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

stoou AZ tne Comedle francalse, where the
action Of Pet,-uchio has been pushed outrage
ously in the direction Of comedy"
IMPROVEMENTS IN sHAxEsprARE.
Jules Lemaitre compliments the translator on
the improvements he has made in Shakespeare.
Il read this piece Of Shakespeare long ago." he
says. 81 received from it an impression of
something tossed together, odd. unpleaeauta and
often tiresome. besides being ferocious and in
human Yet the other evening, from the sec
ond scene, was conquered quite as much as
Katharine. Why? First. if you wish. because
CoqLelin is a grand comedian and Marsy o re-
splendent beauty. The other reason is that
Paul Delair has cut the disordered text Of
Shakespeare with very sure intelligence Taking
out here and adding there he has thrown into
beautiful light the essential part of this ex-
uberant bufoonery. In this wav it very
clearly appears that The Tanning of the Shrcw'
is a farce, fearful and unadultcrated. set forth
against solid background of good sense and
psychological truth
NJ. Francisque Saycev. in the Temps. was not
favorsbly disposed to the play as Shakespeare
left It any more than was NJ. Lemaitre; indeed
he was not even sure that French adapter
and the greatest French comedian could have
the power to give 1t permanent success. Il
admit that it has had an enormous first sue
cess. And am convinced that this success.
without prolonging itself for any great length
of time, will have a certain number of fine to-
morrows. l have taken lively pleasure in it.
But, understand me- this pleasure comes-how
shall L say? 1t is like the proverb, The
sauce makes the fish go down What pleased
me in the piece was not of the piece itself.
They say it is from Shakespeare; some think he
only had a hand in it. What is certain is that
1t is nothing but primitive country fair farce
OF the olden time and of extreme brutality in
the Anglo-Saxon sense. Our own pieces of this
character were always full of gayety and good
humor. The Anglo-SaXon taste, confess. is
too harsh for me-
In spite of all this professional criticism.
which naturally enough will not have the same
weight in America that its writers were able to
give it in Paris, the piece ran with increasing
success until last spring, when Coqueln severed
his connection with the Coincide Franchise in
disgust at not having been granted the ribbon
OF the Legion os Honor.
WAR OF CORRESPONDENTS.
These novel impressions of Shakespeare in
his new French guise started up a merry war
OF correspondence in the daily papers among
Parisians and Parisiennes. One lady wrote
that the blows land other brutalities'' of
Shakespeare ought to have been retained as a
salutary example for French husbands by their
very exaggeration. Another narrated that the
morning after her husband had been at the
Coincide Francaise che asked him for the
simplest thing in the world. He ut once struck
the attitude of Coqueiin in the third act. hand
on hip and moustache in the air, and sGuarely
refused her request. He continued this postur-
ing all day. But she remarked, 1T will do for
once and he will pay me out for it" third
correspondent, foreigner. feared the French
tendency to imitation; she would not be sur
prised If ii should become chic TO deprive one's
wife of food in case of disagreement. This ex-
traordinary production ends with scene
which is not in Shakespeare. II is q duo of
middle-class comedy, quite lovablc though
Qy artl IN acr 1pey Will hot hoa b
fore. But it is charming picture wherein
Petruchio is now the lover and KGharind
drinks in his words. And so the curtain falls
to the greatest applause which justifies Coque-
Inns audacity in making Petruchio an entirely
comic character.
ing will reappear in America, in 1884, sup
ported by the great tragedian, Mounet-Sully
in such classics as "Hernani," "Ruy Bias" and
La Dame aux Camelias.' / have little anec-
dote OF this famous actor, whom William +.
Apthorp in last January's Scribner's found not
only terribly self-conscious. but weak and in
effective. although possessing lat moments an
air OF innocence and purity that ia. especially
to the French, very winning and hard to
resist"
MoUNET-sULLY's ExCITABILIrY.
Not very long ago there was a considerable
row between Mounet-Sully and Silvan, very
good actor who supported him. re-
porter managed to get behind the scenes just
as the affair was over. and he followed the actor
OF Nero into the dining room of the the Theater
Franchise, where. amid carved oak and shining
china, he was seated between genteel blonde
and lovely brunette of the company All,
you are an interviewer" he said in tragic
voice. making gesture at the reporter. Then
cordially: sit down and have glass of curacao
and cigarette, and will tell you. Yes, have
insulted Sivan. When play tragedy get an
mated, become transformed. There is no
doubt that Silvan is an actor of much talent
intelligent and conscientious; but l ask of him
and my other comrades little more than all
that. l wish to lift them up to the height of
the aftiatus which whirls me away l wish them
to burn with my flames. l wish to encounter
in them the passion which devours me and the
enthusiasm which raptures me. l get out of
do not see ordinary men, but
the poets personages. 1t is then that
reality becomes vague blur and
fiction becomes for me the true reality. |
speak, or rather cry, do this, come on, put
yourself there Then if my thought is not
understood at the moment. if it is not OWNED
grasped as it flies, 1 lose patience. l become
violent. Brutal terms escape my lips without
my knowing it-.Imbecilei idiot, cretin.
wretch"'-all that means just one thing: You
are not of my opinion Nothing more. Ought
that to count among comrades?' This good
n
serious enough encounter shows as clear as any
description what is to be expected from this
tragedian of the Coincide Franchise. His
opinion on the theater realistic, Ibsen and the
like is worth recalling:
when l think that nowadays people talk
about a realistic theater, when see that they
play pieces in which men like us appear, men
with our crochets. our vulgarities. our little
nesses, / became angered and indignant When
l am present at such a theater where man is
portrayed in his lowness, IN his ridiculous and
mean ugliness. it seems to me that / am look
ing at myself in my mirror in the morning be-
fore l am shaved, all covered with soap, gro
tesque and unpleasing. That is a pretty sight.
Let them give back to us that beautiful and
healthy grandeur which filed US with dear emu
laiion. which transfgures us and makes lis live
for the moment the ideal. wish them to give
in the theater that which is different from what
men really are-better or worse" All of which
goes to show that the great French actor is In
sympathy with Lord Bacon's idea Of the Office
Of poetry in general. STERLING HELLO.
Crowd Poison.
From the New York Times.
Crowd poison is the way physician desig-
mates the peculiar fain:ing fits and illnesses to
LII IL o<>ek<>.