Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-02
an Rostans Greatest Work. Laid Bare by Correspondent

on the bluest jay or the whitest dove"
tie audience will SILVER.
There is worse than this. Nine
Simonne lie Barry (Casimir- Perier). who
is the Hen Pheasant, actually lays an egg
in full view of the audience, and 1t Is not
ridiculous.
Never were such costumes seen on the
stage since the time of the middle age
mystery plays. Every actor and actress
is costuned Ike bird or fowl. with
the exception of the Dog and the Cat one
act passes on q roof, where Only the
upper half of the actors bodies are Wis
lille: and 1t is not ridiculous. / do not
ask YOU to take my word for the miracIe
by which such apparent lmpossibihties
become beautiful. Remember, simply,
Couuelin learned his role with delight;
that Guitry accepted it with enthusiasm;
that she who is now Mime. Casimir-Pefler
is considered the luckiest of actresses to
create the Hen Pheasant.
"Chantcler" is great symbolic poem
displayed in magnificent scenery OF abso-
lutte novelty. Only Rostand could dare
imagine such scenery. Listen All the
scenery is in proportion to the Size OF
the characters: and the characters are
animals of the size of men. Therefore,
wooden shoe forgotten in the barnyard by
the farmers wife is as big as an ordinary
doghouSe and the doghouse itself Is hlsn-
er than a mans head. This barnyard Is
the settin. of the first act and 1t is seen
from below at the level of the ground
A gigantic fence bordering a forest and
a corner of the highway form the back
of the scene.
In the center, surrounded BY the admir-
ing barnyard fowls, the Cock IN
Guitry) salutes the rising sun In mag
ni.icent and solemn hymn:
Salut. Force vigeur. Salut! Immensite.
ru dechires du ciel les obscurantes toiles
II, lid mil or
Et forsquc tn parais a horizon. Soieil. .,,
Venus GoIt s'assomhrir sous ton orient Sernei.
fsalu,e. Force and Visor. Salute. immensely!
Thou tearest from heaven the obscurinS webs
Where hang the Moon and the thousands OF stars.
And when thou appearest on the horizon. sun
Venus must fade under thy golden orlentJ
cThere are nearly fifty lines Of this
sublime tirade.)
More than considerable time and labor
would be necessary to give an idea of the
magnificent flow of these French verses
1t would require genius. which l do not
possess, to make you hear the eloquent
diction of Guitry informing.
BEST son of gold that gives US light.
This first act shows the family life Of
the barnyard, over which the Cock reigns
grandly and Justly. I'crcLed on the noun
famous sunl't manure pile, the Blackoird
M Galipaux) scolds and criticiseS
every. one and everything. a saucy and
Jealous blackbird. mocking, malicious.
witty. He is jealous of the Cock and in
sidfously tries 10 Stir up a revolution.
Whe1l he asks the Capon. perfidiOusly, II
he likes the Cock, the Capon answers Bit
terly enough
II do not like the Cock, But this is
not material Tor a revolution. In the end
the Blackbird gives hateful tip to the
bad birds OF the night. AS all the fowls
and birds know. it is the cock who, crow
ing every morning, makes the sun rise
The proof is, that when in winter the
cock wishes to sleep later he does not
crow until o'clock in the morning-and
the sun does not rise until the cock crows.
In the beautiful warm summer time. on
the contrary, when the cock awakes at )
M he crows-and the sun rises
X
The second act or "Chaptcler is very
short. The stage is very dark. 1t is the
extraordinary scene already mentioned.
Among the upper branches of a blasted
pine of the forest vague and vast bird
forms turn mysteriously in the branches.
Suddenly the Owl (M. DorivaD be-
gins the roll call of the birds of prey. As
each answers to his name he opens two
great round. luminous eyes that make
green, yellow or blood-red spots in the
darkness. Then in his resonant, grave
voice, NJ. DOrival intones the first
strophe of the terrible hymn to the
night. Another bird of prey, the Grand
Due On. Pierre Magnier), In hoarse