The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-07-13

THE authorship OF the original French play
"Robert Macaire," from which the English
melodrama and novel were taken. Ia shrouded in
mystery. The play, although an excellent one,
would probably never had created the sensation
II did had II not been for the remarkable act
ing OF Frederic Lemaitre and Vizantini, who
appeared In the original production, Lemaitre
was Of course Robert Macaire, while vizantinI
gave magnificent performance Of Jacques
strop Lemaitre was in his day the greatest
actor In France. and his conception of the part
Of the sleek rascal and cold blooded though al
ways interesting villain who seemed TO regard
tine members Of the human family as his legiti-
mate prey added greatly to his fame. Lemai-
tres first entrance was effected at the back Of
the stage. He was clad in q costume that APP
peared to be Of the best material and most cor
rect 1T. but when he walked down toward the
footlights the audience could see that his dress
was one mass Of patches deftly fitted to each
other. Vizantini was Of course less carefully
costumed. The phenomenally successful COM
10 opera "Erminie" was adapted from the
play Of Robert Macaire," but the names OF
the conspirators were changed, and they were
made pure low comedy characters, whereas
they were in reality cold blooded murderersas
well as unconscionable thieves In the English
translation Of the play, which was made about
the year 1910 by Charles Selby, the celebrated
comedian, Germenil Ia murdered. and Robert
Macaire Is killed, but the exigencies Of comic
opera prohibit the introduction of such depress-
ing episodes. Therefore most Americans re-
gard the story Of Robert Macaire" as a trifiing
bit Of sillabub, for the reason that but few of
the present generation are familiar with either
the play or the novel, having derived their
ideas Of both from that humorous but nonsensi-
cal hodge podge, "Erminie." Robert Macaire"
was produced for the first time In England at
the Covent Garden theater, London, In lsl5
with H. Wallack In the title roles and Mr.. Vale
as Jacques strop. II was not seen in America
until two years later, when 1t was brought out
at the Old Bowery theater, New York. with
Messrs Stevens and Chapman in the principal
characters. During the same year ut the Chest
nut Street theater In Philadelphia Mr.. j.
Browne enacted the role Of Robert Macaire,
in which he made the hit of his life. II was
generally conceded by the best critics Of the
time that he was Lemaitre's only rival and
possible equal in the part The jacques strop
time perhaps the best comedian in America.
A few years ago-in 1883 or lss9-Henry Irving
revived Robert Macaire" In an elaborate man.
ner, and while the production as whole was
regarded as an artistic success the great actors
conception of the character OF tho diabolical
but easy hammered Macaire was such q radical
departure from the popular idea that 1t ELECTED
much adverse criticism. The novel "Robert
Macaire" is much more interesting than the
play. In fact, the descriptions are so graphic,
the character drawing so perfect and the work
ing up to the cimaxes so skillful that the work
Is entitled to take rank as one of the best types
of what might be called the exciting" litera-
ture Of the day. The readers interest never
flags from beginning to end, for there Is not a
single paragraph in the novel which could be
advantageously left out. The picturesque type
Of life. too, with which II deals should make II
exceptionally popular with American readers.l