The Anaconda standard., 1896-02-15
Nudity the Reigning Craze on the
Mimic Stage in Paris
THE APOTHEOSIS OF UNDREss
Scantiiy Clothed Actresses Assure
Success for Almost Any Play
Secret of Dressmak-
ers' Parlors.
From the New York World.


costume. Yet it was only a few years
ago that Parisians and Parisiennes
went TO the play almost as much to see
the beautiful toilets and fashionable
conceptions as TO listen to the authors
work.
Nowadays the boulevardier seems to
have grown fatigued with the stun
ming creations of the dressmaker Mod
ern playwrights are up to date i'm their
work, and instead of supplying the au-
dience with a play I'm which the gentler
sex is magnificently attired they have
| 50 arranged their productions as to
compel the leading ladies to undress
partially on the stage during the pro-
Srcss of the play.
In "Amants," the greatest success of
the winter, which is enjoying a long
run at Nine. Sarah Bernhardt's pretty
thoater La Renaissance, an entire act
takes place in the boudoir and bedroom
OF the heroine, Nine. Jeanne Granier,
one Of the lovers, or "amants"
The act is a fine piece of work al
! though extremely rislue. 1t would be
| impossible in Anglo-SaXon. no matter
! how skllful the actor. This fact does
not prevent Americans and English
! men from visiting the Renaissance In
| crowds. Latins and Anglo-Saxons
! alike appear to enjoy this very naugh-
! ~ act with equal relish This is how
! and young one. She is very fond Of
| the former. who is sufficiently generous
/ 10 allow her To keep up fine establish
| ment and live i'm great style in Paris.
! The younG lover, Of whom she grows
! very fond also is a perfect blase. The
! Oh lover is about to leave Paris for
| q few days. and she has Just given him
! q dinner All the gu SITS have departed
! 1t is o'clock in the morning. and the
/ heroine. who is somewhat tired, asks
permission TO take OF her dinner dress
/ and put on her wrap or dressing gown.
! Instead Of calling i'm her maid, her Co
! year-Old lover asks t. assist her. As
may hC expected. ne is IA thcr awkward
and can neither unite strings nor un-
hook skirts. The tetc-a-tcte is spoiled
! ~ the entrance of the msid. who in
| f." seconds IS able t. display to the
anxious audience the round shoulders
and the smart cOrsots and multi-color-
go pattiCoats Of Jeanne Cr8nier When /
the old man has departed the young /
lover makes his appearance and is far 4
less clumsy in the matter. lie seems. /
much to the delight Of the onlo0llers /
90 be quite an expert i'm undressing tho 1
fair seN-and the curtain falls.
The scene of Maurice D1Uuay'g pIav /
'Amants." Is in the demiwoudc but I'm |
demimonde that is entirely different |
To IN" On" depicted by tho late master |
AlCNon1er Dumas. All the women have |
liaIson. but they behave So well that |
on" is inclined to accept their Haisons |
as legitimate. The Baronne DANCE I'm
Dumas celebrated play 'J.c Dami- |
monde" desired but one thing to make
her position regular" as the French
say, or to get straight by marriage
lu Donuay's play there seems to be no
longer any necessity for dcmiuon-
dalnos to alter their position toward
society and most Of the lovers IN the
piece are like husbands
The faux menage in these fn-de-
steele plays has suddenly attained an |
unexpected degree of decency. Such |
sypas are the exception in real life but
an author has the privilege of pictur-
ing exceptions.
At the Vaudeville theater "Vivours"
holds the bin, with Rnjane in the lead
ing part. The author. Henri Lavedan,
is another littcratour of the new school.
In his play one does not even have to
wait until The second act for the Un-
dressing scene. The lrst tdaIrau takes
place at a swell drcesmaker's. whore
society women and dem.mondaincs
alike come To try on. This is not the !
FIRST time by any means that the dress
iNE rooms Of COuUrier have been
placed ON tao stage. But here they do
something more than gossip: they try |
or Tor good.
NouGaines and domimoudainos alike
take or th lr visiting dresses and put
On their dinner or bah dresses. eopa-
rated one from the other bE screens |
which, Of course. DO moi prevent the |
men, husbands and lovers. who are |
sum os1d 10 take an interest i'm new
stutis and fashions. from Witnessing al
the details OF Transformation. There is I
no Plot 70 tho play worth mentioning. |
The women In the audience are delight
ed to see 50 many rich costumes, SO | ;
many woll-ttting gowns. As for the
men, they do not seem 10 Do able TO |
a-fs4F H.. NHanHa
and undressing on the stage. or the |
sight of ultrafashionable corsats. or
multicolorcd and lace petticoats.
In Paris these yivcurs like the |
form but an insignificant min q
urity. There are not $50 many high |
rollers Of the Lavedan type I'm Paris as z
one might suppose after a visit % the
Vaudeville. Nor are there ass many
amauts OF the Dounay type as the au- J
thor would have us believe. Tine types. z
however, do exist. and 50 the Two plays
may be said 10 portray certain phases {
of Partisan life at the clos Of tho 18th y
century. But this does not prevent q
their drawing powers To be derived |
from the undrcSsiug scenes. without !
which at the present tim" rn play in y
Paris may expect "A run. 6
The Varieties surpasses both the Nau-
dcNilic and Eenaissanea as far as un-
dress is concerned. The Garnet du
piablc" holds the lill AT that house ard c
has been performed close upau loo | |
nights in succession without auy abate- !
meut i'm the nightly receipts. It's au- !
.hors. Blum and FavIi.Y old hands NJ | 7
below their younger colleagues sa far i
as dramatic work /, concerned Their D
play The Devils Notebook" would D
indeed be not worth mentioning did IL y
not supply another example of how far =
the undress feature may he carried AZ p
FfH. .Hr d. I