wrote
in It a strain from Faust" Victor Hugo con-
tributed o stanza. Munkacsy filled page with
O sketch. Various other notables were glad TO add
their names Then she went TO Coquelin, and he
wrote his name and TO Mounet-Sully, who wrote
his. Next she approached Delaunay at his home
AT Versailles. He received her with the courtesy
that might be expected from the most polished
beau on the stage But before taking pen In hand
he glanced over the pages already written on.
"Ah,p he cried, in a fury. M Coquelin, Ell P
And NJ. Mounet-Sully! And you would have
me write my name after theirs II is an insult !!
/ will not do it," And he literally hurled the
book back into its owners hand and bowed her
out of his house without another, word.
Who is TO take NJ Mounet-Sully's place In the
great playhouse of the Rue de Richelieu is not Of
course decided There other fine actors in the
company well fitted to enact tragic roles. Doubles,
some one OF them will show himself not unwor-
thy successor. But he must be great artist who
is to bring to the stage the serious scholarship the
impassioned feeling the poetic sentiment, and the