New-York tribune., 1900-12-30

clslon OF character, and the wife Is carried away
by the attractions and luxury of Partisan life.
They Outrun their income Yielding to the per-
suason of his wife, the husband enters into
partnership with INSCRIPTIONS company pro-
mOter named Brassac. The banking house OF
Brassac, with its speculative customers and it's
American bar, makes an amusing stage picture.
This act is of farce verging upon caricature.
The bank, of course comes to grief, and Brassac
escapes to Belgium in automobile Herbault
remains in Paris, and in the third act. which is
one of pure comedy, receives visit from the
COmmissary of Folice. and is conducted to
prison, ultra modern establishment reserved
for fashionable debtors.
Among the friends of Herbault is a wealthy
| bachelor named lie Housed, who is an ardent
admirer of Nine Herbault but whose suit is un-
successful, for Nine. Herbault. wrapped up in
her devotion to her husband. does not even per-
ceive that LIE HoussePs admiration is more than
platonic. Nine Herbault. In the most innocent
way imaginable explains the situation To lie
Housed, and asks him to lend her husband the
100000 francs required for his release. LIE
Housed. after little preliminary skirmishing,
in which he aludes to the necessity of acting
| in decadent period if himself a
| decadent" expresses his willingness to supply
the money. He writes out a check for the
| amount and places it in Mime. Herbaults hands.
Consider this and any further you may
| need, as a gift" says lie Housed, and adds.
But there is a condition attached" Nine. Her
bault, suddenly realizing what a compromising
position she has placed herself in by her naive
request, indignantly refuses the check, and in
we'll conceived speech makes lie Houssel-who,
| after all, has honorable instincts-feel the full
weight of the indelicacy of his proposal. LIE
Housed, after some moments of embarrassing
hesitation, implOres for forgiveness and forget
fulness, and exclaims: II have acted like per-
feet blackguardr The episode is gracefully de-
veloped by the author, and is admirably acted
- Mile Jeanne RolIy and NJ Gemiat Nine.
Herbault receives lesson which cures her Of
| her waywardness, and the transformation in her
character is cleverly portrayed.
! The fourth act passes in the debtors Jail.
which is modelled after the well-known prison at
and where the inmates allowed all sorts Of
| luxures and good cheer. A wealthy Chilan
| countess, who'has long been enamOured of Bras
sac. finally appears and assures a happy ending
| to the play by marrying the dashing finanCier
and paying off all the debts of the firm of
| 'Brassac, Herbault & Co."
! This brief outline naturally conveys no idea Of
| the real texture of La Bourse ou La Vie,'
which will be given in New-YOrk before long.
and which depends for it's success on it's action,
vivacty and sparkling wit NJ. Gustave Larrou-
met, the dramatic critic of lie Temps and sue
cessOr of Francisque Sarcey. says: 1.-THE French
stage has more to expect from NJ. Capus than
from any of the younger dramatic authors of the
day" The critic NJ. Capus of
blending vaudeville with genuine comedy
which "are two elements of quite different quail
] tiles" M. Capus replies that this is mere sOphs-
| try, for vaudeville has become such a vague,
elastic expression that no one seems capable of
giving it an exact definition; but if M. LarrOu-
met means by vaudeville society farce, then
he has only to so back to the classical drama
fists of France and England where it will be
found that farce is constantly blended in the
same plays tn high comedy. He cites MOli-
ere's Bourgeois GentilhOmme a striking in
stance.
| Another reason for the success in Paris of La
Bourse ou La Vie' is that it has given OppOr-
| tunty to bring into prominence young actress
of real talent. Mile. Jeanne Rolly, who has hith-
erto been known only in provincial towns such
| as Marseilles, Lyons, Toulouse and Bordeaux,
where she had been selected by Nj. Edmond
| Rostand to play ROxane in "Cyrano de Ber-
gerac" Mile RolIy, besides having excellent
stage physique (she is a remarkably attractive
blonde, with good figure, expressive violet eyes
| and sympathetic voice., acts with intelligence
and genuine sincerity. Her rendering of the
| impression of refinement and reserve force If
| Mile. ROly continues to apply herself to her art
assiduOusly and as intellgently as heretofore;