Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-02-22

" O.NOON Etbs ~ 80 - -
late. II has become quite the
fashion for theatrical manage
ments TO invite playgoers to re-
cord their opinions ON different sub
jects by means of the ballot. M Gem
Ter, the astute actor-manager of the
Theater Antoine, started this practise
by asking his patrons how they should
like him to make up" as Sherlock
Holmes and the almost universal YER
| diet was that the great detective should
| be represented as his creator described
| him which. of course, was only COM
mon sense. Accordingly. NJ. Gemier
is as English in the part as IL is possi-
Bile for Frenchman to be, and even
carries realism so far as TO light his
pipe with British wax vestas instead OF
lucifers as made in France. Thanks.
perhaps. in part to this policy. the Gill
| lette drama. which has been changed
| only slightly for French use, is the
biggest of successes and promises TO
| crowd the Antoine until the robins nest
| again.
Meanwhile, patrons of the Paris
vaudeville" are about to be asked TO
| adjudicate ON the question, rs divorce
| a Failure?" which query is put by
Paul Bourget in his piece, I'm Dl-
vorce." at the playhouse mentioned.
! BEGINNING next Monday. every person
| in the audience will receive paper to
| be filed up and placed in ballot-box
| in the hall of the theater. This paper
| asks whether the voter favors % IN
! dissolublity of marriage (2) The status
quo. 49, Divorce by mutual agreement,
| (D Divorce by the wish of only one
| party, or (5) Free love.
In Bourgeois play (Which IS, of course
n decentralization of his novel; three OF
the characters priest a grandmother
| IT. i,tt -ss-H IaIt crlA for MIA
lieve in the ndissolubility of marriage.
| The old ladys son, a free-thinking
doctor holds for divorce. The young
hero. who is the Doctors step-son' and
young doctress plump boldly FOR free
| love The dramatist Is obviously of the
first opinion. But at the repetition
| general" (Which corresponds to our
| first night performance the free lovers
| got rather more applause than the
| champions of marriages made In hea-
| ven or tho common sense doctor who
| does not think that marriage Is fail-
| ure on principle. but believes with
| few other people. that when a union is
| a distinct failure the best course all
| rounds Is to dissolve 1t. First nighterS,
| however, are inclined to judge play
| merely as a play and to applaud the
! best bits of play merely because
| they are the best. no matter what the
| purpose--at least that is the opinion of
| Nj. Bourget and the manager who stag
| es his piece. The general public may
| take a greater interest In the ''pur-
| pose" and delight in recording votes
| This the ballot-box will show. and the
| verdict will be almost ms interesting as
! that regarding the personal appearance
of Sherlock Holmes.
>
A sojourner in Paris last week. saw
| the Bourget piece (Which Is not for
! Anglo-Saxon audiences) and also a new
| comedy at the Gymnase that Is to ne
| done into English, though whether ~
will duplicate the success of MY WIFE
and Her Father"-biggest of hlts AT
| the London Haymarket--is another
| matter, Paris. however. has given
| warm welcome to THE Happiness OF
| Jacauelin" and II may prove as sue
| cessful when adapted as The Marriage
| of Kitty" and THE Freedom of SUI
! zanne." which it's title calls TO mind
| n would suit Forbes Robertson, for eN-
| ample. In case the lptter's new piece
| by Henry James fails to score or any
| American actor whose long SUI Is
! disinterested devotion.
| The real hero of the Gymnase play
| (whose author Is NJ. GavaulD Is Fer
! nand RaVehals, who watches over me
| Happiness Of Jacquelin' though TO
| rather small purpose. He Is 80 ana
| looks 80, and in the beginning we ma
! Jacauelin engaged 10 him, but she soon
| transfers her affection To henil Llb-
| nieres who is younger and Vastly pel-
| ter looking As q matter OF fact. tho
Girl has engaged herself to Fernand
| fwhose family have adopted herr large
IN because he asked her to- ana she
now asks II he would be very inuch
hurt at renounclng the idea that tney
should mnrry Fernand, who rs a noble
creature, with a tendency TO priggish-
ness snys mo which is not true, OF
course, but little Jacquelin believes him
and runs along 10 the other man. here
the curtain OF the first act leaves us
The DISTINGUISHED watcher over
Iacqueln's happiness soon enough has
matter TO occupy him The latter's
young husband. proves to be phllan-
derer. ana his doings are revealed by a
character who h rather q novelty In
stage types. This Va always finding seam
list, sort OF authentic Miss Robinson
OF DruCo fame I'm the person of one
pointllon He rs always finding seam
DIAL "a H. pat down Ia his diary, ana |
the worst OF II IA that he has deserved
reputation Tor accuracy. Through !
Polntlllon Jocquolln learns thar her
husband and an American widow arc
carrying on a violent hirtntion-lt not |
worse-at Tiny seaside resort, and the !
young wiGs Is broken hearted at the
discovery. II Is an occasion for Fer
nand, ana he plays the part of COM
forter, again speaking noble untruths
with the best intentions. The husband
Is not unfaithful he says, merely busy
about Jacquellns money-anairs. He
even declares that the lady In question
Is his own AFFAIR and undertakes 10
fight a duel with third man who also
claims hrlh call on the widows affec-
tions (Here as al other points In The
piece. the adapter into English VIII
have his dlitcultles)
Ia the third and last act Jacquelin
"A. . lao. faI
that Fernand has erected in honor OF
her happiness comes tumbling Ia the
ground After a scene with her hus-
band--who tells her not 10 be "a SHY
little bourgeoise; they do that sort OF
thing la his world-she leaves MN.