The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-06-29
A CURIOUS THEATER.
WHERE PICTURESQUE AUDIENCES
HEAR ADVANCED" DRAMA.

HEAR "ADvAkcED" DRAMA.
The Performances Are Intermittent and
Not Open 10 tho PubIie-In Dress, Dis-
Iogus and "Dusinsss" Spectators Are
More Interesting Than Actors.
The theater in question In In Paris, and
its name is the Theatre dc p0cuvre. BE-
fore coming 10 tho features Of this institu-
tion which moro especially concern us
here word must be said az to It's nature.
Since tho disappearanoe Of the famous
Theatre Libre the Theatre dc PUuvre u
the most important of what the Parisians
term the theatre q cote OF the irregular
theaters-that In. whose performances arc
intermittont and not open tn the general
public by payment ut the doors, but to
subscribers nnd--deadheads. Tho counter
part of these thcaters In London ID the In
dependent theater. It must not be sup
posed fsom what follows that the Theatre
dc rGuvre IL more or less fantastic In
stitution without claim TO be taken seri-
ously. On the contrary, IL has played an
important part In recent French dramatic
history. An account OF the pieces 10 has
produced and of the authors II has brought
into notice would be most interesting and
Instructive, but Is beyond our purpose,
which Is to deal with certain side charac-
teristics of the performances NJ. Lugne-
Poe has now been giving for several years.
At the Theatre dc l'Euvre IL Is to some
extent matter of indifference whether
the piece be good or bad, whether 1t inter-
ests or bores you. Indeed 1t Is some OF
the worst flays that have procured the
spectators the most amusement. The
g. L.k L. 4 Ak<.
stage, tnere IL always an immense amount
Of entertainment to be got outof the audi
ence. In no other theater In existence IL
anything to be found at all equivalent to
the gatherings formed by N. 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 tfieater goers. No doubt whether
from conviction or from what tho French
call snobisme, they are curious about many
things In connection with the dramatic
art that arc beyond the ken of tho average
Philistine who revels in Pnlais Royal
farce. They have been educated up to
IbseD to the extent, at any rate, Of sitting
out his plays, and they are alive to tho
portentous necessity of regenerating the
drama. Still, II left to themselves the ap-
pearanoe they would present would merely
be that of an ordinary well dressed crowd,
and they would keep within bounds their
demonstrations of satisfaction or discon-
tent with the fare set before them.
1t Is the guests Of M. Lugne-Poe that
mako an audience at the Theatre de
lEuvre one of the most picturesque and
liveliest gatherings imaginable. Admis-
sion Is accorded in the most generous man.
ner. II seats are not forthcoming, stand
ing room Is seldom refused, provided the
applicant can mako out even a shadowy
claim to DO interested In advanced"
drama. In consequence the young writors
and fedgeling artists of Paris are present
by the score. And they are good to look
at and good to listen to. Genius In
France, when very young, would consider
itself wanting In self respect II 1t did not
cultivate q distinctive "get up" The re-
suits Of this striving after outward In
dividuality are fearful and wonderful. The
hair, the hat and the tie are the 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 an
archist personal---very. ofton NJ. Jean Grave
In person-in a flaming red jersey. The
anarchists, too-anarchism Is the fashion
able opinion of the nomenclature recent
Iy adopted new model Of hat. In shape
It resembles the ordinary straw hat, but 1t
Is made of moderately hard felt and Its
color is black. The slouch "brigand" hat
has ceased to be esteemed. It's place has
been taken by another "soft felt as near
1y round as possible and not unlike q bar
ber's bowl completed by turned up rim.
This description of calotte Is worn with
out the usual adornment of ribbon, and
to be O success it should DO as old and
weather worn as possible, and dented In
artistically haphazard fashion. Top hats
are admissible II they are in antediluvian
shade, and arc considered particularly sat-
isfactory when they are abnormally high
in the crown and arc finished off by a very
broad, fiat brim. But the greater glory of
these intellectual young men Is their hair.
Words fail to do justice to the manifold
arrangement of their locks. Length, of
course, Is a primary consideration, but
while some Of the hirsute sport carefully
tended curls others go disheveled, and yet
Others seem to have taken refuge In wig.
The advisability Of having beard Is re-
sponsible for strange sights In the shape
Of curious Developments Of fluff and thin,
struggling growths on chins scarcely old
enough for the razor.
These quaint persons rejoice in exceed
ingly sturdy convictions. They arc tre-
mendously In earnest At tho slightest
pretext afforded by what Is said on the
stage they break out into storm of ap-
plause or howls Of indignation, as tho case
may be. As their opinions are almost as
varied as the cut of their garments. ap-
plause and cat calling arc always going on
at the same time. The difforont schools
group themselves so as to give greater
force to their demonstrations BY sort
OF unwritten convaution the anarchists
have acquired right to tho gallery. In
the orchestra - there Is no band-for-
gather as rule the friends of the author.
In one corner are to DO found nothing but
"symbolist" poets, in another the "na-
turists" stand elbow to elbow. These an
tagonist groups have only one feeling in
fommon-thoir contempt for tho Philis-
tine. II tho more bourgeoiso section of
the audience shows the least disposition to
find N acono n trffle foo m nd aciot,c pr rooI1xy