Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-05

She is to play four
months trip through American cities during
the coming season of 1893 in Delair's adapta-
ton OF The Tanning Of the Shrew," with Co
-quelin, who created last winter the part OF
Petruchio at the Theater Francois. From this
arrangement mutual advantages will accrue to
thousands of play goers in America, to the or
ganizatiau of the Coincide Franchise in Paris,
and to the charming actress herself.
As to Madame Hading. of whom America Is
not likely soon to grow tired, this contract will
enable her to enter the Coincide Franchise, tine
last distinction to which French artistic can
aspire. AS to that world-famed organization
it gains the talent Of celebrity it has for some
time desired to bring within its fold. OF late
there has been talk between NJ. Jules Claretie,
| its director. and Madame Hading relative to
her immediate entrance thereto. The last
| difficulty is removed by this trip to the United
States, and the pleasure which Americans will
take at the announcement of her coming will
| be only heightened by the knowledge that
| Madame Ifading has honored them. above all
| other nations. with the task of pulling her
| ehestnuts out of the fire. The difficulty in
| the way of her immediate entrance to the Paris
Temple Of Fame was three years engage
ment at st. Petersburg or the alternative of
!
| die Franchise refused to pay for her, and the
actress herself naturally enough hesitated to
| lose it. however much she wished to take up
with the new offer. At last she broke the
! Russian engagement and paid the 100, 600 francs
| forfeit. Need Americans be told the rest? Her
American tours are to furnish Madame Hading
the st. Petersburg forfeit money and more be-
| sides, as she pioUslv expects. Being now COM
paratively free she may join the Coincide
Franchise at nearly any time. perhaps even be-
fore her first flying trip to the United States.
| Americans will hardly refuse to play the bene-
factor at once to the Imperial Russian Theater
| Michel, the Coincide Franchise and the lady
over whom they have wrangled.
THE REAL TREAT TO AMERICANS.
Nevertheless, the real treat to Americans will
be the play itself. An English play turned into
French and acted before an English-speaking
audience in French is rare enough combination,
for being acted in French and being translated
into French are two different things, as will
presently appear; and when the play is one Of
Shakespeare's, and. above all, The Tanning of
the Shrew.' wherein cur own Drew and Rehan
won such high London praise it becomes all
the more of interest. If this were not enough
there is the traditional attitude OF the French
toward Shakespeare, which gave last winters
production Of La Megere apprivoisee" its
own peculiar piquancy.
The French, it is needless to say, have never
appreciated Shakespeare, though at different
times during the last century and half various
TRANSACTIONS Of him have appeared. As to his
previous fortunes on the French stage the fol-
lowing limitations have been produced: The
first was Hamlet" in 1869. Then came in
l772 "Romeo and Juliet in 1888, king
Lear in 1874, Macbeth in 1892, "Othello:''
in 1929. 'Othello" again, under the title Of
''The Moor of Venice in 1882, new version
of Romeo and Juliet" and in 1856, "As You
Like It," by George Sand. Alexandra Dumas
and one Of his coworkers also brought out
their adaptation of Hamlet few wears since
at the Theater Franchise. The latest presenta-
ton was this adaptation Of "The Tanning of the
Shrew" last winter, when NIarsy and Coquelin
together with its artistic stage setting and cos
tuning, made it a great success at the
Theater Franchise. The scenery and costumes
or at least reproductions of them,
will go to America with Coquelin and Hading
Too great praise cannot be given them Edel
| the designer Of the costumes, went to Padua to
find models in old albums in the library there,
and Landolf, who was costumer for the ballet
of LA Fee aux Chevres." has executed Eders
water color sketches. These original designs
were on exhibition in the Sale DIES Depeches of
the Figaro last December. where constant
| throng of visitors came to gaze on them. They
are thirty or more in number. and the dress of
the least fgurante is carefully worked out as
the costumes Of the leading personages. A
pretty idea of the Figaro was to have attached
| to each water color sketch small pieces OF the
material Of which the actual costume was COM
posed Kathorina's wedding dress might be
described as "a dream'-a sky-blne velvet
skirt. with an old rose tunic, all embroidered
with silver and gold, Mile. Marsy. who origi-
nally created Katharine. is slender blonde
and she wore her hair in network of pearls
Madame Hading will present a more conven-
tlonal kdthdriad to Americans. as she more
nearly approaches the style of Ada Rehau.
When the piece was first presented in Paris
/ fhara chali ~ no haa
theatrical critics. The Figaro began with one
of its instantaneous pictures shakespeare.
an English poet, chiefly played in German and
Italian: never existed according to some, ex-
listed too much according to others; has often
been translated and sometimes adapted; has
| the misfortune to be cast in bronze in the
| neighborhood of the Boulevard Malesherbes;
is best known in France from the love had for
him by NJ. Porel, director of the Odeon "a
theater where Shakespeare did not succeed)
his works are found in all the libraries of peo-
pie Of the world, but they are also to be found
at sales in the state of uncut copies Special
signs: Strongly dug at by Voltaire, but much
protected by NJ. Bergerat."
PARIS CRITICS DO NOT AGREE.
The leading Paris critics were never able to
agree with regard to this production. Gener-
ally speaking they presented an unbroken frcnt
against the traditional English and American
Petrucl,io, who seems to be hard master. but
fine fellow. who wins Kothdrina's secret ad-
miration by his very brutalities. As Miss
Reban plays Katharine we have a high-step-
ping young animal waiting unconsciously for
her master. We feel no horror at her '.break-
ing Ill, as the process cannot hurt 80 splendid
| a creature. But this point of view the French
| critics could not adopt, nor indeed could the
| translator. have been able to resurrect a few
OF the more curious criticisms OF last Deem
ber They will help one in getting ut the true
favor OF the Hading- Coquelin presentation, at
the Partisan sentiment which underlies the new
ideal. For it is a new ideal. In this version of
Deiair, Shakespeare has been doctored and al
! tered, and. as it were, brught up 10 date
Albert Wolff, from whose ultra-P Partisan pen
| this criticism came shortly before his death,
said: The work Of Shakespeare, as it stands,
cannot be played before a nineteenth century
public. 1t is not necessary to imagine Coaue-
lin flashing Ia belle Marsy with whip! One cry
Of horror would escape from every breast-a
protestation from the fin do steele man. who
will not allow that q woman ia to be corrected
like recalcitrant beast" This really acute
| critic wished to see in Kdtharina 'the incarna-
ton OF human malice, reaching to the state Of
historical folly. The family afflicted
with such a monster nowadays would apply to
| DIR. Charcoti'
| 1t is thus the part il rendered in the Coincide
Franchise version: Katharine 10 . spoiled, will
ful girl, violent and a neuropath, who plaques
her good-natured father and sisters because
| they let her. It is said that Mile. Marcy actu-
ally studied Charcot's girl patients at the Saipe-
| triere to learn how hysterical, nervous people