The San Francisco call., 1904-08-05
The Stage abroad.
SPECIAL Correspondence.


result that seekers after theatrical
p novelties have been obliged TO cross
the Channel to find them. Truth TO
tell, there is little doing on the Paris
ian stage either, but IN spite Of the
heat the Comedie Francaise is being
crowded nightly to see lie Paon" CThe
Peacock. by Francis de Croisset. He
IS only 2s. and thus has duplicated
Rostand's feat in having a play done
at the National Theater before reach
ing his thirtieth birthday. There is,
however. nothing immature about lie
PaOn." in fact, II is one OF the best
constructed. most original and wittiest
plays that Parisians have seen in many
q long day. Moreover, though charac-
teristically French in manner it might
be an English comedy. so free is it
from anything like offense, a fact
however, which has not made it's well
come here any less hearty. Written in
blank verse, its adaptation for the
English and American stage would be
8 matter Of more than usual difficulty,
but otherwise should commend itself to
some Of the American managers who
are nosing about in the City of Light
, at present.
Austin Dobson might have told lie
Paon's" story. It takes its title from
the character Of its hero, a human pea
cock in Partisan high society, fond of
fine clothes and the other adOrnments
which his wealth places within his
reach, but rather a good sort under
meath all his patches, powder and fur
bellows. His feminine victims are le-
gion, but his friends taunt him with
the insinuauion that all his success as
q LOthario is due to his fine feathers
and his bank account. So Boursoufie
declares he VIII prove that he is loved
for himself alone by going into the
country. laying siege TO the heart Of a
rustic damsel, who knows nothing of
his true station, and winning her af-
fection. So in act we find him at
country inn and soon after see him,
shOrn Of all his fine raiment, paying
court TO Annette, a pretty girl who
lives on a nearby farm. Ere long her
conquest is complete, but then Bour-
EOuhe's friends appear on the scene.
and, though compelled to admit that
he has been successful, challenge the
dandy TO bring the girl to Paris. believ-
ing that her rustic aWkwardness viii
humiliate him unendurably. But when
Annette reaches Paris she surprises all
hands by instantly becoming the rage
Suitors follow her about in droves and
for a Withdrawing discovered the de-
oeptiOn practiced on her by Boursoufe
she encourages them, but in the end
rnarries the Peacock" who is now her
absolute slave, and at the. plays end
seems by way Of bringing cut the man
Americans who are doing Switzerland
at present, or who contemplate visit
ing the Alpine country soon, will miss
something If they fail TO see the pro-
cuctiOn Of Schillers William Tell"
which is being done in tn Swiss viii
lage Of Altdorf. The occasion Of this
performance is the centenary Of the
writing Of the poem-play. the principal
scenes in which occur in the neighbor-
ing surrounding AltdOrf. The drama is
being given by the citizens Of the
town-Oberammerga fashion-and will
be presented every Sunday from now
until the middle of September. No
fewer than 183 persons, men, women
and children, take part in the perform
ance, every one Of them hailing from
Altoorf. The play, which occupies
four hours, went off on it's first per-
formance the other day without a sin
gle hitch. The price Of seats, by the
way, is from 75 cents to 81 so.
To bark back to London, plans are
already well advanced for several
rather important productions. which
VIII take place soon after George Alex
snder sets the ball rolling with his
sdaptation OF The Garden of Lies"
Perhaps the most interesting Of these
IS the new play by w. w. Jacobs, the
story writer and author Of Many
Cargoes." This piece. which is called
The Monkeys Paw" is the first dra-
matic effort Of it's author, who has
chosen TO cOllaborate with the tireless
Louis n. Parker. cyril Maude will
produce the play, himself taking the
part Of its hero. bargeman. Maude's
theater, the Haymarket, is to be in the
hands Of the decorators for the next
few months. so the Jacobs play will be
seen at Sir Charles Tyndharn's New
Theater," which is available owing to
its proYrietor's coming visit to the
United States. Another Of the more
promising ming productions is
James Clarence Fagan's Prayer of the
Sword" with which Csc T Asche. who
was seen in America in Iris" is to
make his stellar debut"
II was rather surprising to hear from
one Of the best known music hall man
ayers in London that a good many of
the halls" have their regular custom
ers almost as much as a tailor's shop
or a restaurant. Some Of these patrons
rurn UP night after night, and in some
cases these nightly visits are kept I'D
for several years. This manager. said
that among his clientele there are a
couple of stock brokers who in five
years have been absent from the even
ing performance on only twenty-seven
occasions exclusive Of Sundays.