The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-07
DRESS REHEARSAL
Of CHANTECELEER
Artistic and Dramatic World of
Europe Attends the Open
ing Performance.
PIECE VOTED A SUCCESS
RASTAND SAID TO HAVE SUR
PASSED EVEN "cYRANo."

Paris, Feb. 6.-The dress rehearsal OF
Edmund Rostands "Chanteceleer," at
the Porte St. Partin theatre tonight, III
the presence of a remarkable audience,
comprising the elite of the literary, ar
tistic and dramatic world of Paris, as
well as other European capitals, was
an artistic success of the first magni-
tude, the exquisite verse being up to the
finest traditions of ROstand's poetic
genius.
The brilIiancy of the first act, which
was preceded by a charming prologue, de-
liVered by Jean COQuelin, preparing the
fairly set the theatre mad with enthuSi-
asm. But the second and third acts,
which were somewhat tedious, were less
faVOrably received,
In the last act, however, enthusiasm
was revived to the boiling point. There
were five calls after the curtain fell, but
NJ. ROstand himself did not appear NJ.
Ouitry who took the part Of Chanteceleer,
stepped before the curtain and simply eX-
pressed his thanks.
Thrilling Plot.
The piece was wonderfully staged and
the plot thrilling. NJ. Guitry, Nine Hl5
SimOnne LeBargy, the hen pheasant; Gal
lipauX, the blackbird, and COquelin, the
dog, carried off the hOnOrs.
The secret of the many delays incident
TO the presentation of the play is now
explained by the changes made at the
end of the play The hen pheasant, after
Vainty trying to induce ChanteCeleer,
whom she has enticed to the forest, to
prOlOng the night thirty-siX hours in their
nuptials, betrays him, and he returns to
the baTnyaTd to his faithful hens.
The critics generally consider that the
brillianCy of the verse suTpasSes even
"CyranO,' if that be possible; but the ar
tistic note struck is so high that they
dO71bt b-t Da1- ma MAY will ha a nGDulap
success after curiosity has worn off.
1t is rUmored that NJ. ROstand himself
will play the role Of Chanteceleer at the
benefit to be given for the flood suf-
feTers.
Unique Production.
Rostand's Chanteceleer probably is the
most unique production ever presented on
the stage. No human character appears
in the cast The dTamatis perSOnae are
fowls, birds and animals, and, as they
are necessarily as large as the men ana
women who enact the parts, everything
which appears upon the stage is upon
cores spending scale.
Chanteceleer, the hero (Guitry), is filled
with illusions about his place in the
world He imagines he is master Of the
sun; that the sun rises at the end Of
night because ChanteCeleer has awakened
and crowed. The plan dispels this illu-
sion in the heart of Chanteceleer alone.
The first act opens with the sun r1s-
ing on a baTnyard. A mountainous man
Ure pile is on one side of the stage. a
fence, which seems immense, because it is
in proportion, separates the yard from
road beyond which Is a forest back
ground. To the right a wooden shoe,
forgotten by the farmers wife, Is OF the
size 1t would appear to the chicken, ana
a chair completes the scale illusion, its
legs, which alone are seen, being eight
yards high
Halls the Sun.
In the center Of the stage with his
Of the barnyard grouped
around him, Chanteceleer halls the sun,
whose first rays gid the scene, in
ny mn full Of the pOets lyric magnltlcence.
On the manure pile perches the blackDlrd
(Gallipaux), jealous of the cock and
jibes and puns after the manner OF Cy-
ranO. The dog Jean Coquelin) is the
dToll moralizer of the piece.
Chanteceleer falls in love with beau
tiful pheasant (SimOnne), who is WOOed
by a fighting cock.
The second act is the scenic gem of the
piece, showing the upper branches OF
blasted pine in the heart of a forest, the
birds perched in the
branches. The owl calls the roll of the
birds Of the night; each, as his name is
called, answering and opening two lumi-
nous eyes, which shine in the semi-oD-
security of the stage, green, yellow or
blood red. These birds d1sclaim the hymn
Of the night and afterwarG cOnspiTe to-
gether to rid themselves of their arch
enemy, ChanteceleeT. With him gone,
they believe the sunlight will be forever
Iuenched and they will be masters for
5vermOre,
5arnyard Duel.
In the third act Chanteceleer learns of
the conspiracy of the night birds and
lights a duel with his false friend, the
game cock, killing him. despite his steel
5affs and redOubtable skill.
This is the beginning Of the end for
-hanteCeleeT. The treachery of his
friend pOisOns his optimism. The hen
pheasant, the prize of the combat offers
he consolation of her love in fine out
BURST and then draws his head under her
wing and bids him sleep
When the fourth and last act opens,
Jhanteceleer, wOOed by love, has slept
aim.
And have not crowed," he cries.
The dream of his life, all his belief in
his wOndrOUs power crumbles. So he
vas not the ruler of the sun. All the
endeTness of the hen pheasant cannot
)ring back the lost illusion. His hens
10 not know it. The birds of the night
still believe in him. He has followers
md his enemies as before. The sun still
Uses when he, Chanteceleer, crows. If
he dog doubts, he is silent. But the iron
hat has entered his soul is the death Of
he glorious ChanteceleeT.
Conception of the Author.
Rostand, in an interview, explains the
story of his conception of Chanteceleer:
In 1901" he said, while taking a walk
n the outskirts of CambO. / was pass
ng a humble farm when suddenly
topped before the barnyard. 1t was just
n ordinary barnyard containing the usual
pigeon loft, wire nettings, manure pile,
md within, the animals, hens, ducks,
,uinea fowl, geese, turkeys, a cat asleep,