Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-15
ON THE RUE DE PARIS
A Midway Plaisance That is Really
Partisan.
CABARETS And LITTLE THEATERS
Its Bohemian Phases Please For
eigners and Natives.
NATIONAL DANCE
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
| PARIS, September 6, 1900.
OF all the glittering attractions of the
exposition the only one, SO public report
holds, that is likely to survive the great
| fair is that congeries of varied theaters
known as the Rue de Paris This. of
| course, means that the Rue de Paris is
popular. Lying as it does between the
Pont Alexandra III and the Pont de
| PAlma, and bordered on the right hand fol-
| lowing the course of the river by the var
| ious little theaters and artistic cabarets
| which give 1t its name, and on the lefa by
! row of lime and chestnut trees whose
| shades aforetime formed notable Lovers
| Lane, it's situation is of the best to be
! found within the exposition limits. Ger
| tainly that walk under the trees by the
| river, in the clear moonlight, while on the
| other side of the way the banging of
drums, the braying of trumpets and the
| eXhOrtations of Enthusiastically clad clowns
and harlequns and daintily though very
| Scantiiy adorned colombines and the like
| Is well calculated to give the tired spirit
| repose from the stress and arduous toll of
| the instructive parts of the show.
The Rue de Paris is devoted to amuse-
ment only. The nearest thing as compari-
| son to American would probably be the
! Midway PlalSance of the worlds fair OF
PlaiSance
| larger, more diversified, and l believe most
| people would think, better.
The Rue de Paris is really the representa-
! ton of artistic Montmartre; not the Mont
martre of the old residents of that quarter
! who consider that they have a sort of in
| dividuality apart, and talk of going down
! to Paris but the Montmartre of the art
| lists, singers painters, musicians who some
| years ago made their exodus from the Latin
| quarter-the quarter of the students-and
! founded such famous haunts as the Chat
Noir, the Roulette, the Carlton and the
| Cabaret of Bruant; artistic taverns or
! cabarets where for the price of a book the
| visitor could rub shoulders with nascent
! seniuses or worn-out famous Bohemians,
| and hear the latest catch of music or see
| the newest developments of bizarre art: or
! diminutive theaters devoted to the amusing
| skits of writer's like Courte.ine and Donrlay
full of witty points and irresistible situa-
| tons.
| 1t soon became the vogue for the world
| of fashion to betake itself to these cabarets
| deserving the serious theaters of Paris for
! the sparkling side shows of Montmartre:
and often elegant American and English
| ladies were to be seen in these narrow and
| not too salubrious cribs, trying to keep
pace with the --latest cry of Montmartre,
and to have it known that they were 'see-
| ing life Fortunately for their bushes the
| text of the plays was SO interlarded with
| slang that the distinguished strangers had
only a remote chance of even partial I'M
Outstanding. This description of Mont
martre theaters is not out of place, for the
Rue de Paris is simply artistic Montmartre
carried bodily to the exposition and lined
out in a row of editices the right bank
of the Seine.
There you may find the Jardin des Chan
sons, the Theater Espagnole the Roulette.
the Grand Guignol. the Theater des Bons-
hommes Guillaume, Theater des Auters-
gals, lie Manor a rEnvers while the series
| is closed by the Theater Loie Fuller, Of
which the attractions are the American
dancer herself and her Japanese troupe
Old and Young, Too.
I was curious to observe the class OF peo-
pie attracted to the Rue de Paris The
youthful lovers were not especially in evil
dence. There were a great many middle
| aged persons of both sexes, very bourgeois
| in appearance and wearing that steadfast
and painstaking expression which doing
the exposition invariably impresses upon
the physiognomy. The Rue de Paris was
on their program and they were bound to
get through it, even if. as heard one con-
scientious "doer' of the exposition declare
| Il have to chase it to China"
| One of the attractions of the Rue de
Paris is that SO much of 1t is free. The
spectacles have all to be paid for of
course, but outside each little theater is a
stand on which the actors and actresses In
| their various masquerades carry out the
| good old traditions Of the theatrical booth
at the fair, and rouse the curiosity of the
public by their quips and cranks. Here
for instance, outside the Roulette is an
| actor dressed as a clown, who crates to the
public; beside him is a young lady dressed
| a powdered marquise, very decollette.
and beside her still younger lady, still
more decollette, f1ourshing a program over
her head. shapely damsel dressed as the
Duke of Reichstadt, 'TAiglon," of the IA
| nous play now running in Paris, stands like
a statue. Beside her is chubby little boy
also dressed the Aiglon, who also stands
like statue The powdered marqu1se calls
him automatic imitation of Sara Bern
| hardt,'' and to prove her words she taps
| him the stomach, whereat the chubby
| boy utters cultural sounds. The crowd
| laughs uproariously, and some enter the
| Roulette. Not many, however, for the peo-
| pie who will stand for an hour laughing at
| the outside inanities will grumble vastly at
good play for which they have had to
pay 10 pence.
To Amuse the FOreigners.
| The Palais des Congress is at the west
end on the opposite side of the Rue de
Paris. l had a conversation with an old
guardian of that dignified building on the
Rue de Paris. The old guardian did not
disapprove of all this levity. He was toll
Grant. Only" he said. that is for the
foreigners. No Partisan would ever go TO
| the Rue de Paris For that is not up 20
| the mark. We have seen 1t all before.
There is nothing Of gradiose, vous savez, IN
| these little shows. And then, he added in
| a confidential tone, and with significant
| wink. they have taken all the wit out of
| their plays. Oui, oui; 1t is now only for
| the strangers. Out voulez-vous, mon bon
| monsieur, que voulez-vous? What would
| you, my good monsieur, what would your,
Still there were Parisians there all tho
same for l saw senators and deputies and
military officers, and other decorated
personages, presumably grave and reverend
seigneurs. laughing like children ut seeing
| a servant girl drop plate in one of the
plays. while her mistress screamed at her
awkwardness and broke soup tureen in
her rage.
The first place 1 strolled into was the
| MANOR g. l. Envers,p that Is to say, the
mansion house, turned upside down. The
| idea was cleveriy carried through. The
| house was supported by the chimneys and