The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-22
sEL.AMI' PRESENTED
BY FRENCH PLAYERS
mania Society Completes First
Season at Century 10
Large Audience.
eoOp RECORD Is MADE
younr organization Produces
Ten Plays During
the Year.
COOP RECORD Is MADE
.u,,.Ami"-At the Ceutssvy :.

,,o French Drama Society completed
T.. srst season last night at the Century
,,.,,r. with a performance OF Fernand
y.,,s,,ss adaptation OF Guy de Maui
.'s.,rts very French work Reliant"
~. same play was heard by large
audience a, the matinee.
w. list Of plays acted by the troupe
a, The Harris and Garrick theatres where
- Rulsseau" was given. shows industry
So the beginning Of the season this
s.,,n,ny has played In Vierge Folle," by
Hsnry Bataile lie PEASANT" by Francois
r.,nse Ia Rafale" and lie Voleur."
\, Henri Bernstein "Britannicus." by RAJ
I've. "lc Baiser." by Theodore de Ban
An ia Gloconda." by Gabrielle d An
.~-,,o for some unknown reason; 'Le
Mar Amoureux de "a Femme" by Giocosa,
,no,her enigma. and Pierre VOLTS lie
nl'seau.
This A good record for such a young
sanitation. So 1t is not surprising to
,,ad the announcement that the books
A.. omen for next year The society
,.ms 10 have found a public and there
.,,la he no better way OF introducing the
works Of French playwrights to this coun-
\ ~, than through performances in their
wignal tongue
PreIfr ttayb IN HESuVhs
There are few French works Of the
,..sen, day 10 appeal to New York audi
aces Those who are at all interested
n he present flower Of the French stage
v,.pr 10 isarn the plays in French. There
n no public for them in translation. Oc-
-s,onally a work OF universal interest
smes along and travels as far as the
French plays Of an earlier day used to
Zee n
-ses are rare but there Is at present in
a, city public large enough to support
rcssional performances OF these plays
. their original tongue.
Certainly IL Is work Of artistic
sarl,y 10 put "Bel-Ami'' before this
NNc. It's vogue in Paris In not easy
y understand Only a short time ago II
", revived with certain success
yctieres has transferred certain scenes
ron the novel to the stage, but he has
,a animated them with the spirit OF this
,srer medium The journalistic adven-
mrer. who found that the quickest road to
Evsncement was through womens hearts.
. shown surrounded by his various vic
TINS and al last winning the girl whose
-o,her had also lost her heart to him.
ne aiapter forebore putting the news
paper scenes on the stage. They would
have been too much for the gravity OF
A. American audience.
Wide Dinere nee In MOraIities.
The ethics Of the play are further
away from our synpathies than the
story put them. for the realization of the
sgufss before the eyes OF the spectators
emphasizes the remoteness OF our own
civilization from such a society as the
pSy-ani the novel-reveals. Possibly
TIE morals and emotions OF these women
rd this man--his sweethearts are con-
ras,ly buzzng about him in every scene
-s,-r7---s~-~S-,aih Than. tbs. .hAbit. of 4
ayage trib. in central Africa: but GER
nny not a great deal. SO II Is to the
recisl audience that can understand
Preach that such play should be acted.
td that Is the good work the French
Drama Society has been doing this
winter
jose Ruben was natural and as ire
rstlo.e, "a the author made him. ar the
vpotunst who found capital In every
wman that loved him. Mime. forska
Mayed the too loving wife--It WAS, Of
~urse, another than her husband she
lcsd-with her usual intensity. She and
Ruben were the most distinguished
features II the performance, although
Nne. F0vleri with commendable enter
wise sought to bridge the years between
the first hearing OF "Bel-Ami'' and to-day
means ~ purple wig. Whether she
accomplished so much or not. the wig
vas becoming,