Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-21
ADJUSTMENTS.

A large and quite distinguished audi
ence gathered at the Grand opera house
last night to enjoy Mr.. Richard Mans-
fields quite unique presentation of A
Parisian Romance. The personnel of
the play is we'll understood. and was
characterized by the coneummate pre-
sentation which has been successfully
noted elsewhere. 1t is well understood
the grand climateric of the play oc-
ours in the fourth act, in which the
petit souper OF the Partisan demi-monde
is even more strikingly represented than
in any phase of Dumas fiPs Camille. 1t
is even more striking in its ensemble
than the famous scene in Dumas's mas
terpiece, in that it has brought
down the frivolities of the Parisian
life, distinctively the most elegant
of modern days, with more precision
than characterized Dumss's representa-
ton OF debonair life. The dramatis per-
son@ belong to the same gay and
frivolous crowd which Dumas has made
interesting to the theater goer. In this
play, however. the dramatist has not
concentrated mis- efforts upon woman
struggling between consumption and
vice. He has employed the same
women, substantially, but instead of
concentrating his powers on new phases
of death, he has made the action of the
play to turn upon the pleasures OF the
nouveau richie. The denouement of the
play turns upon another phase OF
morbid hygiene, in which, in
stead of the throes of feminine con-
sumptiee, the throes OF man suffering
from apoplexy present new phase of
,nkn Tn ha
play nor the other can discriminating
public see anything to enchant the aver
age spectator. The most brilliant stage
of the play, and it's grand climateric as
we'll. is in the death of an aged roue who
fttingly summarizes his frivolous and
worthless life by a death relieved from
any feature which evokes wholesome
sentiment. a
The set of the banquet scene was
admirable. The manners of the partici-
pants were quite au courant with the
frivolous standard of the day. The
Baron de Chevril, as interpreted by Mr..
Mansfield, was a striking exem-
plification OF the altogether worth
less but precise development of the
elegante of the day. That such
a man should reel and die in the very
acme of felicitation, really only calls for
the striking retribution OF what is called
Providence. In every detail of the ban
quet scene the baron was degage and off
hand and we'll prepared to propose the
toast, "May you live thousand years |"
and to repeat the old-time song of the
merrymaker, "Let us live today, for to-
morrow we de-" In the case of the
baron, the morrow came quickly on the
sentiment.
At every stage of his career which had
drawn so tragically to close the baron
had been prepared for this eclaircisse-
ment. He was an exemplar of the pro-
verb, "Eat, drink and be merry, for to.
morrow you die." At every stage
OF this scene Mr.. Mansfield
developed all the characteristics
OF consummate interpreter of the many
striking episodes which the dramatist
has grouped in the play. He played
the gracious host and led up to the
grisiy panorama of death and annihila.
ton with an aplomb whlAh merged into
the helplessnees and surrender OF death
with an ability which not only marks
him as true artist but as man of en-
ergetic action and noble conception Of
the possibilities. The audience de-
parted, feeling that while the play itself
was triste, they had enjoyed an exquis-
lite rendition of the phases of the drama.
x~x
The Ideal Guitar and Banjo club,
under direction of C. S. De Lano, will
give their next invitation concert at the
Grand opera house, Friday evening, May
9th. They will be assisted by Miss
Albemer, Messrs. G. 0. Marshall and E.
Iateuser. mandolin soloists.
The management will present for the
first time to a Los Angeles audience
Mrs. w. d. Bloodgood, formerly Miss
Spencer of New York city, who was solo
let for the Madison-avenue Baptist
church. Miss B. Rogers of this city will
assist as piano accompaniste.