Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-16
5COQUELlN AS FLAMBEAiJ
pAoro, COPYRIGHT, 1900. ByAine DUPONT NY

one respect, but IL were advising a
friend as to which one to see / should
unhesitatingly pronounce in favor of
Inc ADAMS production. This is due to
the TACT that play fairly we'll acted in
ones own language is better than a
play only tribe better acted in a
J tongue With which one is not thorough
~ familiar and in which necessarily
many OF the most delicate points are
lost.
isernhardt, 1t is true, is vastly supe.
Tior Ito Maude Adams in the stronger
scenes. but the latter has apparently
mace iue such close study of the French
actress IN the role that her work is al
most a replica of Bernhardt's. Cooue-
lin as Flambeau. the faithful adherent
OF the Eaglet, the rough, bearlike SOL
der of fortune, does not compare with
y. "a; Glimour in the Adams production.
Inis may sound like sacrilege to those
VINO piindly worship all things foreign.
put II is fact nevertheless To begin
Win, Gllmour possesses the advantage
OF looking the part 10 the life. which
sCoquelin most emphatically does not,
1t is true that NJ Coquelin. a natural
comedian, perhaps the best in the
world, does develop the uuIzzical as
pects or the role more fully than Mr..
Giimour is able to do. but in n compar.
ison OF THIS sort the complete result. tho
otoau eilect' must be regarded and
wren that Is done Mr.. Gilmour stands
pre-eminent.
One result of the advent of Atne
Bernhardt in "L'Aiglon' has hcan tho
rise OF Miss Adams stock as an ac.
tress. for while the fact that she had
the great advantage of being enabled
10 see the creator of the title role of
itostands play must be borne in mind
~ as nevertheless true that. except In
the few violent scenes of the NAV sbo
is so nearly satisfactory that the reflec-
ton that she is playing in English is
apt to tip the scale in her favor from
the standpoint of the average American
theater goer. The conclusion is inev-
table that, great as "L'Aiglon" 70 as q
literary work. 1t is not a good acting
play, or such transcendently fine
artist as Nine Bernhardt unuuestiona.
ny ~ would nave made more of an i'm
preston in its protean role.
!. OF the staging of the two productions.
candor compels the admission that,
save IN rew minor Details the French
people have the better OF the argument.
ESPECIALLY true is this in what might be
s va, tne vision scene on the battle
held of Wagram, where the Eaglet is
alone with the dead body of Fiambeau.
Inc ne scene in which the EagIet is shown
the TOY soldiers painted In French COL
z9rs was much better, however, in the
}< <,ii' .a production, despite the fact
tiat MISS Adams failed to inject into
INC excellent speeches there given her
the impression OF delrious ecstasy eng.
gested by Bernhardt.
3 NO, gentle theater goers. We who are
sclutching your SIS bills while Won men
tally ask yourselves, rs Bernbard, IN
L'Aiglon' worth it?@ there is no use To-
mince words. If you eliminate The de-
Sire to see the great Frenchwoman sim
Ply for the sake of being enabled TO say
that you have seen her, she is not. worth
lin this play even S1,h0. For that matter
,either ~ Maude Adams. although She
does speak English and.you win under
stand her. but IL Atglont lis one of