The record-union., 1897-07-04

Overland Monthly: Mccullough did
not carry the actor into everyday life,
as Forrest did. Forrest was always
the great tragedlan," and after his
divorce, generally moody and silent, put
when he spoke ii was in deep, tragic
tones. and with shaking of his black,
curly locks that impressed the listener
with unbounded awe.
No one, l think, ever dared 20 joke
or be familiar with the great Forrest.
When "alimony day came around and
he had to pay a good, round sum to
his divorced wife, it was better u keep
away from him, for then he allowed
his temper and 'ugliness' to have full
sway.
Nowhere in American dramatic his
tory does an actor stand out with the
prominence of Forrest. His Individual
1ty was so pronounced that no ore who
once met him could ever obliterate that
meeting from his memory. Forrest is
also a part of history, for there are
many who remember the "Macready
riots melted primarily by Forrest
kissing Macready in Hamlet" for in
PRODUCING some business he did not like
waving a handkerchief and dancing
on in the players scene-which Forrest
sarcastically dubbed the Pas do
Mouchoir." This was in London, and
the news spread like wild-fire, 50 that
after playing a magnificent first en-
gagement all over England his second
was made a failure by Macready's
friends, Kissing, groaning and inter
rupting his plays.
The Pail Mall Gazette: The theater
in question is in Paris, and its name
is the Theatre de TOEuvre. Before COM
ing to the features of this institution
which more especially concern US here
word must be said as to it's nature
Since the disappearance of the famous
Theatre Libre the Theatre de POEuvre
is the most important of what the
Parisians term the theater a cote of the
irregular theaters-that is, whose per-
fOrmances are intermittent and not
open to the general public by payment
at the doors, but to subscribers and
deadheads. The counterpart of these
theaters in London is the Independent
Theater. 1t must not be supposed from
what follows that the Theatre de
POEuvre is a more or less fantastic
institution without claim to be taken
seriously. On the contrary. it has
played an important part in recent
French dramatic history. An account
of the pieces it ha sproduced and of
the authors it has brought into notice
would be most interesting and instruc-
tive, but is beyond our purpose, which
is to deal with certain side character
istics of the performances M Lugne-
Poe has now been giving for several
years
Al the Theatre de FOEuvre it is to
some extent a matter of indifference
whether the piece be good or bad,
whether it interests or bores you. In
deed, it is some of the worst plays that
have procured the spectators the most
amusement. The reason is that. what
ever is passing on the stage, there is
always an immense amount of enter
tainment to be got out of the audience.
In no other theater in existence is
anything to be found at all equiva-
lent to the gatherings formed by NJ
Lugne-Poe's subscribers and guests. Of
the subscribers there is little to be
said. They are people of means, and
IN many respects are much as other
theater- -gOers. No doubt, whether from
conviction or from what the French
call Snobisme, they are curious about
many things in connection with the
dramatic art that are beyond the ken
of the average Philistine who reyels in
Palais Royal farce. They have been
educated up to Ibsen to the extent. at
any rate, of sitting out his plays. and
they are alive to the portentous me-
cessity of regenerating the drama. Still.
II left to themselves the appearance they
would present would merely be that of
an ordinary well-dressed crowd. and
they would keep within bounds their
demonstrations of satisfaction or dis
content with the fare set before them.
1t is the guests of NJ. Lugne-Po that
make an audience at the Theater de
IOeuvre one of the most picturesque
and liveliest gatherings imaginable Ad-
mission is accorded in the most gener-
Gus manner. If seats are not forthcom-
lug standing room is seldom refused.
provided the applicant can make out
even a shadOwy claim to be interested in
advanced" drama. In consequence the
young writer's and fledgling artists of
Paris are present by the score And
they are good to look at and good to lis
ten to. Genius in France. when very
young. would consider itself wanting in
self-respect if it did not cultivate dis
tinctive get up" The results of this
striving after outward individuality are
fearful and wonderful The hair the
hat and the tie are matters that receive
most attention, but frock coats reaching
down to the ankles are in high favor
with the privileged few who can afford
them, corduroy trousers of the pegtop
order of design are greatly affected by
the artists, and there is always an anar-
chist present-very often NJ Jean Grave
in person-in a flaming red jersey. The
anarchists too-anarchiSm is the fash
icnable opinion of the moment-have re-
Gently adopted a new model of hat In
shape it resembles the ordinary straw
hat. but it is made of moderately hard
felt and its color is black. The SLOUGH
"brigand'' hat has ceased to be es-
teemed. Its place has been taken by an
other soft felt" as nearly round as pos.
sible, and not unlike BARRIERS bowl
completed by a turned-up rim. This de-
soription of calotte is worn without the
usual adornment of a ribbon. and to be
a success it should be as old and wea-
therworn as possible, and Gented in ar
tisticaily haphazard fashion. Top-hats
are admissible if they are in antedilu-
Wan shape, and are considered particu-
larly satisfactory when they are abnor-
mally high in the crown and are fin
dShed off by a very broad fiat brin. But
the greater glory of these intellectual
young men is their hair Words fail TO
co justice to the manifold arrangement
of their locks. Length, of course, is a
primary consideration. but while some
of the hirSuta snort % carefuIiy tended