The sun., 1900-12-09
NJ. COQUELIN'S OPINIONS.
syr1UsyAss oy TH6 FRENCH AcTOR
OvER EDHOND ROsIAkD.
Bis kisasescs Aroused whenever "Cyssns
Dc Bsrserso" 10 Discussed why lie
viii Not Piav Tsi.tsH Here -Opportunt
ties for tho True Actor In small Parts.

Will Not tIav
us. for tho True Actor In small Parts.
n B.noit Constant Coluelin were custo-
marlIy discussed In such colloqual terms.
II could certainly bs sad that he IL crazy
about "Cyrano dc Rers"rac" "" seems
10 think Of nothing else ~ much aaufRoNand =
p,ny and he would rather talk of It than OF
anything else II is rather amusing to his
friend. 10 observe his earncstness when
the name Of Edmond Rostand or tho play
4. mentioned. The actor responds TO what
ever tho question or the thought suggeS'eh
may be without showing any particular change
In his dsmeanor Thcn one word brings
on another He begins 10 speal; more RAPIDLY.
his eyes brighten and the long sentences
which roll from his lips are a. pure in dictlon
a. II he wero on tho stage delivering In classi-
cal style the sentences he reads SO wonder
fully These are signs that NJ. Coqnelln
Ia engrossed In the subject Of "tyrano de
Bergerac" and II IL always SAFE 10 say that
he will be heard until his auditors retire or
some crisis In the situation brings the con-
versation to close.
Even then the great French actor will
continue to discuss his favorte topic with
anybody hs may happen to be left with
After supper one night last week. when he
had kept a small group of hearers engros.ed
for nearly an hour. during which he had been
the only speaker and always on the sub
ject Of .Cyrano." hc started 10 walk to his
hotel and found one Of the party go n; in
tho same direction. flo was delighted TO
have a companion and taking his compan-
ions arm. he talked only Of his favorte sub
iect until they parted az the door of the VIC
toria. where the french actor is stopping.
There IL not a phase OF the work as poem,
a historical drama. a literary masterpiece
OF an acting play that the French actor has
not studied and discussed until there Is not
a detail OF the subject with which he Is un-
familiar. He Is ready to meet any question
objection. and polemics on the subject
are his delight.
Nearly as enthusiastic on the subject OF
Edmond Rostand and her own play ls Sarah
Bernhardt. although she shows 1t much less
than the actor Naturally she believes Il Ag-
Ion" to be greater than "Cyrano de Bergerac."
discussion OF that subject might lead to
an interruption OF the friendly relations
that now exist between the two artists They
are never together outside the sphere OF their
professional duties that tho subject Of Ed
inond hostand does not Immediately come
ul 1t Ia surprising TO observe the interest
HIth which DOtn talk OF has work. somewhat
impcrsOnaIy, ol course, when they are to-
seAer. but with equal enthusiasm. Nor
Is lAIs .eeI!us difficult 10 understand
CogueLh lad Tor several years struggled
unsuCCessfuIly to manage tie Porte ST Mar
TN Theatre in larla and Va, almost threat
sued with bankruptcy when J @ got "Cyrauo
LAT made fortune Tor hm and gave him
lame throughout the world "A ren1sCcnce
II needed at that time. No other si0cle r le
Le has ever played IN III, entire repertoire
has done 50 much Tor his rep Itatlou as this
ngure OF kostand's so II Is not surprising
that he should speak oi the man who came
10 hls resoLo at 80 important stage OF his
career. Mine. Bernhardt l. nearly as much
lLQCDteQ To KOStaud Her pNIpTlpDtp
manager In Paris made It rlain, that She
needed @ some gSr grScrft' e%nEFoss.ns % drama lama TO
for Herman Sudcrmann'- "Mayda" and to
1taly for ID 'Annun2io's La Morte Civile."
French authors by producing number Of |
plays that did not succeed. among them |
kostsnd's "Princesse Loinlaine She never |
lost her own admiration for that drama merely |
because the public ignored 1t She still de- |
claIes Il TO DO one of the great poetic dramas |
Of the time After all these failures; T. Ais-
being grateful to n Rostand
Of u. father. as 1T we're said " CoqneiiH
constantly qs the Idea Of the play, took form rn
The statement made by some man in Chicago
that he 10 the author of an original from which
t6s dr.s WSs nSM taken ,bS s mo
iesn: TSys heTs E IS
s,oasiy Varied /. T''f i.l II one AnI pays H%w S
let he must always remain Hamlet and the
same 70 true OF the actor who plays Mac
and shade Of character possible to human
pature. Every time Is there in tho one man.
No part ever gave an actor such oppor-
sssdS love Sna literary skal o these
must be denoted by the man who would en-
-One wonderful thirs about, Cyrano'-
there are so many wonderful things about
II that I scarcely know. which 10 speak Of
extravagart episodes live Shakespeare, |
he rrak's them seem a perfectly natural Iart |
Of The pSy in Tfs' Tx noon S1 Ts is hG The mo
any play nc, written by Shahe.reare,. Asd1
beauty to his plays' That conversation about |
the trip 20 the noon is exquisite in its ianci- |
fitness Q, ""rs@ slay for 'ar nn
70 pretend, for instance that he has been 10
The moon is merely a bore But lot him
AMI 500 what an effect II will c-cate. II Ia
delight TO hear such words. even II they DO
describe something that is quite impossible
Yor will frd the same thing in Shakespeare.
cs-cc?ny in "A, You Like 1t and Twelfth
-Sreaklrr Of shnkcspcars reminds me
that Ancri,ans are more fsrocions on the
sqhicCt Of tie way IN which ,t i ns'sTrsTh'
Th.v ar" much better satisfied over there
10 have charges :, ade | am gOirg TO act
Er,e'nH some tive IN version of Henry
" that uscs hoth the dramas. ! have had |
them wade into one play, which ] should |
never ra-c 80 aCt hove because ! should be |
tnorcht guilty Of dlsreSp"Ct TO the poet
But I rsvor vct havc secn ShHkcsrearn acted |
t,vico IN tho save way Il"re nrd In London |
hnvp frequently soon Shal"srear'an plays, |
hut thcv are never identical The scenes |
nra usually charged In one vnv or another
and characters are sometimes omitted SO |
na ,he-e is no regular standard carrot see |
vhv any charge should "" viowed ms an act |
or violence I don't for that reason know |
wNnt the Americans will think OF a French |
Hcri'rf
q he',eve that there mrs' hc more IN the |
chs-n cter ~ Polo 'us ait evists In the original
thar anv ~ our French translators has ever |
MY Irto the work I cnn ord nothing In |
N-rccl Schwoh's version 20 make the char |
actor interesting. II" hg nowhere t. n" |
nav ood soc',,e 10 lead 10 n thio G iml orta't |
see nothing In the rNe with |
which could make nm impression |
IN tho version Of Shakesreare's play acted |
bv Nre pcrrhnrdt, the F'rs' Grcrodiooer is |
rearlv ne 'ong nart and am goire to plav |
that hecnusa n l. NJ least intel'irible to ne |
and I can undcrstand what the author in |
ter "a 70 cvrrcsa bv tho character. ! felt |
the sa-,e wnv about Pc'ruchio when | did |
that urderstNo exactly what Tefrnchio |
was '-terdod 10 be. never object to play
ing s0all rarts. Thev can be just as well |
Al. o,I Ia do ipet