The daily sentinel., 1910-02-08

throughout the world have had
much TO say concerning the lat
est sensation of the stage world,
Rostand's "Chanticleer," the
most unique production ever pre-
sented on the stage. No human
Characters appear in the caste.
The dramatis personae are fowls,
birds and animals and as they
are necessarily as large ms men
ana women, who enact the parts,
everything which appears on the
stage Is upon corresponding
scale.
Grand junction has n great army
OF amusement lovers and students of
the stage and the story of this mar
velous production, here published
locally for the first time by The Sem
tinel will doubtless be widely read
Sunday night the dress rehearsal of
Chanticleer" was presented in Paris
IN the presence of a remarkable audi
ence comprising the elite of the liter
ary, artistic and dramatic world Of
Paris. The production was most en-
Enthusiastically received The piece is
wonderfully staged
Chanticleer, the hero, (Guitrey) ia
filled with illusions about his place
in the world. He imagines he is mas
ter or the sun; that the sun arises at
the end of the night because Chan
ticleer has awakened and crowed.
The play dispels this allusion in the
heart of Chanticleer alone.
The first act opens with the sun
rising on a barnyard. A mountain
GUS manure pile is on one side of the
stage. A fence, which seems i'm
mense. because 1t is in proportion.
separates the yard from a road be-
yond which is a forest background.
TO the right a wooden shoe, forgotten
by the farmers wife. is of the size
1t would appear to the chicken, and
nearby chair completes the scale
illusion. its legs, which alone are
seen, being eight yards high.
In the center of the stage, with his
companions of the barnyard grouped
around him, Chanticleer halls the
sun, whose first rays gild the scene,
In hymn full of the poets lyric
magnificence. On the manure pile
perches the blackbird (Gallipaux)
Jealous of the cock, and breaking
into his noble sentiments with Jokes
and puns after the manner of Cyrane.
The dog (Jean Coquelin) is the droll
moralizer of the piece. Chanticleer
falls In love with a beautiful hen
pheasant (Simonne), who is wooed
by fighting cock.
The second act is the scenic gem
Of the piece. showing the upper
branches of blasted pine In the
heart of forest, the human-sized
birds perched in the branches. The
owl calls the roll for the birds of the
night; each as his name is called
answering and opening two luminous
eyes. which shine in the semi-obscur-
ity OF the stage. green, yellow or
blood red. These birds declaim the
hymn OF the night, and afterward
conspire together to rid themselves
OF their arch-enemy, Chanticleer.
With him gone they believe the sun
ilght Will be forever quenched and
they will be masters forevermore.
In the third act Chanticleer learns
of the conspiracy of the night birds
and fights duel with his false
friend. the game cock. killing him
despite his steel gaffs and redoubta-
BILE skill
This is the beginning of the end of
Chanticleer. The treachery of his
friend poisons his optimism. The
hen pheasant, the prize of the COM
bat. offers the consolation OF her love
in fine outburst, and then draws
his head under her wing and bids
him Sleep
When the fourth and last act opens
Chanticleer, wooed by love, has slept
so long that the sun has risen with
out him.
And l have not crowed," he cries.
The dream of his life, all his belief
in hiQ wnnd c.
he was not the ruler of the sun. All
the tenderness of the hen pheasant
can not bring back the lost Illusion.
His hens do not know it. The birds
of the night still believe In him. He
has his followers and his enemies as
before. The sun still rises when he,
Chanticleer, crows. If the dogs doubt,
he is silent. But the iron that has
entered his soul is the death of the
glorious Chanticleer.
Restand. in an interview, explains
the history of his conception of Chan
tieleer.
I'm 1901" said he, while taking
walk in the outskirts of Cambo, l
was passing a humble farm when |
suddenly stopped before the barn
yard. 1t was just an ordinary barn
yard, containing the usual pigeon
loft. wire nettings, manure pile, and
within, the animals, hens, ducks,
geese, turkeys. cat asleep. a dog
wandering about; in brief, a very
common spectacle.
} II watched with keen interest,
when suddenly in stalked the cock.
He entered proudly, boldly, like
ruler, with disdap In his eye and
certain rhythmic movement of his
head that produced the irresistible
impression of hero. He advanced
like buccaneer; like a man in quest
Of adventure; king among his SUBJ
iects. In flash / saw in this spec
tacle play. l returned to the barn
yard many times and rapidly the
framework of the play was construct
ed in my mind"