New-York tribune., 1905-01-05
REPENTANT STAGE WIVES
Three Plays an Paris of Mach the
Same Motif.
Paris. Deoemher ~

ans December 20.
BY Henry Bernstein produced with ,o,s,so-. ~.
success this week at the Gymnase Theatre .. =
fresh example or the saying of Emile Angler
that subjects OF plays seem 10 float in the a,-
Ike blue butterflies. and that scancel- /. a.
atrical season passes without the same theme
being simultaneously put upon the stage vi,b,,
The last two months three leading dramatts,s
have been haunted with the same idea-tha. or
s young wife oeserting her husband and child
(Act No. ID, becoming dissatisfied with the arts
fcial glitter and emptiness OF existence With
her tempter (Act No. y, and final return n the
coniugal home CAct No. 81. Such is the subiect
os Brieuxs play. La Deserteuse' at The
Odeon; OF Henry Bataille's Mama Colibri.p AZ
the Vaudeville. and OF Henry Bernstein's lie
Fercail" at the Gymnase
These three plays. however. each have a diff
fe-ent ending. AT the Odeon the repentant wife
ands her place taken by a young governess
who has won the love OF her former husband
and gained the affection OF her child. At the
vaudeville the erring spouse comes home to find
that she has altogether lost her place in her
husbands heart, and renstates herself as a
grandmother TO her sons offspring At the
Gymnase the guilty and divorced woman re-
turns steelthily by night-it is Christmas Eve
10 the bedside OF her little son. where she is dis
covered by her former husband, who finally par
dons her when she throws herself at his knees
and innplores forgiveness.
lie Bercail" has made a great hit with Part-
sian women who are VIGOROUSLY fervent parti-
sans q conJugsl pardon. Eveline is the young.
pretty, sentimental wife OF Landry q somewhat
rude rough, matter-of-fact prosperous business
man. EveIine has a hankering for polished bo-
hem.anism and letters. The way IN which she
recltes passages from the Comtesse Matthew de
NoailIess latest book Of poems shows that she
has theatrical talent She is misunderstood by
her husband and by her spiteful narrow mind
ed slster-in-Iaw. She finds sympathy with a
clever. fashionable novel writer, Jacques
Foucher. Landry SCENTS the danger. Eveline is
4 sort OF up-to-daTA Nine. Bovary. Her parents
died during her childhood. Brought up in the
sustere town Of Lille by g stern uncle. she
passed her time devouring the contents OF the
library reading all kinos OF books good, bad
and Indifferent. In her eighteenth year she
was married. marriage OF ''convenance"-to
Etieune Landry A son was born Nevertheless,
ennui and unoongeniality supplied the keynOtes
of ths married existence.
With the life IN Paris, where1Jacqu Foucher
became each day more assiduous and attractive,
the romantic side Of Eveline's character rapidly
develops. IN a straightforward, powerful scene
Landry, IN honest, manly way, told Jacques
FoUcher that he must no longer visit his house.
Jacques goes. but before doing so he found an
occasion 10 say steaIthily TO Eveline:
i leave Paris tonight Come and meet me at
the railway station. where I shall await you"
The husband and wife meet in the library It
IS the great situation in the play. Eveline re-
proaches her husband with want Of confidence.
lack Of respect and with insulting her friend"
She asks Landry 10 make excuses ID jacques
and call him back Landry tries 10 appease
her. and apprises her Of the peril He wishes TO
take her away from Paris 10 live al Lyons with
his mother and sister. Eveline al the prospect
q leading such q provincial life becomes furi-
Gus. She overwhelrns Landry by finging in his
face her feelings Of hatred horror and disgust,
Eveline Up 10 this point has remained faithful
70 her husband Landry eKcIairns: Il insist
upon your being pure and respectable according
10 ny own notions. We must leave Paris to-
morrow morning. Eveline replies: Don't
count upon me TO accompany you!". Then the
conversation is as foIlows:
Landry-I am your husband and you must
E5vellne-I VIII not follow you 70 Lyons,
Landry-You viii follow me TO Lyons volun-
tsrily cr else by main force!
ETeline-NeVeri
L.andry-TaIk and rave as much as you
please. you viii sleep in Lyons tomorrow night!
Eveiiue-Never!
Landry-You can repeat that word ten thou
Egnd times. When the crisis is over, you will
e upstairssRnd pack your trunk, for We start
tO-UOrrDW morning.
Evelue-Neveri neyeri neVeri
Landry Geaving the room, with hat and over
coat in hand)-We shall seei
Nine lie Bargy. who plays the part Of Eve
line, Is q superb tragedian, and throws a fero-
ciOus. tigerlike energy into the character Eve
lire quits her home. and in the second act we
find her living in sumptuous Partisan apart
meHt which she has shared with Jacques for
four years Polished bohernianism begins to
pan upon Eveline. especially when one Of
5acquess concert hail guests a certain Mile.
Loui Of the Folies-Bergere. makes disparaging
lskes about the photograph Of lie petit
Georges" Evelines son. So when see Eve
line twisting about like viper and shaking her
blond tresses we know that she IS about 10
put Jacques. just as she deserted her husband
landry. Eveline becomes an actress. She plays
e. Lyons. where she learns that her son George
Is H. She aYTanges with the nurse TO visit her
sons bedside She Is there discovered by Lam
dry. After complicated psychological vacilia-
lions and emotions, Landry and the divorced
Evelue become reconciled. for, when Eveline is
Ebout 10 depart, Landry eXclaims "Restez"
CRemaiul'). And she does so.
"Le BercaiT" is superbly acted by Nine. lie
Bsrgy. by Tarride as Landry and by Grand as
the literary admirer. jacques Foucher- The first
act is simple. logical and powerful-perhaps the
anest bit OF dramatic writing produced this sea
son. The second act IS somewhat commonplace
The third act is feeble. but with sentimental
oenouemeut that captivates the women IN the
audience rather more than Il does the men
g I B.
DEAD NFW YEARS MORN.