New-York tribune., 1903-06-15
THE FRENCH STAGE.
Season Not Characterized By Good
PIays-Bnghter Outlook.
Paris. June .

than half a dozen have Beel SUCCESSFUL IL
seems at first sight as If the tendency OF tina
French stage were confined to fine polished writ
ing and psychological problems. Novelists sueh
az AnatoJe France Octave Mirbeau and Maurice
Donnav continue 10 turn out modern analytical
comedies These men literary artists. but
not dramatic authors. They give us living
portraits and clever dialogues, such as
might hear around the afternoon tea tables
of Partisan grandes danes or Of profess
sionaI beauties. There is no attempt at
movement. action. intrigue or dramatic con-
strrction as understood by Moliere. MarivaUT.
Dumas Scribe Augier. Pailleron or Sardou.
Alfred Capus. from whom the French drama
poets such great things, has only produced 4
light and shallow vaudeville. lie Beau Jeuns
Houne." which had only short at th4
THEATRE des vari6tes Paul Hervieu's sole play
was "Tneroigne de Mericourt." an aesthetic re-
vivaI of the Revolution. which cost Sarah Bern
hardt a mint OF money. Henri Lavedan. author
Of .'Catarine" and LIE vfeux MarcheUr." has
written nothing; neither has Edmond Rostand.
who has passed a year recuperating his health
at Cambo in the Pyrenees-
Resurrection adapted from Tolstoy -
Henri Bataf1le and admirably acted by Nile.
Berthe Bady. held it's own early in the season as
the odeon- 'LEnfant du Miracle an exceed
ingIy clever connedie bouffe. by Paul Gavault and
Robert Charvay. brought out at the Athenee. "a
joyful and highly amusing play is such that It
will be seen next season in New-York London.
Berlin Vienna. ST. Petersburg and Rome Ths
plot hinges upon the birth OF a child TO insUrs
TO a frisky widow the inheritance OF her lats
husbands fortune IN its way, "LEnfant d1I
Miracle" has been the play of the Paris season.
and has made the fortune Of the c0Cuettisl
little theatre OF the Rue Auber. 'Maitre Nj
touche'' a three act farce by Maurice Des-
/ o4r7Iv- ~T,,
funniest piece Of the year A lawyer leads \
double life facilitated by a secret tUrnstile door
communicating between his Office and the apart
ment of professional beauty There is an In
| innitable scene when the police appear TO maka
a raid on a clandestine roulette game and are
foiIed in their attempt by the tables and chairs
being by rapid and effective stage machinery
transformed into hospital beds and the players
into patients tended by Sisters Of Mercy.
Among the.new French plays that will be seen
in New-York next season is "Crainquebfle." a
one act play with three tabIeaus in which Ana
toIe France presents a street hawker Of green
vesetab bles with the heroic conception Of a VIC
tor Hugo and the realism OF Courteline- Ths
success Of "Crainquebire'' in Paris depends upon
the excellence of Guitry's acting without Guitry
the play would be nothing Two successful
plays have been produced during the season at
the Theatre Francais-''L'A L'Autre Danger, b.
L
Afaires' by Octave 8Iir5eau- Both Of these
dramas have been secured for the United States
and Great Britain. "L'Autre Danger'-the peril
of fair daughter becoming the successful rival
in the heart Of her beautiful but frau mothers
admirer-owes its success TO the subtle refine
ments OF Partisan love affairs and to the grace
full language in which the author clothes per-
verse and rleretricious sentiments
Les Affaires sont Les Afaires'' Cuisines Is
anita
Of it's occasionally descending into broad Carl
cature, embodies the most vigorous portrait the
French drama has yet presented Of the insatia-
BILE specula1or and company promoter. George
Alexander has the play already under rehearsal
at the ST. James's Theatre, IN London. and
Robert Hichens's English rendering OF it will
next season be given in New-Tork- Business
Is Business has certainly hit the public taste
in Paris. 1t contains several scenes likely to i'm
press English speaking audiences, but success in
Paris is dangerous ground upon which to calcu-
late popularity in New-York or London At the
Odeon La RabouIIeuse," drawn from Balzacs
novel by Emile Fabre is having splendid run.
and this drama. in which the military heroes OF
the NapoIeonic wars, for the first time on the
Paris stage. are depicted with ridicUle. has been
secured for the United States, and viii figure
prominently in New-York during the next sea
son. La Rabouilleuse' Is stirring play. with
good, old faShlOned action and intrigue, us
weak point being that none Of the characters.
neither men nor women, appeal TO ones sym
pathy-they are one and all rascals and swind-
lers.
Half dozen new operas and operettas have
been produced during the season now drawing
to close. but the only one that has caught the
ear of the public is an extremely light ana
frothy opera bOuffe in three acts called lie Sire
de Nergy,'' written by De Caillavet and Robert
de Flers to the music Of Claude TerraSSe. lie
Sire de Vergy' contains some captivating songs
and waltzes, and is having fairly good run a.
the Theatre Varieties
The dearth Of originality Of the theatrical sea
son is apparent in the street posters We find
the Theatre Sarah Bernhardt falling back upon
comedies with Edmond ROStand's formal recsp-
ton among the inmortalS Of the French Acad-
en1y. Constant Coquelin, following Sarah Bern
hardts example as actor-nanager, has selected
"Cyrano de Bergerac' to close the season at the
Theatre de Ia Porte Saint Martin The Theatre
de la Gaiete has fallen back upon the music o.
Charles Lecocq. and has reproduced the Giro
ne-Giroda-" The Opera CoTnique can find noth-
ing better than Bizet's Carmen and Gustavs
Carpenters Louise" The Renaissance Thea
ire has revived La Prtncesse Georges" BY
Alexandra Dumas, fills. for the favorite Partisan
actress. Mile. Martha BrandeS- The Chateier
Theatre has trotted out the old fashioned bur
lesque of Robert Macairei' written sene thirty
years ago by Philippe Gille and William Bus
"Yvette." adapted from Guy de MaupassantS
novel by Pierre Berton. The Palais Roval Thsa-
tire is reduced to the expedent OF reviving La.
Cagnotte.' the delightful little comedy written
laisian playhouse long ago as 1854. and the
Arnbigu is giving the famous old fashioned play
Les Deux Orphelines.' by Adolphe d'Ennsry
and Cormou, first produced at the Porte Salnr
has been performed more frequently in France
than any other melodrarna, and Is now. on the