The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-16
VIEWS CT STAGE AFFAIRS.
TuTvGS ~ THE DOWN- To-DATE RE
JIVIL or "LI BELLE HELENE"

Miss Russcil's Extreme Dccorum In Dress
ard conduct Theatrical Matters Abroad
WIN Does Ewing Turn Over "CyrnnO
dc Errgcrnc" To Charles Wyndhnm =?
Lillian russcll was probably willing that the
di,',p o". u' uiysicnl exposure In La Belle
NnIrnr" -h'u ( .r LETT entirely to Mrs. Hopper
and .uia!ny Shc maue no attempt to reveal
avon the % .stomHry amount VI her loveliness.
Sh, rnigl' have Guuc 10 a staid dinner party
I'm the costumes thaJ she wore. Indeed. Miss
Russell aWithed herself SYSTEMATICALLY in the
first net. She appeared irst in a black gown
tbot was more suggestive of tho Rue de Ia
p,Iy than ancient Troy. IL defined the waist
line. however. aud that must have excused its
mod nii in Miss I;ussell's eyes. As II that
did not sufficiently shield her. she covered
herself with a species Of cloth-of-Rold vest
ncrt that made this Helen OF Troy seem a
p,udc. In the turquoise colored costume OF
the second scene, with Its spangles and drap-
ery. her dressnakcr got nearer classic models
,rI M tho same time kept the waist line in
tprr Nrither this nor the gaudv red and
green r. the last act departed from the prim
,tsnlHrl which this frivolous queen set for
herself At the beginning Of the play. Exposure
might hu necessary for some CT her associates.
but the audience was to see less OF this Helen
than of most singers who have tried to incar-
UlIs ll' 'll'il'NNi VA'iiN' IAiSS ~
conception Of the part was quite in line with
the costumes she wore. A less impassioned
Queen never embraced Paris more disareetly or
mcdcstlv than she did. Her husband might
have arrived on the scene at any moment and
the consequences would have been t%rihing.
necessary in view of the parl that flrs. Hopper
took n the e,, perntSrmennce t,o me Yin im1inropriet les
2,oo IA us SS''f TO he be ia;dee snU5e w of .sap IN tne
look and action. of the double m eaninG word
and The wicked gesture. The improprieties
~ oot III. fiTmamnodesties Of the living pictures
ana he disrohing acts. Louis IiaErIs2n's
!hgs Iorir haa''" as a NAV that S1 pre ,sslS 'f t.
md he. has, drawn more abundantly on the
conyentional supply, = Of !, comic 60 lie orers hnmHr
The poker game has not been placed 50 con-
snicuously IN years as a theme for stage fun:
comicaiity Of such:men as Mr. Seabrooke. Why
Mr.. IHenshaw should play Menel91S with 50
is difficult under the circumstances to tell.
BY doing it, however. he is more amusing than
any OF his companions: He sticks to the orig
F FatiHn are re- M not f fof to-day. II They opG are pi IafT5
cepting the Gilbert and sullivan works. But
they seem to. be !hopelessly out OF the mode.
tthsir hum T5a Is T T1Iri SiiacE !. sli tT5anSf9 TSay ,t to
not readily susceptible TO- the building, up,which
Is necessary for the Viennese works before
lnty buIlbly <o "a OSNhplOLaI Q
hinder, they possess Temporary charm. But it
is Questionable 4 their brilliant music over can
may be made for the Interpolation Of Mrs. Hop
per and other things to make UP a congenial
Casino entertainment.
London seems likely at last to get "Cyrano
de Bergerac' in English. Henry Irving ac-
qulred the rights. hesitated what to do with
them. and is now said to have sold them to
Charles Wyndham. who will enact the ILL
favored lover. The delay has been caused. 1t
may be surmised. by the fact that Coquelin
played the part there with especial success In
he humor of 1t. Richard Manstleld's per-
iormanee here hardly touched that element
and general audiences. seeing nothing further
In the role than he disclosed. were satisfied
with his otherwise excellent Interpretation
But people who have witnessed Coquelin's
unctuous low comedy in the first two acts
would not be content with ever so One a repre-
sentation OF the serious phases only. Irving
knew this and relinuuished the play. Wynd-
ham will not find the Job easy, =.
Laurence Irving is said to be initiative OF
his father; Henry Irving. in playing the chief
part in The. Crystal Globe" a new London
ter is n mesmerist. SO demonstratively weird
and figuring in scenes. so very sensational
younger Irving is described as a clever actor.
= London has its first vaudeville theatre on
In the polite and manner Of such
resorts in this city. nor do legitimate actors
appear in short plays on its stage. 1t Is like a
music hall. with bars conspicuous.
cb EnngInn9 5 sh0Es mo disposition 90 monv to Of tire fS. OF
cities that in one Of the theatrical weeklies
thirty;seyen columns Are flIed with dsserip..
t IT,, p in small o9 type The II ,h biggest Hr,t and most
usual, and is called The Forty, Thieves but
it is riyalled closely. by Dick Wilmington, at
at both these theatres all the seats were sold
cut a month beforehand, These plays always
deal with familiar juvenile tales. and there is
a conglomerate show of vaudeville. extrava-
GanZa. comic opera and farce. Pantomime Of
the clown and pantaloon sort ts a small factor.
Two PLAYS recently acted in Paris have
treated the same situation from widely diff
fercnt viewpoints. One author has written
very seriously about the question of divorce.
while another has made a farce out of 1t. In
The Cradle acted at the Theatre Francais.
a young girl marrles against her fathers will
the man she loves. a physician OF her own age.
She refuses the elderly husband selected by
her parents. Within a few years the young
people are divorced. The wife who has left
her husband receives the custody of the child.
Later she marries the sutton whom she had
rejected. When the child is taken
i'll the husband claims his right to visit him.
Husband ard wife meet daily at his bedside.
soon !, becomes plain TO her second husband
tlIht MS vile Stlll loves the man from WnOnl
she was divorced. She admits it. but refuses
% leave him and remarry the man she loves.
He is still in love with her. A family confer
cnre is held. and it is decided that she shall
leave her second husband. although she will
not be divorced from him. The play concludes
with this unsatiSfactory disposition OF the
characters. which would seem to indicate that
the dramatist contemplated another work on
the same subject. Around the Code treat
ed divorce farcically and with greater success.
III this "A woman leaves her husband and mar
ries another man. He sees that she o'es an;
other and discovers that her thoughts are still
fixed On her first husband. VINO. unknown to
ms wife, has become n lawyer. When her
second husband seeks advice about n divorce
he goes to this lawyer without suspecting who
he Is. Later the wife visits his office. and on
recognizing one another the two are delight
cd. They clone, and are followed by the. sec
ohd husband. who finally allows the wife to
get Il divorce and marry her first husband
again.
"Pcrlinp rInprin's Powder. - the present holt
elaborate and expensive, in the history, OF the
French stage. 1t cost lG0.OOO The legend
wa rewTJitten by Pierre Decourcelle;, In 1853
performances. out never with the outlay OF
this season. Sarah Bernhard has decided to
play Hdgtiet for the first time in London
next spring.