The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-06

rodora" ran continuously in New York City
for fifteen months.
Richard Mansfield arrives to-day and to-
morrow evening will be the central figure
OF the opening night of one of the most i'm,
portant engagements OF the season at the
Olympic Theater.
The new play is "BeaucIire." a comedy
IN five acts. The rev character is that fas-
cinating scion of French royalty, Monsieur
Beaucaire, who invaded the social sanctums
OF Bath society, and had the misfortune to
be taken AT first for 4 hair-dresser. and then
for Il gambler But his cieverness. his wit.
and his heart conquered. and he made them
acknowledge him the Duke of Castle No
where before he was finally disclosed as
the cousinn Of the King.
The five acts are diversified in their pic
turing of polite Bath in the days when
Beaucaire came to England on the BARRIERS
passports. The pumproom Is the locale
of the first act. The second shows Beau
CARES lodgings on the evening that the
cheating Wiutersett falls into his little trap.
and the third discloses Lady Mary's later
the same evening, when Bath meets the
Duke of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Nowhere"
The moon-bathed garden at Mr.. Bantison's
country place. at the feet of Diana, on the
drive. Is disclosed III lHe next dClI anu tue
last scene of all IS the exclusive assembly
room. where the beaux ard bellies who have
met Monsieur Beaucaire and the Duke OF
Chateaurien finally meet the cousin of the
King.
There are twenty-five play schoolgirls in
"The Liberty Bellies" The oldest is not
Yet 20. and they represent every type of
femininity. from the pronounced blonde TO
the nDSjtjya br1Ineffp with all naSSibta vnri-
ations of complexion. These young women
are Augusta Close. Edna Hunter. Lolita
Faust, Pauline Chase. Louise Middleton.
Edith Barr. Margaret Walker. Dorothy
Lester. Helene Lucas, Marie Murphy. Nellie
Mccoy. Helen Cheston. Elsie Ferguson,
Katharine Roberts. Lizzie Mccoy and Lii
ian Woodland. Each has appeared in some
prominent production within the past three
years and attracted attention as much
through her personality as her ability as i
player.
Augusta Close is a Brooklyn girl. Her
father is Professor Close. a ~ell-know mu-
stefan. She has made a great hit in her
conversational songs rendered in the first
act. during which she accompanies herself
on the piano. Edna Hunter was last eeen
in this city as one of the prominent mem
bers of the Klaw & Erlanger Opera Com
pany in Foxy CUTLER"
Lolita Faust began her career in Klaw &
Erlanger's production Of The Bride Elect"
and her advancement since that time has
bees marked. Pauline Chase. who has be-
come widely known in this production as
1.-The Pink Pajama Girl has been noted
for the past two years as the most beauti-
full blonde on the New York stage. Helene
Lucas and Dorothy Lester were prominent
members OF the company which supported
Edna May in The Girl From Up There" IN
London. under Charles Frohman's manage
---- IL ~-l I --{ q - haCt
known as the Mccoy sisters. They are
dancers of exceptional ability. and have
just returned from a two years tour of
Australia. New Zealand and Tasmania.
Marie Murphy. who plays Omyama San. n
japanese girl sent to American to be edu-
Gated, is a comedienne of great talent, as
well as a very beautiful girl.
As readers of Monsieur Beaucaire' may
remember, the hero was the Duke of Or
leans. Since Mansield's success with
"Beaucaire' there has been an unblushinS
evidence of sparce acquaintance with GER
tain identities of history. Nearly every one
seems to be a little foggy on the facts
about the succeeding Prince of this title.
The Duke of Orleans. who assumed the
title Mgr. Eeaucaire. when he
inCocnito to Bath, was first cousin
to Louis Nv OF France and lived during
the first half Of the Eighteenth Century.
SbIle WTlteT- nave TtItLl'b W b'
as having been the Duke of Orleans. after
ward known as Egalite, but our hero lived
and died at the other end OF the century
from Philip Egalite.
The Duke. who Is the central figure of
"Be~aucaire." was equally democratic. and
in the play he is shown IN many delight
fully democratic situations. which are pure
fiction. only based on what the oiithe and
gay young Prince might have done.
How much of history is there in the play
as Mansfield discloses his new creation?
course the story is based on the fact
that there was an attractive young Prince.
the Duke of Orleans. who came to Eng
land during the reign of George III In Eng
land and Louis XIV In France.
The incidents Of the comedy are ali fc-
ton. Two of the characters besides Mans
fields own role, are historical. Beau Nash
actually the social king Of Bath,
England's most fashionable watering place.
Beaucaire is supposed to have Great
ed the teapot tempest among the elect, and
the Marquis de Mirepois was truly Louis
XV's ambassador to the English court.
As for the rest. Louis XIV was constitu-
tional monarch of France, but he was the
universal king of fashion. When he took
snuff the sneeZe echoed in every drawing
room in two kingdoms.
The costumes and manners SO exquisitely
in "Beaucaire" are the dresses
and fopperies of Louis XIV. Those were
lays when the elegance of mems fashions
We'd with women's. The palaces were
candle lit, but the jewels and dress swords
the light a hundred foid, and dis
played a fairy reality which our present
day Sartorial prose never approxlHnateS.
Maurice Bernhardt, son of Sarah, wrote
, play called Mini L'Assommeur.' 1t was
produced lately in Paris. a3d was the COM