El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-08
THEATRICAL TOPICS.
SAYINGS AND DOINGS OF TIP
PLAYERF
The French Drama; Review OF 1ta
Status During the Century Soon to
Close-WilIiam Shakespeare Had Ad
vantage Over Modern Playwrights.

Now that this century is drawing t.
close, might it not be of some in
terest to the student Of the drama,
and of greater interest perhaps to the
student of French literature, to cast
a retrospective glance over the whole
field of the French drama of the nine,
teenth century? How many names a
mere thought suggests! Dumas, Hugo
De Vigny, Ponsard, Scribe, Delavigne
Angler, Sandeau, Dumas fills, Sardou
Feuillet, Dennery, Coppee, Condinet
Pailleron, Lavadan, Rostand and host
of others. How each name brings
back to life immortal characters: Her.
mani, Ruy Bias, Valerie, Antony, LII
crecia Borgia, Ghatterton, Don Caesar,
Adrienne Lecouvreur, Mile. de la Se1g-
liere, Marguerite Gautier, de Jain,
Poirier, Perrichon, Giboyer, Benoiton,
Nine. Aubray, Seraphine, Frou Frou,
Claude, Mana, Suzanne, Catherine, Cy-
rano! How these personages seem to
belong to every country! Who does
not remember mile. de Belle Isle,"
Alfred Bunn's "Chevalier de Saint
George" Gas an opera book for Balfe
under the title of the "BondmanO,
Dion Boucicault's "Chevalier de Mais-
on Rouge" Robertson's Home" John
Oxenford's "Crisis," Augustin Days
"L'Etraugere, Dion Boucicault's Man
of Honor" Palgrave Simpsons Scrap
of Paper" Boucicau1t's Led Astray'?
A Southern critic says: shakes
peare had a great advantage over mod
ern playwrights in not being handi-
capped by tradition. He could write
Dire Wi
bring in caricature of the newspaper
correspondent, who rushes around TAX
ing notes so fast that he will never
be able to read line of them when he
gets up his copy. He could present.
as he does in Julius Caeser,' a polit-
ical play in which the man who makes
a stump speech is not expected to be
funny, and he was never called upon
to interrupt the action in order to pro-
vide scenes for a vealy young man
and a yellow-haired ingenue, that they
might intrude their love affairs upon
the character of Mercutio, a comedian,
who does not come to the front at the
last minute to rescue the hero in dis
tress, and he could depict, as in 'Othel-
To- colored man who does not sing
songs nor talk dialect"
From the London Stage newspaper
is taken this account of the easy" life
that our actresses lead: Some years
ago 1 Joined a legitimate company,
touring the very "smalls." to make my
self useful. The company was more Sc
lect than large, and nearly all its
members had to double and "amalga-
mate" many parts. But our exertions
were as nothing to our leading lady's.
She was also the manager of the COM
pany. For many weeks the following
were her parts:
"Macbeth''-Lady. Macbeth, Banquo,
Malcolm, The Apparitions (act IVO,
The Officers (act W,
"Hamlet'-Ophelia, Ghost, Rosen-
crantz, The Priest, Osric.
Merchant of Venice"-Portia, Lor-
EMO. Salarino.
Richard III."-Lady Anne, Queen
Elizabeth, Norfolk.
Rob Roy''-Helen Macgregor, Rash
leigh, Matte, Hostess.
AS an actress, says E. A. Dithmar in
the New York Times, Julia Marlowe
grows in popularity. 1t was a good
business idea to confine her efforts for
a few years to new plays. Some day
it may be worth her while to act again
the role of Viola, in which her earli-
est appearance here was so promising.
Meanwhile much interest is felt in her
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