The New York herald., 1922-07-23
SubtitIed Farce
Starts Contests
in French Capital
Prizes for New Names on Mas
terpieces Revive Old Style
of Humor.

wv and all that is interesting in
Partisan society packing its
bags for Deauville and other Channel
resorts. the Paris theater season has
come to an end. With the exception
of a few local theaters, mainly devo+ed
to more or less risque limitations of
comic opera or blood and thunder
melodrama- and the State sullivan
TONED houses with their unchanginp
repertoire, the capital has entered upon
its annual dead" period and amuse-
nent Tor the next three months viii
be found in a haphazard fashion.
The pig actors and actresses. ~
course. spend their vacations with
friends at seaside or mountain resorts
but the bulk of the panies ava
transformed into one night stand or
carnations touring the provinces and
Stopping Tor a week end at one of the,
resorts
Before the war many Of the tbeatars
remained open throughout the summer
months. but the better class of ponuIar
houses have discovered that this does
not pay-the farmer and his family who
come TO Paris TO be shocked by the citv's
ways while real Parisans are seeking
cooler spots do not care for The hirb
priced houses and are quite satisfied
with what the cinemas. district thea ters
and an occasional melodrarna. can offer
tnem Hence the American coming 70
Paris this summer will find such houses
as the Champs Elysees, Theatre de
Paris, Sarah Bernhardt, the Capucines.
Eoouard VII, Chatelet Potiniera, Ma
tf'urins. Apollo and dozen others have
fnr
sign.
The opening of the summer season
In the smaller theaters, however. has
Drought out something new--or rather
a revival OF something very old dating
back to the very beginnings of theatr,-
calism. This is the use Of subtitles. Az
the Theatre des Nouveautes a three act
vaudeville Is being presented, and is
called The Sleeping Woman; or The
Gallant Perfumer" Not for two GEN
erations have French playwrights re-
vertcd TO this style of title. and If con-
tinued 1t will no doubt offer much
amusement
Already some OF the French journals
are offering premiums for suitable
subtitles for such masterpieces as
DAEnunzio's The Martyrdom Of st. Sc
bastien' and Romeo and Juliet" with
the result that these perfectly respectal
BILE numbers of the Operas repertoire
are being subjected to unusual ridicule
by the contestants. The idea, however,
must be admitted as having it's advan-
tagcs. especially in France. where titles
frequently seem meaningless and GER
ta;nly not supported by the theme of
the plays themselves; with subtitle it
will be possible to satisfy both the whirn
OF the author and the public's demand
to know what is being offered It,
As to THE Sleeping Woman. it must
be said that 1t Is essentially Parisian
and very vaudevillian. The gallant
perfumer invites the wife Of his closest
friend to his bachelor apartment to try
come of his latest perfumes, and during
the visit. which gives full play to the
plot "d'amour," which Is supposed to
represent the French idea of summer
lightnees. she accidentally dips her hat
pin into a bottle containing a substance
which paralyzes should it touch the
human body.
The end can be guessed-almost--fo
Simone CHATS the lady's name) sits on
the pin accidentally and is unable for
hours to leave the divan upon which
she has reclined. Then comes the out
ragged husband, not knowing that his
Simone Is there, and having made a
rendezvous wit hanother woman in his
lfleIu = apartment Alter 1nuCI DuT-
lesque humor trying to conceal the par
TALLY nude and paralyzed wife. all rights
itself by the perfumer abandoning his
affection for the wife and consoling HIM
self with his friends mistress. AS
double triangle" play 1t is amusir
enough, but hardly likely to induce COM
fort on a hot summers evening.
New Plays Coming.
While the theaters are closed. finish
ing touches are being put to a number
of new plays, according to gossip in
the haunts of French stage folk. NJ
Brieux of Madame Y" fame is said to
be preparing startling problem play.
The Lawyer" for next season. No
hints are given as to it's trend, but the
name smacks of the Madame Y" theme
and probably the social evils will not be
overlooked. 1t Is to be played at the
Vaudeville.
1t is also said that Maurice Donnay.
who recently visited the United States
as a missionary for the French Academy
during the Moliere celebrations is about
to retouch play started before the war
called "The Defense" and throwing the
limelight on some of the social problems
of the day. Donnay himself has refused
to confirm this rumor. but 1t is per-
tion that the problem play has not yet
started to wane.
Preparations are we'll under way for
the annual French ballet" season at the
Opera. The performances start next
week but will not reach their height of
popularity or excellence until the end
OF the month. Claude Debussy's Petite
Suite" Is to be one of the headline num-
bers, with "Artemis Troublee." Sylvia"
La Peri" and La Chasse Royale' dis
putting it's honors. Madame Ida Ruben
stein has agreed to dance throughout the
ballet season in "Artemus." while Leo
Stats. after revising La Peri" himself.
will dance II with Mile. Juliette Bourgat.
Other favorites on che July program are
La Maladetta. Ia Tragedie de Salome"
and "Frivolant"
In closing, some mention must he
made of the arrival here Cat the Gate
Lyrique) of French translation of SUIT
ton vane's THE Span OF Life" II had
2. 500 performances to Its credit In Lon
don. but in Paris 1t seemed doomed TO
be added to the long list of plays killed
by temperamental differences of the two
peoples. AS one critic remarked this
week. "the more 1t tries to be dramatic,
the more hilarious does II make French
audience"
La Comoedid. the leading French the
atrical newspaper, commenting upon the
Paris, reception accorded vane's clever
spectacle. lauds the curiosity which
tempted the French audiences to stay
through the twelve tableaux but found
the dialogue monotonous and the Eng
lish idea OF scene effects, upon which the
piece relies largely extremely poor.