The New York herald., 1922-04-30

WHICH OdTdu beTQ0dTQL IOuuQ sue
cess. Indeed victorien Sardou wrote
them for her. Both Ghismondd and
Cleopatra, which Miss Garden en-
bodied with the aid OF music, are
figures in the Sardou gallery de-
signed to show the genius of Nine.
aBernhardt.
Miss Garden, however, had the as
sistance Of an orchestra and chorus
to help her impart the full impress
sion Of these plays, which were called
operate even when the Divine Sarah
first acted them. In Maeterlinck's
''Monna Wanna" Miss Garden also
tmpersonated a notable dramatic
character. Undeniably every one Of
these dramas ia made vastly more
acceptable by the music which ac-
companies them.
Then both Miss Farrar and Miss
Garden have acted and sung Toscd.
1t Is doubtful If the Sardou repertoire.
however, could be restored to favor
to-day by the most popular players.
Marie Lohr's attempt with Fedora"
proved what a task would fall to any
pulmotor who sought to breathe the
breath of life into that work again.
Miss Garden has indicated no inten-
ton OF retiring even for short time
from the operatic stage.
Doubtless there will be no difficulty
In finding further means Of exploiting
these popular personalities when the
time comes. Miss Farrar In all her
twenty years of opera never ap-
preached a character without adding
% Il from her own talents as an
actress some individual note however
stale and hackneyed the role might
be. There is no reason to believe that
she viii have any moro difficulty in
Frightening any dramatic character
she may undertake in just the same
manner Then what a tower Of
strength she win have In David
Belascoi
The Tnsistent French Theater.
Another effort to maintain a French
theater In New York calls attention to
the sincerity OF thisspore or less con-
etant struggle which has never yet
met with any promise OF success. Yet
the scheme has been in the metropoli-
tan air for years. The Fourteenth
Street Theater years ago was built for
this purpose.
Half a century ago the bee had
begun to buzz in some theater mana
gers bonnet. Years later Charles
Frohman discussed the scheme seri-
ously. Then there were the futile
efforts OF the late Lucien Bonheur,
which finally found more or less per-
manent home in the Garrick Theater.
Last Tuesday night new enterprise
started up the same effort. II M.
Chauten's players meet with encour-
agement they will return next season
for longer stay.
None was ever 80 dignified nor ar
tistic as the Theater of Old Dovecote.
which jacques Copeau tried to transfer
from Paris to West Thirty-fifth street.
His scheme was somewhat too revolu-
tionary for strange country. His
ideas had not even found general ac-
ceptance in Paris. A missionary thea
ter ought to be more academic In char
acter. The experiment cost a fortune
and M. Copeau, once the war was over,
took his actors back to France. Then
came brief and more or less unam-
bilious effort In the Belmont Theater
which is the scene Of the latest expert
nent In this same desirable direction.
Time, as the villains used to say when
there were villainies in plays, time
aone can tell how the experiment will
torn out
There Is nothing revolutionary about
this direction, to judge from the safety
Of selecting a play by Bernstein for
the opening. The question OF roper
tcirs Is always one OF the most per-
picking to a director OF foreign
theater here.
The French stage has been drawn
on with unusual generosity by New
York managers this year. Sacha
Guitry Andre Picard. Alfred Savoir
and other new writer's have come to
the front there who seem able to sup
ply the kind OF dramas that the Ameri-
can public will take an interest In.