New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-25
KING LEAR" IN PARIS.
-NeSO Translation of lShakespeare's
Tragedy at Theatre antoine.
Paris. Decan,her 10

frightful OF Shakespeare's nelodramas" has
never before been acted IN Paris. An extremely
attenuated translation of King Lear" was
given in Paris in the reign OF Louis XIV. when
voltaire first made known TO his countryrnen
the genius of Shakespeare. The drama failed
10 please the coCrtiers VINO found It treason
able" TO present a dennented monarch on the
stage In 1880. in the height Of the romantic
period. Kean came TO Paris ana played King
lear" in English. The French critics unani-
mously condemned the piece because Of its
excessive brutality and bad taste" The public
not understanding English. accepted the verdict
Of the critics In 1858 an emasculated a6apta-
ton OF King Lear" written by the tirnid hand
O. Jules Lacroix WAS given at the Theatre
Francois. and had q fair amount of success,
ewing largely to the excellence Of the players.
The great tragedian Beauvallet impersonated
King Lear. Tailla6e was Gloucester Deshaye
was Edmund, MINES. Agar and Periga took
the parts Of Goneri and Regain Among the
eehutants were Sarah Bernhardt who acted
Cordela; Mounet Sully. who played Edgar. and
Coauelin cacet, who made { decided hit as the
Kings Fool The French public have since be-
come familiar with Shakespearian plays The
od9on Theatre produced with admirable scenery
Twelfth Night" The Merchant of Venice"
Macbeth" and Much Ado About Nothing"
Sarah Bernhard acted Lady Macbeth and Ham
let. Guitry played Macbeth. Coquein acted Pc
--,chio Rejane acted Portia and Mounet SuIly's
Hamlet is still not infrequent attraction at the
Conedie FRANCHISE
Last week Antoine produced, with great
artistic success. King Lear" which is presented
IN truthful. clear. unexpurgated translation
BY Pierre Lott and Emile Vedel Antoine is
7,,est:onahly the most intelligent actor in
France. Els personification Of King Lear lacks
majesty. but IL IS intensely human and lifeIike.
md F,7TT oF = q
Antoine King Lear" is staged and played with
that stirring realism SO forcibly appealing to
French audiences The theme OF thankIess chill
6ren is a popular one with French authors. One
ts struck with the modernity Of the play in IT'S
French aress-node-nity that suggests par
siel with Balzac's "Pere Gor!ot," and especially
with Zola's la Terre." The lords. bastards
and thsnkIess daughters that surround King
Lear are just as human, lifeIike and detestable
ss the peasant sons and daughters Who abuse
The Pere Fouan. Notwithstanding the Waikyrie
setting and costume in which Lear IS pre-
scented by Antoine. it is the simplicity Of the
c0llcqUial French prose that strikes z novel
note. The scene where the Cornwalls put out
Gloucesyer's eyes IS produced with thrilling
realism. l4rid resembling blood and the Jelly"
OF the eyes have an important part in this ter
-ible tableau. which or the first night called
forth from several women in the audience loud
swords between Edmund and Edgar is one Of
The most effective stage fights ever given in
Paris-being more realistic than the fencing
bouts IN the last act OF Hamlet" as given at
he THEATRE Sarah Bernhard and al the
Coincide FRANCHISE. Antoine, with his usual
-borouenness. intrus1ed TO N. Ren joseph Re
maud z prominent Partisan professional swords
man the details Of the encounter. The stage
music. composed by Edmond Missa- into which
So E--~~ Sc in
sriritinE and 10 a certain extent lends rhythm
and poetry to the French colloquial prose Of
Pierre Lott and Emile Vedel. who have frankly
declared EIizaberhan blank verse TO be aoso-
lu-eIy urtransIatable into French This use OF
french prose seems wise. for to trim the rugged
forest q shakespearian blank verse into the
nicely clipped lockwood hedges Of Cornellllan
Alexendrines would convey very attenuaIeo
notion OF Shakespeare.
Il is singular TO note that the scene where
Cornwall and Regan pluck out Cloucester's eyes
e reearde5 bv Montmartre searchers after
HOOD curdlinE sensation as one Of three in
-rrselv realistic situations now offered on the
Paris stage. The second realism is IN the nlelo-
drama Of lie Crime OAK where Nile Cassive
tncersonates a Partisan professional beauty
who is dragged from her bed and murdered oy
vel dressed ruflans. This attracts each night
numbers OF fashionable women, who ceilght IN
the long drawn sangulnary episodes OF the STU
srior modelled upon recent sensational muir
Ger case q that smart and rapid summer re-
SORT. The third realism IS given at the Grand
Guigrol. In = play by Andre de Lorde. entitled
Ia Derniere Torture wherein the horrors OF
The Boxer uprising are wildly presented Inc
scene passes al Picking, and q father Kills MS
ow1 daughter 70 prevent her being tortured py
the Chinese, but. unfortunately. blows her brains
on TOO soon. for the final victory rests with the
allied European and American attachments and
no; with the Chinese Boxers. In this play all
The horrors Of Chinese torture are given. IT is
tbesa three weird scenes that just now draw tuIl
bo,ses and constitute the theatrical delight or
smart Partisan and COSMOPOLITAN women. The
three chastity scenes Of stage realisnn-plucHing
OF, King Lears eyes the sanguinary violence
OF the bed murder OF the beautiful woman in
lie Crime oak and the nightmare torEnents
n 81 2 Ternfere Tcrture''-serve as stimulating
psychological cocktails. appetizers for early
morning suppers. Shakespeare might be sur
pr.sed 10 find himself In such odd company IN
Paris Needless to say that Antoine has mount
ed King Lear with an artistic pictures4ueness
never surpassed in English speakin lands. Cns
hundred and fifteen rehearsals took place before
the play was publicly produced, and The twenty
eight scenes or "tableaus' OF the French YER
sion run so smoothly and swiftly that. including
the two intervals Of & quarter OF an hour each'
the whole play IS given IN two hours ano h1ty-
SIX minutes AS might readily be expected there
are several shortcomings In The translation FOR
Instance:
Turn al her mothers pains and BENEFITS 6ds,
HOW sharper than q serpent's tooth il is
70 have a thankless child!
} inadequately rendered into que I'm