Morning journal and courier., 1892-01-26
PARTISAN THEATERS.
Playhouses in tho Gay Capital Hav
Very NIauy Peculiarfties


Paris Correspondence Boston Journal
Plays in Paris generally begin at 8 o'clock
and never finish until about midnight. If
they were over earlier the audience would
think that they had not received their mon
ey's worth of bad air and good acting.
Sitting four hours in such an atmosphere
would be uncomfortable to an American were
it not for the long waits between the acts,
when one can walk for twenty minutes in
the large "foyer" or go out and get little
fresh air. The orchestra never plays be-
tween the acts 80 Their is no inducement
to remain in the hot garlic scented air dur
ing that time.
It is a matter of some formality to get in
to French theater. Don't think that you
can do as in free America, throw down a
| few silver car wheels, with goddess of
| liberty on one side and loudly screaming
| American eagle on the other, and enter the
| theater and take your seats. No; there is
| good deal of red tape to be unravelled be-
fore that. If you wish good place you
must go to the theater few days in ~ad-
vance, politely take off your hat to the ug
| ly and cross old female in the box Office
| and humbly ask her for the seats you wish.
When she has finished discussing the latest
L
| will grufiy exclaim, "CommentW You
must not reply, as friend of mine did
who was not well up in French; Come on,
yourself" but say your polite sentence all
| over again.
If the spectators and the ugly old wom
| ans friends have not reserved all the places,
she will write out document on a large
sheet of green or red paper for they never
| have printed theater tickets here), stating
your name, the title of the play, the chief
actors name, the date and official number
of the performance, aud after busting it
we'll with sand for they are too conservative
to use blotting paper, and demanded two
cents extra for the government stamp, she
will hand it over to you in exchange for
French gold. On the evening of the per-
Torrance you purchase a program of man
| at the door, and walk up to the desk where
three Frenchmen in dress suits preside.
Your troubles then begin. These" Judges"
| act as ticket takers. One of them exam
ines the green or red document that you
procured with 30 much trouble, to see that
it is not forgery, and that the date, etc., is
all right, and then passes it on to one of
his associate judges in this supreme court
of United French tape, who looks it all
over aud tears off one corner and cries out
in loud voice, ''Deux personnes couch, "
or words to that effect. Perhaps you think
! you are III Inc buoateT CQ6u. IN, no! gu
have yet to pass the cerberus who guards
the inner door. This is an ugly old hag,
with a white cap, who takes your ticket
and insist on your leaving your coat with
her. If it is summer and you have nothing
to leave of that kind she will then ask you
for her "little benefit" as she calls it, in
advance, before she will let you go to your
seat. You must pay up or fight, and
advise every one to pay cash, as it is cheap
er in the end.
, These ugly old women, who are known
as t'ouvreuses (openers), and who keep an
| eye we'll open for half franc pieces (o1
whole ones if you have pretty girl with
you), really run the theater, or at least all
that portion of it in front of the footlights.
If you 60 often to the same theater it is
best to fee them we'll, no matter how much
you may dislike the custom. They always
insist on furnishing dirty little footstool
, (Which is always in the way to the sweet
, girl who is with you, but they call he,
"Madame' in such q natural way that you
conclude it is worth an extra half franc
piece. Finally, when you have uncondi-
tionally surrendered to the ''ouvreuse,
she will permit you to occupy the cushioned
board for which you have paid dearly, and
will only occasionally disturb you to ask il
3 you wish an "oficial" program or an opera
t glass.
Although the theaters here are very I'M
comfortable, the entertainments are always
enjoyable. The acting here is the best in
| the world.