CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY THIS BOOK IS ONE OF A COLLECTION MADE BY BENNO LOEWY 1854-1919 AND BEQUEATHED TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924105349439 TJIE THEATRES OF PARIS. Paris. — Printed by E. Biiieiu;, rue S,iiiite-Anne, Xi ^ THE THEATRES PARIS, BY CHARLES HERVEY. ILLUSTRATED WITH OBIGINAL PORTRAITS Eminent Living Actresses BY ALEXANDRE LACAUCHIE. PARIS, GALIGNANI AND Co, 18, rue viviemne. LONDON, JOHN MITCHELL, 32, Old Bond Stbef.t. 1846. , f, I. M I- I i_ PREFACE. The following pages are offered to the public in the hope that (in the absence of any more important and complete book on the same subject) they may be accepted as an imperfect attempt to describe the present state of the drama in Paris. In the prefatory notices of the different theatres, the writer has largely availed himself of the valuable works of Brazier and Hip- polyte Lucas, and has gleaned no inconsiderable store of anecdote from the amusing pages of les Petits Mysteres de V Opera ^ and les Mysteres des Theatres de Paris. Many of the biographies now appear in print for the first time, and the authenticity of almost all has been guaranteed by the artistes themselves : in no instance, however, have critical remarks on any living performer been borrowed without acknowledgement from other works ; the opinions given, whether favourable or unfavourable, being (unless the contrary be expressly stated) in every case original. In returning thanks to the numerous artistes who have assisted him in his labours, the author feels that where all have been equally courteous, it would be invidious and unjust to particularize any : he cannot, nevertheless, refrain from publicly expressing his gratitude to his excellent friend, M. Regnier, of the Comedie Frangaise^ for having placed at his disposal a great variety of statistical and miscellaneous information, connected as well with his own as with the other Parisian theatres. CHAPTER I. * INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. In 1795, Paris possessed no less than fifty-one theatres : of these many were soon closed or demolished, only twenty-eight existing in 1807, in which year Napoleon issued a decree, limiting the number of scUles de spectacle in the capital to ten. At the present day there are twenty-two theatres in Paris, exclusive of those in the banlieue, viz. : Acad^mie Royale de Musique, Theatre-FranQais. Op^ra-Comique. Od^on. Italian Opera. Vaudeville. Vari^tes. Gymnase-Dramatique. Palais-Royal. Porte-Saint-Martin. Ambigu-Comique. Gait^. Girque-Olympique. Cirque des Champs-Elys^es. Th^atre-Montpensier. 2 Folies-Dramaliques. D61assemens-Comiques, Beaumarchais. ' Theatre de M. Comte. Luxembourg. Funambules. Petit-Lazari (1). The first four of these, which are distinguished from the rest by the title of royal theatres, are in part supported by the government, a yearly sum of 1,160,000, francs being apportioned between them as follows. To the Acad^mie Royale. . 620,000 frs. — Th^atre-Franqais. . 200,000 . — Op^ra - Comique. . 240,000 . — Odeon 100,000 . Total. . . 1,160,000 frs. Exclusiveof a farther sum of 24,200 francs, about half^of which is devoted to the payment of the salaries of M. Edouard Monnais and M. Buloz, the commissaires de surveillance attached, the first to the lyric theatres, and the second to the Th^atre-Franqais ; the remainder being set apart for the liquidation of sundry expenses connected with the administration of the four theatres above mentioned, and also with that of the Conservatoire (2). At the Academie Royale French operas and ballets are performed. At the Th^atre-Frangais and the Od^on, tragedy, comedy, and drama. CO Since the above was written, a license has been granted by the Minister of the Inte- rior to M. Adolphe Adam, the celebrated composer, for the establishment of a third lyric theatre. (2) The Consereawice of music and declamation is presided over by a director chosen by the Minister of the Interior, and placed under the surveillance of a special committee. The number of out-door pupils of both sexes attached to this establishment, all of whom Mre taught gratuitously, and by the best professors, exceeds five hundred. In addition to these, the Conservatoire also supports ten male pupils, whose studies are wholly confined to vocal music, and who are lodged, fed, and clothed gratuitously. The present director is M. Auber, the celebrated composer, and among the professors, as well vocal as dramatic, are MM. Ponchard, Bordogni, Dupre«, Michelot , Samson, Pro- vost, and Beauvallet, M»< Mars and M>>" Damoreau, 3 The titles of Op^ra^ComiqUe and Italian Opera sufficiently show the specialites of those two theatres. At the Vaudeville, Vari^t^s, and Gyftinase, short comedies, fai-ces, and occasionally dramas interspersed with couplets, are given. The pieces produced at the Palais-Royal are generally 6f a brokd and humorous nature, and have little in common with those performed at the dther vaudeville theatres. The repertoire of the Porte-Saint-Marlin is coHiposed of dralflas, vau- devilles, ballets and fairy spectacles. Those of the Ambigu and Gait6 comprise dramas, vaudevillfes, and fairy spectacles. At the CirqUe-Olympique equestrian spectacles as well as short vaudevilles are performed. Ihe Cirque in the Champs-Elys^es resembles the arena of Astley's, and is devoted to displays of horsemanship, and to feats bf strength and agility. The privilege granted to the Theatre Montpensier licenses the performance there of dramas, comedies, and lyric compositions. At the Folies-Draraatiques and D^lassemens-Gomiques, vaudevilles and farces are chiefly given. The Beaumarchais and the Luxembourg are equally entitled to play drama and vaudeville. At M. Comte's juvenile theatre vaudevilles and fairy spectacles are i)roduced. At the Funambules, short vaudevilles and pantomimes. And lastly, at the Petit-Lazari, the performances are generally con- fined to vaudevilles. The foregoing list does not include the Hippodrome, an arena for the display of horsemanship, built after the fashion of the Roman amphi- theatres, outside of the barrifere de I'Etoile ; nor the Th^atre-Stophin, in the Palais-Royal, an ingeniously contrived puppet-show. M. Phillippe, the celebrated conjuror, has also a small theatre on the Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle, and his no less clever rival, M. Robert Hou- din, assisted by his son, gives entertainments during the winter in the Palais-Royal. There are three private theatres in Paris, which may be hired for amateur performances : these are the Salle Chantereine, in the Rue de la Victoire ; the Th^atre-Chaptal, in the Rue Chaptal ; and the Ecole Lyrique, in the Rue de la Tour-d'Auvergne. The theatres of the ban'ieue, or suburbs immediately adjoining Paris, are six in number, and are situated outside the barriers of Montmartre, Mont-Parnasse, Belleville, Batignolles, and at Ranelagh and Grenelle. We subjoin a statement of the aggregate yearly receipts of the Pari- sian theatres, not including those of the bantieue, from 1814 to 1842 (1). NUMBEB NUMBER VEARS. Of THEATRES. RECEIPTS. YEARS. Of THEATRES. RECEIPTS 48<4 10 4,910,487 frs. 1828 13 6,289,053 frs. 4815 11 4,921,161 1829 13 6,316,321 18f6 11 4,921,329 1830 13 5,761,036 isn 11 5,090,937 1831 16 4,769,893 1818 11 3,171,280 1832 16 4,228,038 1819 11 3,426,197 1833 17 6,161,435 1820 12 4,950,431 1834 16 6,397,517 1821 13 6,103,348 18.i3 17 6,633,993 1822 13 6,189,648 1836 17 7,272,511 1823 13 6,018,424 1837 17 7,398,913 1824 12 6,333,653 1838 19 7,806,379 1825 12 6,688,889 1839 19 8,541,518 1826 12 6,106,731 1840 19 7,818,038 1827 13 6,267,691 1841 19 8,629,177 1042 19 8,430,770 We shall now proceed to notice the different theatres separately, commencing with the Acad^mie Royale de Musique. (t) One-tenth is subtracted from the nightly receipts of each theatre in aid of the diffe- rent hospitals in Paris. CHAPTER II. ACADEMIE ROYALE DE MUSIQUE, HUE LEPELLETIEK. Manager, M. Leon Pillet (1). The origin of the Opera in France has been traced to a decree of Charles the Ninth, dated 1570, which gives permission to his dear and well-beloved Jean-Antoine de Baif (2) and Joachim Thibaut de Cour- ville " to establish and form, after the manner of the ancients, an aca- demy or company, consisting as well of composers, singers, and instru- mental players, as of honourable spectators." This Academy was held in the house of Baif, in the Rue des Fosses-Saint-Victor, where ballets were performed during his lifetime ; but after his death the institution fell into neglect. In 1581, the Marechal de Brissac, Governor of Piedmont, sent to the Queen Mother, Catherine de M^dicis, his valet-de-chambre, named Beau- joyeux, who was a good violin player, and who composed a ballet which was performed on the marriage of the Due de Joyeuse with M"' de Vaudemont, the Queen's sister. He was assisted in the composition of the music and dialogue by La Chesnaye, the King's almoner, and by Beaulieu and Salomon , professors of music to the Court. The scenery was the work of the King's painter, Jacques Patin. (1 ) Under the surveillance of a special committee, appointed by the Minister of the In- terior. (2) Baif was a contemporary of noneard and Malherbcs. 6 In 1645, Cardinal Mazarin sent for some Italian actors, and es- tablished them in the Rue du Petit-Bourbon ; there they played and sang a pastoral in five acts, entitled Achille a Scyros, the author of which was Giulio Strozzi. This opera, the first produced in France, was fol- lowed in 1647 by a second, called Orphee et Eurydice, The Cardinal also organized a representation, composed of dances and music, which was performed in the private apartments of Louis XIV. , and in which the King and the principal lords of his Court took the part of divinities, heroes, and shepherds. This so pleased the Grand Monarque, that by his order the poet Benserade wrote a ballet, called Cassandre, which was danced at the Palais-Cardinal in 1651. A pastoral, the name of which is unknown, written by the Abbe Per- rin, of Lyons, was played in 1659 ; Combert, organist of St. Honore, being the composer of the music. Its success was such as to induce the author to prepare two others, the rehearsals of which were interrupted by the death of Cardinal Mazarin. About the same period la Toison d'or, by Gorneille, was produced at the chateau of the Marquis de Sour- deac, a wealthy amateur, in association with whom Perrin and Combert obtained by letters patent, in 1669, the privilege for twelve years of forming an Academy of Music, in which dramatic pieces were to be sung before the public. The new Academy was established in the rue Guenegaud, andPo- mone, by the Abbe Perrin, was played there in 1671, Combert supply^ ing the music, and the Marquis de Sourdeac the machinery. The trio, however, soon quarrelled, and the Marquis, after withdrawing his name from the association, produced jointly with the poet Gilbert, secretary to Queen Christine, les Peines et les Plaisirs de I' Amour. LuUi, Su- perintendent of music to the King, profited by this disunion, and pur- chased the privilege accorded to the Abbe Perrin : he then, in conjunc- tion with the machinist Vigarani, prepared a building in the rue de Vau- girard, the first piece represented there being les Fetes de I' Amour et de Bacchus, the libretto of which was written by Quinault. During one of the performances, which was honoured by the pre- sence of the King, the Prince de Cond6 and other great lords danced on the stage among the professional artists. The first opera in \yhich female dancers were introduced was /e Triomphe d' Amour , represented in 1781 , at Snint-Germain, in presence of ham XIV. On the occasion of this hrilliant fSie, several ladies of the court were among the per- formers, and it was resolved that they should in future be replaced by professional danseuses, the female characters in the ballets having pre.- viously been sustained by men. OnMoUere's death in 1673, Lulli transported his company to the (theatre in the Palais Royal, which then occupied the site of the present Rue du Lyc6e. He there continued his prosperous career, which he terminated in 1686, by Armide, considered his best work. He was succeeded in the management of the theatre by his son in law ; but it soon fell into the hands of Destouches, under whose direction Im was produced with such effect, that Louis XIV. declared him to be the first conductor who had not made him regret the loss of Lulli. In the theatre of the Palais-Royal were performed, for more than a ceii' tury, all the lyric tragedies and heroic ballets of Quinault, Campistrop, Fontenelle, and other distinguished writers, set to music by Destou=» ches, Labarre, etc. A reglement, framed at Versailles, January 11, 1719^ fixes the salaries of the different performers as follows (1) : 1st counter-tenoi' 1,500 livres. 2nd 1,200 3rd 1,000 1st tenor 600 2nd 600 1st actress 1,500 2nd 1.200 and so on in proportion. The two principal male dancers receiye4 1,000 livres each, and the two leading danseuses 900 each. The con- ductor was paid 1,000 livres, and the dancing-master 500. According to this tariff, the author of an opera received 200 livres during the ten first representations, and 100 afterwards; and the author of a ballet 120 livres during the first ten representations, and 60 afterwards. On December 2, 1715, the management of the Opera was granted by letters patent to the Due d'Antin ; he, however, soon resigned the of- (t) For these and some other particulars ia the Pre^entchapter, wcaremdeWea to * series 6t clever papers on the Opera, which appeared some months back in the touH Journal. 3 - nqe, mid the following reason is given. Wishing to make a present to Tfi^venard, then the first artiste of the Opera, he offered him 600 iivres, which the actor indignantly refused, saying that such a gift was scarcely worthy the acceptance of his lacquey. The Duke, incensed at his re- fusal, felt strongly inclined to imprison him; but, fearingihat such a step would exasperate the public, by whom Thevenard was idolized, he contented himself with sending in his resignation to the King, saying he would have nothing more to do with such canaille. The origin of the masked balls at the Opera dates from January 2,1716, from which day they were authorized by royal permission. Two years later, an ordonnance was published with reference to authors. Hitherto they could claim no admittance by right, except to the pit of the Opera house ; the new decree, however, confined them to the amphitheatre, not as a mark of distinction, but in order that they might be more under the eyes of the police, who could thus prevent their hissing the pieces of their rivals, which they were able to do with impunity while mingling with the crowd in the ■parterre. In 1738, Chass6, one of the principal singers, enjoyed a salary of 3,000 Iivres, besides an additional gratification of 1,000 Iivres: he also re- ceived 1,200 Iivres at Easter, and 200 Iivres to pay for bread, wine, and shoes. M"" Antier, premier sujet de chant, had the same appointments as Chass6, but her Easter allowance was only 600 Iivres. Blondy, the leading dancer, had a salary of 3,000 Iivres, but nothing else. M"'' Cupis de Gamargo had 2,200 Iivres, and 500 as a. gratification. This danseuse, who was of Spanish origin (1), was received on her first appearance with such enthusiasm, that every thing was called by her name (2). Notwithstanding her brilliant debut, however, she was forced, owing to the jealousy of her chef d'emploi, M"" Pr^vot, to continue among the figurantes. Luckily for her, it chanced one night that the (0 Mil' Gamargo was born April 15, 1710. (2) Talent has still the occasional privilege of setting the fashion. We remember some three years ago seing aavalesala Itachel in the window of a meicerie in the rue Vi- vienne, and not long alter Frederick Lemaitre's creation of Bon Cesar deBazan.we fre- quenUy observed a crowd of gamins staring with open-mouthed admiration at a most un- couth looking Spanish hat exposed for sale on the Boulevard Saint-Martin and U- beWed " feulre-FrMirick." ' 9 principal dancer was not at his post, and missed his cntric, hi vain the orchestra played and recommenced the symphony; no one appear- ed, and the audience were beginning to grow impatient, when la Ca- margo, as if inspired, darted on the stage and danced a I'improviste a Spanish pas, which surprised and enchanted all present. Her contemporary, M"" Salle, was equally celebrated : on her visit to London, a perfect hail of purses full of gold and guineas wrapped in bank notes, amounting in all to 20,000 francs {£ 800), is said to have been showered on the stage. Voltaire has thus immortalized these two famous danseuses : "Ah! Camargo, quevous etes brillantc : Mais que SaU6, grands dieux, est ravissante! Que vos pas sont lagers, et que les sieps sont doux : EUe est inimitable, et vous etcs nouvelle : Les Nymphes sautent comtne vous, Et les Graces dansent comme elle ! " On April 6, 1763, the theatre in the 'Palais-Royal was totally de- stroyed by fire, and in the following year the Opera was temporarily transferred to the theatre of the Tuileries, where the company conti- nued to perform until 1770, in which year the new Opera house, built on the original site in the Palais-Royal, was opened. The period be- tween the inauguration of this theatre and its destruction, also by fire, in 1781, is remarkable in many ways. The ballet, under Noverre, ac- quired more grace and expression than had hitherto characterized it, and the musical department of the Opera was completely reformed by the arrival in Paris of Gluck, Piccini, and a company of Italian buffo singers. Gluck not only enriched the lyric stage with his chefs-d'auvre, Iphigenie en Aulide, Orphee, etc., but imparted vigour, energy, and precision to the orchestra. He also taught the performers to sing in time, and to declaim the recitative with animation. Piccini introduced some sweet and touching melodies into Atys and Iphigenie en Tauride, and the buffo singers, who played three times a week, alternately with the French artistes, made the Parisians acquainted with the works of Sarti and Paesiello. The Ramists, or partisans of Rameau, who had triumphed oxer the LuUists, or advocates of LuUi, were in their turn conquered, and the ancient French music was utterly annihilated. In 1776, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the creole so famed as a 10 fencer and musieian, offered, in conjunction with a company of capital^ ists, to undertake the management of the Opera ; and his offer would probably have been accepted, had not MM"" Sophie Arnould, Gui- mard, etc., addressed a petition to the Queen, praying Her Majesty to represent to the King that their honour would not allow them to sub- mit to be managed by a mulatto. In consequence of this appeal, the offer of the Chevalier was rejected, and the management of the Opera entrusted, from 1778 to 1780, to Viseney de Volgay. Among the celebrated singers of that day were M'"' St. Huberty and M"' La Guerre, the latter of whom was the original //^/iigfewie inGluelc'B Iphigenie en Aulide. One evening, after having dined well, as was her custom, she came on the stage in such a stEite of exhilaration, as to draw the remark from a spectator that " M"* La Gqerre was not playing Iphigenie en Aulide, but Iphigenie en Champagne." After the second conflagration of the Opera House in 1781, the com- pany removed to the theatre de la Porte-Saint-Martin, which hjd been hastily erected in little more than two months, and recommenced their performances on 27 Oct. of the same year. Among the chief novelties produced were la Cnravane, by Gr^try, OEdipe a Colonne, by Sacchini, and the ballets of Telemaque and Psijche, by Gardel. Then flourished Vestris the elder, who modestly called himself " le Diou de la danse, " and said publicly, " I only know three great men in Europe, the Kipg of Prussia, M. de Voltaire, and myself (1)." His son, who far surpassed him in talent, was long called VestralUird (2) , but on his attaining the age of eighteen, his father, wishing to bestow on hiin a sovereign mar-Jc of his favour, allowed him to bear the name of Vestris. " If my son does not spring higher," s^id the Diou in a fit of enthusiasm, while watching Vestris the younger dance, "it is because he is unwilling to humble his comrades too much, for were he to mount as high as he could, he would be ennu^e while in the air for want of conversa- tion." The famous Sophie Arnould, to whom D^jazet in our owii day has (1) " There are thorns as weU as roses in my prolession," said he in reply to a friend who was expatiating on the happiness oC being a public favourite. " 1 assuie you, some- times I begin to think that 1 wpuld rather be a simple captain in a cavalry regiment than what I am." (2) His mother was M"' Allard, a danseuse. 11 been compared for witty sayings and doings, after a long and succesg^ ful career, died without fortune in 1802. A few years before the revo^ lution, she purchased for her own residence the reh'gious house which formerly belonged to the penitents of St. Francis, at Luzarches, and hav» ing selected a spot in one of the cloisters for her tomb, caused the fol- lowing verse from Scripture to be inscribed there : " Beaucoup de pechis lui seront remjs, parce qu'elle a beaucoup aim6." (0 Another of the celebrated ^^/eirfe /'Opera, as they were then termed, was La Guimard, the mistress of the Marshal Prince de Soubise i she lived in the greatest luxury, and gave three suppers a week, to one of which she invited the first lords of the court, to another the cleverest authors and artists of the capital, and to the third the prettiest girls in Paris. With all her faults, La Guimard was naturally of a generous and charitable disposition, as the following anecdote will show. One day, after receiving a present of 2,000 crowns from a wealthy noble- man, she chanced to visit an obscure part of the city, and was so touched with the misery of the inhabitants of the quarter, who were suffering from excessive cold and hunger, that she distributed the entire sum among them. Pew danseuses or even figurantes in those days had any difficulty in meeting with wealthy and liberal protectors, by whom their slightest wish was eagerly anticipated. One of La Guimard's contemporaries, M"' Grandi, was complaining in the foyer de la danse of the loss of a lover who had given her 20,Q00 livres in five weeks ; she was at the Ume surrounded by a numerous train of adorers, one of whom remark- ed to her that the loss could easily be replaced- Next day, a splendid carriage, drawn by two beautiful horses, and followed by three others richly caparisoned, arrived at her door : itj the interior of the vehicle were several weighty bags, containing no less than 30,000 livres in specie. Up to the revolution, the costume both of the singers and dancers H) Sophie Arnould was born in 1733, and was educated at the convent of Val-de-Grace, where M"" de Valois, daughter of the Regent, was also brought up. It was owing to the patronage of this Princess that the. future prima donna obtained permission to sing in the f/topeiie romle, where her beautiful voipe attraclcd the notice of M>»' de Pompadour, and procured her an engasement at tihe Opera. 12 was extremely ridiculousi and uubecoiuiiJg : Achilles, Apollo, Bayard, and the shepherd Paris, were indiscriminately coiffes with powdered wigs, and Venus, Iphigenie, the three Graces, and even Jeanne d'Arc, appeared in hoops. During the reign of terror, Laisnez and others were threatened by the general Henriot with the guillotine, because in his opinion they did not sing the patriotic hymns with sufficient warmth and enthusiasm : Henriot, who styled himself the protector of the fine arts, had, it must be confessed, a singular way of bestowing his protection. The Opera, which was then called the Theatre des Arts, and which was managed at that time by the performers themselves, was transfer- red in 1795 to the new theatre erected by M"" Montansier, opposite to the Bibliotheque Royale, in the Rue de la Loi , now Rue de Richelieu. The Government contrived to obtain possession of this building, under the pretence that its proximity to the National Library might endanger the safety of the latter in case of fire : once in their hands, however, they allowed the performances to continue. The Opera then took the name of Theatre de la Republique et des Arts, which was subsequently chang- ed to that of Opera : this in its turn gave way to the pompous title of ' ' Imperial Academy of Music. " During the Consulate and the Empire, the only successful compositions produced were Haydn's oratorio of the Creation, la Vestale and Fernand-Cortez , by Spontini, and one or two others of less note : the artists of talent were also comparatively few in number. Two important events occurred during the existence of the Opera in Rue Richelieu : first, the narrow escape of Napoleon, while on his way thither, from the infernal machine in the rue Saint-Nicaise; and secondly, February 13, 1820, the assassination of the Due de Berry by Louvel, as he was stepping into his carriage at the door of the theatre. After this catastrophe, the Opera, which at the Restoration had resumed its former title of Academie Royale de Musique, was transferred to the present structure, erected provisionally in the Rue Lepelletier, on the site of the gardens of the hotel Choiseul. The old theatre in the Rue Richelieu was destroyed to make room for a chapel in memory of the Due de Berry, which was in its turn removed after the revolution of 1830. On the installation of the Opera in Rue Lepelletier, the Viscount Sos- 13 thene de La Rochefoucauld was appointed manager : the efforts of this nobleman were principally directed towards improving the morals of the danseuses. He was succeeded by M. Lubbert, a great dilettante, so fond of Italian music that he would seldom allow an opera by a French com- poser to be represented, la Muette dePortici being one of the- few pri- vileged exceptions. Rossini was then at the height of his popularity; his Moise, le Comte Onj, and Guillmme Tell attracted crowds to the Acad^mie Royale, and among the artists who in part contributed to the success of these chefs-d'wuvre by their talent, were Levasseur and Adol- phe Nourrit. Let us for a moment retrace our steps, that we may briefly mention the principal glories of the Opera at the time of the Restoration : among these M""" Branchu, the Malibran of her day, deserves a prominent place. Being admitted at an early age into the Conservatoire, she became a pupil of Dugazon and Garat, and on the completion of her studies appeared at the Opera, where she created a perfect furore by her singing in la Vestale, Armide, etc. In private life, she was highly respected, and was honoured v/ith the friendship of the Empress Jose- phine. At that time the dietix de la danse were Albert, Paul, and Ferdi- nand ; the second of these, surnamed Uaerien, has been thus describ- ed : " Paul used to spring and bound upwards, and was continually in the clouds : his foot scarcely touched the earth or rather the stage : he darted up from the ground and came down again perpendicularly, after travelling a quarter of an hour in the air." (1). Ferdinand in vain endeavoured to contend against his rival the Zephyr ; with all his agility he could never equal the elastic spring of Paul. As to Albert, he was more remarkable for the grace of his pantomime than for any extraor- dinary activity as a dancer. After these came Montessu and his wife ; the latter of whom, sister of Paul, acquired a celebrity scarcely infe- rior to that of her brother. Nor must we omit the pretty M"' Brocard, more renowned as a beauty than as a danseuse, Coulon, to whose excel- lent tuition the graceful and elegant Duvernay owed much of her success, and the sisters Noblet. ()) This celebrated artist is now a ma'ilrc de clause at Brighton. But the golden days of the ballet wefe yet to coffle : July 23, 1827, Marie TSglioni made her first appearance before a Parisian public, and more than justified the brilliant reputation which had preceded hef. This admirable artiste is by her mother's side grand-daughter of Karsten, the celebrated Swedish tragedian ; her father, formerly a dancer at Na^ pies, is now a distinguished composer of ballets. Marie Taglioni, though born at Stockholm, was educated in France ; in 1822, at the age of fourteen, she commenced her career at Vienna, and, by the grace and poetry of her dancing, conipletely eclipsed Heberl^, at that time a favourite in the Austrian capital. Her father had arranged a pas for her Mbut, but in her confusion she forgot it, and substituted one of her own invention, which took the house by storm. From Vienna she went to Stuttgard, where she was treated like a sister by the Queen of IVurtemberg, who became so attached to her, that on Taglioni's last appearance at the theatre she was seen to shed tears, and on being asked the cause of her grief, replied ; " If my own sister were to leave me, I should not be more unhappy." At Munich, the future Sylphide was equally well received : the King, in a plain bluff manner, introduced the Queen to her with these words : " Mademoiselle, je vous prdsente ma femme." He then addressed his daughters, the Princesses Sophie and Marie, as follows : "Pay your feSpedts to M"" Taglioni, and show her that you profit by the lessons in grace she gives you every evening." After her debut in Paris, on which occasion her dancing was described as " lively, elegant, and at the same time simple and natural, animated without effort, graceful without grimace, and correct without affectation," she returned to Munich, in order to fulfil an engagement contracted by her in that city; and at last, April 30, 1828, took possession of the throne she had con- quered at the Academie Royale. In la Bayadere, la Sylphide, la Fills du Danube, and numerous other creations, she charmed Paris for ten years, paying occasional vi.sits to England, Prussia, etc. At length the Emperor of Russia made her such tempting offers that she was unable to resist, and passed three years in Saint Petersburg, during which time the most sumptuous presents were lavished on her by their Imperial Majesties. But of all the enthusiastic receptions she has experienced in the course of her long and triumphant career, perhaps none has been 15 more grateful to the feelings of the fair danseiise than the welcome she once met with in Vienna, where, after having been called before the curtain twenty-two times in one evening, she was drawn to hef hotel in her own carriage by forty young men of the first Austrian families. Her last appearance in Paris was in the summer of 1844, and in the following year she bade farewell (1) to the London stage, leaving as a legacy to the habitues the recollection of her graceful and poetic con- ception of the pas de quatre. Among the many danseuses, contemporaries with Taglioni, the only one who can be Said to have rivalled her in popularity is the be^-' witching Fanny Elssler. And yet, their claims to admiration are not thfir same ; there is not the slightest resemblance between the ideal grace of the one, and the fascinating Coquettish vivacity of the other. In I'aglioni we see the sylph, in Elssler the woman. The great charac- teristic of Fanny's dancing is its extraordinary precision and abandon : her little feet perform the most rapid and intricate evolutions without the least apparent exertion. Her figure is slight and elegant, her coun- tenance noble and expressive, and the fascinating attraction of her manner is irresistible. Fanny Elssler was born at Vienna, and made her Qrst theatrical debut in that city, at the age of five years. Subse- quently she became a pupil of Aumer, and obtained an engagement at Naples, where she remained some time. Quitting Italy for Berlin, she charmed the Prussians by the animation of her dancing, and soon after paid a flying visit to London , where she excited general enthusiasm. It was during one of these brief engagements that M. V^ron, then manager of the French Opera, heard of her, and immediately attached her to his theatre, together with her sister Th^rfese. Their debut was a triumph : the classic grace of Th^rfese and the exquisite archness of FannJ' astonished and delighted the PaHsians, and the subsequent ap^ pearance of the two sisters in Vile des Pirates and le Diable Boiteux attracted crowds to the Academie Royale. Fanny Elssler's reputation has been greatly heightened by her marvellously perfect execution Of the Cachucha and the Cracovienne : in these celebrated pas she dis- plays a combination of grace and agility, which no other danseuse can (I) Not a last farewell, she having reappeared at her Majesty's Theatre in the summer of the present year. 16 equal. Her salary during the latter part of her engagement in Paris amounted to no less than 80,000 francs a-year. The best male dancer, without exception, of the present day, is Jules- Joseph Perrot, the son of the chief machinist of the Lyons theatre. He was born August 18, 1810, and as soon as he could stand upright was sent to a dancing master. When very young, he made his debut at the Theatre des Celestins, in his native city, in le Petit Carnavalde Venise, in which he imitated with the greatest possible exactness the attitudes, steps, and agility of Mazurier in Policliinelle. In 1823 he came to Paris, and was engaged as mime at the Gait^, where he played the Monkey in Sapajou, and as well as his great prototype, Mazurier, paid frequent visits to the Jardin des Plantes, in order to study the habits and ges- tures of the animal he personated. Leaving the Gaite for the Porte- Saint-Martin, he quitted the latter in turn for the Opera, where he first appeared in May, 1830. He afterwards accepted engagements in England, Germany, and Italy, and reappeared together with his charm- ing pupil and wife, Carlotta Grisi, at the Renaissance, in le Zingaro. Since that period he has been a constant member of the Italian com- pany in London, where he has attained a deserved reputation, not only as a dancer and pantomimist, but also as an agreeable composer of ballets. Before resuming the thread of our history , we may be excused for devoting a few lines to the mention of two popular danseuses, nei- ther of whom now belong to the company of the Academic Royale : we allude to MM"" Lucile Grahn and Pauline Leroux. The first of these was born at Copenhagen, June 30, 1821, and, if we may believe one other biographers, was so delighted at witnessing a ballet at the early age of four years, that she never rested until she obtained permission to learn dancing herself, in order that she too might some day figure on the stage. Whether this account of her unusual precocity be correct or not, we have no means of ascertaining ; certain it is that she made her first appearance at the Copenhagen theatre when only seven years old, as Cupid, and her success may be imagined from the enthusiasm of a Danish poet, who wrote of her, that she had wounded all hearts with the arrows of love. However, she did not then continue her career : study was necessary, and the young danseme was subjected for i7 seven years to the usual training and tortures to which the votaries of Terpsichore are doomed. At the age of fourteen, she reappeared in la Muette dePorlici aadla Sylpliide, and very narrowly escaped impri- sonment for refusing to kiss the dancer who played the part of Donald, on account of his ugliness ; the court, however, interfered, and she was excused. She then came to Paris, and took lessons from Barrez, but was suddenly recalled to Copenhagen, to play in a ballet prepared for the fete of the Queen of Denmark ; she afterwards returned, and ap- peared at the Academie Royale in le Carnaval de Venise; but her career at that theatre was stopped by an inflammalion of the knee, which compelled her for some time to retire from the stage. In 1844, she played Lady Henriette at Drury Lane, and in the following spring was engaged during the entire season at the Italian Opera, where she created Eoline, and partly contributed to the success of the never to be forgotten pas de quatre. M"' Lucile Grahn is very tall and thin, with blue eyes and blonde hair : as a dancer, she has been well characterized as possessing "less strength than Elssler, less flexibility than Taglioni, but more of both than any one else." Formerly young girls were admitted into the dancing classes at the Opera, there to be duly lournees and cassees, at the moderate charge of twelve francs a-month. On quitting the classe d'essai, as it was termed, they passed from one to another, until they finally arrived at la grande classe, from which the mattres de perfectionnement, paid by the management, annually selected eight pupils, whom they instructed until the day of their debut. Thus it was that M"" Pauline Leroux com- menced her career : she became a pupil of Coulon, and, after a success- ful essay in Paris, went to London, where she met with a very in- dulgent reception. On her return, she was engaged at the Opera, where Taglioni then was. "At that time," says M"' Leroux, as quoted by her biographer, "I often danced beside M"' Taglioni, and I was very proud one even- ing when she said to me in a whisper, ' Cest bien ! ' " Not long after Taglioni's departure, Pauline Leroux hurt her leg so seriously at one of the rehearsals of la Fille du Danube (which part she was to have taken), that a temporary retirement from the stage was pronounced indispensable. She went to N(?ris, in hopes of curing her lameness. 18 but returned in six months, perfectly unable to dance. It was not till three years after her accident had occurred that she appeared in a new creation, le Diable Amoureux, and so little did people expect to find her completely recovered, that it was jestingly said the ballet ought to have been named le Diable Boiieux. It was a matter of agreeable surprise that her dancing had lost none of its qualities, and that her pantomime was more expressive and more admirable than ever. Unfortunately, the health of this charming dameuse became so deli- cate, that she was compelled finally to retire from the stage in 1845, without a benefit, though she had been always promised one, her re- gular salary only ^mounting to 15,000 francs. In her the Opera lost its best pantomimist, and one of its most graceful and pleasing dancers. Returning to the period of M. Lubbert's management, we find in the list of the operatic company the names of Levasseur, Adolphe Nourril, and M™' Cinti-Damoreau, the last of whom we shall have occa- sion to refer to in our notice of the Op^ra-Comique. Levasseur, who has but recently quilted the stage, is a native of Beauvais, and was born towards the close of the last century. A pupil of Garat, he ap- peared at the Academic Royale for the first time, October 5, 1813, in la Carmane, and shortly after went to pursue his musical studies in Italy. On his return, he sang with success at the Italian Opera in Semiramide and// Barbiere ; but Rossini, who was then all powerful at the Acadd- mie, enticed him thither, and entrusted him with the principal charac- ter in Moise. Levasseur then successively created parts in le Comte Or,j and le Philtre, and attained the summit of his reputation by his magni- ficent performance of Bertram in Robert-le-Diable. Since then his career has been a prosperous one : of the many operas produced during his engagement, few remain in the repertoire in the success of which he has not had a share : la Juive, les Huguenots, Charles VI. , and nume- rous other works of more or less merit, have owed at least a portion of their eclat to the zeal and talent of this excellent artist. Levasseur is not only a thorough musician, as well as a bass-singer of rare perfec- tion, but also a good actor : his loss is therefore the more severely felt, especially as no one has yet been found capable of replacing him. 19 At the time of his creation of Bertram, Robert-te-Diable (1) was played by Adolphe Nourrit,the only singer who has ever done it justice : the re"^ putation of this admirable tenor began with the Opera oiLasthenie, the success of his ddbut being but indifferent. His style was a mixture of the Italian and French schools, combining the taste of the one and the energy of the other. From the dramatic vigour of his acting, he was called the Talma of the Opera, nor was he deficient in the gay and lively qualities requisite for a bu/fo singer. On the breaking out of the revo- lution, in 1830, he was borne in triumph by the people among the bar- ricades on the Boulevard des Italiens, -^hile he sang the Marseillaise to encourage them. After a prolonged absence from Paris, during which he was engaged for a considerable time as leading tenor at the San Carlo at Naples, he committed suicide in the latter city, March 8, 1839, in a state of mental derangement, leaving a widow and six child- ren. A monument has been erected to his memory in the cemetery of Montmartre, bearing the following inscription : A. AD. NOURUIT, SES AMIS. He was ably seconded during his career at the Opera by M"' Cornel je Falcon, daughter of a Paris tradesman, who, after receiving musical instruction from Pellegrini and Bordogni, and obtaining several prizes in the Conservatoire, made a successful dibut at the Acad^mie Royale, July 20, 1832, as Alice in Robert-le-Diable, which character she re- peated eleven times. Cherubini then gave her the part of Morgiane in his new opera of A/i-Bafta, and she subsequently sangMa«/»Vrfe in GuH- laume Tell, and Donna Anna in Don Juan. For five years M"" Falcon and Nourrit shared the public favour : in 1835, she created Rachel in la Juive , and this brilliant triumph was soon followed by one no less decisive in les Huguenots. Her acting was then animated and ex- pressive, and her voice strong and of great extent : the latter, however, (0 With the production of this opera commenced the system of traffic which ^^is ^Ince been regularly practised by the maccftandi de hlllels. The piece was so successful that every morning the court leading to the bov office was crowded with applicants lor places, and the marchands, by taking their station at the door early, contrived to secure most oj the tickeUs, so that by twelve o'clock there was not a place left at the bureau. Attempts were made to put a stop to this abuse, but the marchands managed to elude detection By sending some of their emissaries, disguised as gentlemen's servants, for boxes and stalls, nbich were afterwards re-sold al a high profit. 20 after the departure of Nourrit for Italy, gradually gave way beneath the fatigue and exertion she had undergone, and but very faint hopes are entertained of its ultimate recovery. The last appearance of M"" Falcon at the Acad^mie Royale took place in March, 1839, and a more painful and unavailing struggle of art against nature has seldom been witnessed. All that human energy could do was done, the most des- perate efforts to bring back a remnant of the once magnificent organ were made, but in vain : the will was still there, but the powers of execution were (it is to be feared) for ever gone. Other singers of note were Dabadie and his wife ; the former a good basso, and the latter an accomplished musician, with a rather sharp so- prano voice ; Alizard, who has been described as having " a large body, a large face, large legs, large arms, and a powerful voice (1) "; D6- rivis the younger, who was engaged during the season of 1845-6 at the Italian Opera ; Alexis Dupont, whose sweet- but delicate organ was drowned by the orchestra of the Academie Royale ; M"' Jawureck, a young and pretty German, with some taste and an excellent method ; and last, not least, M""" Dorus-Gras. This charming vocalist is daughter of a chef d'orchestre of the Valen- ciennes theatre, and her first debut took place at Brussels. She appeared at the Academie Royale, Nov. 9, 1830, in le Comte Ory, and in 1833 married M. Gras, a clever violinist belonging to the Opera orchestra, of which her brother, M. Dorus, is also a member. The two finest creations of M"" Dorus-Gras are indisputably Eudoxie in la Juive, and Ginevra in Guido et Ginevra : her performance of Alice in Robert-le- Diable has likewise been ranked among her most successful efforts. As far as mere mechanical power of execution goes, she has attained a degree of perfection equalled by few modern singers, but the utter absence of all animation is ill atoned for by the brilliancy of her fiori- ture. M""" Dorus is calm, cold, and passionless ; her energy (if she have any) is mental, not muscular, nor can she loo/e a tragic part. Her coun- tenance is ever serene, and her manner ever tranquil and composed, and all her parts, serious as well as comic, are recited with an unvary- ing and most monotonous placidity. (I) Alizard has lately been rc-engiigcd by M. Lion Pillet. 21 Setting aside her defects as an actress, M"'" Dorus-Gras is an artist of real and undoubted talent, and^ranks unquestionably among the first singers of the day. The higher notes of her voice are remarkable for their volume and sweetness, and though her lower tones are compara- tively weak, she is so excellent a musician that the inferiority of the latter is scarcely perceptible. She is not heard to advantage in pas- sages requiring little vocal display, because such passages generally de- mand a proportionably greater degree of feeling and expression on the part of the singer, neither of which qualities are possessed by M"" Dorus ; but where musical difficulties are to be encountered, where her extraordinary powers of vocalisation are brought into play, there she is quite at home. Even Grisi herself can hardly dwell so long on a note as the nightingale of the Academie Royale, of whom it has been jestingly said that when she once touches a high note, her au- dience may coolly lounge into an adjoining cafe, eat an ice, and yet be back before she has changed it. On the production of Herold's last and best opera, le Pre aux Clercs, the success of which was interrupted after the second representation by the illness of M"'^ Casimir, M"" Do- rus obtained leave from the management to replace her at the Op^ra- Gomique; where, after studying the part for three or four days only, she sang it for twelve nights consecutively. Her motive in so doing was a wish to alleviate the disappointment of the composer, who was then on his death-bed, and whom the temporary withdrawal of his clief-d'oeuvre had seriously affected. This act of kindness was not with- out its reward, the Pre aux Clercs never having been before or since received with such enthusiasm as during her performance of Isabelle. " M"'° Dorus-Gras," says the author of les Peiks Mysteres de I'O- pera, "eats nothing but veal, and has adopted this diet for more than ten years : when she plays an important character, she has a joint put on the spit, but if her part be a trifling one, she is contented with sweetbreads. " The same writer relates the following anecdote. A young man, fresh from the Pyrenees, begged one of his friends on his arrival in Paris to take him to see a femme de I' Opera : the friend complied, and conducted him to the residence of M"" Dorus-Gras, in the rue Olivier- Saint-Georges. They had to wait a few minutes for the fair artiste, who was engaged with her cook discussing a most interesting poini. 22 namely, how a certain joint of veal then in the kitchen should be dressed. On her at last entering the room where her visitors were, she began, to the utter discomfiture of the provincial, to address his friend on the subject of the late rise in the price of bread and the gloomy prospects of the harvest, adding that she herself had lately laid in a stock of potatoes and beans. The conversation continued in a like strain until the two friends took their leave, and the horror-struck provincial, concluding that the entire female portion of the Opera company re- sembled the matter of fact lady he had just quitted, started en route for the Pyrenees the same evening. The farewell benefit of M""' Dorus-Gras took place at the Academie Royale in May, 1845, when she sang for the last time in RobertAe-Diable and le Rossignol. Her salary of 48,000 francs is now divided between some half a dozen debutantes, mostly pupils of the Conservatoire, of no experience and little promise. The Opera has lately lost a most useful though not very brilliant singer, in the person of M'" Sophie Mequillet, who, tired of being kept constantly in the back-ground, has preferred starring in the provinces to being shelved in the capital. She is so extremely short-sighted that when on the stage she is only guided by the voices of those who are on at the same time; behind the scenes, she is led about by her maid. Among the many managers of the Academie Royale, perhaps the two most efficient have been M. V^ron and M. Duponchel ; it was the latter who first saw Poultier at work as a cooper on the quay at Rouen, and, struck with his fine tenor voice, which the young artisan was uncon- sciously exercising, brought him to Paris, and, after giving him instruc- tion, engaged him at a salary of 1,000 francs a-month, for eight months in the year. His debut took place in GuiUaume Tell, and was highly successful ; he has, however, for some time ceased to be a member of the company. Poultier has a melodious but far from powerful voice, a remarkably clear and distinct enunciation, and his acting is simple and natural. In thepresent dearth of good tenors, his re-engagement would be a politic step on the part of M. Leon Pillet, who unfortunately ap- pears to fancy that the success of his theatre depends more on the nu- merical strength than on the intrinsic merits of his ti-oupc. The Academie Royale is the largest theatre in Paris, and contains 23 19S7 places. The stage is Zt2 feet wide by 82 deep, and is of itself equal in size to most of the other theatres, measured from the back of the stage to the centre boxes. This is clearly seen at the masked balls, on which occasions the horizontal side scenes are removed, and the stage is surrounded by a salon, the decorations of which correspond with those of the boxes. The coulisses of the Opera have been com- pared to a skein of thread tangled by the paws of a kitten, from the number of staircases and corridors which cross each other in all directions like a labyrinth. Previous to the revolution of July, the four coulisses on the right and left of the stage were guarded by sentinels of the royal guard, and six lacqueys in the livery of Charles X stood at the entrance of the different passages, while ftwrnim dressed in black were continually gliding to and fro, giving and receiving orders. Now the sentinels and lacqueys have disappeared, and only one solitary munici- pal remains to guard the whole interior of the Opera, whose business it is to see that, as soon as the curtain has finally dropped for the night, the firemen pass enormous sponges filled with water over the scenery which has been used that evening, and also that the iron curtain is duly placed in front of the stage, so that, in case of fire breaking out behind the scenes, it may be prevented from spreading over the house. Before the Three Days of 1830, few strangers were admitted into the coulisses of the Opera, and even now the number is limited to a cer- tain number of habitues, including the corps diplomatique, who are entitled by special privilege to an entree, and some influential journa- lisles. Their favourite place of rendez-vous is the foyer de la danse, a large room adjoining I he ancient H6tel Choiseul, badly lit, and furnished with a semi-circular bench for the accommodation of the danseuses : the floor is sloping, and at certain distances iron rods are fixed in the wall, upon which the fair votaries of Terpsichore rest one foot while standing on the other, in order to render their limbs pliant and supple. This they call se derouiller. A marble bust of La Guimard, on a pedestal of painted wood, is the chief ornament of the room. About an hour before the commencement of the ballet, the preparatory exercises in the foyer begin, and in another half hour, most of the leading danseuses are assembled there, employing the short time that remains previous to the rising of the curtain iu practising their steps and entrechats. Fanny 2i Elssler and her sister seldom used to enter the foyer, having had con- structed in their apartment, in Rue Laffitte, a miniature theatre de danse, with sloping floor and other accessories, where they could study with equal facility and be secure from all interruption. ^ propos of Fanny Elssler, the author of les Mysteres du Grand-Opera relates the follow- ing anecdote. One evening, Burat de Gurgy, author of le Diable Boi- teux, entered her loge, which was guarded as usual on the outside by two tall footmen, and entirely devoid of ornament within, not being even carpeted. " My dear M. Burat," said Fanny,." I am in a terrible rage. I have my pas to dance, and the carps de ballet have stolen my chalk." " What, you think..." " No doubt of it. I have asked everybody for some, Nathalie Fitz- james, Noblet, and her sister, and they say they have none. It is a conspiracy, you see, to hinder me from dancing. So now, M. Burat, you will get me some chalk, will you not ?" " But, my dear lady, I don't know where to go for it." " Make haste," replied the danseuse, " I will pay whatever you like for it. You have a quarter of an hour before the curtain rises. I shall expect you." It was then eleven o'clock, and all the shops were shut : M. Burat de Gurgy was highly embarrassed what to do. However, at last he returned, bringing twenty little bits of chalk, but looking anything rather than cheerful. " Ah !" cried Fanny Elssler, " what do I owe you for it ?" " Ten petits verres," was the answer. " I have been obliged to go to ten cafes to steal the chalk from the billiard tables." The fatigue and torture undergone by young danseuses, even at the early ages of seven and eight, is extremely severe : their little feet are first placed in a box with grooves, heel against heel, with the knees turned outwards. This is called ^e tourner. Then comes se casser, which consists in placing the right foot on a bar which is held with the left hand, and vice versa. These and manifold other different ways of drilling must be persevered in with the most regular assiduity, one week's repose being sufficient to entail on the unfortunate beginner at least two months' double labour. <»s 35 Another place oi reunion is the foyer des roles, in which the artists await their summons to the stage : this apartment is seldom or never entered by the leading performers, who prefer remaining in their pri- vate dressin-grooms or loges, which are furnished luxuriously or sim- ply, according to the taste or means of the occupant. The loge of a danseuse (when she has one to herself) is generally decorated in a taste- ful manner ; the walls are often hung with muslin, and the sofa and arm-chairs covered with richly embroidered silk. This is the loge of a premier stijet ; those allotted to the rats are very different. One of them has been well described as being " a room of moderate dimen- sions, whose plastered walls are ornamented with caricatures of the principal female dancers, picturesquely drawn with a lump of coal. The furniture consists of one or two common deal tables and some straw chairs, and the occupants of this luxurious retreat are no less than ten in number. To these must be added two female dressers and one coiffeur, whose office, it may be easily imagined, is no sinecure." A loge des c/tomfe* contains as many individuals as can by any possi- bility be crammed into it ; fifteen or twenty persons at least are gene- rally assembled there, the plain clothes of each being suspended on pegs against the wall. Several of the male chorists are also singers in churches, or mattres de chant in schools ; others, during the day, are jobbing tailors or even cobblers. The Opera chorists may be divided into two classes : the first comprising those who are entirely free from ambition, and who have sung for ten years in the ensemble without once envying the position of a solo singer ; and the second consisting of the pupils of the Conservatoire, many of whom join the chorists for a time, in order to get accustomed to the stage. Previous to the rising of the curtain, two important personages place themselves behind the first coulisse, one on the right of the stage, and the other on the left, each with the score of the opera in his hand. These are the two leaders of the chant de service ; it is their business to set the chorus right when they are going wrong, which occurs pretty frequently. The public have no idea, while they are applauding the precision of the chorusses, of the presence or use of these two in- visible leaders. Another indispensable auxiliary is the prompter : even when a singer has played a part fifty times, he is prompted from be- 26 ginning to end as if it was the first time : he is too much engaged in thinking of the notes to mind the words, and cannot divide his me- mory between the poet and the composer. Nor is it by any means an easy task to prompt a singer without interrupting him in a shake or a fioritura: the best opera prompters are those who have themselves been singers, and are consequently acquainted with the music of most pieces in the repertoire. The inferior performers and supernumeraries are paid on an average as follows. Those who figure as soldiers, nobles, etc. , in processions, receive 75 centimes (7 l/2rf.) a-night. The salary of the eighty chorists, male and female, is from 400 to 1,800 francs yearly, and that of each of the ninety figurants and figurantes, from 400 to 1,600 francs. Of the machinists (1), some gain from 1,000 to 1,500 francs a-year, others from 700 to 800 francs. The leader of the orchestra, M. Habeneck, receives 8,000 francs, the second leader, M. Battu, 2,500 francs, and the other musicians together 80,000 francs (2). The chef de cla(jue is a most important member of the personnel of the Academic Royale : the late chef, M. Auguste Levasseur (3) , who died very recently, had a house in town and one in the country, and his income nearly equalled that of a marshal of France. He was in the habit of receiving a monthly sum as a reward for his services from almost every artist of the theatre ; those whose small salary would not admit of their paying him in money, gave him the free admissions to which they were entitled. He had two lieutenants, under whom were four sub-lieutenants. Each of these six leaders had a brigade of ten men under his own immediate command, forming a total of sixty Indi- es) At Uie Beaujon Hospital, four beds are constanUy reserved for the machinists of (he Opera who may have been injured from falls or other accidents during the perform- ances. C2J The authors of a ballet (namely, the author of the libretlo, Ihe chorigraphe, who translates the words into pantomime, and the composer of the music), are paid at the rate oflTOfrancsforeachof the first forty representations, and SO francs for each subsequent performance. For a short opera the authors are allowed 370 francs for each of the llrst forty nights, and 100 francs afterwards. Thus, whereas forty representations of a ballet produce only 6,800 francs, to be divided between three, the same number of performances of a short opera bring in U,800 francs, or 7,400 francs a-piece, to the author and composer. (3) Mrae Hippolyle Cogniard, wife of the manager of Ihe Vaudeville, is a danghler of M. Levasseur. •27 viduals. These were divided into three classes, the first comprising those who were paid for their services, the second those who officiated gratis, and the third those who paid in part their admission to the theatre. The first brigade received 1 franc 25 centimes (about is. l/2rf.) a-night; the second, which was generally composed of young appren- tices only too glad to see the piece for nothing, owed their entree to the patronage of some one of the sub-lieutenants, whom they treated in their turn to a petit verre or a cigar. The third class obtained admission by paying M. Auguste two francs for their ticket instead of the usual pit price, which is four francs. The signal of applause was a slight knock of the chef's cane on the floor, and the general rendez- vous of the whole band, where they were instructed as to the degree of enthusiasm with which any particular artist or morceau was to be welcomed, was a wine-shop in the Rue Favart. It is time that this intolerable nuisance should be banished from the theatres, and yet no manager dares to set the example. The public, say they, have been so long accustomed to applaud by proxy, that they have become cold and indifferent, and seldom manifest any feeling of approbation, lest they themselves should be considered in league with la claque. The listless apathy of the frequenters' of the Italian Opera, where it requires all the passion and energy of a Grisi or a Ronconi to call forth the least spark of enthusiasm, is cited as a proof of the absolute necessity of & claque, and no manager, however strongly he may advocate in private the exclusion of the chevaliers rf?« /wifre, as they aretermed(l), is willing to strike the first blow (2). " Let others begin, and I will follow, " is the only answer given to the repeated remonstrances of the press and the public ; and as no one does begin, the abuse remains, and is likely to remain unchecked until the Government think proper to abolish it (3). (0 From their position in the pit immediately under the lustre, or chandelier. (2) This nuisance wonld soon be done away with, if all claqueurs resembled a certain coitscientious individual, who is recorded during the performance of an indifferent piece to have clapped his hands most vigorously, at the same lime shouting as loud as he could, " Trash, shocking Irash." On being asked the reason of this apparent inconsis- tency, he replied : " My hands are paid to applaud, and they do so ; but I am a comaU. seur, and while I clapl cannothelp saying what I think." (3) In the smaller theatres, the clialouilleur (or tickler) is almost as useful an auxiliary as the chef de claque -. it is his business to laugh at all the jokes, esipecially the bad ones, 29 Besides the rats and the figurantes, there yet remains in the com- pany a single specimen of the almost extinct genus ot marcheuses (1), formerly of great service to the management in swelling out proces- sions, etc. These are, or rather were, for their day is now gone by, tall handsome girls, whose business it was to walk in the rear of the corps de ballet, and look as pretty as possible. Napoleon, on his return from one of his campaigns, is said to have visited the opera one even- ing, and to have been so disgusted with the ugliness of the marcheuses, as to order the manager to get a fresh supply for the following evening, which was done. " The rats," says Jacques Arago, in his Physiologie des foyers et des coulisses, ' ' are remarkable for their love of lotteries ; scarcely a week passes without a new one being made up, the prizes consisting of Opera glasses, pet cats and parrots, bracelets and necklaces, not to mention a stray scarf or shawl which has been worn by some fair coryphee, and is therefore doubly precious in the eyes of the habitues." Among the prettiest rats and figurantes are MM"" Dabas, Gourtois, Mathilde Marquet, Franck, Josset, and Laurent : two stage boxes on the fifth tier, commonly called les fours, are reserved for the special ac- commodation of these young ladies and their comrades, when not en- gaged en scene. Cellarius, the celebrated professor of la polka, was a figurant at the Academic Royale. When he established a cours de danse in the Rue Neuve-Vivienne, he fixed the price of the tickets at five and ten francs. Those of his male pupils who paid ten francs enjoyed the privilege of waltzing with the ladies (which portion of the assembly was usually composed of demoiselles del' Opera), whereas those who took five franc tickets might indeed talk to the ladies, but were allowed no other partner than a chair. The portress of the Academic Royale, M°" Crosnier, is treated with the greatest deference by the rats, for whom she is perpetually receiv- ing bouquets and billets doux. Her loge is a small room not many in the different pieces, and to utter sundry exclamations of deliglit at sliort intervals, with the view of exciting a similar manifestation of satisfaction on the part of the audience. (0 Mil' Pezde, called "The last of the Mohicans." 29 yards square, with three openings, one looking towards the dark pas- sage de I'Opera, another conducting to the foulisses by a wide staircase, and a third communicating with the large court seen from the Rue Grange-Batelifere : this last door is only open by day. As evening ap- proaches, la mere Crosnier seats herself and scrutinizes every in- comer. The chief ornament of her loge is a bust of General Foy : a variety of keys belonging to the dressing-rooms of the artists are suspended on rows of nails fastened in the wall, and near them is a frame of black wood covered with a glass, and containing a sheet of paper, on which are written the name of the piece or pieces to be performed that even- ing, and the exact hour of the following day's rehearsal. Almost every singer has faith in some peculiar method of preserving or improving his voice. We learn from les Pedis Mtjsteres that Massol's diet before singing used to consist of one meal of cutlets and boiled po- tatoes, of which he partook at noon (1) ; that Duprez generally pre- pares himself for the '■'Suivez-moi ! " in Guillaume Tell, by a wing of a chicken and a glass of Madeira, and that D^rivis, previous to his depar- ture for Italy, was in the habit of scorching the soles of his feet before a blazing fire for the good of his voice. The public foyer of the Opera is the resort, during the entr'actes, of some of the most distinguished literary men in Paris, and many a lead- Co Eticnne Massol was born in 1807, at L'oiUvc, in the soulli of France. At tlie age ol eighteen he came to Paris !o seeli his fortune, and on his arrival had only three francs in his pocliet. Lucltily, before this modest supply was exhausted, he fell in with an old acquaintance, who offered to take him to see a young compalrioie, at that time a pupil in the Conservatoire. Massol was then, according to his own account, an assezjoli garfon, and the Director of the Conservatoire, meeting him in the court-yard, took a fancy to him, and asked him if he had a good voice; to which he replied that every one who came from the south of France could sing. He then, to prove the truth of his assertion, treated the director to an air from Joseph, the result of which was his reception by the committee, who moreover gave him IbO francs in advance until a room should be disengaged for him. A year after, November <.">, 1825, he made his ddia/ at the Opera as a tenor in Spontini's Vestale, and subsequently appeared with great success in Fernand Corlez and Armide. After singing tenor parts for ten years, he profited by the extraordinary extent of his voice to commence his career anew as a baryton, and has since that period sustained impor- tant parts in a variety of operas, including la Heine de Chijpre and Dom sibaslien. His voice, however, still retains its tw(rfold quality, and not long ago he sang before the Court in one evening Polynice (a very high tenor's part) and Piecro in la Ulueite de Poriici (transposed lower than usual). In the provinces many of Massol's creations are sung by a tenor and a baryton, no one individual being able to undertake them : in la Reine (le Chypre, especially, his rdle is almost invariably performed by two different actors. Massol's farewell benent at the Opera took place, October 18, 1815, on which occasion he sang the part of AKhton in Imle, de Lammermoor most effeclively. 30 ing article of the Dibat$ and Comtitutiomel has been concocted there. Several of the habitues, indeed, who have free admissions to the theatre, make a practice almost every evening of spending an hour or so in the foyer ^ without even once inquiring what is doing on the stage (1). Among the most regular frequenters of the Opera, (we again quote "/w Petits Mysteres,") are M. L^on Haldvy , younger brother of the composer of /a Juive, M. Nestor Roqueplan, manager of the Vari^t^s (2), and brother of M. Camille Roqueplan, the distinguished painter, M. de Saint- Georges, author of the Gipsy and the Enchantress, and M. Thdophile Gautier, the clever but eccentric contributor to la Presse. The inde- fatigable Scribe is another unfailing attendant at the Acad^mie Royale, and is said to have written in his private box there a story published in la Presse, under the title of Judith, ou une Loge de I'Opera. Most of the celebrated composers of the day are habitues either of the stalls or of the foyer : Meyerbeer, when in Paris, rarely misses a representation, and Hector Berlioz, the clever musician and original critic, is generally at his post, meditating on his next feuilleton for the Journal des Debats (3). As for Auber, he is fond of listening to all operas except his own : he is said to have taken his seat in the stalls one evening, relying on the correctness of the bills of the day, which had announced Guillaume Tell. The performance, however, had been changed for some reason or other, and, to his mingled horror and amazement, the orchestra be- gan the overture to la Muette de Portici. Away he started like a mad- man, never stopping till he was safely out of the theatre. Auber is fond of a quiet promenade in the Bois de Boulogne, where he has com- posed several of his prettiest airs : he has lately succeeded Gherubini as director of the Conservatoire. (1) Few people, except the occupantsof private boxes, remain in llie salle during tlie entr'actes, but adjourn either to tlie foyer or to a neiglibouring cafd -. Ave minutes after tliefall of tlie curtain the entire pit is often deserted, a quantity of different coloured handkerchiefs being tied across the benches to mark that the places of their respective proprietors are relemes. (2) M. Roqueplan is said to have so great a contempt for vaudeville -writers, that on his being asked by a fashionable friend why he did not write the pieces for his own theatre, he replied with another question, "Why do you not black your own boots? " (3) Miss Smithson, the once popular actress, is now Mmc Berlioz. 31 THE COMPANY. OPlfiRA. ANCONI. Recently arrived from Italy. He has a fine bass voice, but has as yet made no regular debut. ARNOUX. A bass singer of some promise, who first appeared at the Opera in June, 1845, as Bertram in Robert-le-Diable. He is a pupil of Emma- nuel Garcia. BARROILHET (Paul). Born at Bayonne, in 1809. Although naturally endowed with a fine voice, he could not prevail on his parents to consent to his cultivating it professionally; indeed, had their wishes alone been consulted, he would in all probability have been at this moment, instead of the first baryton in France, a steady plodding tradesman in his native town. Fortunately for Barroilhet, however, chance willed it otherwise : an in-, timate friend of Rossini, happening to pass through Bayonne, heard him sing, and was so struck with his vocal powers and musical taste, that he entreated liis parents to allow their son (then aged nineteen) to ac- company him to Paris. They at length yielded, though reluctantly, and Barroilhet, full of hope and enthusiasm, was soon on his way to the capital, and was ushered immediately on his arrival into the pre- sence of Rossini. After hearing him sing an air from I'Inganno Felice, the maestro turned to his friend, and said, "I give you my word that this young man has a brilliant career before him ; write to his parenls, 32 and tell Ihem that he possesses a more considerable fortune than even they could desire for him." From this moment no further obstacles were thrown in Barroilhet's way : after a year's study in the Conservatoire under Banderali, he left Paris to complete his musical education in Italy, and in 1831 made his first appearance on the stage at Milan, under the auspices of M""" Pasta and Rubini. His debut was perfectly successful, and was followed by a continued series of triumphs at Genoa, Trieste, Verona, Bergamo, and Rome. In 1835 he sang at Palermo, and in the following year was en- gaged at the San Carlo, at Naples, where he remained until his return to Paris. During his stay in Italy, Roberto Devereux and Belisario were composed expressly for him by Donizetti. His first debut at the Academie Royale took place, December 2, 1840, in la Favorite, in which he created the character of Alphonse : the purity of his style and method and the melodious richness of his voice were fully appreciated by the Parisians, with whom both he and the opera speedily became favourites . Halevy has been mainly indebted to Barroilhet for the success of two of his operas : Lusignan in la Reine de Chypre, and the King in Charles VI., are admirable creations. In the latter piece, especially, his singing and acting are alike excellent ; the very expression of his countenance, pale, haggard, and careworn, is a perfect study. He is equally good in bu/fo parts : his Mirobolant in leLazzarone, also by Halevy, makes one forget the poverty of the music in admiration of the performer. In the summer of 1845, Barroilhet, though suffering from ill health, accepted an engagement at the Italian Opera in London ; but he would have been wiser had he declined it : his voice, weakened by illness, was unequal to the task, for though the method and taste were still the same, the freshness and vigour of the organ were wanting. A short interval of repose, however, completely restored him, and he reap- peared in the ensuing autumn at the Academie Royale, in full possession of his powers. His annual salary is 50,000 francs, with two months' leave of absence. 33 BESSIN. A basso of indifferent meril, whose first appearance at this thealre took place May 20, 18/|6, as Bertram in Robert-le-Diable. BETTINI. Another recent importation from Italy, who as yet has only sung in a concert at the Academic Royale. He has a powerful but not very sweet tenor voice, and, as far as we can judge from the single scena in which we have heard him, appears to have some knowledge of acting (1). BR^MOND, A bass singer, who, since the retirement of Levasseur, has gradually risen to the rank of premier sujet. He has not only a fine deep voice, but is also a sufficiently good actor greatly to improve the ensemble of every opera he appears in. DUFRENE. The debut of this singer, like that of his comrade Bessin, took place May 20, 1846, in Robert le-Diable, in which he sustained the part of Raimbaut. He has an indifferent tenor voice, and would be heard to far more advantage in a smaller theatre. (1) Betlini lias since (August 10, 1M6)ma(Je his deliiil as Eilgar, in I.iicie de lammermoor With but moderate success. 3 3/, DUPREZ. Gilbert-Louis Duprez was born in Paris, December 6, 1806 . One of his biographers, after asserting that this celebrated singer purchased, when very young, a rondo sung in a vaudeville for half a franc, gravely adds that this rondo first gave him the idea of cultivating music as a profes- sion. However this may be, it is certain that Duprez in due time enter- ed the Conservatoire, where he made but little progress. In 1817, Choron formed his vocal institution, and selected his pupils from the classes of the Conservatoire ; among those recommended to his notice was Duprez, whose musical education advanced rapidly under the tui- tion of so able a professor. Indeed, so confident was he in his own powers, that at nineteen years of age he ventured to appear at the Odeon, in Rohin-des-Bois ; but the attempt, as might be expected from his utter inexperience, was a complete failure. Mortified, but not discouraged, he quitted Paris for Italy, and after nine years of unremitting study, became acquainted with Rossini, Meyerbeer, Bellini, and Donizetti, by all of whom his fine voice and pro- mising talent were cordially appreciated. The approbation of suph judges was a sufficient passport to fame, and we find Duprez shortly after creating quite a furm-e at Genoa, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, and in fact throughout the whole of Italy. At length, after creating Edgardo in la Lucia, which was composed expressly for him andM"' Persiani, he made his debut at the Academic Royale, April 17, 1837, as Arnold in Guillaume Tell. His reception was triumphant ; the purity of his voice and his masterly execution of the most diflicult pas- sages in the opera, including the famous " Suivez-moi ! " drew down applause even from the most devoted partisans of Nourrit, then at the height of his reputation. On the departure of the latter for Italy, Duprez reigned without a rival, and commenced the series of brilliant creations which form his repertoire : les Huguenots, la Juive, les Mar- tyrs, laFavorite, and more recently, Dom Sebasiien, owe to him a great portion of their success (1). (I) Early in 1846, he played his original character of Edgar, in Lucie de Lammermoor (in French), and literally electrified the house by the wonderful energy of his acting. 35 Within the last few years, the voice of this celebrated tenor has lost much of its original power and sweetness : he still sings with the energy of former days, and can still astonish the house with an occa- sional ut de poitrine, but the exertion is too painful to be often repeated. It would, indeed, be marvellous if his Voice retained its pristine fresh- ness and melody after so long and fatiguing a career. Not only has Duprez had for nine years to bear up against the overpowering loud- ness of M. Habeneck's orchestra, but he has also sustained a part in almost every opera produced in that interval : nay, except during the brief sojourn of Mario at the Acad^mie Royale, he has been, until the recent debut of Gardoni, the sole leading tenor since the departure of Nourrit. Halevy's music, in particular, is fatal to a tenor ; in order to be heard above the instrumental thunders in which that composer delights, he is compelled to strain his voice, unless he "chooses to follow the wise plan adopted by more than one singer of the present day, of opening his mouth, and letting the orchestra do the rest. Such operas as la Reine de Chypre and la Juive, varied by Meyerbeer's Robert-le- Diable, and Donizetti's Favorite, would terrify even a Lablache or a SLaudigl, and when we reflect that these are among the most popular stock pieces of the repertoire, and that Robert-te-Diable has already attained its 280th representation at least, we cannot wonder that their constant repetition should gradually undermine the finest voice. Duprez is an excellent musician, and several of his pupils, among whom we may mention M""' Treillet Nathan, have done honour to his tuition. His salary is 60,000 francs, with a conge of two months. In 18U, he was engaged at Drury Lane for twelve nights, atifilOO a-night, and on a subsequent visit to England, he created a great sensation at Liverpool and Manchester by his performance in Guillaume Tell and la Favorite, As an actor, Duprez is deficient in grace and dignity : his figure is short and rather clumsy, and his countenance is neither handsome nor distinguee; but these natural disadvantages are more than redeemed by the many sterling dramatic qualities he possesses. Energy above all is the characteristic feature of his acting : his presence on the stage has a beneficial and animating effect on the other performers, for though sometimes inclined to overact his parts, he never falls into the oppo- 36 site extreme. Duprez fails, and always has failed, in RoberUe-Diable ; his voice, figure and face are equally unsuited to this character, of which Nourrit has been the only efficient representative on the French stage. In Othello, he has to contend as a singer with the recollection of Rubini, and the youth of Mario, but in his dramatic conception of the part he is inferior to neither. In none of his later creations, however, has he appeared to such advantage as in his original character of Arnold in Guillaume Tell; notwithstanding the decay of his vocal powers, such is the prestige attached to his name, that the mere announcement of this opera, though the other parts are mostly sus- tained by third rate singers, almost invariably ensures a crowded house. Duprez has recently purchased a magnificent hotel in the rue Turgot, formerly the property of M. Aguado. GARDONI. The debut of this charming tenor took place in December, i%kh, on the occasion of the first performance of Marie Stuart, in which he created the part of Bothwell. Although the success of the opera was very doubtful, that of the singer was decisive; the melodious freshness of his voice amply confirmed the favourable impression already made on the public by his prepossessing exterior. His figure is slight and ele- gant, the expression of his countenance is extremely pleasing, and his manners are gentlemanly and graceful. As to his eyes, more than one fair lady has assured us that they are irresistibly fascinating, and as we hold all fair ladies in general, and our own fair informants in particular, to be infallible in such matters, we have no inclination to dispute the point. Gardoni has not only a sweet and most musical voice, but he sings with exquisite taste and feeling : his only defect is a want of power, which is the more apparent owing to the size of the theatre, and the deafening accompaniments of the orchestra. Had Mario remained at the Acad^mie Royale, he must long ere this have rendered his voice 37 liarsh by overslrainiug it, or have lost It allogelher. There is no medium for a tenor at the French Opera, he must either scream, in order to be heard above the music, or be totally inaudible. It is on this account that we would fain see Gardoni in his proper place at the Salle Ventadour, beside Lablache and Grisi ; neither he himself nor the public would be losers. There at least he would be spared the mor- tification of feeling his exertions neutralised by the incapacity of the doublures by whom he is constantly surrounded : take, for example, Robert-le-Diable, the entire cast of which now includes only one premier sujet, Gardoni himself, every other leading character in the opera, male as well as female, being sustained by a second or third-rate singer. This system is at once injurious to the composer, whose music, after having undergone every variety of transposition and alteration, is still further mutilated by the subordinate vocalists to whom its execution is entrusted; and to the one efficient artiste, whose efforts are as it were paralysed by the utter incompetency of those around him. After so insufferably tedious an opera as Marie Stuart, the unvary- ing monotony of which has before now lulled even the claqueurs to sleep, la Favorite, which can, at all events, boast a dramatic and interest- ing plot, is a most welcome relief not only to the habitues of the Acade- mie Royale, but also to the performers themselves. The part of Fer- nand, which has been alternately taken by Duprez and Gardoni, is played well by both, perfectly by neither : the former is superior as an actor, the latter as a singer. Duprez is more energetic, more impas- sioned than his youthful rival ; Gardoni's face, figure, and voice are powerful odds in his favour. Could there be a fusion of their respective qualities, the public and M. Leon Fillet's treasury would be the gainers. MATHIEU. An agreeable but by no means first-rate tenor, whose debut took place October 29, 18i|5, as Othello. 38 PAUUN (Louis). This singer, who first appeared at the Opera in June, 1845, as Ro- drigue in Othello, is said to bear a strong resemblance both in face and manner to Nourrit the elder. He is a very industrious, but far from eminent, member of the company; his voice is a thin and unpleasant tenor, alike wanting in sweetness and in power, nor does he possess any redeeming merit as an actor. PORTHEAUT. A baryton of moderate pretensions, who first appeared at this theatre in August, 18/)5, as Lusignan in la Reine de Chypre, during the absence of Barroilhet. PRfiVOST (Ferdinand). A most usefulmember of the company, who, without being ever posi- tively good, is never positively bad. Perhaps his best part is the Cor- regidor in la Xacarilla. SERDA (Jacques-Emile). Is the son of a physician, and was born at Montpellier in 180 4. He entered the navy when young, but quilted it in 1822 to become a pupil of the Conservatoire, where he remained for three years. His first theatrical debut took place in 1826 at Avignon : he subsequently sang at Nimes, Marseilles, Antwerp, Brussels, and Toulouse, and in 1835 appeared at the Opera, as Bertram in Robert-le-Diable. Since that period, he has sung in almost every piece produced at this theatre, and 39 has recently succeeded Levasseur in several of his favourite characters. He has a tolerably powerful bass voice, and is a careful and intelligent actor : in le Lazzarone, especially, his performance of the old miser is very original and amusing. CACCIA (M°" Rossi). M"" Juana Rossi was born at Barcelona, December 17, 1808. When scarcely ten years old she came to Paris with her mother, who was then engaged at the Italian Opera, and three years later she herself commenced her vocal studies under M'"^ Naldi and Bordogni. Soon after, she sang at a concert at the H6tel-de-Viile, in which Rubini, Tam- burini, and Grisi also took part, and the brilliant flexibility of her voice and the excellence of her method excited general admiration. Not wish- ing to attain the reputation of a jpetUe merveille, a celebrity generally of short duration, M'" Rossi remained two years among the chorus singers at the Italian Opera, where she acquired sufficient stage experience to admit of her accepting an engagement in 1836 at the Op^ra-Gomique, at which theatre she appeared on August 10 of the same year, as Anna in la Dame Blanche. In 1840 she made a successful debut at la Scala, as Imogene in II Pirata, and during her stay in Milan married M. Gaccia, a young sculptor of some talent. She then returned to the Op^ra-Comique, and there created Carlo in la Part du Liable. In September, 1843, she was engaged at Lisbon, where she became very popular, and in 1845 sang for a short time at the Italian Opera in London, and subsequently at Amsterdam. Her debut at the Academic Royale took place April 20, 1846, as Rachel in la Jiiive, a character hardly suited to her powers. M"' Rossi Gaccia has a handsome and expressive countenance and a fine rich voice, the upper notes of which, however, are rather shrill. She acts more in the Italian than the French style, and delights in a superfluity of gesticulation, which may be very effective at Lisbon, but which is, to say the least, decidedly misplaced in Paris. /|0 D'H ALBERT (M"«). This young lady, whose real name is Pijon, and who is a native of Toulouse, appeared for the first time at the Opera October 13, 18Zi5, as Matliilde in GinUaume Tell. She is a very pretty blonde, and sings with great taste, but her voice, a sweet soprano, is not of sufficient power to fill so large a theatre. DAMERON (M'"). M"° Dameron's theatrical career has been short but prosperous, her very successful debut havingtaken place as recently as June 26, 1846, in the character of Alice in Robert-le-Diable. She is not only remark- ably good looking, but her voice is extremely sweet and flexible, and she acts with vivacity and perfect self-possession. DOBRfi (M"°). M"' Claire Dobre, daughter of a gallant soldier who received the cross of the Legion of Honour at Wagram from Napoleon's own hand, was born at Versailles, her father dying almost immediately after her birth. Being naturally gifted with a taste for music, she entered the Conservatoire in 1836, and was admitted into Bordogni's class ; she subsequently studied under Derivis, and during her stay in the Conservatoire bore away two of the principal prizes, viz., for singing and lyric declama- tion. Her superiority to the other competitors for the last-mentioned prize procured her an engagement at the Opera, then under the management of M. Duponchel, and her first debut took place December 23, 1839. She succeeded M"' Damoreau and M"' Falcon in several of their most popular characters, playing by turns Mathilde in Guil- laume Tell, Isabelle in Roberl-le-Diable, Eudoxie in la Juive, etc. Her voice is an agreeable soprano, and she sings with taste and expres- hi sion ; her chief defect is a habit of constantly moving her ejes and head as an accompaniment to the music. Without having any pretension to beauty, her countenance is remarkably pleasing. M"° Dobr6 has not been applauded at the Opera alone ; after singing at a concert given by the Cerde dts Arts, she was presented by the members with a silver medal, in token of their admiration of her talent. Nay, more, on her gaining the prize for lyric declamation in 1839, the town council of Versailles unanimously voted her a collection of operas magnificently bound, and bearing the arms of the town on the cover ; and on the vote being approved of by the Minister of the Interior, the volume was presented to her by the Mayor of Versailles in person. Her salary is, we believe, about 12,000 francs (£ 480) a-year. JULIENNE (M""). On September 8, 1845, la Reine de Cliypre, which had been announced for that evening's performance, was suddenly withdrawn from the bills, owing to an indisposition of M'"^ Stoltz, and the opera selected to supply its place was la Juiye, for the debut of M"" Julienne. This young artist has many brilliant qualities which promise her a successful career: she has not only a fine conir' alto \o\cq, but she sings most dra- matically, and acts with unusual animation and energy. MOISSON (M"'). Another young contr'alto singer, who made her debut at the Opera Junes, 1846, by the creation of la Pytlionisse in le Roi David. Her voice is very powerful but rather harsh, and her singing is on the whole far more calculated to astonish than to charm. i2 NAU (M'"). Theparents of M"° Dolores Nau were planters at St. Domingo, and in 1802, in which year the negroes rose against the French, and formed their republic, were forced with most of the other inhabitants of the island to fly for their lives. They succeeded in escaping to the United States, and took up their abode at New York, in which city M"" Nau was born and passed her early youth. Being subsequently recom- mended to try the climate of France for the benefit of her health, she embarked for Havre, and arrived in Paris in 1832, and was shortly after admitted into Ihe Conservatoire. There she found a kind friend and protectress in M°"= Damoreau, who, struck with the flexible voice and precocious talent of the young stranger, not only superintended her musical education, but in 1833, being appointed female professor of the Conservatoire, enrolled her among the number of her pupils. In the following year M"' Nau, to whom the first prize for vocalisation had already been awarded, again triumphed over all her competitors, and was unanimously accorded the grand prize for singing. On her leaving the Conservatoire, she met with a new and powerful patron in Rossini. " Mon enfant," said he, " the best places at the Ita- lian Opera are taken, there is not one left good enough for you ; but I will procure you a hearing by the committee of the Academic Royale." The result of this hearing was the offer of an engagement, which she accepted and signed with .\I. Duponchel, in April, 1836. As is always the case at the French Opera, several months elapsed between her engagement and her debut. This interval was employed by her in study- ing the three characters in which she was to appear successively, viz., Marguerite in les Huguenots, MatliUde in GuiUaume Tell, and la Comtesse in le Comte Ory. The appointed day had nearly arrived when one Sunday morning M"' Fl^cheux, who was to have acted the page Urbain in les Huguenots the same evening, was suddenly taken ill, and her part was offered to M"' Nau. She had little time to learn and none to rehearse the character, but her unexpected debut was not the less successful, and the favourable impression she then made on the public was amply confirmed on her subsequent appearance as Margue- /i3 rite in the same opera. She afterwards sang in Robert-le-Diable, la Juive, le Philtre, le Dieu et la Bayadere, etc. , and has created parts in le LacdesFees, leDrapier, Marie Stuart, and I'Jme en peine. In 18/|/|, she sang with great success at the Princess's Theatre in London as Lu- cia, and also in la Sirene. Her voice is a high soprano of peculiar sweetness and extraordinary flexibility, and in vocalization she is surpassed by M"" Persiani alone. On the occasion of Massol's retiring benefit in October, 1845, she sang Lucia with a perfection rarely witnessed on the French stage : her fio- nVwre were so brilliant, so exquisitely harmonious, as more to resemble the warbling of a bird than any effort of the human voice. Unfortu- nately, M"' Nau's acting is not equal to her singing : it wants life and energy. Her gestures are correct, and her manner ladylike and grace- ful ; but both are utterly deficient in animation. Every motion, every glance is studied ; we look in vain for that natural impulse, that drama- tic inspiration, for the absence of which Art, even in its highest perfec- tion, can never compensate. M"" Nau may charm her audience by the sweetness of her smile, and by the witching music of her voice ; but let her not rely on these attractions alone, let her study Art less and Nature more, and she will then not only charm the eye and ear, but the heart also. Above all , let her remember that, if she would touch the feelings of others, she herself must be the first to feel. PRl^TY (M»0. A young and pretty singer, whose first debut at this theatre (March 25, 1846), as Rachel in la Juive, proved that she not only possessed a charmingly musical voice, but also knew how to make the most of it. As an actress she has yet much to learn, her attitudes and gestures be- ing terribly stiff and embarrassed. RABI (M°"). First appeared at the Opera July 27, 1846, as Valentine ia les Hugue- nots. She has an agreeable and tolerably extensive voice, but sings without expression, and is no actress. ROISSY (M"" de). M"' Noemie de Roissy, daughter of a Paris physician, was born July 18, 1824. At the age of four years she evinced so precocious a taste for music as to induce her parents to encourage its cultivation, though they were far from suspecting that in so doing they were preparing their child for a professional career. However, a sudden reverse of fortune and the premature death of her father, who sank beneath the fatigue he underwent in attending cholera patients in 1832, compelled M"" de Roissy to seek in the exercise of her talent a means of subsistence for herself and her mother. Having been advised by Meyerbeer to devote herself to the stage, she took lessons from Nourrit and Bordogni, and, at the age of sixteen and a half, made her first appearance in public at Bordeaux, as Mathilde in Guillaumc Tell. Her su'^cess was decisive, and she shortly after sang Lucia with equal eclat. On her return to Paris, she demanded a hearing from the manager of the Opera, and chance favoured herwishes. On May 17, 1841, M"" Heine- fetter, who was to have sung that evening Alice in Robert-le-Diabie, was suddenly lakenill, and M""'Dorus-Gras being then in London, no substitute at so short a notice could be found. It was too late to change the piece, and areldche must have been inevitable, had not M"° de Roissy offered to sing the part without a rehearsal. Her offer was accepted, and the young debutante was received with such favour, that the immediate result was an engagement for five years. She has since sung most of the leading characters of the repertoire, and we may especially instance as one of her best parts the page holier in le Comte Ory. M"° de Roissy's voice is a soprano of considerable extent and power, but the shrillness of the upper notes detracts from the effect her sing- ing would otherwise produce ; she acts with great ease and self-posses- sion, but little grace. ^~^^. STOLTZ (M"" RosiNE). We do not intend touching on M"'" Stoltz's private history for two reasons : first, because the numerous biographical notices which have already appeared respecting her only agree in one point, namely, in contradicting each other; and, secondly, because we have reason to believe that none of them have the slightest foundation in fact. It is, however, generally admitted that, after singing for sometime in Choron's school, she made her debut in 183i, not as a vocalist but as an actress, at the Theatre da Pare in Brussels, in la Fille de Dominique and les Trots Chapeaux. Imagining then that her musical talents justified her in forsaking vaudeville for opera, she made her second debut at the Hague and Amsterdam in Tancredi, Oiello, and // Barbiere. The success she obtained encouraged her to persevere, and on her arrival at Antwerp, where the production of Robert-le-Diable was only delayed by the want of an Alice, she offered her services, and from that time played both grand and comic opera until ' she accompanied M. Bernard, the manager, to Brussels, where he assumed the direction of the principal theatre. Nourrit, starring in that city, sang with her, and eventually procured her an engagement at the Acad^mie Royale, where she first appeared in 1837, as Rachel in la Juive. Her career has since been one continued triumph; a series of splendid creations, among which we need only mention Lenore in la Favorite, Odette in Charles VI., la Reine de Chypre, Zatda in Dam Sebastien, and Marie Stuart, have entitled her to an honourable place among the first singers of the day. M^'Stoltz, in addition to a good figure and expressive countenance, possesses a remarkable voice extending from contr'alto to soprano; to these advantages she unites a perfect knowledge of music and an ex- quisite taste. As a dramatic singer she is without a rival ; as a tragic actress she is inferior to M"= Rachel alone. Hers is no feigned passion, no fictitious energy; every note, every gesture is spontaneous and na- tural. So completely does she identify herself with the character she represents, that she often overtaxes her strength, and more than once, after the curtain has fallen on the last scene in la Favorite, she has /,6 fainted away, overcome by fatigue and emotion. Nothing can be more appalling than her shriek of despair, her heart-rending cry of "perdtis, del et tcrre!" when she hears Fernand pronounce the fatal vow which separates him from the world and her for ever. Were la Favo- rite the feeblest composition ever produced in a theatre, that agonising shriek alone would have saved.it. M*' Stoltz's versatility is wonderful ; not orjly can she play serious and comic parts with equal ease and ability, but in dumb characters, where she has nothing to rely on but her own pantomimic powers, she is unsurpassed by any of her contemporaries. Thus her personation of Fenella in la Muette de Portici, although, we believe, she only acted the part once, has been pronounced faultless ; and on the opera being recently performed in presence of the court, M'"" Stollz was requested to replace M"° Marquet, for whom the character had been originally destined. She, however, refused. Saying that by so doing she should interfere with the interests of others, who had a better right than herself to play Fenella. The following anecdote has been related with reference to the ex* traordinary truth of M°"= Stoltz's acting. A deaf man was present one evening at the Opera during the performance of Charles VI. ; being entirely deprived of hearing, he had no means of understanding the plot except by the pantomime of the actors. Taking a pencil, he en- deavoured as far as he could to put on paper the different characters in the piece, and when the curtain dropped he handed his note-book to a friend, who to his astonishment read there, word for word, the part of M"' Stoltz. The salary of this celebrated artiste is said to amount to 60,000 francs a-year, with a conge of one month. BALLET. CORALLI. A clever dancer and very droll pantoniimist. He is the son of M. Eugfene Coralli, the composer of numerous ballets, and the brother of M"" Maria and Emilie Volet. He is also a landscape painter of some talent. DESPLACES (Henri). A young dancer of remarkable activity, but little grace. We have been assured, however, by one of the best danseuses in the company, that he is invaluable in a pas de deux, sacrificing himself entirely to his partner, and lifting her up like a feather. ELIE. As we have only seen this artiste in the very negative part of a good genius, in which he had nothing to do beyond invoking a blessing on somebody's head, we do not feel ourselves qualified to express an opi- nion as to his merits ; he, however, enjoys , and we believe most deserv- edly, the reputation of being an excellent mime. MAZILLIER. This very clever pantomimist began his theatrical career at Bordeaux , and was subsequently engaged at the Porte-Saint-Martin, from whence he was transplanted to the Opera. He is joint author with M. de Leu- ven of the amusing ballet entitled leDiabled Quatre, in which he sustains the character of Mazourki with infinite spirit. PETIPA (Lucien), If it be true, as we have often heard asserted, that the best dancers /|8 are almost always the ugliest, it must be admitted that Pelipa is -an exception to the general rule. He has, however, an unlucky habit of perpetually forcing a smile and showing his teeth while he dances, thereby distorting his face into an invariable grin, the effect of which is anything but pleasing. He is remarkably active, and dances with more ease and grace than any of his comrades ; and it is probably on account of these qualities that he is always selected as the partner of Carlotta Grisi. His debut at the Acad^mie Rnyale took place June 10, 1839, as Donald in la Sylphide. OUERIAU. We cannot otherwise describe this member of the corps de ballet than as a model for waiters and mattres d'hotel. In the Diable a Qua- tre, we had the pleasure of seeing him hand a cup of chocolate to Car- lotta Grisi with infinite grace. THEODORE. A recent importation from the Concerts Vivienne, where he for- merly used to dance the Polka and Mazurka on alternate evenings. TOUSSAINT. Another new addition to the company, not deficient in agility. ALIiNE (M""). Those who wait for the last scene of a fairy ballet will generally per- ceive M"' Aline waving a wand at the back of tlie stage, and attired in the pinlc and silver tunic usually adopted by virtuous gonii. DABAS (M'l"). We say M"", because there are two sisters of this name, called in the bills Dabas 1, and Dabas 2. The eldest, Julie Dabas, was originally a marcheuse, with little to do but to follow the evolutions of the corps de ballet and look pretty : she is now a promising danseuse, thanks to a successful rfc6M< in a pas de qmire in la Perl. As for Dabas 2, we believe she is still waiting anxiously for her emancipation from the sisterhood of raw (1). DUMlLATRE(M"'SopmR)- Daughter of an ex-actor of the Th^atre-FranQais. She is a pupil of M. Petit, one of the professors of the Academie Royale , and first appeared at the Opera some four years ago, in la Fille du Danube. At that time it was the custom ( a custom which has since been suffered, we think unwisely, to fall into disuse ) for all dancers to select one of the most difficult pas in the repertoire for their debut , and the one chosen by M'" Dumilatre was the more arduous for a young beginner as having been one of the great triumphs of Taglioni. The attempt, however, was perfectly successful, and the applause she received encou- raged her to devote herself with the utmost patience to the study of her art. It is, indeed, entirely owing to her own zeal and assiduity that she has attained her present high position, which is the result of a longer and more fatiguing apprenticeship than unprofessional readers can easily imagine. M"' Sophie Dumilatre is now one of the best and most justly popular danseuses of the Opera, and her name in the bills is a sure guarantee CO M''« Julie Dabas has recently lieen engaged at the Grand Thidlrenl Marseilles. h 50 that, whatever be the merits of the ballet, those pas at least which fall to her share will be well and correctly executed. She has in a great measure contributed to the success of Lady Henriette, la Peri, and indeed of most of the best choregraphic compositions of the Acade- mie Royale ; and on the occasion of Taglioni's farewell representa- tions in Paris two years ago, amid the enthusiastic applause lavished on that matchless artiste, there was more than one bravo, more than one bouquet, to reward and encourage the elegant and graceful efforts of Sophie Dumilatre. DUMIIATRE (M'''ADfeLE). Younger sister of the preceding. She was originally destined by her father to become a tragic actress, but M. Petit having remarked her dispositions (1) for dancing, Melpomene was abandoned for Terpsichore, and she made a most successful debut at the Acad^mie Royale in March, 1843, as la Sylpkide. Since that period her principal creations in Paris have been Lady Henriette and Eucliaris; she has also visited London three times, having been engaged once at the Opera and twice at Drury Lane, at which latter theatre she sustained in 1845 the principal character in the Marble Maiden. W' Adfele Dumilatre is tall and elegant, and the expression of her countenanceissopleasingthatshemay be almost called pretty : she dances with peculiar lightness, grace, and agility. EMAR0T(M»'Ci5lestine). M»- Emarot stands first on the list of second dansemes, whose names (I) Tlie author pleads Kuiltv lo the chawA whi„h ™™ i ducing French words into his boolManTDirra^^L^^P.rf' "f."'"^* '^"" °'' '"''•"- cially those relating to the Ihealrejave no corZoll? I ' •'" l""'* '*"^"''«^' ''^'- therefore judged it better topreserve tL or^aint °- '™ '" ^"^''^h; and he has force or their meaning by aVyTtempU^ .rSatl o?™"'"" ""^^'' "^"" ^^■^="'- *"« 51 are printed in the bills in letters about a quarter of an inch smaller than those of the premiers sujets. She is a most pains-taking and inde- fatigable dancer, and merits promotion. FABBRt (!«■»•). M""' Flora Fabbri-Bretin made her first appearance at the Opera about a year and a half ago, and has since danced in le Dieu et la Baya- dere and Roberi-le-Diable. She does not want for agility or muscular power, but her attitudes are deficient in grace. FITZJAMES (M"« Louise). Elder sister of M"' Nathalie Fitzjames, who, since her retirement from the Opera, has been creating a furore in Italy (1). M"« Louise has been fourteen years attached to the Acad^mie Royale, having made her de- but there (under the superintendence of Vestris, whose last pupil she was) October 1, 1832, in les Pages du Due de Vendome. The success of her first essay procured her an immediate engagement, and M. Gar- del, the celebrated ballet composer, sent her a most flattering congra- tulatory letter, accompanied by his portrait. A few weeks after, M. V6ron,then manager, begged her to undertake the part of the Abbess in the nun scene of Robert-le-Dtable, She hesitated, knowing that even Taglioni, after twice performing the character, had given it up on account of its dilflculty ; and that many of her other comrades had also resigned it. However, being much pressed by M. V^ron to try, she did so, and has since played it more than 230 times. On the 200th (1) Mi"« Nathalie Fitzjames was born in f 819, and is tlie youngest of three sisters, all dancers, M'l" Louise being the eldest. At the age of three or four years, she began to act children's parts in the mythological ballets then in vogue, but her first ddbut as a woman did not lake place untiH 837, when she appeared in a wretched ballet entitled les Mohi- cans, which was nevertheless successful, owing to her light and graceful dancing. M"' Na- thalie, like Carlotta Grisi, has a pleasing voice, and has been known to sing in an opera -and dance In a ballet on the same evening. night of her performing the part, Meyerbeer sent her his bust in bronze, on which was inscribed, ^'Meyerbeer a Louise Fitzjames, abbesse des nonnes dans Robert-le-Diable." She subsequently danced in /a Sylphide, laFille du Danube, la Gipsy, and many other favourite ballets, and in 1836, on Taglioni's quitting the theatre, succeeded her in la Revoke au Serail and le Dieu et la Bayadere. Jules Janin, speaking of this attempt in the Journal des Debats oi April 18, 1836, says, "Simple, d^cente, assez timide pour n'etrepastremblante, legere comme on n'est pas l^g^re, M"' Fitzjames s'esttiree de cette premiere bataille avec tous les honneurs de la guerre. En absence de M"° Taglioni, on ne pouvait confier son casque, sa cui- rasse et son ep^e, et ses pas, a une tete, a des ^paules, a une main, k des pieds plus dignes de porter tout cela." In I8/1I, M"° Fitzjames paid a short professional visit to Modena, on the occasion of the opening of the theatre lately erected in that city : she was afterwards offered a lucrative engagement at Venice, which she was forced to decline, her leave of absence from Paris having expired. M"' Fitzjames is extremely tall, and the most remarkable features of her dancing are its great correctness and agility. FUOCO {M"^. This very clever danseuse is, we believe, a native of Milan, and first appeared at the Opera July 10, 1846, as Betty in the new ballet of that name. The chief peculiarity of her dancing is the astonishing steadi- ness and aplomb with which she walks, bounds, and pirouettes on tiptoe in the lightest and most agile manner, the sole of her foot rarely touch- ing the ground. In pantomime she has yet much to learn, but on the whole we have seldom seen so promising a debutante. GRISI (M"' Carlotta). This charming arii.iie was born ai Visinida , in Upper Istria, in a pa- 53 lace built for the Emperor Francis the Second. When little more than seven years old she danced together with other children at the Scala with such infantine grace, that the Milanese, with one accord, christened her the little Heberle (M"« Heberl^ being then at the zenith of her fame). Carlotta subsequently accompanied the impresario Lanarl to Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples, in which last city she met Perrot, and be- came first his pupil, and afterwards his wife. On his recommendation Laporte engaged her for the Italian Opera in London, where she speedily became a favourite. While there, M"" Malibran endeavoured to make her turn singer, but in vain ; she however so far yielded as to sing an air from Lucia on the occasion of Perrot's benefit. From Lon- don, master and pupil went to Vienna, and from thence to Milan, where they arrived shortly before the Emperor's coronation, and then, after a brief visit to Naples, quitted the sunny South for Paris, where Carlotta appeared for the first time February 28, 1840, at the Theatre de la Renais- sance, in le Zingaro, in which piece she both sang and danced. On the closing of this unlucky theatre she made a most brilliant debut al the Opera in la Favorite, and from that moment her career has been one continued triumph. Her name is henceforth inseparably connected with the charming and poetic creations which her own grace and beauty have immortalized : Giselle, Beatrix, la Peri, have attained a celebrity equal to that of la Sylphide and la Fille du Danube, and the most devoted admirer of Taglioni can scarcely refuse a tribute of homage to the bewitching elegance of Carlotta Grisi. Wherever she goes , her reception is the same ; if she is idolized in Paris, she is adored in London. The impression produced by her per- formance of laPeri at Drury Lane, in 1843, will not be easily forgotten, and her more recent triumph in the Pas de Quatre is still fresh in the recollection of the habitues of the Opera. Nor must we omit her last creations of Mazourka in the Diable a Quatre, and Paquita : it is im- possible to describe the fascinating naivete of her manner, the arch and lively humour of her pantomime, and the extraordinary precision and grace of her dancing. How many self-styled premiers sujets would find their vanity lowered by the contemplation of such matchless skill and elegance ! how many, conscious of their own inferiority, might feel almost with the Neapolitan that such as themselves need only 54 " Veder CarloUa, e poi morir! " A clever French critic, Jacques Arago, says, speaking of Perrot and his charming wife, "People do not throw flowers to them, but hold them out from the boxes until they rise and take them. " Carlotta (M"' Carlotta would sound as ridiculous as M"' Taglioni or M"* Cerlto), is a blonde beauty ; her eyes are of a soft and lovely blue, her mouth is small, and her complexion is of a rare freshness and deli- cacy. One of her great admirers, Th^ophile Gautier, has compared it to a the rose opening. Her figure is symmetrical, for, though slight, she has not that anatomical thinness, which is so common among the danseuses of the Acad^mie Royale. Her grace is not more surprising than her aplomb ; she never appears to exert herself, but can execute the most incredible tours de force with a perfect tranquillity. The abandon with which she hangs, one foot in air, on Petipa's shoulder in the Peri, is inexpressibly beautiful ; it is indeed the poetry of motion. Add to this a most winning smile, and an irresistible fascination of manner, and you have a faint, very faint idea of Carlotta Grisi. MARIA (M"'). M"' Maria was born in Paris, in one of the poorest and most thickly populated quarters of the city. When scarcely ten years old she became a member of the corps de ballet at the Academic Royale, being enrolled among the children employed to walk in processions. She was then, in fact, what is familiarly called a trottin, whereas she is now one of the leading danseuses of the theatre. No little patience and persever- ance were necessary to eff'ect this change in her position, and M"= Ma- ria had both. She came alone to the Opera every evening, and return- ed home alone also, except now and then when one of her neighbours, likewise attached to the theatre in the capacity of machinist, accompa- nied her. But she had often to wait for him until all the scenery had been put by, which frequently was not accomplished before two in the morning ; and more than once, after she had remained shivering with cold on a bench for several hours, he went away without \m\\ai 55 she was obliged to walk back alone in the middle of the night, poorly clad and half-starved. At one of the last rehearsals of la Tenlation Maria, dressed for the occasion en diabloiin, absolutely refused to mount astride a canon in- fernal drawn by demons. "Get up, Mademoiselle," shouted Goralli, the nuiUre des ballets, in an impatient tone. "No; lAvon't ride on that horrid thing." "Ah ha! will you jump up or not?" "iVbw, na!" She had scarcely uttered these words, when a well-applied kick sent her upon the gun, and she never ventured to disobey again. From demon she rose to the rank of page, and had the honour of holding up the Cardinal's train in la Juive, and at last was permitted to cUmse in a pas de trois with M"" Blangy and Albertine. After her debut all went well with her; she appeared successively in Nina, la Fille mal gardee, and la Tarentule, and even attempted la Gipsy, but she is more at home in less serious parts. Perhaps her two best crea- tions are Julie in la Jolie Fille de Gand, and the Countess in le Viable a Quatre; in the latter ballet, especially, she has surpassed all her previous efforts as a pantomimist. In 1840, M"' Maria appeared at Vienna in Apollon et Daphne, and in 1843, she embarked at Havre for Hamburg. She suffered so much from sickness during the voyage, that on her arrival she missed her footing from sheer weakness on the planks which connected the boat with the shore, and fell into the water, but was luckily fished up with no other injury than a good ducking. Her success at Hamburg was im- hiense : the worthy citizens called her before the curtain three times after every act, making nine times in all, the ballet consisting of thtee acts. One evening, they happened to recollect just as the curtain fell that they had only called for her eight Wraes, and, to make amends for their neglect, unanimously shouted until she came. When she appeared, it was in her modest travelling dress, which from having fallen into the water had shrunk terribly and was very short. To hide this, she made a low courtesy, and the public, delighted with what they imagined to be "the humility of their favourite-, applauded her more vehemently than ever'. 56 While at Hamburg, slie was invited to diuuer by tbe Minister of Com-' merce in company with the French minister, and was gratified by a long complimentary harangue from a certain Doctor Avenarius, attired most solemnly in black, the said harangue consisting of two hundred German verses, perfectly unintelligible to the fair danseuse. Last year, M"» Maria accepted a short engagement at Drury Lane, and was very favourably received in les Danaides and Giselle, but neither of these ballets are exactly suited to her peculiar talent. Though an elegant and clever dancer, yet her forie is pantomime, in which branch of her art, since the retirement of M"" Pauline Leroux, she is without a rival. Her acting is graceful and natural, full of life and spirit , and her dark twinkling eyes give a most piquant expression to her pleasing and intelligent countenance ; as to her feet, they are veri- table importations from China. Formerly M"* Maria considered herself lucky if she gained one franc a-night : at present her salary amounts to 15,000 francs a-year. PLUNKETT (M"'). M"« Marie Adeline Plunkett, who, like her charming^isterM""Doche, is a native of Brussels, was engaged in 1843 at the Italian Opera in London, where her youth and beauty created a considerable sensation, hi the winter of 1844, she attracted crowds to Drury Lane by her per- formance in la Revoke da Serail and la Peri. Her first debut in Paris took place March 17, 1845, and the part selected for the occasion was la Peri. In the summer of the same year she again visited Lon- don, and danced several times at Govent Garden, during the repve- sentations of the Brussels Operatic company. M»« Plunkett is not only a very pretty girl, possessing one of those bright and sunny faces which it is always pleasant to contemplate, but a most promising dancer ; she is petite, but her figure is beautifully formed, and her smile (how few danseuses can smile without a grimace !) is extremely winning. It is diflicult to say whether she is seen to most '% 51 advantage oo or off the stage, foi' her features, whether animated by exertion or in repose, are equally pleasing. Had M"* Plunkett chosen any other part for her role de debut, it is probable that her success would have been less undisputed, though it could hardly have been more decisive : the Parisians, true slaves of habit, could not at first conceive the possibility of any one being able to do justice to la Pen except the danseuse they were accustomed to ap- plaud, their favourite Carlotta Grisi. Thus, the young artiste had to contend not only against the recollection of her predecessor, but also against the prejudices of her audience; and yet, in spite of both obsta- cles (and that they are no trifling ones any habitue of a French theatre well knows) , her bold attempt was crowned with success. Possibly her graceful execution of a Spanish dance, la Manola, intro- duced by her into the second act, and therefore a novelty, may have in part propitiated the public, or possibly the bright eyes of the fair debu- tante may have disarmed any stern critics who were proof against her talent; but though it may be doubtful whether she has to thank her prettyfaceor tiny feet for her favourable reception, it is certain not only that the reception was favourable, but that it was deservedly so (1). ROBERT (M"" Elisabeth.) A dark-eyed and dark-haired danseuse, with more agility than grace. THEODORE (M""). Transplanted together with her husband from the boards of the Con- certs Vivienneto those of the Opera. (I) Since the above was written, Mii= Plunkett has more than realized the brilliant pro- mise of her debuc by her graceful personation of Zoloi in le Dieu el la Bayadere. 68 Other danseuses of some merit and more promise, not included in the above list, are M"" Drouet, Dubignon, Pierson, and Wifthoff. The following are among the best pieces which compose the modern repertoire of the Acad^mie Royale. OPERAS. GuillaumeTell. Le Comte Ory. Moise. Robert-le-Diable. Les Huguenots. La Favorite. La Muette de Portici. Le Serment. Le Dieu et la Bayadere. La Reine de Chypre. La Juive. » BALLETS. La Jolie Fille de Gand. Le Diable Amoureux. Giselle. La Pdri. La Sylphide. La Fille du Danube. La Tarentule. Lady Henrietle. Le Diable a Quatre. Paquita. CHAPTER III. THEATRE FRANgAIS. RUE RICHELIEU. The origin of the theatre in France may be said to date from the close of the 14th century, when religious mysteries were first represented by pilgrims returning from the Holy Land. Until 1398, these performances were held in the open air, but in that year several citizens subscribed towards the erection of a theatre in the Bourg de Saint-Maur, hear Vincennes, and the first mystery played there was entitled the Passion of our Saviour. The Provost of Paris, however, by an order dated June 3, 1398, having forbidden all persons within his jurisdiction to represent either the lives of the Saints or other mysteries without the royal per- mission, letters patent were obtained in 1402 from Charles VI., authoriz- ing the society of the Confreres de la Passion to perform in public. The society soon after adjourned to the Hopital de la Trinite, situated outside of the Porte-Saint-Denis , where they gave representations on festivals and holidays ; the subjects of their entertainments being chiefly taken from the New Testament. Their success was so great, that in several churches the hour of vespers was altered for the accommo- dation of those who wished to attend both ceremonies ; tlae clergy and the theatre were as yet too closely allied to be enemies. In order to obviate all necessity of changing the scenery, the forma- tion of the stage was as follows : several scaffolds were erected one above the other, the highest of which represented Paradise, and the re- mainder Herod's palace, Pilate's house, and the usual scenes required by the mystery. On both sides of the stage were ranged rows of benches, where the actors sat, each awaiting his turn to go on : the public never lost sight of them for a moment until they had entirely finished their parts. The infernal regions were represented by a dra- gon's mouth, placed where in modern French theatres stands the prompter's box : this mouth opened and shut , affording the demons free passage to and fro^ The Confreres de la Passion soon met with formidable rivals in the Enfans sans Saucy, and the Clercs de la Basoche : the first of these so- cieties was composed for the most part of young men of rank, whose object was avowedly to satirize the follies of their day. The leader of this company bore the title of the Prince of Fools. He wore in public a species of hood, and was decorated with ass's ears. The perform- ances of the Enfans sans Soucy, who had also obtained letters patent from the King, were held on temporary stages erected in the market- place. The Clercs de la Basoche invented moralities, in which were per- sonified the different virtues and vices; they were, however, allowed to perform but thrice in the year , and then only on occasions of public rejoicing. Satire was their favourite weapon, and their unsparing attacks on the highest nobility in the kingdom gave such offence that, by a decree passed by parliament in 1470, their performances were prohi- bited. On the accession of Louis XII. this veto was removed, and full permission given to the actors to satirize whom they chose, not even excepting the King himself. Presuming on this toleration , they even- went so far as to paint upon their masks the features of the individuals against whom their satire was directed, but this audacity was speedily checked by a fresh parliamentary edict. The Confreres de la Passion, finding that the farces of the Enfam sans Soucy attracted larger audiences than their own more serious per- 61 formances, engaged their rivals to represent comic scenes and burles- ques in conjunction with their religious mysteries (1), By this means they continued to prosper until 1539, when they were forced to quit their theatre, which was again destined to become an hospital. They then hired a portion of the H6lel de Flandre, but were not suffered to remain there long unmolested : in 15Z|3, Francis the First ordered that hotel, as well as those of Arras, Etampes, and Bourgogne, to be demo- lished. This compulsory removal induced the Confreres to purchase a piece of ground forming part of the site of the Hotel de Bourgogne, and situated in the Rue Mauconseil. Here they erected their new theatre, which same building was afterwards occupied by the Italian company until the year 1783 : the leather-market, which was built on its site in 1784, exists to this day. As soon as their theatre was completed, the Confreres petitioned par- liament for leave to recommence their performances, and a decree dated November 17, 1548, was passed in their favour, forbidding all other companies to give public representations either in Paris or in the immediate vicinity; but at the same time prohibiting the. Confreres themselves from representing in future the Passion or any other sagred mystery, and confining them to subjects of a less serious nature. Thus, exactly 150 years after the establishment of the first theatre, the career of the Mysteries, which had originally attained so high a degree of popularity, finally closed. Among those performed during the interval from 1398 to 1548 may be cited the Mystery of the Passion, the Mystery of the Old Testament (containing no less than 62,000 lines), the Mystery of St. Catherine the Destruction of Troy, by Maitre Jacques Mirlet, a student of the Or- leans University, the Adoration of the Three Kings, hy Queen Margue- rite of Navarre, and the Mystery of the Nativity (2). (<) The performers in these mysteries hereby no means confined to professional actors ; nobles, magistrates, and even priests, having at different times figured in similar entertainments. During a representation of a mystery at Metz, In 1547, a priest, named Jehan de Nicey, who was playing the part of Judas, very nearly hunt? himself in reality, and was obliged to be cut down with the greatest possible dispatch, in order to save his life. (2) The subjects of the mysteries were chiefly selected from the Old and New Testa- ments, the lives of the Prophets and the Acts of the Apostles being by turns represented: 62 The moralities represented by the Clercs de ia Basoche consisted of moral allegories, in which the different Virtues and Vices played promi- nent parts ; the three Muses usually invoked by their authors were Faith, Hope, and Charity. The morality entitled Bien advise et mcd advise comprises among other characters Free Will, Faith, Contrition, Humi- lity, Rebellion, Folly, Vain Glory, Shame, Despair, Poverty, Prudence, Honour, and Fortune. This last personage employs a curious mode of warning Bien advise of the instability of her favours, by showing him four men, whose names form the following Latin verse : " Regnabo, regno, regnavi, sum sine regno." Regnavi a.nA sum sine regno C' I have reigned," and "I am without a kingdom" ) have been thrown out of Fortune's wheel : Regno and Regnabo ("I reign," and "I shall reign") are the actual favourites of the Goddess, but the same lot awaits them, the wheel of Fortune being ever on the turn. One of these allegorical dramas is represented on the splendid drapery which formerly covered the tent of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy; the description of it is as follows. Dinner, Supper, and Banquet are three dangerous associates, whose temptations are to be resisted by all who would avoid falling into the hands of Apoplexy, Fever, Gout, and the like bad company. Banquet is the most perfi- dious of the three ; he is ever seeking to invent some new torment for as a sample of their slender literary merit, take the following dialogue between Joseph and Marie, which is nevertheless one of the best passages in the Mystire de la Kalivili. Joseph. Suave et odorante rose, Je syay bien que je suis indigne D'^pouser vierge tant b6nigne, Non obstant que soye descendu De David, bien entendu ; M'amye, je n'ay guferes de biens. Maeie. Nous trouverons bien des moyens De vivre, mais que y meltons peine ; En tixture de soye et laine Me cognoys. Joseph. C'est bien dit, m'amye. Aussi de ma charpenterie Je gagnerai quelque chosette. In the same Mystery the shepherds, speaking of the presents they intend to offer to the infant Jesus, mention particularly, Un beau calendrier de bois Pour sfavoir les jours et les mois Et cognoislre le nouveau temps. 63 his guests. When he invites them to his feasts, he tempts them with dainties which they afterwards repent having tested ; at the conclusioh of the repast they are terrified by the appearance of Death and diseases of every kind, represented by hideous slieletons. Dame Experience, seated on her throne, sceptre in hand, is called upon by the suffering guests to relieve them; she summons the three guilty ones. Banquet, Dinner, and Supper, to answer the charges made against them. The result of the trial is the condemnation of Banquet to be hung ; as to Dinner and Supper, on the plea oftheir being necessaries indispensable to mankind, they are spared, but only on condition that an interval of six hours shall elapse between them. The farces, or, as they were termed, sotties, of the Enfans sans Soucy bore in some respects a great resemblance to the moralities. One of them was composed of eight characters, namely, the World, Abuse, and six sots or fools of different kinds. The plot is as follows : the World, weary of watching over rtiankind, falls asleep, and Abuse take his place. Waving his wand, he causes a troop of fools to appear be- fore him, and proposes to them to create with their aid a new world, over which they shall have dominion. But the fools cannot agree among themselves ; the reign of folly speedily brings on a chaos of anarchy and confusion, and at last the Old World, awaking from his slumber, puts the usurpers to flight, and restores order. Among the most popular writers of sotties may be cited Pierre Grin- goire, immortalized in Notre-Dame de Paris, who was at once author and actor ; his sottie entitled Y Homme obstine is a bitter satire against Pope Julius the Second. Jean du Pont-Alais was another favourite author : he was hump- backed, and is said to have accosted a Cardinal similarly deformed as follows, at the same time placing his own hump beside that of his Emi- nence : "Monseigneur, your lordship and I are in a position to prove that, in spite of the proverb, two mountains can meet." The stage appears to have been in those days anything but a lu- crative source of emolument, if we may judge from the epitaph written by Ronsard on an actor called Jacques Mernable. "Tandis que tu vivais, Mernable, Tu n'avais ni maison ni table. 64 Et jamais, pauvre, tii n'as veu Dans ta maison le pot au feu. Ores, la mort t'est profitable. Car tu n'as plus besoin de table. Ni de pot; et si, dfisormais, Tu as maison pour tout jamais." The parliamentary edict which prohibited all representations of sacred mysteries was a severe blow to the Confreres de la Passion, who had calculated on defraying the expenses consequent on the erection of their new theatre with the profits arising from their performances. They nevertheless continued to represent pieces, the subjects of which were taken from history and fiction ; but the public taste had in the mean- time undergone a change, and the tragedies and comedies written by Jodelle and others, in imitation of the Greek and Latin poets, especially Seneca, possessed far more attraction for the multitude than anything they could offer. They therefore resolved on letting their theatre to a company of actors, the first who had been permitted, in accordance with the monopoly granted to the Confreres, to perform in Paris. Four years before that time, some provincial actors had attempted to establish themselves in the college of Gluny, Rue des Mathurins, but scarcely a week elapsed ere their theatre was closed by order of Par- liament. The new occupiers of the Hotel deBourgogne, from the time of their establishment until 1593, were frequently obliged to suspend their per- formances , owing to the civil and foreign wars which preceded the reign of Henri IV. ; but after that monarch's accession to the throne, they en- joyed a long interval of undisturbed prosperity. Some provincial actors profited by the license allowed during fair- time to open a theatre in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, on the occasion of the fair held in that quarter ; they were permitted to remain, in spite of the opposition and remonstrances of the comedians of the H6tel de Bourgogne. A far more important infringement of the privilege granted to the successors of the Confreres was the establishment of a second theatre, which was opened a few years later, under the name of Tliediredu Ma- rais. Previously, however, to its erection, and as early as 1612, they had presented a petition to Louis XIII., praying that their innual 65 payment to the Confrei-es'deU Passion might cease, and demanding the dissolution of that association. Their request was not complied with until 1629, when, by a decree of council, they were recognised as sole profh-ietors of the H6tel de^Bourgogne. Among the, most celebrateS actors of that period were Turlupin, Gros Guillaume, and Gaultier Garguille ; their real names were Henri Legrand, Robert Guerin, and Hugues Gudrin. They originally per- formed in a temporary wooden theatre erected in a tennis court ; their scenery consisted solely of a few pieces of painted sail-cloth. They were their own authors, T^lupin writing the prose of the farces, and Gaultier Garguille the songs introduced in them : the TtirLupinades (as they were cajjed) of the one soon became as popular as the verses of the other. Gaultier delighted in representing old men, and his singular costume excited unive'rsal laughter ; his body and legs were extremely thin, and both w^re encased in black cloth, trimmed with red. Gros Guillaume deserved hi& name so well, that he was said to walk with his stomach : he tried all he could to hide his legs, rolling along like a huge barrel. Between them came the gay and lively Turlupin, perpetually skipping about and making his unsuspecting associates the butt of his tricks and practical jokes. * * The attraction of;their performances was so great, that their theatre was opened twice a-day, at noon for the scholars, and in the evening for the populace : the price of admission was about, three halfpence. The success of these Twlwpimdes alarmed the actors of the H6tel de Bourgogne , and they laid theirsomplaints before Richelieu. The Cardinal resolved on judging for himself as to the merits of the trio, and ordered them to appear before him. Their drolleries so amused him, that he directed the complainants fo admit them into their company, of which they speedily became the most popular members. UnlQckily for themselves, they ventured to presume on the favour shown them by the public ; Gros Guillaume, the only one of the three who wore no mask, imitated one day so exactly the look and manner of a certain magistrate, that the original was instantly recognised. But a few hours elapsed ere the offender was thrown into prison, and a warrant issued against his comrades, who, however, found means of escape. 5 f)(3 Poor Gros Guillaiime did not survive his imprisonment many days, and, strange to say, his two companions, either from sympathy or some other cause, followed him to the grave in less than a week. They were all buried in the church of Saint-Sauveur. In 1632, a company of actors from the provinces had established themselves in a tennis court in the Rue MicJiel-le-Comte, but the inha- bitants of the adjoining streets petitioned against their theatre as a nui- sance, and it was closed by order in the following year. In 1635, another theatre was opened in the Faubourg Saint-Gerihain during fair-time, and in 1650 a third was erected in the same qucirter, in the tennis court of the Croix-Blanche, which existed for three years under the name of I'lllustre Theatre. In 1658, the number of theatres in Paris was reduced to two, the Hotel de Bourgogne and the Tlieatre du Marais : both were enriched by the productions of Corneille and his contemporaries. Mblifere subse- quently obtained the King's permission to act in the Theatre du Petit- Bourbon, and later still at the Palais Royal. On his death, which took place February 17, 1763, four members of his company quitted the Palais Royal, and accepted engagements at the Hotel (Je Bourgogne : the remainder, being forced to vacate their theatre by LuHj, who had been authorized by the King to perform his operas at the Palais Royal, applied also for an engagement at the Hotel de Bourgogne, but were refused. Upon this the mij:jister Colbert, actingunder the instructions of his royal master, who wished to restrict the number of theatres in the capital to two, viz., the Hotel de Bourgogne and the Theatre Gu^n^- gaudin the Rue Mazarine (the latter of which had been first opened as an opera house in 1671, and since LuUi's removal to the Palais Royal had remained unoccupied), selected the most celebrated actors from the Theatre Guen^gaud and the Theatre du Marais. These formed the new company of the Theatre Guenegaud, and the Theatre du Marais was rased to the ground. In 1680, the companies of the Hotel de Bourgogne and the Theatre Gu^n^gaud were assembled by royal order, and the best actors seledted from each ; the King's object being to unite in one theatre all the first dramatic talent of the day. The Theatre Gu^n^gaud was then recog- 67 nfzed as the sole national establishment, the H6tel de Bourgogne being entirely abandoned to the Italian performers, who had hitherto played at the Theatre Gii^n^gaud, alternately with the regular company. Subsequently to August 25, 1680, on which day the two theatres were united (1), performances were given nightly in the The2itreGu6- n^gaud : the new company consisted of twenty seven actors and actresses. In 1685 their number was increased to twenty nine, and in the same year retiring pensions were granted to several performers. The Theatre Gu^n^gaud, thus remodelled, enjoyed an uninterrupted career of prosperity until June 20, "1687, when the time having arrived for opening four colleges founded by Cardinal Mazarin in the imme- diate vicinity of the theatre, the King, fearing the effects of such near neighbourhood, ordered the actors to quit the H6tel GuSnegaud in six months from that time. The execution of this order was, however, delayed until 1698, when, after no Jess than seven sites for their new theatre had been successively proposed by the comedians, and rejected owing to the remonstrances of the resident jplergy (2), the former effect- ed a purchase of a tennis court in the Rue Neuve-des-Fossds, situated in the quarter of Saint-Germain-des-Pr^s. There they erected their theatre, which bore the following inscription.* HStel des Comfidiens du Roi, entretenus parSaMajesW, HDC. LXXXVIII : The pieces chosen for their opening performance were Phedre and le Medecin matgre lui. (1) On this occasion appeared a royal edict, forbidding all French actors, except the newly constituted company, lo perform either in the city or suburbs of Paris without the King's express permission. By virtue of this decree, the privileged comedians were authorized to incorporate themselves into a society, and a contract to that effect was drawn out iil the presence of notaries. They received a yearly allowance of 1,200 livres from Louis XIV., and after fixing the sum to be contributed by each actor or actress on his or her adniission into the society, as well as the amount of the pensions payable to retir- ing performers or their heirs, they apportioned their entire capital into a certain number of shares and half shares, of which the different sociilaires (or members of the society) became joint proprietors. • This social contract continued in force, after having undergone some slight modifica- tions during the Revolution, unlil the publication of the famous decree of Moscow, in 18) s, which is to this day the charle of the theatre. (2) The C«r^ of Saint -Germaitt-rAuxerrois among others pretended that it the site of the Hotel de Sourdis was chosen, those in the theatre would hear the church organ, and those in the church the violins of the orchestra. The hotel in the Rue Neuve-des-Foss6s was occupied by the King's comedians during eighty years, notwithstanding frequent complaints of its inadequate accommodation : its boards were graced by some of the brightest ornaments of the French stage. In 1770, the King permitted the company to perform temporarily in the theatre of the Tuileries, until a new .one, then building for them, should be completed ; they again opened with Phedre and leMedecin malgre lui. It was not until 1782 that the theatre erected in the Faubourg Saint-Ger- main was ready to receive them ; and on their taking possession of it the King, by a decree passed in the same year by the state council, reserved to himself the perpetual proprietorship of the said theatre, as well of the ground on which it stood as of all the buildings connected with it. The opening pieces were V Inauguration du Theatre -Francais, a new one- act comedy in verse by Imbert, and Ipliigenie en Aulide. Towards the close of 1789, the Th^atre-FranQais took the title of Theatre de la Nation : the 'phvdSQComediens ordinaires du roiwas erased from the playbill of June 22, 1791. It was in the beginning of the same year that Dugazon, Talma, Grandm^nil, and M"" Vestrls, Desgarcins, and Lange separated from their comrades, and accepted engagements at the Theatre des Varietes Amusantes, which then first took the name of Th^atre-Fran^ais de la Rue Richelieu. It was not, however, till after the destruction of the Theatre de la Nation,.or Odeon, by fire, March 17, 1799, that the theatre in the Rue Richelieu became a general point of union for all the original members of the Comedie-FranQaise in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, and was thus consequently recognised as the sole remaining Th^atre-Frangais. The decree signed by Napoleon at Moscow, October 15, 1812, which ordained that the theatre should be managed by the societaires, under the surveillance of a commissioner appointed by the government, conti- nued in force until 1833, when two private individuals. Mess". Jouslin de la Salle and V^del, were successively appointed directors. Sincel840, however, the theatre Jias been managed by a committee of six socie- taires chosen by the Minister of the Interior, and presided over by M. Buloz, the Royal commissioner. Were we to attempt to enter into any review, however brief, of the Thdatre-Frangais, or to give detailed notice.s of the celebrated artistes. 69 ancient as well as modern, who have illustrated its history, we should require far more space than our limits will afford : for tlie present, there- fore, we shall content ourselves with. simply naming a few of the brightest ornaments of /« Comedie-Frangaiseviho have flourished from the lime of MoUfere to the present day ; giving when possible the date of the debut and death of each. We hope to be able hereafter to enter more fully into this very interesting subject. NAME. DATE OF DEBUT. Moliere. .' 1658 M"" Moliere ^Armande Bejart) Baron. . - • . M'"' Champmesle . Poisson (Raymond). La Thorillifere. Dancourt. Poisson (Paul). Pdnteuil- .' Dufresne. . • . Adrienne Leeouvreur Legrand. ■ . Poisson (Francis-Arnou! M"" Dangeville. M"* Dumesnil. M"" Clairon. . Lekain. . Bellecour. Pr^ville . Brizard. . Mole. M"' Doligny . M"' Sainval (ainee) M"" Vestris. . Monvel (1). . Dugazon. Id) 1662 1670 1679 1680 1684 1685 1686 1701 1712 1717 1719 1725 1730 1737 1743 1750 1752 , 1753 1758 1761 1764 1766 1769 1772 1772 DEATH. 1673 1700 1729 1698 1690 1731 1725 1735 1718 1769 1730 1769 1743 1787 1803 1803 1778 1778 1800 1791 1802 1823. 183- 1804 1811 1809 fl) Father of M"' Mai-s. 70 Dessessarts, . 1773 . Anil M"" Raucourt. 1773 . 1815 Larive. . . . . 1775 . 1807 M"" Sainval (cadetle) 1776 . 183- M"» Contat. . . 1776 1813 Dazincourt. . 1778 . 1809 Fleury 1778 . 1822 Talma. . . . . 1789 . 1826 Baptiste (cadet). . 1793 . )> I) Baptists (aine). 1794 i8a5 M^'^Mars. . . . 1795 . Living. I,afon. An IX 1846 M"° Duchesnois. . AnX . 1835 M"' Georges. An XI Living Firmin 1811 Living Monrose (1) . 1815 . 1842 Menjaud. 1819 Living Perier. 1825 Living Joanny. . 1826 Living M"» Plessy (2). . 183i Living (0 M. Louis Monrose, son of this celebrated actor, lias been recently engaged at the Th^atre-Franjais. (2) We have added to the foregoing list the name of M"« Plessy, as since July 12, 1846, she has ceased to be a member of the company. We subjoin a short sketch of her dramatic career. M"« Jeanne-Sy vanle Plessy is the daughter of a worthy citizen of Melz, whom a reverse of fortune compelled to turn actor. In 1829, being then ten years old, she became a pupil of the Conservatoire, contrary to the general rule, according to which no one under fifteen years of age can be admitted a member. Five years afterwards, March 10, 1834, she made her first dibul at the Thfeatre-Fran^ais, where her youth and beauty spoke volumes in her favour. By dint of study she gradually rose from the humble position of a dibulante to that of premier siijel, and, up to the time of her secession from the com- pany, was generally considered as the best actress of la haute comidie since the days of Mlc Mars. M"« Plessy owes much of her popularity to the fascinating expression of her eye, the sweetness of her smile, and the bell-like tone of her voice, which is singularly clear and musical : her carriage and deportment, moreover, bespeak the femme du monde, and there is a winning elegance in her manner rarely met with at the Theatre-Franfais. Her acting is studied and graceful, but somewhat monotonous, nor does she possess that peculiar flexibility of voice and feature which rendered M"" Mars as admirable in comedy as she was in drama, as perfect a representative of the Duchesse de Guise as she was of Cilimine. Mii« Plessy, since her marriage with M. Arnould, favourably known as a dramatic author, has been acling at Saint Petersburg with considerable success. 71 THE COEPANY. BEAUVALLET. One fme morning in April, 1821, sonle eight or nine youths were assembled on the hill of Monimartre. Beauvallet, who had just arrived in Paris, at the age of nineteen, from Pithiviers, his native place, with the intention of studying painting, had given some of his fellow-students a rendez-vous, which was to terminate in their breakfasting together. Among them was a young poet, engaged on a tragedy, the subject of "Which was the Sicilian Vespers. White- Beauvallet sat taking sketches, the author began to declaim in a patheti" Noblet accompanied him, and by her brilliant creation of Jenny m Richard d'Arlingm became as popular among the Boulevard play-goers as she had previously been in the Faubourg Saint- Germain. At length, May 16, 1833, she reappeared at the Franqais in the same character performed by her on her first debut, that of Syhia in les Jem de I'A- niour et du Hasard, and was shortly after received as societaire. M"' Noblet is an agreeable actress in comedy, but we think that for her own sake she ought to abandon tragedy, in which she is seen to the greatest disadvantage by the side of M"« Rachel, and even of M"' Rimbiot. RACHEL (M'"). M"' Rachel F^lix was born February 28, 1821, at Munf, in the canton of Aran in Switzerland; her father is a native of Metz, and her mother's maiden name was Esther Haya. After travelling about for some time from fair to fair (the father being by profession a hawker), the family settled in the environs of Lyons, from whence, after a stay of two years, they came to Paris, and established themselves in a poor dwelling in the Place de Grfeve. Were we to find space for all the anecdotes, for the most part purely apocryphal, which have appeared in print concerning M"« Rachel's childhood, we should have little difficulty in filling a volume : suffice it to say that in 1831 she was taken by her father to M. Choron, who had eslabUshed a singing-class at his house in the Rue Monsigny, and was admitted among his pupils. Ten months after, she began to attend Saint Aulaire's (1) class of declamation, and one of her first, if not her very first appearance in public took place at the Theatre Molifere, on which occasion she played Hermione in Andromaque. M. V^del, then treasurer of the Franqais, was present at this representation, and spoke in such high terms of her acting that the manager, M. Jouslin de la W formerly an aclor of the Th^atre-Franifais. 95 Salle, went in his turn to see her play Amdnaide in Tana-ede, and pro- cured her immediately after an order of admittance to the Conserva- toire, dated October 27, 1836 (1) . From this day she was placed under the tuition of Mess". Michelot, Samson , and Provost, but it does not appear either that her professors entertained a very favourable idea of her ta- lents, or that they anticipated the possibility of her profiting to any great extent by their instructions. It was while playing one evening at the Salle Ghantereine that she attracted the notice of M. Poirson, at that time manager of the Gymnase ; her acting pleased him so much, that he at once offered her an engage- ment for three years, at the rate of 3,000 francs for the first year, 4,000 for the second, and 5,000 for the third, which she accepted, and made her first debut at the ancient Th^^tre de Madame, April 24, 1837, in a new piece written for the occasion, and called la Ven- deenne. She was well, but not enthusiastically received, nor was her debut attended with any unusual sensation. With regard to her quitting the Gymnase for the Frangais, there are two accounts which it is diffi- cult to reconcile : according to one it would appear that M. Poirson voluntarily offered to cancel her engagement with him from a wish to be of real senij^ to her, and himself procured her admission to the Frangais. The other account, which is probably the correct one, states that M. V6del, who had succeeded M. Jouslin de la Salle as manager, was invited by Samson, from whom M"' Rachel was then receiving instructions, to come and hear one of his pupils recite. He did so, and offered her an engagement, which she declined, saying she had no power to quit the Gymnase without the permission of M. Poirson. The latter, however, on being applied to by M. Vddel, agreed to cancel the engagement existing between M"' Rachel and himself, and a new one was signed, according to the terms of which the young actress became a pensionnaire of the Th^atre-FranQais, at a salary of 4,000 francs for the first year. Her rfc'totook place June 12, 1838, and the character selected for the occasion was Camille in les Horaces, As is generally the case in (0 frev'ousto becoming a pupil of the Conservatoire, M"« Rachel had occasionally performed at the H5tel Caslellane ; noA it was there that the celebrated M™' d'AbrantfeS said to her: "An actress who plays as you play is destined to regenerate the French stage." summer, the house was but thinly attended, and the few spectators present were far from expecting the treat in store for them. Indeed, a debut at the Th^atre-Francais during what is professionally called the dead season is usually more productive of ennui than of pleasure to the audience, the interval between May and September being invariably selected for the maiden essays of the pupils of the Con- servatoire, the majority of whom are little better than so many au- tomata, with but one object in view, namely, that of copying with the utmost exactness every look, gesture, and even inflection of voice of their different professors. As long as they succeed in pausing where Talma paused, or in sitting down previous to reciting a particular pas- sage, because M"' Mars did so before them, they are content, and their instructors also : they are not to interpret Corneille and Moliere accord- ing to their own feelings or ideas, but according to the ancient tradi- tions of the stage. It is precisely this mechanical and servile imita- tion of their predecessors which renders nine out of every ten debutants mere mimics, by whom the defects of their great prototypes are reproduced with as much, if not more care and attention than their merits. The public, therefore, naturally look forward to every fresh debut with as little curiosity as if they were apprized *if a change of performances by the puppets of the Thedire-Seraphin; and it is on this account and no other that the audience on such occasions is mainly composed of personal friends either of thp debutant or his professors, with here and there a few grty -headed habitues of the theatre, who go to sleep in their stalls, and assemble during the entr'actes in the foyer, where they talk of Fleury and Sl"'= Gontat, of Larive and M"= Duches- nois, and if they do allude to the unfortunate tyro whom they have wot heard, it is with a contemptuous shrug of the shoulders, and a " Ce n'est pas fa, ce n'est pas cat" M"« Rachel's appearance had a miraculous effect on these old abon- nes of the Franqais : she not only surprised them, but she kept them aivake. They stared at each other, utterly confounded by her dis- regard of all traditions and real energy. The very performers were startled by her originality, and by the new meaning and force given to a word or a phrase by her way of uttering it : as Jules Janin said of her, "You must not ask her before the piece begins how she 97 will say a certain sentence, for she cannot tell you ; the impulse is mo- mentary and spontaneous. She is like the Pythoness of Virgil, first pale, her body bent, her arms hanging down ; but on the arrival of the God, her exhausted nature recovers its animation, the fire mounts from her soul to her eye, her heart throbs violently, and sends forth the breath of passion and energy. She appears like an animated Grecian statue, so classic is her form." Nothing will show the gradual influence of M"* Rachel on the receipts of the Theatre Frangais more clearly than the following state- ment (1). HATE. CHARACTER. GROSS RECEIPTS. 1838. June 12. Camille in les Horaces. . 752 francs. — — 16. Emilie in Cinna. . . 558 — — 23. Camille 303 — July 9. Hermione in Andromaqne. . 373 — — 11. Emilie 342' — — 15. Hermione .... 740 — Aug. 9. Am^naide in Tancrede. . 620 — — 12. id. . . /|22 — — 16. Eriphyle in Jpldgenie. . 715 — — 18. Camille 594 — — 22. Am^naide .... 800 — — 26. Hermione .... 1,225 — — 30. Am^naide .... 650 — Sept. 4. Hermione .... 629 — — 9. Am^naide .... 2,048 — — 11. Camille 1,304 — — 15. Hermione .... 1,218 — — 17. Amenaide .... 1,118 — — 23. Hermione .... 2,129 — — 27. Emilie 3,150 — — 29. id 2,400 — Oct. 3. Hermione .... 4,281 — — 5. Monime in Mithridate. . 3,660 (<) Forthiaweare indebted to a clever little woik, entilled 'La ComMie-Franyalse depui9'<830." 7 n 1838 Oct. 9. id. — — 12. Hermione . — — 17. Gamille. — — 19. Hermione . . 4.640 . 5,529 . 4,440 . 6,131 During the month of October, the receipts of the treasury exceeded 100,000 francs. The natural result of this flourishing state of finances was the augmentation of M"' Rachel's salary, first from 4,000 francs to 8,000, and afterwards to 20,000, without counting feuai (1) and other gratifitations. In 1839 she received in all nearly 60,000 francs, andin 1840 the same sum, with three months' leave of absence. In 1841 she was received among the societaires, with a fixed salary of 42,000 francs, and a conge of three months, the profits arising from which amounted in 1845 to upwards of 70,000 francs. M"" Rachel's career has hitherto been signalized by many triumphs and few reverses : her performance of Roxane in Bajazet, which was at first severely criticized, Jules Janin even going so far as to affirm that she would never make a good Roxane, has since been crowned with success, and her Phedre, though pronounced by many inferior to that of M"" Maxime, has proved by far the most attractive of all her roles, the mere announcement of this tragedy, no matter how frequently repeated, sufficing to attract half the play-goers in Paris to the doors of the Theatre Francais (2) . In comedy, she has not been so successful ; (1 ) Most ot the leading aclora aad actresses receive, under the title of feux, in addition to their regular appointments, a certain sum tor every performance, which varies accord- ing to the number of acU in which they appear. In some cases the amount of feux nearly equals the entire annual salary. (2) Mn'= Blaze de Bury says, with reference to M^'' Rachel's conception ot this charac- ter : — "We remember to have seen Mii» Duehesnois in this part (her most famous one), and we have since often had the pleasure of studying M"' Rachel's performance of it. The difference between the two m\ist have been witnessed to be imagined. M"' Duehes- nois' personation of the Athenian Queen was marked with strong characters of grandeur and dignity, and in the imprecaUous against the nurse she was magniacent ; but from the llrst moment Mii« Rachel appears, we feel that ' the daughter of Minos and PasiphaJ! ' is actually before us. She is, indeed, according to the poet's expression .- 'Unefemme mourante et qui cherche a mourir.' Life is all but extinct, and as she sinks backward in her chair, her head supported upon the bosom otOEnone, we have at once an image ot that unfortunate princess, who, in her fits ot melancholy madness, employed her listless fingers in pricking holes with a hair-pin in the leaves of a myrUetree. Bending under the weight of her purple robes and her diadem, the royal victim seems to fade away almost before our eyes ; and the vital spark trembles within its frail tenement as flicker.s an expiring flame in an alabaster lamp. There is in the wan and wasted face of Mii« Rachel a something unearthly, an unnalural transparency, a sort of lighting from vithm, that is indescribably poetical j and 99 the critics, with almost the sole exception of M. Th^ophile Gautier (1) , being of opinion that the union of Thalia and Melpomene in the person of M"° Rachel was not merely difficult, but utterly impossible. Among other defects with which this admirable actress has been charged, is that of " crumbling and chewing " her words^ for the sake of making an effect by abruptly pausing at the close of a sentence. This is unjust : her utterance, even when she lowers her voice to a whisper, is peculiarly distinct, and her delivery, thdugh bearing no earthly re- semblance to the monotonous sing-song of modern French tragedians, with whom the rhyme is everything and the sense nothing, is neither wanting in poetry nor in precision. She does not come on the stage to recite a lesson, but to speak as the spirit prompts her; she does not act, she feels : with her adoption of the Roman or Grecian dress, she adopts the Roman or Grecian character ; she is no longer Rachel, but Camille or Hermione. This is the great secret of her influence over the masses; she stands before them , but is not of them ; they have neither time nor inclination to criticise her dress, her manner, or her look ; they are spell-bound by the reality with which she invests each of her personations. She has a power, unknown to other actresses, of rivet- ting the attention of her audience, and this power consists in her entire ignorance of, and contempt for, the conventional traditions of the stage. She imitates no one, not even herself ; but keeps perpetually aUve the curiosity and interest of the spectator by some new reading of a passage, some pecuHar look or gesture, suggested by the inspiration of the mo- her limbs totter, as though, to use the fine image of Euripides, 'they were about to dissolve.' We see that she may with truth say,— ' J'ai langui, j'ai sech6 dans les feux, dans les larmcs,' and that her eyes, burnt with fever and weephig, may well indeed be 'dazzled by the light of day, so long unseen.' " How impatiently her unsteady hand strives to relieve her aching brow from the ■vain ornaments' that oppress and overload it! and when, after the expostulations of the nurse, unlisteaed to, and unheard, she again raises her drooping head, with what mournful majesty she pronounces that magnificent apostrophe to the sun :— 'Noble et brillant auteur d'une triste famine, Toi dont ma mfere osail se vanter d"6tre fUle, Qui peut-8tre rongis flu trouble oti tu me vols, Soleil, je te viens voir pour la dernifere fois ! ' " (1 ) After saying. " L'intelligence qui a servi pour acqufirir un talent doit pouvoir ser- vir pour en acqudrir un second; on est capable ou non. Mais parquer le g(5nie dans des eompartiments est une invention bizarre," the writer of la Presse adds, " Nous croyons qu'avec un peu d'exercice, W' Bachcl no jouerail pas moins bien Marinelle que Pheiire, MoUire que Tutchif.'' 100 ment, and forgotten by her as soon as that moment is past. The very claqueurs themselves are puzzled ; they know not when to applaud or when to be silent. While reserving their hired enthusiasm until some cabalistic word, the preconcerted signal for its explosion, shall have been pronounced, they are confounded by the legitimate bravos of the audience, who are impelled, by some magical and wholly unexpected effect of her acting, to applaud for themselves. M"' Rachel must not be judged by her first performance of a charac- ter ; on such occasions she is often uncertain and consequently un- equal, whereas it is perhaps only on the third or fourth representation, when she has acquired greater confidence in herself or in her own con- ception of the part, that she is in full possession of her powers. Nature has endowed her with a face and form modelled after the statues of ancient Greece; her figure, though slight, is at once graceful and com- manding; her eyes are small, but expressive, and there is a simple majesty in her look, walk, and manner, which Art alone could never give. Her great triumphs have been in parts in which hatred, contempt, or irony form a principal feature ; thus, nothing can be finer than her Camille in les Horaces, especially in the fourth act, when she utters her famous imprecation against Rome. We well remember the thrilling effect produced at the Opera (where she performed for Massol's benefit in the autumn of 1845), by her dehvery of the four last lines : " Puiss6-jc de mes yeux y voir tomber la foudre, Voir ses maisons en cendre et tea lauriers en poudre, Voir le dernier Remain a son dernier soupir, Moi seule en 6tre cause, et mourir de plaisir ! " While she spoke, every eye was fixed on her, in order that not a sound, not a gesture might be lost ; her voice, though at times subdued almost to a whisper, came distinct to every ear, so deep, so unbroken was the silence; until at last, when overcome by her own energy, and concentrating all her strength into one final effort, she as it were hissed out the " Moi seulc en etre cause, et mourir de plaisir I " the, whole house burst into one simultaneous roar of applause, which was renewed and re-echoed long and loudly as well behind as before the curtain. 101 Where leuderuess or grief, unmixed willi the sterner passions, are required, M"" Rachel is comparatively ineffective ; even Virgink; her last and finest creation, though a consummate piece of acting, has not that influence on the spectator which is produced by her performance of Camille or Hermione. But, whatever be the character sustained by her, whether she plays Amenmde or Jeanne d'Arc, Mectre or Catherine de Russie, the ancient or the modern repertoire, she is always great, always admirable. Rachel is not of those genies incompris who have only a posthumous celebrity to look forward to ; her talent, like that of M"" Mars, has been acknowledged and appreciated by her own contem- poraries; and, though but a few years have elapsed since she made an almost unnoticed debut on the boards of a minor theatre , her name is now known through Europe as that of the first tragic actress of her day (1). REBECCA (M""). M"' Rebecca Felix, one of the younger sisters of M'^' Rachel, after playing Chtmene ia le Cid and various other important tragic characters with her brother Raphael at the Odeon, during the management of M. Lireux, made her debut at the Frangais, July 1, 18/(5, as Palmyre . in Voltaire's tragedy of Mahomet. She now ranks among the most promising pensionnaires of the theatre; and on the recent revival of (1) We select two out of llie thousand and one anecdotes which have appeared in various biographical notices of M"' Rachel, without, however, guaranteeing their veracity. One evening, after performing before His Majesty Louis Philippe, she was presented to him at the conclusion of the tragedy by one of the actresses. The King took her trembling hand in his, and assuredjier that every time he saw her it was with increased pleasure, and that she had played admirably. She in her confusion addressed him simply as "Monsieur," and on being afterwards blamed for it by her ehaperon, replied that, "being in the habit of conversing only with the Kings of Greece and Home, she was ignorant of the form of speech used towards the monarchs of the present day." On the following morning, continues the narrator. His Majesty sent her a thousand franc note, being his first gift to any actor or actress since his accession. The other anecdote is as follows. M"" Rachel being invited to a lady's house to meet the Vieorate de Chateaubriand, the venerable poet said to her in a melancholy tone : "How sad it is to think. Mademoiselle, that such as you should be born as we are about to die." " Sir," she replied, " there are some men who never die." 102 Oreste played hmenie to M"' Rachel's Elecire willi much feeling and simplicity. M"" Rebecca, unlike her sister, is blonde, and rather below the middle height ; her countenance without being pretty has a pleasing expression, and her voice is agreeable, but deficient in power. It would be unfair to judge so young a child by the standard of older and more experienced actresses. Nature has given her talent, but that ta- lent is as yet in its infancy. Unless the bud meets with kindly and gentle treatment, how can we hope for perfection in the flower ! RIMBLOT (Mile). M"« Juhe Rimblot is a pupil of Beauvallet, and played Amewfli'rfe to his Tancrede, on the occasion of her debut at the Frangais, July 12, 1845. She is tall, with a stately figure, and a handsome though rather broad face ; her eyes are bright but inexpressive , and from the ex- treme immobility of her features and the smoothness of her marble brow she has been aptly styled " a fine cameo." She has a pleasing voice and a good delivery, and her gestures are usually correct and natural ; nor is she deficient, notwithstanding the statue-like repose of her countenance, in animation, energy, or sensibility. SAINT-HILAIRE (MU« Am£ue). This young and promising soubrette, after playing the Fee Topaze in la Biche au Bois for upwards of a hundred nights at the Porte-Saint- Martin,, made her first appearance at the Theatre Frangais in August, 1845, in les Folks amoureuses, and has since been regularly engaged there. lOS S0LI15 (Ml'e). One of the youngest and best-lookirig ingenues of the Com^die-Fran- q,aise, whose performance of A^nes in t'Ecole des Femmes on the occa' sion of her debut, June 2, 1845, procured her an engagement as p«n- sionnaire. She has a pretty face, an agreeable voice, and a quiet lady- like manner, and is in every respect an acquisition to the theatre. THfiNARD (M"*). Whenever M"« Rachel's name is on the affiche, it is generally ac- companied by that of one of her satellites, M"" Thenard or Mirecour. M. Latour de Saint-Ybars, in his tragedy of Virginie, has politely given each of them a part, doubtless in order that the public, by seeing them on the stage together, might have an opportunity of deciding as to their respective merits. VOLNYS (M°"). In November 18i6, M"° L^ontine Fay made her fii'st appearance on any stage at (we believe) Boulogne-sur-Mer (1) in Adolphe et Clara. She was then five years old, and her singularly precocious talent and infantine graces procured her the name of la petite merveUle. At eight years of age she commenced a professional tour through Belgium and part of France, creating everywhere the greatest enthusiasm, and in 1821 took Paris by storm by her performance of la Petite Saiur and le Manage Enfantin at the Gymnase. She was then so fond of acting that her mother, to ensure her good behaviour, had only to whisper to her : " If you are naughty, you shall not play this evening." It would be difficult indeed to say, such an universal favourite had she become, (r) other accounts state tUat her fli'st Uiealrjcal dibia look place at Frankloit. lOi whetlier llic acliess or the public would have been most disappointed by such a prohibition. " At that time," says Jacques Arago, the clever blind critic, " the atfflouncement of a new piece, entrusted to the talent of little Leontine, was received bke the announcement of a new victory gained by Napo- leon." Her naivete and geniillesse (two words which defy translation,) suggested the following quatrain, written by Martainville, soon after her first appearance at the Gymnase : " Vous qui cherehez une acU-ice parfaitc, Allez au Gymnase, et soudain Vous retrouverez Saint-Aubin CO En retournant voire lorgnette." Leontine Fay was not only a clever, but a witty child. Previous to her arrival in Paris, and during one of her engagements in a provincial town, she was accosted one day, while walking with her father, by one of her great admirers, who said to her: "Mademoiselle, you have made me shed tears ; you play Paul et Virginie to-morrow, so I will bring two pocket handkerchiefs with me to the theatre." " Sir," replied the petite merveille, then only nine years old, " I recommend you to bring three the day after to-morrow, for Mama plays Camille." Subsequently, being addressed by one of the confraternity of Paris journalistes with a familiar "Good day, my little puss," she answered quickly : " I am not ajournaliste. Sir, 1 scratch nobody." After passing the intervening years between childhood and woman- hood in the provinces with her father and family, she returned to the Gymnase at the age of seventeen, and soon after married M. Volnys. Their joint reputation procured them both an advantageous engage- ment at the Theatre Franqais, where M""" Volnys played with great suc- cess in la Camaraderie, Louise de Lignerolles, and other novelties of the time. Neither husband noi^wife, however, felt at ease in their new position ; a succession of intrigues, fomented by the jealousy of their comrades, soon forced them to return to the Gymnase, where they remained until the departure of Bouff^ from that theatre, and its conse- quent decline in public favour induced M""" Volnys to contract a fresh engagement with the committee of the Frangais, where she reappeared 1 1 ) In allusion lo Mme St. Aubin, a cclcbralecl actress and singer of the OperaComique. 105 early in 1844 in her original character of Louise tic LigneroUcs. She has since added two important creations to her repertoire : tiiose of Madame de Silly in la Feinme de quaranie am, and Vrsule in le Maria la Campagne. M">« Volnys, like Queen Elizabeth, is neither too tall nor too short ; her eyes are of a deep black and admirably expressive, and harmonize perfectly with the jetty lustre of her hair. She has a clear and melo- dious voice, a good delivery, and an excellent tenue ; and her acting, far from being tame or spiritless, inclines rather to the opposite extreme, betraying at times even too much animation and energy. This is, however, a fault on the right side, and infinitely preferable to the monotonous sing-song and mechanical gestures of those performers, unhappily too numerous, with whom Art is everything and Nature no- thing. Whatever character M"'^ Volnys undertakes is sure to be played in earnest : she may now and then be carried too far by the intensity of her own feelings (for hers is no fictitious emotion!); shemay forget in the excitement of the moment some conventional attitude, some traditional look or tone of voice, but is she the less popular on that account? On the contrary, it is to those very defects, if defects they can be called, that she owes her reputation, a reputation predicted twenty-nine years ago by the admirers of la petite mervcille, the graceful and intelligent L^ontine Fay. WORMS (M"'). M"' Eugenie Worms succeeded M"«Doze early in 18/(5, as Horiense in la Femme de quarante am, and Pauline in le Mori a la Campagne. In point of beauty, she is very far inferior to her predecessor, who was, and no doubt still is, a remarkably pretty woman (1) ; as an actress, (i; Mii= Aim^e Doze was born in the old castle of Ponkalec, at Hennebon, October 20, 1833. When three years old she was so fair and pretty, that her mother was called la mere de lajoliepetile pile. While at Dieppe, she was much admired by the Duchesse de Berry, whom she accompanied to the promenade, and by whose grand icmjer she was carried when she became tired. As she grew up, she gradually displayed a laste for acting, and eventually made a successful dibul at the Theltre-Franfais, as Pauline in le Mart a la Campagne ; but had hardly played a year when she retired (wo fear for ever) from the stage. M"= Doze was not only a very agreeable actress, but a most charming and pretty 108 M"' Worms has sufficient talent for her own Una of parts, the ingenues, who (especially at the Theatre FranQais, where they have nothing to sing) have little to do beyond looking as simple and interesting as they can. Among the best and most frequently performed pieces of the reper^ toire, ancient as well as modern, of the Th6toe-FranQais, are the fol- lowing : Le Tartufe. . . . • • . Moliere. Les Femmes savantes. . , , Id. Le Misanthrope. . . . Id L'fieole des Maris . , . Id. Utcole des Femmes. . . Id. Le MMecin malgrd lui. . Id. Le Malade Imaginaire. . . Id. Les Precieuses Ridicules . Id. L'Avare • . Id. Les Fourberies de Scapin. Id. Georges Dandin. > . . Id. Andromaque. . Racine. (1) Phedre. . . . Id. Les Plaideurs. . Id. Mithridate. . . Id. Bajazet. . . . Id. Le Cid. . . . . Corneille. Les Horaces. . . Id. Polyeucte. . . . Id. woman -. we have rarely seen a sweeter or more prepossessing countenance, or an eye beaming with more sparkUng gaiety and good humour. Her retirement is a loss to the stage, but perbaps a gain to literature, a work from her pen having been for some time announced as about to appear in the feuiUelon of one of the newspapers. (1) For a detaiHd biographical and critical notice of Racine, we refer our readers to M".« Blaze deBury's "Racine and the French Classical Drama," published in Knighfs Weekly Library ; a more interesting and eloquenUy written volume has seldom appeared. Ll ™'autro;:L!" '""' ''"'• ^""''^'"^ ''" ^'^'"'-''■^ --"• ''"•°"-' ''y «- 107 Les Jeux de I'Atnour et du Hasard. Marlvaux. LeLegs /^. Le Joueur Regnard. LeGlorieux Destouches. Hernani Victor Hugo. Virginie Latour. Louis XI Casimir Delavigne. Les Enfans d'jfidouard Id. LesVSpresSiciliennes Id. Don Juan d'Autriche. .... Id. L'jScole des Vieillards Id. Les DemoiseJles de Saint-Cyr. . Alexandre Dumas. Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle. , . Id, Henri III Id. Valerie. Scribe. La .Camaraderie Id. Le Verre d'Eau , Id. Une Chaine Id. Oscar Id. Les Suites d'un Bal masq«6. . . M"' de Bawr. Les H^ritiers. Alexandre Duval. La Jeunesse d'Henri V. . . . U, La Marquise de Senneterre. , . Melesville and Duveyrier. Le Mari a la Campagne. . . . Bayard. Le Roman d'une Heure. . . . Hoffmann. La Femme de Quarante Ans. . . Galoppe d'Onquaire. Marie M""' Ancelot. La Belle-M^re et le Gendre. . . Samson. Un Veuvage Id. La FaroJlle Poisson Id. CHAPTER IV. OPERA COMIQUE. SALLE I'AVART. Manager, M. Basset. The origin of this theatre may be traced to 1716, in which year one of the managers of the Theatres de la Foirc (1) obtained from the Aca- d^mie Royale de Musique permission for his troupe to sing (2). Jean Monnet, by whom a theatre was erected at the Foire Saint-Laurent in 1752, was the first to introduce original music in place of the popular airs hitherto sung by the performers. But the real founder of the Op^ra Comique may be said to have been Favart, who, assisted by his (l)Up to 1595, the actors of the Theatres de la Foire St. Germain and St. Laurent consist- ed ot dogs, oats, monkeys, and even rats, some of the latter animals being so admirably trained as to dance in a grand ballet on a table, while one in particular, a white rat from Lapland, executed a saraband with surpassing grace. The first pieces in which couplets were introduced were acted by puppets, the words being said or sung behind the scenes. (2) The actors of the Foires had been previously forbidden either to speak or sing on the stage; so that when a couplet was to be sung, the performer unfolded a scroll on which the words were written in large characters, the orchestra played the air, and oneot the company who had taken his place among tlie audience, sang the verse, the public joining in chorus . 109 clever wife, equally renowned as authoress and actress, substituted for such nonsensical jargon as the following : " Hi, zing, zing, zing, Madame la marine, Gla, cla, cla, Lira, liroula, Gu6, gu6, Lejoli panler Va danser." pleasing and poetical couplets. Voltaire's opinion of M"" Favart may be ascertained from an extract from one of his letters addressed to her. " You cannot think, Madame, how much I am indebted to you. What you have sent me is full of wit and grace ; indeed, we have now nothing left but the Op^ra Comique to sustain the reputation of France. 1 am sorry for old Melpomene, but the young Thalia of the Hotel de Bour- gogne far eclipses by her charms the ancient majesty of the queen of the theatre." (1) We cannot refrain from quoting one delicious couplet from Jeannot et Jeannette, than which Scribe himself has never imagined anything more graceful. " D6s que je vois passer Jeannot, Tout aussitSt je m'arr6te ; Quoique Jeannot ne dise mot, Pris d' lui chacun m' parait bgte ; Quand il me r'garde, il m'lnterdit, Je deviens rouge comme un' fraise. Apparemment que Ton i-ougit Lorsque Ton est bien aise." From this time, the most celebrated authors, and among others Mar- montel and Sedaine, did not disdain to write for the Op^ra Comique, the repertoire of which became gradually enriched by the chefs-d'ceuvrc of Monsigny, Philidor, and Gr^try. In 1672, the Op^ra Comique, in consequence of its union with the Com^die-Italienne (2), quitted the Foire Saint-Laurent for the Hotel de (0 Mni= Favart was born at Avignon, in 1727, and first appeared at tlie Opera Comique in 17M. She died ApriH2, 1772. This charming actress and singer has been well de- scribed in the following verses. " Nature unjonr ^pouSa I'Art, De leur amour naquit Favart, Qui semble tenir de son p4rc Tout ce qu'elle doit k sa mire." (2) As early as 4577, some Italian actors called / Gelosi came to Paris, and from that epoch to the close of the seventeenth century several troupes successively visited the 110 Bourgogne, where the Italians h-ad been installed since 171«, and twenty- one years later, April 28, 1783, the united companies transferred their performances to the then recently erected Salle Favart. Marie-Antoinette was extremely fond of acting, especially inM-'Fa- vart's pieces, and caused a theatre to be constructed at Trianon, where she often played before Louis XVI. and his court. One evening, she performed Annette in Annette el Lubin, and was applauded by all except the King, who most ungallantly hissed her. " Sir," said Mane- Antoinette, coming forward and dropping a rustic courtesy, " If you are not satisfied, you maygo to the box office, and your money will be returned." This repartee was much relished by Louis XVI., who was this time the first to applaud. M"' Gontier, a celebrated actress and singer towards the end of the last century, was remarkable for her strict observance of all religious duties. This she carried so far, that one evening, previous to the first representation of a new opera, she was seen to cross herself, and heard to say in a low tone with great emotion : " Mon Dieu! failes-moi la grace de bien savoir mon role I " During one of the performances of les deux Chasseurs et la Laitiere, a terrible storm came on, and the actor who personated the bear was so alarmed by a loud clap of thunder which shook the house just after he had made his entree that, forgetting his singular costume, he got up French capital ; but It was not until<716 that, under the patronage of the Due d' Orleans, they became permanenUy established at the Hotel de Bourgogne. The pieces performed by (hctn were at first written in Italian, but both authors and actors gradually adopted the French language, and it was then that Marivaux, Florian, and other distinguished writers enriched the repertoire with several of their most charm- ing comedies. Among the artistes of note who at different periods mainly contributed by their talents to the prosperity of the Cora^die-ltalienne, we may mention the celebrated Harlequin Dominique, who was born at Bologna in 1640, and died in Paris in 1688, and his no less famous successor. Carlo Berlin aizi. Dominique was chosen by his comrades as their spokesman, on the occasion of a dispute between the Comfedie-Franfaise and theComSdie-ltalienne, respecting the right laimed by the latter to speak French on the stage. The question was submitted to the decision of Louis XIV., and both parties were summoned to his presence. When Baron, in behalf of the Th^aire-Franjais, had concluded his arguments, denying in tola the right of any actors, except those of his theatre, to perform plays written in French, the King made a sign to Dominique to begin. "In which language does your Majesty wish me to speak?" asked the Harlequin quickly. "In whichever you please," replieS the King. " I ask no more," said Dominique ; "my cause is gained." Louis XIV. smiled at the actor's ingejniily, and said ,• "My w ord is given, an» F6lix 1b t) pupil of Borflogui. 128 was so rapid that in another year she was able to accompany singers at a concert. When little more than ten years old, she was admitted into the Conservatoire at Lille, and had not been there long before she carried away several important prizes, excelling most of her competitors as well in vocal as in instrumental music. Shortly after, accompanying her father to Paris, she became a pupil of Zimmermann, the pianist, and subsequently obtained, through the influence ofM^'Damoreau, and without any preliminary examination, an admission to the Conserva- toire . There her studies were for a time interrupted by a severe illness, which compelled her to quit Paris for Dunkirk, where she passed nearly a year : on her return she obtained a prize for lyric declamation at a public examination of the pupils of the Conservatoire, and was also offered by M. Crosnier, who was present on the occasion, an engage- ment at the Op^ra Gomique. This she accepted, and made so brilliant a debut at that theatre April 1 , 1843, in Auber's opera of rAmbassadrice, as to induce the same composer to entrust to her the principal character in la Sirene. His opinion of her merits was confirmed by the public, the success of the vocalist being fully equal to that of the opera (1). M"' Lavoye's voice comprises two octaves and a half, and is more remarkable for sweetness and flexibihty than for power; like M"° Nau, she is rather deficient in animation, but in other respects is an intel- ligent and agreeable actress. She is blonde, and the contour of her face is German rather than French : she cannot be called pretty, but the expression of her countenance is most amiable and pleasing, and her manners are unaffected and lady-like (2). LAVOYE (M"' Marie). Younger sister of the preceding. After having gained several prizes at the Conservatoire, M"" Marie Lavoye made a highly successful debut (0 Alhenais de Solanges, in les Moiisquelaires de la Reine, is one of M"' Lavoye's best creations. (2) If we mislalie not, Mil' Lavoye's salary amounts to (8,000 francs a-y ear. 129 at the Op6ra Comique March 11, 1846, as Cendrillon in Nicolo's opera of that name, and has since created parts in le Caquet du Convent, and Sultana. She is blonde like her sister, with pretty eyes and a clear fresh complexion, which has obtained for her the ioini/M^t of "rose-bud." Her voice is remarkably sweet, and she both sings and acts gracefully and agreeably. LEMERCIER (M'"). A pupil of the Conservatoire, gifted with a sweefand flexible voice, whose first appearance at theOp^ra Comique took place June 29, I8/46, as Zemire in Zemire et Azov. M"* Lemercier is a younger sister of M"" Betty (or Beaussire) lately a member of the Acad^mie Royale (1) ; but she is far from possessing the lady-like and graceful manners of that very agreeable singer and pretty woman. MARTIN (M""). M"" Josephine Charlet (now M"'" Martin), after a brief sojourn at this theatre, was engaged at the Vari^t^s by M. Nestor Roqueplan, ever on the look out for beauty, but reappeared at the Op^ra Comique in July, 18/(5, as Belly in le Clidlet. W Martin is a pretty woman and an agreeable singer, and as such will be always welcome wherever she goes. CI) Mii« Aurfelie Betty made her flrst dibul at the Acadimie Royale in the spring of 1845, as Valentine in les Huguenots. She has line eyes and a pleasing countenance, and sings with taste and correctness. 9 130 POTIER (M""). M™ Henri Potier, wife of the composer of le Caquet du Couvent, has light hair and pretty eyes, and sings with taste. PRfiVOST (M'"). The debut of M"= Zo^ Provost at the Opera (]omique took place February 17, 1821, and the character selected for the occasion was Lucette in la Fausse Magie. At that time, it was the fashion to sub- stitute for the old operas, the music and words of which were equall y charming, scientific productions where the music was as utterly deficient in melody as the libretto was in common sense. In order to represent these effectively, it was by no means necessary that the singers should be able to act : on the contrary, provided that the shakes and roulades were executed with sufficient brilliancy, each of the performers was at liberty to stand, sit, or walk as mechanically as if he or she were a well-drilled automaton. The fresh sweet voice, the simple method, and the natural and ex- pressive acting of M"= Provost were therefore doubly attractive from their novelty to the habitues, and the reception of the young vocalist was most enthusiastic. It was not, however, till 1826, that the pro- duction of Herold's Marie afforded her an opportunity of displaying her talent to its utmost advantage ; the exquisite grace and sensibility with which she invested the character of the heroine, and the simple truth of her acting, occasioned it to be said of her, " Que toiijours la nature Embellit la beauts." i * From this time M"° Provost mainly contributed to the success of almost every piece brought out during her stay at the theatre, which she was induced to quit, partly owing to some differences with the man agement, and partly to the very tempting offers made her by one of the directors at Brussels. She was absent three years, but on her re- turn was received with ( if possible ) greater favour than before : she 131 then created Madeleine in le Postilion, and Effie in le Brasseur de Preston. M"' Provost is beyond all comparison the best actress at the Op^ra Comique ; in buffo parts we have seldom seen her equal, and, though so many years have elapsed since her debut, she still retains much of the grace and naivete of her youth. A decided tendency to embon- point has compelled her to give up many of her creations, but she still plays and with as much verve as ever her original character of Madeleine in le Postilion. Her voice is even now remarkable for its flexibility ; and though a few sharp notes will occasionally mar the effect of a passage, yet such is her musical skill and tact, that the inroads of time are but rarely perceptible. It is a real treat to hear her and Chollet sing to- gether in le Tableau parlant, le Maitre de Chapelle, and some of the good old operas : the vigour and spirit of their acting contrast as agreeably with the puppet-like stiffness of too many of their comrades, as do the fresh and lively melodies of Gretry and his contemporaries with the tasteless and unmeaning roulades in fashion at the present day. RfiVILLY (M"'). M"' Hermance R^villy, daughter of an actor of the Grand Theatre at Lyons, was born in that city, October 5, 1823. She was encouraged to study music by Nourrit, and in 1838, having lost her father, obtained admittance to the Conservatoire, where she attended Ponchard's class for two years. She first appeared at the Opera Comique December 10, 1840, as Marie inla Fille du Regiment; and her success, owing to the agreeable freshness of her voice and the graceful piquancy of her acting, was decisive. M"' R^villy, without possessing an organ remarkable either for power or flexibility, is nevertheless a pleasing singer and lady-like actress : her tenue is irreproachable, and she is an excellent representa- tive of la grande dame. The opera of Marie has been lately revived for her, but though she personates the heroine with grace and simplicity 132 her voice is unequal to the musical difficulties of the part. We like her better as Cleiia in la Barcarolle, and as Louise in le Deserteur. ROUILLET (M»'). A young singer, endowed with very moderate abilities, vocal or dra- matic, who first appeared at this theatre in December, 1845, as Zerlina in Fra Diavolo, SAINT-ANGE (M"")- First appeared at the Op^ra Comique August 14, 1846, as Margue- rite in Paul c( Virginie. She has since played the Queen in le Pre aux Clercs, but her bearing is not sufficiently dignified for the part. SAINTE-FOY (M"')- A lively actress, but an indifferent singer, her voice being remark- ably thick and indistinct. The following selection from the very extensive repertoire of this theatre merely comprises those pieces, ancient and modern, which are most frequently represented : Le Deserteur. Fra Diavolo. La Dame Blanche, Jean de Paris. Zampa. Le Chalet. 133 Le Postilion de Lonjumeau. La Sirfene. Le Domino Noir. La Part du Diable. Le Pr^. aux Clercs. Richard Coeur-de-Lion. Les Diamans de la Couronne, Le Maitre de Chapelle. Joconde. Le Nouveau Seigneur. L'Ambassadrice. Jeannot et Colin. Le Panier Fleuri. L'Eau Merveilleuse. Cendrillbn, Le Ma(jon. Z^mire et Azor, Les Mousqueta'ires de la Reine. CHAPTER V. ODfiON (SECOND THEATRE FRANgAIS). FAUBOURG SAINT GERMAIN. Manager, M. Socage. In 1782, as has been already mentioned, the King's comedians quitted the theatre of the Tuileries, where they had been performing since 1770, for the Odeon, which opened in that year under the name of the Theatre Franqais. This appellation was changed in 1789 to that of Th^lltre de la Nation. Two years after the secession of Talma and his comrades from the troupe, the production of Pamela ou la Vertu recom- pensee at the Theatre de la Nation was followed by the immediate closing of the theatre, and by the arrest and imprisonment of the entire company, with the exception of Mol6 and Dessessarts, both of whom were absent. The crime with which the comedians were charged was the representation of a piece containing aristocratic principles. Some of the captives regained their liberty on condition of joining the company in the Rue Richelieu, but the rest were detained some time longer in confinement. 1S5 In 1796, a journal cMed le Rcpublicaiu Fran^ais thus announced the re-opening of this theatre, " The ci-devant Theatre Franqais, situated near the Palace of the Executive Directory, is about to be re-opened. The Government has granted a lease of it for thirty years to a company of capitalists, tvho are bound : " Firstly. To repair thoroughly the interior of the building. " Secondly. To collect there the best actors of every kind. " Thirdly. To form a species of dramatic school or institution. " Fourthly. To place the theatre at the disposal of the government on all occasions when it may be required for national entertainments, or for the awarding of prizes to men of talent. " Fifthly. To place in the hands of a government treasurer the remu- neration due to those deceased writers whose pieces may be acted. This will form a fund out of which will be paid the pensions granted to aged authors and distinguished actors." The theatre then took the Greek name of the Odeon. On the death of M"' Joly it was closed, and re-opened under the management of a certain Sageret, who was at the same time director of the Th^atfe Fran^ais in the Rue Richelieu, and of the Feydeau. This triple under- taking was too heavy for a single individual, and, as might be expected, Sageret failed, and the Odeon was once more closed. hi 1799, it re-opened under the direction of a company of old actors, and on March 19 of the same year was burnt to the ground (1). Rebuilt at a considerable expense, it again opened June 15, 1808, under the name of the Empress's Theatre {Theatre de l' Imperatficij , Alexandre Duval being appointed manager. The principal performers were then Armand, Grandville (afterwards of the Theatre Franqais), M"* Mol6-Ldger, and M"" Moliere ; and among the dramatists who corh- menced their literary career at this theatre were Messrs. Dupaty, Rou"- gemont, Dumersan, and Merle. In 1814, the title of Empress's Theatre was again changed to that of the Oddon, and four years later, March 20, 1818, during the manage- ment of Picard, it was again totally destroyed by fire. This, as well as (I) Nothing was saved except the busts in the foijer, and astatue of Voltaire. 136 the preceding catastrophe, was supposed to be the act of an incen- diary, but the mystery was never cleared up. It was once more rebuilt by order of Louis XVIII., and a manifesto published at the time declared that "theOdeon, annexed to the Theatre Frangais, should hold the rank of a Royal theatre. "The privilege," says the decree, " shall be granted to a company of actors, who shall manage it at their own risk and expense, and shall be subject to the same conditions as those imposed on the members of the Theatre Frangais." While the theatre was in process of erection, the performers occupied the Salle Favart, and among the most successful novelties produced there was la Famille Glinet, a piece for some time attributed, but without foundation, to Louis XVIII. The Odeon re-opened September 30, 1819, and among the company were Joanny, David, Provost, Sam- son, and M"® Brocard : Casimir Delavigne's tragedy of les Vepres Sici- liennes was first performed there. The theatre subsequently forsook tragedy and comedy for opera, under the management of M. Bernard, who made his fortune by the production of Robin des Bois. Then came the legitimate drama with . Beauvallet and M™^ Albert, and later still, M. Harel, accompanied by M'" Georges (1), Lockroy, Bocage, and M"" Dorval. (0 The father of this celebrated actress was manager of the Amiens theatre, and she herself was born in that town January 20, 1788. At a very early age she was able, so precocious was her intelligence, to reprimand the Achille and Agamemnon of the company when they played badly ; and her own first appearance on her father's boards took place when she was hardly twelve years old. M"= Raucourt, while on a provincial tour, came to Amiens, and, struck with the promising talent displayed by M"" Georges, gave her some instruction, and it was under the auspices of this renowned actress that our heroine made her dtbui at the Th^tre- Franj-ais, November 29, 1802, as Clytemneslre'm Iphiginleen Aidide. Her success was decisive with the public generally, but the partisans of M"" Duchesnois were so numerous that after a long struggle for supremacy between the two rivals, during which M"= Geor- ges was strenuously supported by the critic Geoffroy, she was overpowered, and one evening, a cabal having been formed against her, was so violently hissed that she fainted, and the performances were stopped. In 1808, M"« Georges suddenly quitted Paris, first for Vienna, and subsequenOy for St. Petersburg, in each of Avhich cities she was received with great favour, and in 1812 returned to the Franyais, but again left it in 1817. After a trip to London in company with Talma, she made a very successful dibul at the 0d6on, October), 1821, and from that period she was for several years engaged by turns in London and at the Odfeon, until she quitted tragedy for drama, the Second Theatre Fran- jaisfor the Porte Saint Martin. There she created .l/arj/uerife de Bourgogne in la Tour de Hesle, Lucrice Borgia, and Ularie Tudor. Some six or seven years ago M"" Georges, at the head of a tragic and dramatic company, explored Italy and Russia, and penetrated as 137 Since 1832, the Od^on has been occupied by directors and per- formers of every kind, from Castelii's little actors to the company of the Theatre Franqais, who, during M. Vedel's management of the two theatres, went from the Rue Richelieu to the Oddon, and vice versa. After the destruction by fire of the Salle Favart, in 1838, the Italian Opera was transferred to the Od^on, where it remained until the period of its removal to the Salle Ventadour. In 1842, the Second Theatre Frangais was opened by a society of actors, among whom were the two sons of Monrose, Louis, and Eugene, Mirecour, now of the Theatre Frangais, and M. d'Epagny, a dramatic author. These were succeeded by M. Lireux, aijoiinialiste, whose mana- gement, notwithstanding a subsidy of 60 ,000 francs, now for the first time granted to the Odeon by the government, was neither profitable to himself nor to the public. Of all the pieces produced during the period of his administration, three alone have retained possession of the stage, namely, Lucrece, by Ponsard, la Cigue, a charming comedy, by Emile Augier, and la Main droite et -la main gauche, by L6on -Gozlan. Others of inferior merit, sachaiS la Comtesse d'Altemberg, Jane Grey, and/e* Pharaons, obtained a temporary success, but are now almost forgotten. Even the famous Antigone, though aided by Mendelssohn's music and a niise en scene after the fashion of the ancient Greeks, excited but little curiosity, nor did the pretended discovery of a lost comedy of Moliere, le Docteur Amoureux, produce any beneficial effect on the receipts. Under the management of M. Lireux, the Odeon became a refuge for those authors whose pieces were refused everywhere else ; nay, it is said that many of them actually paid for the production of such trash as would have disgraced the lowest Boulevard theatre. The few really good actors belonging to the company were either condemned to waste their talents on every ours (1) that the director chose to put into re- far as the Crimea. She afterwards returned to the Odeon, and is at the present moment engaged in a provincial tour. This distinguished actress, when in the height of lier beauty, was thus described : " Her eye-brows are finely arched, her eyes are brilliant and animated, her nose is straight and thin, and her forehead broad and full, but not high. Her arms, though large, are white, and her hands small ; as to her profile, it is perfectly Grecian." (I) An ours is the technical term for a piece which has been offered to half the theatres in Paris successively, and has been rejected by all. 138 hearsal, or, if they refused, were made to play every evening in the first piece, or, in other words, before empty benches, hi short, the Se- cond Theatre Frangais had fallen so low in public estimation, that even the united merits of M"" Georges, M"= Maxime (1), and Socage, failed to assemble more than a few listless stragglers within its walls. It was impossible that this state of things could last, and in the spiing of 1845, findingall attempts to extricate himself from hourly increasing difficulties vain,M. Lireux resigned, and the Odeon closed. No sooner was his resignation accepted, than a number of candidates made application for the vacant privilege, which, after much deliberation on the part of government, was eventually granted to M. Bocage, under whose manage- ment the theatre re-opened November 15, 1845, with a prologue by Theo- phile Gautier, Rotrou's revived tragedy of Saint Genest, and a pelite comedy entitled Vn Bourgeois de Rome. THE COMPANY. ( Many of the performers at this theatre being mere beginners, we shall only mention some of the most promising.) BLAISOT. A young comic actor of great promise, whose debut at the Od^on took place December 3, 1845, as I'Intime in les Plaideurs. (i) M"' Maxime was born June 18, 1815, during the battle of Waterloo, in a small farm house near Beaug6, in the Dfipartement of Maine and Loire. Losing her parents at a very early age, she was confided to the care of her grandmother, a plons and estimable woman, and received a good education, thanks to the patronage of the Comte de — -,who allowed her to profit by the lessons of the different masters engaged to instruct his children. In 1 828, M"'' Maxime went to Paris at the request of one of her female relations, a silk-mercer, who offered her a home; and four years later, having become a pupil of Dumilatre, 139 BOCAGE. This celebrated artiste (whose real name is Pierre Martinien Tousez) is a native of Rouen : his father, once proprietor of a manufactory in that city, was reduced by a series of reverses to become foreman in a similar establishment in Paris. His two eldest sons accompanied him to the capital, but the mother and her youngest boy, Pierre, remained at Rouen, where our hero contrived to earn a miserable pittance of three francs a-week by carding wool. This occupation, however, was no more to his taste than were the privations he was daily forced to endure, and at last, after having barely kept body and soul together by incessant toil for several years, he determined to quit Rouen, and seek his fortune in Paris. On his arrival, he was offered by one of his brothers, at that time a grocer in the capital, a place as assistant in his shop, but had he even been inclined to accept the proposal, the recol- lection of an adventure which had happened to him en route would have prevented his doing so. At a roadside inn he had met with a young man who, like him, was tired of Rouen, but, unlike him, was not in need of bettering his condi- tion, having not only a good supply of money, bat a comfortable car- riage. The rich and the poor traveller made . acquaintance at the inn- door. " Where are you going ! " asked the former rather cavalierly. " To Paris." " So am I. What will you do there ? " then of the The&tre Fraii^ais, she made ber first dibul at the Odeon with moderate success. During the next six years she studied much and played little, and it was not until 1838 that she re-appeared at the Od6on. At length, June 37, ^Sk^, she made a bril- liant debul at the Fran^ais as Phedre, a character performed by her nine limes successively, and was eventually engaged for one year. During this period she played Elisabeth to Rachel's Marie Stuart very effectively, and was cast the part of Guanhumara in les Bur- graves, but was compelled by Victor Hugo (the author) to resign it to M">= M(Slingue, after she had rehearsed it thirty-two times. She then quitted the Franjais for the Otlion, where she remained until the close of M. Lireux's management, playing Jeanne d'Arc a Rouen, Lucrece, etc., with great and deserved success. M"« Maxime's distinctive qualities are force, passion, and energy : she stands entirely apart from the conventional school, nor is there the slightest shadow of monotony or of lameness in her acting. Whatever she says, she feels, and makes oiliers feel also ; and, though her personations may be wanting in classic elegance, they are not on that account the less life-like or the less natural. w "I don't know." " Will you come with me? I am going to make money, and turn actor. " The coachman, cracking his whip, cut short the conversation. Away went the carriage, and poor Pierre followed slowly on foot, beguiling his way by repeating every sentence he had picked up at the Rouen theatre, for the words he had just heard had made a lasting impression on him, and he finally reached Paris, resolved to turn actor also. Finding his dislike to retail groceries invincible, his brother placed him, without asking his leave, in a lawyer's ofiice. He was, however, much too honest and independent to be a good clerk, and as his master promised to pay his salary and never did, he left him to accept a situa- tion in the war office. There, as it chanced, many of his new comrades were as fond of the theatre as he was himself, and they talked of cou- lisses, new pieces, and performers, until he could bear it no longer, and had his name inscribed on the books of the Conservatoire for examina- tion. But, in order to appear before the committee, a good suit of clothes was indispensable. He implored his brother to aid him, telling him that he intended to make money and turn actor; the grocer, how- ever, flew into a violent passion, and forbade him his house. The poor youth wandered about in despair, and even entertained the idea of com- mitting suicide : he was, indeed, in the act of plunging into the Seine, when a friendly hand rescued him. The kind Samaritan was no other than his second brother, who not only hindered him from carrying his rash purpose into execution, but supplied him with a decent coat : this timely aid enabled him to present himself before the Conservatoire, where he found several other candidates awaiting the summons of their judges. His turn came at last, and after declaiming the passage pre- scribed to him with all the energy in his power, he had the mortifica- tion of finding that he was unanimously rejected by the committee, composed of two professors of vocal and three of instrumental music, and two dancing-masters. The next year was a trying one : he continued to live, or rather to exist, by copying deeds for attorneys, and kept his dramatic visions closelypent up in his own breast. One day, he fell in with his old fellow- 141 traveller, but how changed ! Instead of the frisky horses and fashionable dress, which had formerly excited the envy of the poor artisan, he was now on foot, meanly clad, and endeavouring to sell cliaincs de stirete and other ornaments on the Pont des Arts (1). "Ah! there you are ! " exclaimed Pierre, rather saucily in his turn. They fell into conversation, and dined together. After hearing the ad- venture of his companion, the ci-devant wealthy youth blamed him for having had recourse to the Conservatoire, and took him to a practical school in the Rue de Lancry, directed by some actors of the Ambigu Comique, where he himself was then occasionally studying. It required little persuasion to induce our hero to become an assiduous frequenter of this school, and during his attendance there he acquired the rudi- ments of his dramatic education ; some months after the two friends separated, the ex-chain vendor to accept an engagement as utility, and his less fortunate comrade to visit the provinces, with the intention of offering his services to the first company of Thespians he might fall in with. We find him shortly after at Nancy, nearly causing the death of M. Harel (2), who was at that time little better than a directeur ambu- lant or strolling manager, and whose offer of an engagem ent the young aspirant to dramatic honours had accepted, on condition that he should never be called upon to sing. One evening, he was announced to appear as Almaviva in le Barbier de Seville, it having been previously arranged that the romance com- mencing " Vom I'ordonnez, je me ferai connaitre," should be sung by another actor behind the scenes. The critical moment arrived, and the Count, guitar in hand, prepared to strike the chords : in vain, however, the orchestra played the symphony twice over, no responsive sound was heard from the coulisses, and at length the public, losing patience, commenced a most unmusical concert of hisses and hooting. This untoward denouement so incensed Almaviva that he rushed off the stage, and meeting Harel, who was himself thunderstruck at the (4) The usual resort of the vendors of these chains ia the Boulevard, where their stock of merchandise is spread out on a litUe table to tempt the passers-by. Like the thimble- riggers, they have always one or two confederates busily engaged In handling the differ- ent articles, and making imaginary purchases, in order to induce others to follow their example. (2; Subsequently leasee of the Od^on and of the Porte Saint Martin. 142 unexpected absence of the substitute, seized him by the throat, and would most assuredly have throttled him, had he not been held back by the united efforts of Rosina and the commissaire de ^police. In 1823, Pierre Tousez made his debut at the Od^on under the assumed name of Bocage, but soon quilted that theatre for the Fran- ^ais, after which he played at each by turns, his first important creation being U Homme du Monde, which caused some sensation, and attracted towards him the notice of the press. But one success does not make an actor's reputation, and, unluckily for him, the Odt5on closed soon after the production of the piece. He applied to several managers, but the Second Theatre Frangais being then considered from its remote situa- tion as almost a provincial theatre, he could get nothing better than an engagement without salary at the Gait6. His acting , however , in la Pri- son de Newgate soon procured him a fresh engagement of 2,500 francs a-year. He was subsequently asked by the authors of an imitation of the Merchant of Venice to read their piece to the company of the Porte Saint Martin, and in the event of its acceptance to undertake the part of Shylock : both play and actor were enthusiastically received, and M. Crosnier, then manager of that theatre, engaged Bocage at a salary of from 6,000 to 10,000 francs. It was during his stay at the Porte Saint Martin that he created his two finest parts, Buridan in laTour de Nesle, and Antony in Dumas's piece of that name : his performance of the latter character created a sensation which few actors of the present day are capable of exciting. Quitting at length the scene of his early triumphs, Bocage transferred his valuable talents to the Gymnase, and subsequently to the Od^on, where he greatly contributed to the success of Lucrece, and of La Main Droite et la Main Gauche, the best tragedy and the best drama produced at that theatre during the management of M. Lireux. He is now before the public in a new character, that of lessee of the Od^on, of which theatre he himself is the main support. Bocage is essentially an actor of drama, not of tragedy : he excels in depicting the passions of the human heart, unfettered by the laws and traditions of the conventional school. He is one of those few artistes who do not think it necessary, because they may have once produced effect by a particular gesture or look, to repeat it a second time : his acting is not dictated by mechanical habit, but by inspiration alone. l/t3 and is on that very account more impressive as well as more natural. We may easily imagine, therefore, how little to his taste must have been his position at the Theatre Frangais : while rehearsing there le Misan- thrope and Nicomede he was perpetually harassed by the advice and opinions of the lovers of the old school. By them every part in the repertoire was defined in a particular manner; to please them, the actor must walk, sit, and raise his hand exactly as his predecessors had done before him. Bocage could not do this ; with all his admiration for Talma, he wished to play the chefs-d'mwre of Corneille, Moli^re, and Racine after his own idea, but was overruled. Talma's gestures and manner of saying every line were incessantly repeated to him , and he saw that to satisfy his hearers he must either be a copy of Talma, or nothing. Had he yielded, had he consented to sacrifice his own judgment to that of others, France would have gained an automaton, and lost an actor. Luckily the drama came to his aid; he became to the modern stage what Talma had been to the ancient, bearing, however, as little resem- blance to his predecessor as the two schools of acting, whose respective disciples they were, did to each other. It is by no means difficult on reflection to account for the temporary decline of classical tragedy, and the consequent triumph of what is generally called the romantic school, subsequent to the death of Talma. The genius of that celebrated actor had invested tragedy with a pres- tige which none of his successors were capable of continuing. When he died, there remained only the frame-work of his talent, appreciated as before in the closet, but insufficient (owing to the inferiority of its interpreters) on the stage. Tragedy then gave way to drama. " Bocage, thin, tall, and pale," says M. Felix Pyat, " could not have re- placed Talma, but perhaps Talma would have looked too healthy in Antony; Bocage could afford to do without personal advantages ; he had new resources to meet the wants of the new school." The same writer, io an admirable paper published some years ago in the Revue de Paris, concludes an eloquent eulogium of the subject of our notice by the fol- lowing honourable testimony to his private worth. " I ha ve spoken of the actor, I will now speak of the man. If the one has a right to our admiration , the other has a claim on our esteem . I have always found Bo- cage as much a slave to his word as a Mahometan, true and devoted to his 144 friends, ready and willing to serve all. Having begun life by suffering, he knows what it is to suffer. Therefore, as far as he can, is he al- ways disposed to help with his purse, his advice, his credit, young actors, even those who may one day be his own rivals. Loyalty and generosity are the eminent virtues of his character. He alone would certainly have destroyed the prejudice so long unfavourable to actors , if that prejudice still existed " (1). Bocage does not, like many of his comrades, look upon his metier as a hard and ungrateful one, more or less endurable in proportion to its being more or less lucrative ; on the contrary, he glories in the name of actor, and is extremely sensiLive to any slight cast upon his pro- fession, as the following anecdote will show. An author, who had given him a part in a new piece, insisted that, when they met, Bocage, as being only an actor, should take off his hat first to him, who, as an author, was entitled to this mark of respect. The actor flatly refused, and after many words had passed on both sides, he was desired by the author to return the part. Bocage instantly gave it back, saying, with a very low bow : "When I accepted this part, I said, so much the worse for me ! now that I give it back to you, I say, so much the worse for you!" (2). DARCOURT. Acts the peres nobles in tragedy and comedy, including Roman Em- perors and Athenian Grandees. JOURDAIN. This actor made his first debut at the Od6on under M. Lireux's (1) Wc gladly embrace the present opporlunity of expressing our own cordial concur- rence in the sentiments quoted above, and most willingly bear testimony to M. Bocage's amiability of manner and real kindness of heart. (2) Since the opening of the Odfeon under his management, Bocage has added to his numerous creations those of Diogine in M. Ffilix Pyat's piece of that name, and the Due d'Albuquerque in Echec el Mai. U5 management, in January, 1845, as le Comte in Vn Mariag» sous Louis XV. He has a good voice and gentlemanly manners. JUST (Clement). Played at the Gymnase previous to his engagement at the Od^on, where he sustains the leading youthful characters in tragedy and drama. MAUZIN (Alexandre). A stout jolly-looking comic actor, formerly a member of the Am- bigu, who would be very amusing were he not rather inclined to over- act his parts. RANDOUX. Born in Paris, December 15, 1822. After studying under Messrs. Mi- chelot and Samson at the Conservatoire, he became a favourite with the frequenters of the Banlieue theatres, and at length made a tolerably successful rfe'to at the Frangais, October 10, 1843, as Curiace in les Horaces. In 18Z|5, after quitting the Theatre Frangais, he accompanied M"° Rachel in her provincial tour to Strasbourg, Lyons, etc. , and on the opening of the Oddon under the present management was engaged there asjeune premier. Randoux is an energetic actor, but his energy frequently borders on rant, and his gestures are both extravagant and ungraceful. We by no means admire his creation of Alcibiade in Diogene. lZi6 BLONVAL (M"'Clarisse). A most excellent soubrette. DELVIL (M""). After a moderately successful essay at the Theatre Frangais.M"" Delvil quitted Paris some few years ago for Berlin, and on her return made her rfe6«tattheVaudevilleearly in 1844, mPierrele MiUiomaire. She after- wards played the heroine in M""" Ancelot's Clemence, and created parts in le Client, les Deux Pedes, etc. In April, 1846, she, together with her husband (1), seceded from the company, and, in the October follow- ing, she made her first appearance at the Od^on as la Duchesse in Echec et Mat, a character originally sustained by M"' Naptal. M"" Delvil is an agreeable actress, and rather a pretty woman ; her eyes are large and Hne, and her speaking voice is by no means unmusical, but she is no singer. FERNAND (M""). M"' Fernand is a pupil of Samson of the Theatre Frangais, and made her first debut at the Gymnase, July 11, 1844, as Therese in Rodolpke. After creating Ascanio del Dongo in Rebecca and other parts, she quitted the Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle for the Od^on, where she appeared in the spring of the present year. M"' Fernand plays with ease and vivacity, and is a most pains-taking and promising actress. FITZJAMES (M"«). M"* Fitzjames has a fine commanding figure, an expressive though (4) Ddvil's dUui at the Vaudeville took place in the spring of 1844, in le Papillon Jaime ei Bleu. U7 not handsome face, and an agreeable voice. She does not want for animation or sensibihty, and were her attitudes and gestures a little more classic and graceful, she might be a good tragic actress. As it is, she is seen to greater advantage in drama. LEVfeQUE (M"'). M"' L6onie Leveque made her first debut at the Frangais in August, 1845, as Camille in les Horaces, but was not engaged. She is tall, but her manner is singularly deficient in dignity and grace ; she recites correctly, but is utterly destitute of energy and sensibility. MOREAU-SAINTI (M-"'). This lady possesses dramatic talents of a high order, and is seen to especial advantage in le Fits de la FoUe. The few modern pieces worthy of mention in the repertoire of the Od^on are the following : Lucrfece. . . , . . Ponsard. La Cigue IJmile Augier. DiogSne F61ixPyat. La Main Droite et la Main Gauche L^on Gozlan. LeSucces. .... Harel, Le Vieux Consul. . , . Arthur Ponroy. Le Voyage a Pontoise. . . Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaez. Le Chevalier de Pomponne, Mary Lafon. L'Oncle de Normandie. . Ditto. EchQc et Mat. . . . Feuillet and Paul Bocage. CHAPTER VI. ITALIAN OPERA. SALLE VENTADOUR. Manager, M. Vatel. It has been already mentioned that in 1645 a company of singers came to Paris from Italy on the invitation of Cardinal Mazarin, and per- formed operas in the Theatre du Peiit-Bourbon. These, however, soon retraced their steps homewards, and it was not till 1752 that some of their countrymen re-appeared in the French capital on a short pro- fessional visit, which was repeated in 1778. In 1789, we find an Ita- lian troupe established under the protection of the Comte d'Orleans in the Salle des Tuileries, then called Theatre de Monsieur, where they sang in the operas of Sarti, Anfossi, Paesiello, and Cimarosa. They were in their turn forced to quit Paris on the breaking out of the Re- volution, but re-appeared in June, 1802, in the Salle Olympique, Rue de la Victoire, under the management of M"" Montansier. Seven or eight months after, they transferred their performances to the Salle Favarl, which had become vacant owing to the union of the two Op^ra Comi- que companies at the Th62itre Feydeau. In the following year, the ex- penses so far exceeded the receipts that the theatre was closed, and a « subsequent attempt made by a society of dilettanii to re-establish the Italian Opera having signally failed, the singers were on the point of re-crossing the Alps, when the government authorized them to occupy the Theatre Louvois, and gave them Picard, the celebrated author-actor, for manager. In 1808, they followed him to the Odeon, where the fine voice of M"® Barilli proved a source of great attraction to the public. She, however, dying in 1813, and Picard being at the same time summon- ed to manage the French Opera, the Italian singers were once more on the verge of ruin, when M"*" Catalan! became directress in 1815, and installed her company in the Salle Favart, where they remained until 1818. They then once more took possession of the Theatre Louvois, and from that time, notwithstanding their frequent transmigrations, Iirst to the Salle Favart, from whence they were driven by the destruc- tion of that theatre by fire in 1838 (1), secondly to the Odeon, and thirdly, in 1841, to the Salle Ventadour, they have enjoyed a most bril- liant and prosperous career. Most of the leading Italian artistes have at one period or another been members of the troupe, M"'" Pasta, Ma- libran, and Sontag having been succeeded, in addition to the actual company, by Rubini, Tamburini, and M"" Viardot Garcia. This theatre, towards the support of which an annual sum of 70,000 francs was formerly contributed by government, no longer ranks among the theatres subeentionnes, that allowance having been withdrawn some three or four years ago. It is only open during half the year, from the first of October to the thirty-first of March. THE COMPANY. CELLINI. An agreeable singer, with a sweet but far from powerful tenor voice. (J) One of llic manageis, M. Se^Cl•ini. perished in Itie names. 150 COLETTI A basso of great repiitalion jn Italy, whose debut in Paris is eagerly looked forward to by the dilettanti. CORELLI. An efficient second tenor, but a cold and inanimate actor. His voice has neither sufficient extent, strength, nor sweetness, to warrant his attempting any. more important part than that of Pollione in Norma, which few premiert mjets will undertake. DfiRlVIS, Son of a celebrated bass singer of the Academie Royale, where he himself, after completing his studies at the Conservatoire, made his first debut in le Philtre. He then boldly undertook Levasseur's difficult part of Bertram in Robert-le-Diable, and subsequently quitted France for Italy, on his return from whence he was engaged at the Italian Opera, where he appeared on the opening night of the season of 1 845 in Verdi's Nabucco. He was favourably received, and sang afterwards in Semiramide, II Proscritto, and other operas with considerable success. His voice is a fine bass, extensive and sonorous, but rather wanting in flexibility : he sings with expression, and since his return from Italy has lost much of the stiffness and monotony which formerly charac- terized his acting. He has, moreover, a good figure, and a handsome and intelligent countenance (1). (I) Berivis is not cngageil for the ensuing season : liis place will be supplied by Colelti. We have, howevei', lliouglit it more advisable to retain tlie above notice, wliich, as well as that of Mii« Teresa Brambilla, was written before the arrangements for the present year were decided on. 151 LABLACHE (Luigi). This admirable singer is now in his fiftieth year, having been born at Naples in 1796 : his father, Nicholas Lablache, was, we believe, a native of Marseilles, and his mother an Irishwoman. At an early age he obtained admission into the Consenatorio della Pieta, where he became a proficient both in vocal and in instrumental music, though the former study was far more congenial to his taste than the latter. His great ambition was to appear on the stage, and many were the attempts made by him to effect this object : the Neapolitan managers, however, being strictly forbidden to engage any pupil of the Conser- vatorio before the completion of his studies, Lablache was forced to resume his sol fa, and bear the disappointment as philosophically as he could. His wishes were at length in some measure gratified by the establishment of a theatre in the Comerwatono itself, where he, in com- pany with the other pupils, was permitted to sing. But even this did not satisfy his ambition •, the audience, chiefly composed of bis own professors and personal friends, -were neither sufiiciently severe in their criticism hor sufficiently enthusiastic in their applause to please him, and he soon longed more ardently than ever for the moment of emancipation, when his success Or failure might be decided by the public voice. As soon as he was at liberty to do so, Lablache accepted an engage- ment as buffo Napditano at the Teatro di San Cariino, where his live- liness and humour made him an especial favourite, and subsequently quitted Naples, fifst for Messina, and afterwards for Palermo, where he made a brilliant debut as basso cantante in an opeTa of Pavesi. During the five years which he passed at Palermo, Lablache not only made great progress as a singer, but also acquired that stage experience which long practice alone can give. Confident in his own powers, he shortly after signed an engagement with the manager of la Scala, and appeared for the first time before the Milanese public as Dandini in la Cenerentola. His reception was so enthusiastic as to induce Merca- dante to write expressly for the young basso a new opera, Elisa e Claudia, the success of which Was an equal triumph for the composer and the artiste. lo-l la 1824, LabUiche sang for some time in Viemia, where lie displayed all the wonderful resources and versatility of his talent, playing on four successive evenings Figaro in II Barbiere, Assur in Semiramide, Don Geronimo in II Matrimonio Segreto, and Uberio in Paer's Agnese. These different characters, so utterly distinct from each other, were personated by him with such life-like truth and reality as to excite universal admiration. A medal was struck in commemoration of these four consecutive triumphs, representing the portrait of Lablache, with an inscription composed by the Marquis de Gargallo. In 1829, this celebrated singer made a most successful debut at the Italian Opera in London, and on November 2, 1830, he experienced an equally brilliant reception in Paris, where Messrs. Robert andSeverini, at that time managers of the Salle Favart, had offered him an engage- ment. The part selected for the occasion was that of Geronimo in II Matrimonio Segreto, and never, if we may believe contemporary accounts, was Cimarosa's music listened to with more enthusiasm. The presence of Rossini, who now for the first time heard Lablache sing, was a sufficient stimulus to induce the latter to exert himself to the utmost, and the curtain fell amid a thunder of applause, such as has rarely been indulged in by the aristocratic frequenters of les Italiens. Lablache afterwards ssing in Semiramide, Cenerentola, and other operas until the close of the season, when he withdrew from the company, and did not again join it until 1833, when he re-appeared as Henry VIII. in Anna Bolena. Since then he has remained constant to the Italian Theatre during its transmigration to the Odeon, and subsequently to the Salle Ventadour, where his presence is as indispensable to the lia- bitues as that of la Diva herself. It is unnecessary to dwell longer on the qualities and talent of this inimitable singer : his celebrity is European, and his admirers on either side of the channel are legion. Nor are these admirers of his genius alone; the creator oiPasquale and Dulcamara has other and far nobler claims on the respect of all who can appreciate sterling worth of cha- racter and true kindliness of heart. If Lablache as an artiste has a right to our admiration, as a man he has an equal right to our esteem ; nor is his professional reputation, colossal though it be, his only legacy to posterity. 153 MALVEZZI. A good second-rate tenor, who first appeared in Paris, December 16, 1845, as Tamas in Gemma di Vergy. His voice is tolerably powerful, but rather harsh and deficient in melody ; both as singer and actor, however, he is decidedly superior to Corelli. MARIO. Son of General di Candia, several times appointed Governor of Genoa and Nice by the King of Sardinia. Mario, who was born at Cagliari in 1816, was educated among the King's pages at the Royal Academy of Turin, and subsequently became an oflScer in the Piedmontese guard. From his early youth he was passionately fond of music, and both Meyerbeer and Donizetti are said to have prophesied his future excel- lence as a singer. On his arrival in Paris in 1836, the manager of the Academie Royale, whose curiosity was excited by the encomiums lavished in private circles on the young amateur, took an opportunity of hearing him sing, and immediately offered him an engagement, which Mario, after much hesitation, accepted. This greatly irritated his father, who spared neither entreaties nor commands to hinder his son from embracing the career of a public singer : Mario, however, persisted in his resolution, but so far yielded to the General's wish as to consent to let his Christian name alone appear in the bills. He made his first public debut December 1, 1839, as Robert-le-Diable, and his success was decisive. Nevertheless, every theatre has its intrigues, and Mario soon discovered to his cost that the French Opera was no exception to the general rule. After having been promised a conti- nuation of his debuts as Polyeucte, he was refused it, and was with diffi- culty permitted to sing in le Comte Ory. Halevy's Drapier came next, and he then waited patiently until a new part should be entrusted to him, earning his salary with but little fatigue, it is true, but not the less anxious to be put once more on active service. Luckily for him, VEtisird'Amore was about to be revived at the Ita- 154 liens, and Rubini declining Losing Nemorino, the manager of the Opera was requested to allow Mario to sustain the character for a few repre- sentations. No objection was made, and our hero, after meeting with a very favourable reception in the theatre, where he was really in his right place, profited by his conge to sing Lucrezia Borgia, etc., in London. The success he obtained there induced him, on his return to Paris, to solicit the cancelling of his engagement, which was agreed to by the manager, on condition of his playing (by way of dedit and without remuneration) two acts of GuiUaume Tell and one of les Hu- guenots. Since then Mario has rapidly advanced in public favour : the progress he has made during the last year as an actoris surprising, and his voice has attained a degree of perfection unequalled since the best days of Rubini. We would particularly instance his singing in II Pirata as a magnificent display of vocal and dramatic ability : the music of this opera, though not wanting in beauty, is hardly of sufficient excellence to become generally popular, unless executed by artistes of firsl/rate talent. Such an artiste is Mario, and it is owing to his admirable exertions that this coup d'essai of Bellini has been received at Paris with the greatest enthusiasm, whereas other Operas of unquestionably superior merit, but by no means as irreproachably performed, have been listened to with comparative indifference. The peculiar charm of Mario's voice is its delicious freshness and purity : it appears to increase every year in melody as well as in power, and it is difficult to believe, so rich and full are its tones, that the debutant of the Academie Royale in 1839, and the first tenor of the Italiens in 18/(6, are one and the same individual. In 1839, Mario was a promising but inexperienced young singer, and an unpractised actor; in 18^6, he is a vocalist of surpassing excellence, and a finished comedian. In 1839, the manager of the French Opera cancelled his engagement without regret; in 18/(6, M. L^on Pillet would fain re- engage him on his own terms. "U tenor eho si porde Non tornera mai piii !" 155 RONCONI. If we may rely on the accuracy of a recently published biographical notice of this singer, Giorgio Alessandro Ronconi was born at Venice, December 6, 1812. The profession selected for him by his parents was the army, and he was placed when young in the military college at Milan. Ronconi himself, however, appears to have entertained no great liking for martial glory, having ali*eady determined, stimulated by the advice and encouragement of the composer Pacini, to devote himself entirely to the study of VOcai music. Finding an excellent pro- fessor in his sister, the youthful baryton ventured at last to sing a most difficult morceau in presence of the Philo-Dramatic Society of Milan, and the decisive success of this, essay induced his father to consent to his persevering in the career for which Nature had evidently intended him. According to the same biographer, Ronconi, when scarcely nineteen years old, made his first appearance at Paris in 1831, in la Straniera. Whether this be fact or fiction we know not, our earliest recollections of this excellent baryton dating only from 1843, in which year, after having already given the habitues of her Majesty's Theatre a taste of his quality, Ronconi created an immense sensation in Paris by his admir- able singing and acting in Maria di Rohan and Corrado d'Altamura, as well as in U Barbiere, I Puritani, and other stock pieces of the reper- toire. The favourable impression produced on his debut has been amply justified by the talent displayed by him in every successive creation, and more particularly in Nabucco, much of the popularity enjoyed by Verdi's music in Paris being fairly attributable to his mag- nificent performance of the leading character. Ronconi is short in stature, and by no means handsome in face, but his countenance when animated is extremely intelligent, and his energy is at once so intense and so communicative as frequently to excite the most unbounded enthusiasm on the part of his audience, who are irre- sistibly led away by the inspired earnestness of his acting. His voice is not only remarkable for its power and compass, but also for its extreme purity and melodious richness of tone, qualities which few if any barytons possess in so eminent a degree. His style of singing is that 136 ol' the modern Ilaliaii school, llie predominant feature of which is its simplicity and sparing use of fioriture. Ronconi, indeed, carries out this principle to its fullest extent, seldom if ever indulging in any display of vocalization, but trusting for effect to the natural beauty of his organ alone. We do not admire him so much in comic as in serious parts : his Fijiaro we think not only immeasurably inferior to that ofTamburini, but hardly on a par even with that of Fornasari. Comedy is not his forte ; neither his voice nor personal appearance qualify him for a buffo singer, whereas in parts requiring energy, pathos, or any strong expression of feeling he is unrivalled. It is no discredit to Ronconi to say that but one artist at the present day is capable of sustaining serious and comic characters with equal ability, when we add that that artist is La- blache. TAGLIAFICO. This young baryton, after acquiring some celebrity at the Concerts Vivienne, appeared for the first time at the Salle Ventadour on the opening of the season of 1844, in Linda di Ckamouni. His voice, agreeable in a salon or concert room, is not sufficiently powerful in a theatre to admit of his attempting leading characters with success ; but as a second singer he is an useful acquisition. AMIGO (M"» A native of Spain, whose debut in la Cenerentola some years ago promised more than she has since been able to perform. She has been very handsome, and is still a fine-looking woman : as to her vocal abilities, one may judge of them by the parts usually confided to her, of which Enrichetta in / Puritani is perhaps the most important. 157 BELLINI (M""). Her best part is the old lady in II Barbiere, which she dresses ca- pitally, and acts with considerable humour. She plays the character, indeed, so well, that we regret ever having seen her play any other. BRAMBILLA (M»' Marietta). The contr'alto of the Salle Ventadour. If the voice of this lady, once so rich and melodious, were still equal to her musical skill, she would be one of the most perfect singers in Europe : as it is, such is her exquisite taste that the defects of her organ are so admirably disguised as to be almost imperceptible. Among the happiest efforts of M"'Bram- billa are Arsace in Semiramide, Pierrotto in Linda di Chamouni, and Maffio Orsini in Lticrezia Borgia. BRAMBILLA (M"' Tekesa). Younger sister of the preceding. Her debut in Paris took place at the commencement of the season of 1845-6 in Nabucco, and the fa- vourable reception she then experienced was justified by her sub- sequent performance in // Proscritto and U Matrimonio Segreto. Her voice is rather thin, but by no means deficient in extent, and she sings with consummate taste. She is moreover an excellent actress, and a handsome showy woman (1). BRAMBILLA (M"' Pbppina). Engaged to supply the place of her sister Teresa. She has lately been singing with success at Barcelona. (I) An engagement contractecl in Italy will prevent Mi'»Tere?a BrambiUa from return- ing to Paris this year. 158 GRISI (M"'^ GiULiA). This admirable syren was born at Milan in 1812. Determining at an early age to follow the career so successfully pursued by her aunt, M""= Grassini, she applied herself seriously to the study of vocal music, and after receiving some instruction from one of her uncles, a clever professor, made her first appearance on any stage at Bologna, in 1828, at the age of sixteen. In. the same year, besides singing in an opera expressly composed for her by Millitoti, she played Giulietta in / Ca- puletti at Florence, and afterwards appeared successively at Pisa and at Milan, where she created Adalgisa in Norma. In 1832 she left Venice for Paris, where she was engaged to replace M""= Malibran at the Salle Favart; and though she had to contend against the souvenir of her predecessor, her youth, beauty, and talent made a most favourable impression on her audience, and she speedily became popular. But her merits as singer and actress were not fully appre- ciated until the production of Anna Bolena, when her performance of the unfortunate heroine revealed so many vocal and dramatic excellen- cies as to place her at once among the first artistes of the day. Since that period M"" Grisi's reputation has become European ; her name is now mentioned in the same breath with those of Catalan!, Pasta, and Malibran; she is no longer the timid and inexperienced debutante, but the Queen of song, the accomplished piima donna ; she is no longer Adalgisa, — she is Norma! Her beauty is strictly classic, and there is a mingled grace and majesty in her attitudes that reminds one of the marvels of ancient Grecian art. To see her in a moment of inspiration, her noble countenance expressing with the utmost truth a sentiment of scorn, of anger, or of dignity, one would imagine her to be a statue of Phidias endowed with life. M"" Grisi is admirable whatever part she undertakes, either as the haughty Semiramide or the playful Norina, as Elvira or Ninette, as Lucrezia Borgia or Dona Anna; but as Norma she is sublime. The " In- fetice, veleno bevesti!" in Lucrezia, the " Son Vergin" in I Puritani, magnificent displays of vocal and dramatic power as they are, must yield the palm to her utterance of that last reproach addressed to the faithless Roman : 159 s'Qual eor Iradisti, Oual cor perdesti i " Love, hatred, jealousy, despair, every passion tliat can be supposed to have agitated the heart of the neglected Priestess, are all con- centrated in that final appeal. LANDI (M"'). An unpretending young singer, with a weak but not disagreeable voice, who first appeared at Paris in October 1845, in Nabucfo. LIBRANDI (M"'). Without any exception, the worst Adalgisa we ever remember to have heard. M"* Librandi has neither voice nor method ; her gestures are awkward and embarrassed, and she seldom sings either in time or tune. We cannot but think that she has mistaken her vocation. PERSIANI(M"» Fanny). This charming songstress, daughter of the celebrated tenor Tacchi- nardi, and wife of Persiani, the composer of Inez di Castro and U Fan- tasma, was born at Rome, October 4, 1812. Her father was averse to her adopting the stage as a profession, although when she was only eleven years old, a sonnet was addressed to her by the illustrious can- tatrice Mombelli, whom she had moved to tears by her singing. Subse- quently, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, wishing to satisfy himself as to the real merits of the young vocalist, invited her to sing at several concerts given by him during Lent, on each of which occasions she was greatly applauded. In 1830 she married Persiani, and two years later an event occurred 160 which materially influenced her future career. The opera of Francesca di Rimini was on the point of being produced at Leghorn, and in it two eminent female singers were to appear. On the day of rehearsal one only answered the call : manager and composer were in despair, for where on so short a notice could they hope to find a substitute for the other? At last it was suggested that M"" Persiani, who was then residing with |her family at a villa near Leghorn, might perhaps be in- duced to aid them in this dilemma, and a messenger was forthwith dis- patched to her, stating the circumstances, and imploring her to take a part in the opera. After some hesitation, she with her father's and husband's consent agreed to sing, and thus with scarcely [any prepa- ration and quite unexpectedly made her first appearance on the stage. * Her success was so decisive, that she had no further excuse for abandon- ing a career so auspiciously begun, and a few days after her debut signed an engagement for Padua. From thence she went to Venice, where M"* Pasta was then singing, and soon became the idol of the Ve- netians, who unanimously christened her little Pasta. In the spring of 1833 she sang at Milan, where some verses, com- memorative of her success, were addressed to her by Romani ; and in the autumn of the same year quitted Lombardy for Rome, during her stay in which city two operas, I Promessi Sposi, and "Misantropia e Pentimento, were composed expressly for her. At Naples, Genoa, and Pisa, M"" Persiani met with equally enthusiastic admirers, and it was on the occasion of her second visit to Naples, in 1835, that the follow- ing incident occurred to her during a representation of Lucia. She was changing her costume between the acts, when a lady entered her dress- ing room, and after a few preparatory compliments on her singing took hold of M""" Persiani's hair, which was flowing in wild profusion over her shoulders, and asked her if it were really her own. Having speedily satisfied herself on this point, the stranger said with a smile to the astonished Lucia : " Allow me, Signora, since I have no wreath of flowers to offer you, to twine you one with your own beautiful tresses ! " and she did so. This was a proud moment for M"" Persiani, for the inconnue was Malibran. In the same year, coming by sea from Naples to Leghorn, to fulfil an engagement at Florence, our heroine fell seriously ill during the voyage, 161 and on her arrival in the Tuscan capital in a state of complete ex- haustion was compelled by the manager, in accordance with the teriSs of her engagement, to. appear in I Puritani. Finding all remonstrance ineffectual, she prepared to obey, hoping that the public would be more indulgent than the impresario. She had, however, hardly sung a few notes ere, for the first time in her life, she was greeted with a storm of hisses. This unexpected reception, added to her state of physical weakness, would have disheartened any other cantatrice; M"" Persiani, on the contrary, continued her part with the most perfect sang-froid, as if she were totally indifferent either to the applause or disapprobation of her hearers. A few weeks later, when she had completely recovered her strength and voice, the popular admiration knew no bounds, and every suc- cessive appearance of the once hissed invalid was greeted by the ha- bitues of la Pergola with the most uproarious demonstrations of en- thusiasm. But the reparation came too late, and M™' Persiani, as in- sensible to their praises as she had hitherto been to their reproaches, awaited only the termination of her engagement to bid Florence an eternal adieu. She was singing at Bologna in 1836, when propositions were made to her from |he manager of the Italian Opera in Paris : owing to engage- ments previously contracted both in Italy and at Vienna, she was unable to accep't them until the following year, when she made her first appear- ance before the Parisians in October, 1837, as Amina in- la Sonnam- bida. Nine years have elapsed since her debut, and M"" Persiani's reputa- tion is now at its zenith : equally popular in England, France, Germany, and Italy, admired on the stage and respected in private life, she may well look back with pride to her past career, a career as brilliant as it is irreproachable. As an actress, M""" Persiani possesses great versatility of talent, and is alike excellent in serious and in buffo parts : nclhing indeed can be more exquisite than her performance of Lucia, or more charmingly naive than her playful coquetry as Adina in I'Elisir d' Amove. She is short in stature, pale and thin-faced, with expressive eyes and beautiful blonde hair: her countenance is at once inteUigent and pleasing, and 11 162 her manner is lady-like and unassuming. As a vocalist she more riBsembles a bird than a human creature : it is impossible to conceive anything more musical or more flexible than her voice, which, clear as a silver bell, can touch the highest and lowest notes with equal facility and equal sweetness. She is, in a word, as has been well re- marked, "unquestionably, as regards taste, style, and vocalization, superior to any living singer." Among the favourite operas in the repertoire are II Barbiere di Seviglia. II Matrimonio Segreto. II Don Giovanni, Norma. II Pirata. La Sonnambula, I Puritani. LaGazza Ladra. La Donna del Lago. Cenerenlola. Otello. Semiramide. Tancredi. Don Pasquale. Lucia di Lammermoor. Lucrezia Borgia (la Rinegata). L'Elisir d'Amore. Belisario. Anna Bolena. Linda di Ghamouni. Nabucodonozor. CHAPTER VII. VAUDEVILLE. PLACE DE LA'*'B0URSE. *^ Manager, M. Hippolyte Cogmard{l). " Le Fraufais a6 malin cr6a le Vaudeville." BUILEAU. The Chanson , or Vaudeville has for centuries enjoyed the greatest popularity throughout France, the earliest specimen on record, the subject of which is the siege of P6ronne, dating as far back as the reign of Charles VI. This was followed by others, referring succes- sively to the wars of Francis the First, to the defeat of that monarch at Pavia, to the deaths of Henry the Second and Charles the Ninth, and to the departure of. Mary Stuart for Scotland. From this latter epoch down to the present day, scarcely any political event of any note has occurred without its immediately forming the subject of a vaudeville, and it has been well remarked that the history of France during the (t) Author, conjointly with hia brother, the manager of the Porte Saint Martin, of several popular pieces, among which are Pamrc Jacques, le Royaume des Femmes, Bruno le Fileur, and la Biche au Bois. m last fifty or sixty years might be told by simply repeating the refrains or chorusses of the chansons composed at different periods. Thus, when Louis XVI. became a father, the people sang, " Rejouissons-uous tous, enfin, O'cst mi Dauphin, c'est im Dauphin." This was changed a few years later to "Dansons la Carmagnole An bruitjlu son Dh canon." Then came the "Marseillaise," Then, " Aliens, enfans do la patrie, Le jour do gloirc est arrivfi." "Napplfion est Einpereur, Via c'que c'cst qu'd'avoir du coeur ! " The chanson of the restoration was, "Nous avons notre p^re do Gand, Nous avons notre p6re." And lastly, as an accompaniment to the cannons of 1830, the people sang : '"^ " Soldat du drapeau tricolore, D'OrlSans, toi qui Vas portfi." The origin of the term vaudeville is generally allowed to be as follows. About 1450, there lived at Vire, a small town in Normandy, an artisan named Olivier Basselin, who passed his leisure hours in compos- ing chansons. These he sang in the midst of the wars that then de- vastated France, and even continued singing on the field of battle, where he perished fighting bravely against the English. His songs were called Vaux de Vire, because they were sung not only at Vire, but also in the adjoining district called la Vallee, or le Val; and sub- sequently the name of Vau de Ville was given generally to all couplets which, after having been sung by the country people, became equally popular with the citizens and burgesses of the different French towns. The Vaudeville has been well called "the arsenal, from whence proceed the arms most dreaded in France, the epigram and the satirical couplet. A man may forgive a blow, but never an epigram, for while 165 the one is soon forgotten, the' other maj survive both its author and him on whom it is written. » For some time the vaudevilles which satirized the couj-l and nobility were called NoMs : these were written principally during the reigns of Louis XV., and XVI. The different existing governments have always declared war against the chanson. A certain cardinal caused a man who had alluded to, him in a song to be shut up in an iron cage, and several young men were sent to the Ba'Stille for writing against M"" de Pompadour. Nay, in our own day, Bdranger was confined nine months in prison for his songs against the government. The censure has been always far less lenient towards the couplet than towards either comedy or drama, and the reason is obvious ; six or eight lines are so soon learnt, and so easily remembered. The term wwrfm/ie was also formerly applied to those pieces, the subjects of which were the passing events or current scandalous anec- dotes of the day. Moreover, many pieces, ancient as well as modern, concluded with couplets which the actors sang successively : these were likewise called vaudevilles. Thus, even at the present day, the couplet which terminates a piece is called the vaudeville final (1). In 1790, Sedaine, whose comic opera of Ic Liable a Quaire has re- cently furnished the Academie Royale with one of its prettiest ballets, and who hated all vaudevilles because their popularity exceeded that of his own pieces, wrote the following couplet against a vaudeville by Piis and Barre, which was then attracting crowds to the Comddie Ita- lienne. It will be seen that, in this couplet at least, Sedaine had as little respect for rhyme as he had for the vaudeville. " Bonbomme Vaudeville, Laissez-nous done tranquil/e*, Amusez-nous par vos propos, Et par vos jolis madrigaux ; Mais ne quittez pas vos hameaiix, Bonbomme Vaudeville " (2j. Until nearly the close of the last centurf , there existed in Paris no theatre exclusively devoted to the performance of vaudevilles. After (l; All pieces not decidedly opcialic, and yet iiileispei-scd with coH|)lets,ai;e nowlcrmed vaudevilles. (2) It was parUy owing to this couplet that the same Piis and Barre founded the Vau- deville theatre. 166 the union of the Opera Comique (where they had hitherto been played) with the Com^die ItaUenne, the want of a theatre specially reserved for the representation of their productions was strongly felt by the vau- deville writers of that day ; inasmuch as they not only had the morti- fication of seeing their compositions thrown aside to make way for operas, comedies, and even dramas, but were also subjected to the satirical attacks of Sedaine and his associates, who affected to treat them and their pieces with the utmost contempt. Piis, already annoyed at the couplet quoted above, and not less in- dignant at his demand of a small pension from the Gomddie Italienne, in return for his many successful vaudevilles produced there, three of which alone hadbrought in upwards of 3,000,000 francs to the treasury, being refused, conceived the idea of transferring his entire repertoire to a new theatre. He communicated his design toBarr^, who, in con- junction with Rosiferes, an actor of the Com^die Italienne, and two other individuals, aided him to carry it into execution. This was in 1790, at which period there existed in the Rue de Char- tres a public ball-room called the winter Vauxhall, or more commonly the Little Pantheon. On the site of this building the Vaudeville was erected, and opened for the first time January 12, 1792, with a piece written by Piis, called les Deux Pantheons. This gave rise to the follow- ing couplet : "Dans le pays oil nous sommes, Je vois qu'il existe k Paris, Et le Panthi5on des grands hommes, Et le Pantheon des petits." This opening piece, partly owing to its extreme length, and partly to the badness of the acting, was soundly hissed, and so disconcerted were Piis and Barr6 with the result of their first attempt, that they would probably have relinquished their enterprise in despair, had not Rosieres encouraged them to persevere, and by his own exertions caused an entirely different performance to be given on the following evening, the success of which at once decided the existence and future pros- perity of the Vaudeville. Three authors in particular, Desfontaines, Deschamps, and Desprez, contributed not a little by their Avritings to the brilliant career of the newly established theatre, which occasioned it to be said that the Vau- 167 deville was a delightful maison de campagtte, where one was sure to meet with des champs, des p'Ss etdes fontaines. Among the best actors who flourished at this period were Rosiferes^ Vertpr^, Carpentier, and Ghapelle. The last of these was short and stout, with eyes which were continually opening and shutting, thick black eyebrows, a mouth always half-open, and a pair of legs resembling in shape the feet of an elephant. His credulity was proverbial, and his comrades were not slow in taking advantage of it. • He was told one day that diligences were in future to be made of India rubber, in order that they might be able to take up all the passengers they met on the road, however numerous they might be. The gravity with which Ghapelle listened to this /ffcfinduced Laporte, the last of the Harlequins (1), to tell him in confidence that the Pope, accompanied by his wife and family, was about to enter Paris on a certain day. Off ran Ghapelle to the barrier by which the Holy Father was said to be expected, and amused every one by asking, with great apparent in- terest, at what o'clock the Pope and his lady were likely to arrive. Seveste, the father of the present managers of the Banlieue theatres, and himself an excellent actor, tpok especial dehght in mystifying poor Ghapelle, and one day, on his return from fulfilling an engagement at Rouen, told the unfortunate dupe that during his stay in that town he had succeeded in taming a carp so perfectly that it used to follow him about like a dog ; adding that he was much grieved at having lost it. " How did that happen?" said Ghapelle, greatly interested. " Why," replied Seveste, "one evening I took it to my dressing-room at the theatre ; as I was going home after the performance, a terrible stoirm came on, and my poor carp, in trying to jump across a gutter, fell in, and was drowned. " " How very unlucky ! " cried Ghapelle : "I always thought a carp could swim like aTishi" As he grew older, however, Ghapelle, weary of being continually hoaxed, made up his mind to believe nothing, and carried his scepticism so far as to reply to a friend's anxious inquiries after his (0 Laporte, the father ot the well-ltnown manager of the ItalianOperain London, was foi' 36 years a member of the Vaudeville company. He was desperately enamoured of the actress who played Columbine lo his Harlequin, and said to one of his friends that were he to perform without a mask, his eyes would be seen to fill with tears, and his whole face to tremble when she was on the stage. 168 health, " Ask somebody else that question, my fine fellow, you cau't take me in now." He died at Cliartres early in January, 1824. His comrade Carpentier became towards the close of his career so habitual a drunkard, that he completely lost his memory, being not only incapable of studying new parts, but even of recollecting old ones. He was at last reduced to play mere bouts de roles, and indeed rarely appeared on the stage at all. A long time had elapsed without his taking part in any piece, when one evening, on the occasion of a pro- cession representing the different trades being introduced at the Cnd of a vaudeville, he dressed himself up as a barber, and came on with the rest, a comb behind his ear, and a powder-puff in his hand. The au- dience instantly recognized their old favourite, and applauded him for several minutes after he had left the stage. As soon as he found himself surrounded by his comrades behind the scenes, he began to cry with emotion, and exclaimed. "My friends, they knew me again, they knew me again!" In one of his parts, Carpentier had a couplet to sing, the first verse of which ran as follows : " Un acteur, Qui veul de I'auteiir Suivre en tout L'esprit et le gofit. Doit d'abord, Dc savoir son r61e , Faire au moins le petit effort." Here he stopped short, and repeated the same verse thrice, but could get no further : from this day a settled gloom came over him, and he soon committed suicide by throwing himself out of a window. Among the most popular actresses of the same period were M™"Du- chaume, Molifere, and Sara Lescaut. During the revolution, the Vaudeville 'as well as the other theatres had its occasional troubles. Two of its authors, Radet and Desfontaines, were imprisoned for six months for a supposed reference in one of their piece to the trial of Marie Antoinette. There was then no censure, but authors and even actors were frequently taken up and imprisoned on account of some unfortunate couplet or phrase considered, whether with or without foundation signified little, as a political allusion. It was for a long time customary at the Vaudeville to preface every 169 new piece with a couplet d'annonce : tills couplet often served as the means of introducing allusions in praise of some recent victory or other important event of the day. Thus, on the first representation of Rene le Sage, just as the curtain was about to rise, news arrived of the rati- fication by Napoleon of the Treaty of Amiens. Laporte came forward, and while the sound of the cannons firing in celebration of the event was distinctly audible, sang the following couplet, hastily composed by the authors behind the scenes. " Pour cviter certaine guerre Entre le public et I'auteur, Par un coui)let priliminaire On vous engage k la douceur. En consequence, moi, Laporte, J'allais vous demander la palx, Le canon a la voix plus forte, 11 vous I'annonce, et je me tais." On another occasion, hearing that General Moreau, who had just erected a monument to Turenne, was in the theatre, they sang : " Du Danube c'est le vainqueur. Sage et modeste en sa conduite, It execute avec valeur C« qu'avec prudence il medite ; Par le plus noble monument Rappelant Turenne a notre age, II sait encore, en I'imitant, Le rappeler bien davantage." A propos or these couplets d'annonce, we must not omit to mention one, the effect of which was electrical. On the evening of the first representation of J. /. Rousseau, or la Vallee de Montmorency, the last of which titles alone had been put in the bills, Laporte sang : " Arlequin ne vous a promts Que le tableau d'une vallee, Mais d'un de vos meilleurs amis L'ombre s'y trouvera m616e. Si le titre que I'auteur prend N'est qu'un litre faux et posticlie, Le veritable (itait trop grand Pour la petite afllche : " This couplet was received with the utmost enthusiasm, and was repeated three times. On Bonaparte's joining the camp at Boulogne, in I8O/1, the manager of the Vaudeville was summoned thither with the elite of his company. On this occasion the vaudevillist Barre celebrated Napoleon's victories 170 as fifty years before the chansonnier Favart had celebrated those of Marshal Saxe, and received, as did the other two autliors -who accom- panied him, a pension of 3,000 francs. A piece which had a long run shortly after the Boulogne expedition was Fanchon la Vielleuse, the heroine being a pretty Savoyard girl whp had amassed a large fortune by selling song-books for a penny, Fan- chon was no fictitious damsel, but had actually existed : she was re- presented by M""' Belmont, an actress in great favour with the public, and the notoriety (if not the success) of the piece was increased by the celebrated Abbe Geoffroy's writing some of his bitterest articles against it. Other favourite actresses of that period were M"' Hervey, afterwards of the Theatre Frangais, M"" Rivifere, the. talented representative of Jeanne d'Arc, to whose portraits she bore a striking resemblance ; W" Desmares, M"° Minette, authoress and actress, and last, not least, M"" Dejazet and Jenny Vertpr^. In these, the goldendaysof the Vaudeville, slight disputes frequently arose between it and other theatres, which, however, were rather beneficial than otherwise to the public, inasmuch as they furnished matter for many amusing hits and pleasantries. Thus, the Theatre Frangais happening to bring out a piece interspersed with songs, the theatre of the Rue de Chartres immediately produced another, called "La Tragedie au Vaudeville," saying that if the Comedie Frangaise sang vaudevilles, the Vaudeville had an equal right to sing tragedy. Again, on the Opera's announcing an oratorio called "The Cre^tipn of the World," the bills of the Vaudeville displayed two days after "The Recreation of the World." In 1816j Barre gave up the management to Desaugiers, the chanson- nier, who, says Brazier (1), was too kind and yielding for his office, and had not the heart to refuse the most unreasonable request. About that time Scribe began his career of success, seconded by Melesville, Bayard, and other able writers. xM'"" Perrii), a provincial actress, made an extremely brilliant debut, and Gontier, who had failed at the Fran- gais, became at the Vaudeville one of the best actors of his day. (I) Hiuotre des Petils ThiMres de Paris. 171 After Ihe restoration, almost every new piece contained allusions to the victories of la Grande Armee, and scarcely one was produced in which there M'ere not at least a dozen couplets about glory, laurels, and similar subjects : the military characters in these pieces were in- variably played by PhiUppe, Lepeintre ainc, and Fontenay, In 1819, M, Delestre Poirson, having obtained permission to open the Gymnase, soon contrived to entice thither not only Scribe, but also Gontier and M""" Perrin. The public, flocking in crowds to the new theatre, began to desert the Vaudeville, and Desaugiers in despair resigned his post to M. Berard, but eventually resumed it at the general request of the shareholders. On his death in 1827, Messrs. de Guer^ chy and Bernard L6on became joint managers until 1829, when they were succeeded by M. Etienne Arago. He had not long held the dir rectorial reins when the revolution of 1830 broke out, and, wishing to profit by the occasion, he produced, in conjunction with M. Duvert {wihovoi V Homme Blase, Riche d' Amour etc.), apiice de circonstance called the 27th, 28th, and 29th of July, which was very successful. It was then that the Vaudeville temporarily assumed the title of Thedtre National. Under the management of M. Etienne Arago the theatre in the Rue de Chartres enjoyed a long career of prosperity : the company, already consisting of Lafont, Lepeintre atne, Arnal, Volnys, M"*' Dussert, Doche, Thenard, Guillemin, and Brohan (1), was still further strengthened by the engagement of Emile Taigny and his wife, of M"" Louise Mayer, Balthazar, andFargueii, and a few years later, by the brilliant debuts of the lovely Eugenie Fleury, aptly christened the " prettiest rose-bud of the Vaudeville." (2). (1) M'i« Albert, as was also Monrose, whose death has left so sad a void in the personnel of the Theatre Franjai*. 193 in a piece called le Roi de Cocagne, took it into her head to dress up her little grandchild en duegne, and send her on the stage as a substitute for herself. M"' Albert (then M"= Th^rfese Vernet) consented, but only on one condition, namely that a certain dancing doll, which was also advertised to perform sundry evolutions on the very evening of her own debut, should become her legitimate property. This being agreed to, the diminutive grand' -maman went through her part with so much spirit as to excite general enthusiasm, and, as soon as her task was fairly accomplished, demanded her promised re- ward. The doll, however, being at that moment busily engaged in executing a minuet to the great satisfaction of the audience, poor Th6- rfese's request was wholly unattended to ; and this so enraged her, that she ran on the stage, spied out the object of her search, and screamed out as loud as she could : " Make haste. Mademoiselle, I have finished my part, and am waiting for you." This unexpected incident greatly amused the public, who, on hearing the rights of the case, insisted on the doll's being forthwith given up to la petite grand' -maman. From Mohtpellier, M"° Vernet accompanied her grandmother to Per- pignan and Nlmes, playing in les Petits Savoyards and several other pieces with remarkable success. At the age of fifteen, her fine soprano voice and great musical proficiency procured her an engagement at Toulouse, where she made a most brilliant debut as Zelime in la Cara- vane. Luckily for her, the {Principal vocalist of the theatre, M'"" Mer- cio^, instead of thwarting her progress, gave her every encouragement, and bestowed on her much valuable instruction. They were singing together one evening when a wreath fell at their feet, half-composed of rosebuds , and half of the same flowers but full-blown. M""" Mercier understood the donor's meaning, and, dividing the chaplet, gave the buds to her youthful rival amid the applause of the delighted audience. From Toulouse W' Vernet went to Bordeaux, where she became M"" Albert by her marriage with a young actor of that city, whose real name was Rodrigues. Her first appearance in Paris was at the Od^on, where she sang in Robin des Bois and Richard Cmurde-Lion, and was ere long engaged by the manager of the Nouveautes, at which theatre she remained four years. There the ver.^atility of her talent enabled 13 19^1 her to assume every variely of character with perfect success, and it would be difficult to say whether she was most applauded in la Poitn^ naire as hawre, or as Marguerite in Faust, on the first representation of which latter piece, while glancing at MiphistophMi, she was seized with a sudden nervous trembling, and uttered an involuntary " AA /" the tone of which made her audience shudder. This "Aft/" was much talked of in the newspapers of the time, and, as has been remarked by some of her biographers, did more for her reputation than years of study would have done. From the Nouveaut^s M""" Albert went to the Vaudeville, where her varied and brilliant qualities shone forth in their brightest lustre ; ex- changing the pathos and sensibility displayed by her in Arthur for the lively and frolicsome gaiety of Georgette, she again appeared in a new light as the famous danseuse La Camargo, which character was sus- tained by her with a grace and elegance hardly inferior, perhaps, to that of her illustrious prototype. M°"= Albert has more than once proved her- self the possessor of a ready wit, which, on occasion, served her in good stead: she was playing M'"^ Dubarry at the Vaudeville, and, in accord- ance with the costume of the period, wore a pair of very high-heeled shoes. Running hastily on the stage, over which a carpet had been spread without being properly attached, her foot caught in one of the corners, and she .slipped down. The audience burst into a general laugh ; but their merriment was succeeded by the most rapturous ap- plause when M"" Albert, rising nimbly to her feet, exclaimed gaily : "Every one has his turn. Gentlemen ; it is mine to-day, andit'may be yours to-morrow." Some of the best pieces of the repertoire of this theatre, and among others I' Ami Grandet, Une Dame de I'Empire, and Un Duel sous Ri- chelieu, owe their celebrity entirely to M""' Albert, whose secession from the company after the destruction by fire of the theatre in the Hue de Chartres occasioned a vacuum in the troupe which no effort on the part of the management could fill up. We next find her at the Re- naissance, where she had barely the time to create Diane de Chivry with her accustomed talent when that theatre was abruptly closed, and then began that long provincial tour which for several years deprived the Parisian stage of one of its best and most admired actresses. ' The 195 motive for this self-exile appears to have been her wish to spare her husband (who was then engaged in a subordinate capacity at the Thea- tre Fran^ais, and who was seldom spoken of in other terms than as "the husband of M- Albert of the Vaudeville,") the mortification of seeing his own efforts completely cast into the shade by those of his wife; and it was with the view of associating him in future with her own successes that she determined on refusing every proposal made to her by the different managers of the capital, a task she persevered in until the death of Rodrigues enabled her to return without compunction to Paris, where her place had long been empty. Shortly before M. Ancelot resigned the directorial reins to M. Co- gniard, M"" Albert was temporarily engaged, and played several of her favourite characters ; but it is only recently that she has become a per- manent member of the company. Her rentree took place June 6, 1846, as Amilie in le Gant et I'Evenml, and she has since created la Nou- velle Heloise as well as Charlotte in the drama of that name with great effect. M"" Albert is indisputably the most accomplished actress of her day, a title which she has fairly earned as well by the versatility as by the excellence of her talent. In comedy she is equal to M"« Plessy, in vau- deville she has proved herself a match for D^jazet, and in domestic drama" she is unrivalled. Her laugh is the most joyous and communi- cative that ever rang within the walls of a theatre, and her pathos is so real, so truly heart-rending, as to draw tears from the most stoical listener (1). As a singer of ballads and chansonnettes M"" Albert stands alone : she not only possesses a rich and musical voice, but she manages it with such exquisite skill and taste as to render her execution of even the simplest couplet a most delicious vocal treat. In short, whatever she attempts, the result is always the same... perfection. How then can we wonder at her immense popularity, a popularity which Time., faV^ from diminishing, only tends to increase? Years have elapsed since her youthful graces first found favour in the eyes of a Parisian public, and that favour has never yet been withdrawn from her. Nor has that lapse of years altered the marble smoothness of her brow, or dimmed the (1) We have more than once seenMmi! Albert's eyes filled with tears when under tJie influence of strong emotion. 196 brightness of her eye : the interval between the spring and summer of a woman's life has passed away without either robbing her countenance of its pleasing and intelligent expression, or her figure of its lightness and elasticity . M"" Albert's reputation is not confined to France alone : in England, in Germany, in Switzerland, wherever in short she has left a souvenir of her charming talent, her name is always cited as one of those who not more by their brilliant natural gifts than by their private worth have become ornaments of the profession to which they belong, and who, while they can fairly claim universal admiration, are not the less en- titled toiHiiversal respect. (1). ANAIS (M"«). M"' Anais Saiizion is an actress of very moderate pretensions, whose career at the Vaudeville dates from November 29, 1845, the character selected for her debut having been that of Anna in Trop Heureuse. She is, however, painstaking and industrious, and deserves encourage- ment. BRAUCHlvNE (.VI"" ArAr.\). This actress, \\ho was born May 8, 1817, commenced, we believe, her dramatjc career at M. Comte's Theatre in the Passage Choiseul. In 1833, she was one of the most promising ingenues of the Vaudeville, and was subsequently engaged at the Vari^t^s, where she played among other characters Anne Danby to Fr^d^rick Lemaitre's Kean. She then succeeded M"" Cuzent at the Cirque Olympique, and after displaying her handsome face and majestic figure to great advantage in Murat and other battle pieces, returned to the Vaudeville in June 18/|/t, as la Du- (1) M."'^ Alberl lias reoenll,\ become Mm. Bignon, by lier marriage with the aclor of that name. 197 chesse in Vn Mystere, a gloomy and ineffective drama, more befitting the Boulevard du Temple than the favourite theatre of le Francais ne malin, M"" Atala Beauchfine is a tall stalely woman, with line eyes, and an agreeable voice : she treads the stage with remarkable ease and dignity, and possesses a sufficiently versatile talent to enable her to personate the grande dame and the grisette with equal success. BERTHAULT (M"'). After having been first singer successively at Amsterdam, Lyons, Rouen, and Brussels, M"' Julie Berthault came to Paris, and was for five years attached to the Opera Comique. She then played for four years at the Odeon, where she created parts in le Voyage a Pontoise, la Fa- mille Cochois, etc. , and finally made a successful debut at the Vaude- ville December 30, 18/(5, as Emtnaia Quand I' Amour s'en va. She is an exceedingly agreeable without being a pretty actress ; her manners are very lady-like, and she has a tolerably flexible but rather thin voice, which she manages with considerable taste (1). CASTELLAN (M"'). This lady was a member of the Vaudeville company some three or four years ago, and after a temporary retirement from the stage made her renfree February 26, 1846, as Mercure in les Dieux de I'Olymped Paris. She has a lively and extremely piquant face, a vast fund of animal spirits, and a neat and graceful little figure, which, like that of M"' D^jazet, appears to great advantage in a male costume. Her voice is weak, but she articulates with great distinctness and sings agreeably. In les Fleurs Animees, M"" Castellan plays la Belle de miit with admirable vivacity. (I) wu Berlhault has lately married M. Beck, the sub-leader of the Vaudeville or- c hestra. 198 GfiLESTINE (M"°). M"'C61estine succeeded M"«Lievenne early in April, 1846, as Venus in les Dieux de I'Olympe a Paris. Her chief merit' (if merit it can be called) consists in her being at least half a head taller than any other actress in the company. DAUBRUN (M"« Marie). Made a very modest defewf July 19, 1846, as3f«« Lange in the piece of that name. M"" Daubrun (or d'Aubrun)'s figure is short but symmetrical , and her face, though not positively pretty, is far from plain. Her move- ments are as yet deficient in grace, and her style of acting is rather too characteristic of the Banlieue; but she possesses a germ of natural talent which only stands in need of cultivation. Her worst defect is a husky voice, which, though it might escape notice in drama, will always be a stumbling block in her way at a vaudeville theatre. DOGHE (M""). M"' Marie Charlotte Eugenie Plunkett was born at Brussels, No- vember 4, 1823. After having received an excellent education at a pen- sion in Paris (1), to which city she was brought by her mother when hardly five years old, she made her first appearance on any stage at Versailles in October, 1837, under the name of M"" EugMe Fleury (2), as Juliette in Moiroud et Compagnie, and met with the most flattering reception. So decided, indeed, was her success, that it procured her an immediate engagement at the Vaudeville, at that time in the Rue de (I) We believe that she received some vocal insti-ucllon from Alexis Dupont, formerly of the Academic Royale. (?) Tha name of Fleury was aJso adopted by her brother, ■who was for some lime engaged at the Vaudeville. UUk ^ ^c^c^iC^ 199 Ghartres, under the management of M. Etienne Arago. There she made a brilliant debut January 8, 1838, as Suzette in Remudin de Caen, and shortly after created her first original part, that ol Stella in le Serment de College (1). On the destruction of the Vaudeville by fire in the summer of 1838, M"" Fleury together with part of the company visited successively Ab- beville, Chalons, Soissons, and other provincial towns (2), until the temporary installation of the trowpe in what had hitherto been a Cafe- Spectacle an \hQ Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle recalled her to Paris. Soon after her return, in January, 1839, she married M. Doche, chef d'or- chestre of the Vaudeville, and the first part created by her as M""= Doche was that of Ernestine in le Plastron, a piece which, thanks to her gen- tillesse and to Arnal's humorous acting, enjoyed a long and successful career. As yet, the characters confided to the charming ingenue had been comparatively unimportant ; but her position was considerably improved by the departure of her chef d'emploi, M"" Louise Mayer, who quitted the Vaudeville for the Vari6t&, leaving her entire repertoire to her young and pretty rival. M""" Doche appeared by turns in le Demon de la Nuit (3), les Gants Jaunes, le Cabaret de Lustucru, le Tourlaurou, le Poltron, Trop Heureuse, and many other admirable pieces, which, together with her original creations in le Protege, lePere Pascal, etc, displayed her pleasing and varied talents to the greatest advantage. In May, 18/i0, the Vaudeville was transferred to its present quartersin the Place de la Bourse, and it is from that epoch that M""" Doche's repu- tation as an actress may be said to have fairly begun. She had already proved herself, to the entire satisfaction both of the press and the pub- lic, one of the best ingenues in Paris ; it now remained for her to claim the rank of a premier sujet by showing the remarkable versatility of (1) A journal of the lime, speaking of her subsequent creation of Elisabeth in les in- dustries farcies, says: "Une jeune dfibutante, M"- Fleury, jolie comrae un amour de Boucher, a joufi dans cette pifece de manifere ii fonder sur son avenir de grandes esp6- ranccs." (2) At a later period of her career (in July, 1844) U-^' Doche created a perfect /-Mrore at Rouen her success at the Theatre Franfais in tljatcity equalling, if it did not surpass, that of the most popular of the many Parisian " stars" who had preceded her. (3) in this piece M".« Doche has completely eclipsed both her predecessors, M"' Fat- gueil and !*"•• Taigny. 200 her powers. GentUle and lively as Aimndine in la Jolie Fille du Fau- bourg, and as ClotUde in la Grisette et I'Hcritierc, she was equally at home as the fond yet suffering wife in M"- Ancelot's delightful comedy of Marguerite, and as the modest artless Ernestine in I' Ingenue de Pa- ris. But her crowning triumph, the entire fulfilment of the promise held forth at her debut, was yet to come ; in March, 18^2, appeared the famous Memoires du Liable, indisputably the gem of the Vaudeville re- pertoire. For months after the first production of this piece, nothing was talked of but the verve olY€ii^ and the bewitching naxvete of M"" Doche, and her singing of "Voili, \oila, Ce que votrc lutin vous dira," and "Sonnofis, sonnons.et mon mari vienilra," is Still fresh in the memory of every Paris play-goer (I). Early in \9,h^VExase was produced, a dull uninteresting drama, which the beauty of M"'" Doche alone saved from summary condemna- tion ; this was followed by another pretty little comedy by M"* Ance- lot, Lo'isa, in which our heroine sustained the character of a young peasant girl with the most touching simplicity and grace. In the same year she paid a visit to London, where she was received, with the. greatest favour, and on her return to Paris created successively M^e Barbe-Bleue and i¥»'« Roland \n the two pieces so called, as well as Louise in I'Hommc Blase. In April, l^i\h, we witnessed the first representation of la Polka en Province, and from the commencement of the overture (the original Polka) to the fall of the curtain , we never remember a more uninter- (0 Up to Ihc end of 1842, M'"'^ Doche's original crealions aniouuted in number to Hiirly- four, the most important among tliem, besides those already mentioned, being Ernestine in les maris Vencjis, Jiizza in BiUsarlo, Jeanne la llousse in honcvenlure, Raymond in les Pages el les Poissardes, Sarrazine in la Belle Totirncuse, Zizine in the pieca or that name, Julicue in la .lournie il'une Jolie Fcmme, and Ucrmance in Ic ilagasin dc la Graine de Lin. Subsequently to tliat period she lias created, as well at the Gymnase as at the Vaudeville, twenty-five additional parts, making a total sineo her first dibul of fifty-nine. 11 is worthy of remark that no piece in wliich she has sustained a principal character has ever failed, and more than one has become unnsually popular : les Memoires du Diable, la Polka en Province, and Slargueriie, for instance, have each been played above a hundred times, and I'lmage, thanks to lier graceful personation of Madeleine, may faiiiy be considered as one of the most successful' novellics produced by Mr. Mitchell at the St. James's Theatre during the season of 1816. 201 rupted and decided siicces. The dance was not then, as now, ■passee de mode, but new and comparatively unknown (1); and the admirable manner in which it was executed by M""= Doche and F^lix (their instructor having been Berthier, the clever dancer of the Porte Saint Martin) excited the most enthusiastic applause (2). After an interval of two or three months, during which M"" Doche paid a professional visit to her native city, Brussels, where each of her performances at the Theatre du Pare was a triumph, and where it was truly said of her that "e//e est assez jolie pour pouvoir se passer de talent, elle a assez de talent pour pouvoir se passer d'etre jolie," appeared Satan, ou le Liable a Paris, a piece with which the English public have been made familiar, as well by the run it enjoyed during the foregoing season at the St James's Theatre, as by an adaptation produced two years ago at the Adelphi {3J. Here, more perhaps than in all her other creations, M""= Doche's versatility was strikingly mani- fested : it would indeed be difficult to imagine anything more true and lifehke than her personation of the six different characters entrusted to her. In January, 18i45, she played forthe first time Colombein les Trois Loges, a piece wholly indebted to her and Bardou for its success, and in the following April quitted the Vaudeville for the Gymnase, where she was engaged by M. Montigny at the large annual salary of 20,000 francs, and made her debut there April 17, for the benefit of Numa, as Made- leine in I' Image, one of Scribe's most delighful productions ; the con- cluding couplet of which, sung by M"' Doche herself, was so peculiarly appropriate to the occasion that we cannot resist the pleasure of quoting if. "Loi'sque, voyegeuse 6trang6re, J'arrive cti de nouveaux climats, Un Beul cspair, peut-6lre tfimiSraire, Aupr&s de vjous a guid6 mes pas. {<) We recollect being present at the, Ba« des Arlistes Dramaliqiies,\n t8M, and sharing in the lively curiosity of the assembly in general to see one couple dance the Polka, then in its infancy. ' (2) We had the pleasure a few nights ago of witnessing this most amusing piece for the twenty-second time, on which occasion its revival wus hailed with general satisfaction by a crowded house. [3; M"" Celeste's personation pf Salan, or the Mysterious Stranger, as the English version is termed, is exceedingly clever and spirited, but it lacks the peculiar grace an4 fascina- tion with which Mm" Doche has invested the part. 202 Oui, j'ai rfive voire suffrage, Et les bravos de I'hospitalitfi ; Messieurs, applaudissez I'lmane, Et je vais croire 4 la realM. Piece and actress were very favourably received; but in spite of her exquisite performance of Caroline in la Seconde Jnnee, Cecile in la Somnambule, Adelaide in la Vie en Partie Double, etc., M""' Doche was never in her element at the Gymnase, and it would puzzle us to say whether the manager of the Vaudeville or its numerous aristocratic ha- bitues were the most delighted at her reappearance in the Salle de la Bourse towards the close of November, 1845, as Colombe in les Trois Loges (1). Since her return she has created among other characters Mathilde in le Gant et I'&entail, and la Pensee in les Fleurs Animees : herdelicious costume de bal in the former piece will be long remembered as a model of elegance (2), while by her personal charms she more than justified the title of the latter (3). M"" Doche is not only one of the most pleasing and most accomplish- ed actresses, but also one of the prettiest women that have ever adorned the French stage. Her eyes are of the softest blue, and full of intelli- gence and expression, her complexion is fair and delicate, and the silky luxuriance of her blonds cheveux has become proverbial. Her voice both in speaking and singing is extremely clear and melodious, her figure is slight and elegant, and she treads the stage with most perfect grace and distinction. DURAND (M""). M"" Fanny Durand first appeared at the Vaudeville in April, 1815, as Toinette in Madame Bugolin. She has rather a pretty face, and is (0 The cause of her secession from the Gymnase was her very natural refusal to dou- bkrWi' Dfislrfie, in xoimie, during a temporary indisposition of that actress. (2) M™' Doche and MUe D&jazet are unquestionably the best dressers on the French stage. (3) Fanchon in les Chansons Populaires de la France is one of M">i« Doche's latest and most successful creations. The piece itself possesses little intrinsic merit, but 18 rendered attractive by her delightful acting. 203 altogether a gentille young actress when she does not attempt to speak or sing, but as soon as she opens her mouth the charm is broken. Nothing can be more monotonous or more inanimate than her delivery, and there is an awkward embarrassment in her manner, especially when she sings, which, whether it be the effect of timidity or of natural gaueherie, is equally ungraceful and disagreeable. FRANTZ (M""). After playing one of the fairies in la Biche au Bois at the Porte Saint Martin for some hundred nights, M"" Appoline Frantz quitted M. Theo- dore Cogniard's theatre for that of his brother, M. Hippolyte, and made her debut at the Vaudeville November 8, 1845, as Frangpise in la Grande Bourse et les Petites Bourses. She has an intelligent open countenance, and a tolerably fresh complexion, which renders her better looking en ville than on the stage. She plays the soubrettes with perfect aplomb and great spirit, and, were her voice a little less shrill and sharp, would be a very pleasing as well as promising actress. G^RALDINE (M'"). A better singer than actress, who first appeared at the Vaudeville August 24, 1846, as la Chanson in les Chansons Populaires de laFrmee. W Geraldine's eyes rather resemble those of M"° Saint Marc, but she wants the grace and gentillesse of that accomplished artiste. Her voice is tolerably sweet, and not deficient in power ; we would, how- ever, recommend her to take a lesson from W Doche in the art of keeping her hands and arms quiet while she sings. GUILLEMIN {W"). Daughter of Mengozzi, an actor and composer belonging to the Ila- 20 /i Han company, whose performances were stopped by the Revolution of '89. On Napoleon's becoming consul, Mengozzi was made professor of singing at the Conservatoire. M""= Mengozzi, mother of our heroine, besides being gifted with an excellent voice, was also an actress of some celebrity at the Vari^t^s. At twelve years old, M"° Mengozzi was one of Dazincourt's best pupils, and at thirteen she made a successful debut in VEpreuve Nouvetle, the elegance and intelligence displayed by her on that occasion being spoken of in high terms of commendation by the critic Geoffroy. She was then entrusted by Picard with a part in his comedy of les Filles a Marier, and in about a year after her first debut joined a company on the point of starting for Italy by order of Murat, one of the first acts of whose sovereignty was the establishment of a French theatre at Naples. There M"° Mengozzi played the ingenuites, her usual amoureux being a good-looking actor of the name of Guillemin, whom she very naturally fell in love with and eventually married. The young couple remained five years at Naples, and subsequently went to Milan, where M"" Rau- court then was ; and it was at the Scala that M"" Guillemin first aban- doned comedy for vaudeville. Husband and wife were afterwards engaged at Lyons, and coming to Paris in 1819, they both appeared at the Vaudeville with success (1), M""' Guillemin resolving, though still in the bloom of youth, to devote herself to a line of parts few actresses undertake until they are obliged to do so, the old women. She had a formidable rival in her chef d'emploi, M"'" Bras, then at the height of her reputation, who, regarding M"" Guillemin in the light of a mere doublure, took possession of every new part as her right, and on an un- lucky author's venturing to entrust her less fortunate comrade with an original creation, after trying prayers and threats in vain, so far forgot herself as to give him a sound box on the ear. The author coolly kissed the hand which had struck him, and M"'° Guillemin kept the part. Proposals were shortly made to the latter by the Theatre Fran- qais, but the duegnes being already sufficiently represented there by M"" Desmousseaux and M"" Hervey (formerly of the Vaudeville) , she 0) Guillemin was soon after appointed rtgissewr (i. e. stage manager) of the theatre, which office he held unUl his death. He is said to have been a most estimable man, and died greatly regretted by all who knew him. 205 decided on staying wiiere she was, and lucky it was for her that she did so, for M™' Bras soon after went to Russia, and she was left in un- disturbed possession of the field. M™» Guillemin is decidedly one of the best representatives of comic old women on the French stage : she is always en scene, has an excellent memory, and both speaks and acts with point and without exaggeration. She can be humorous without being vulgar, even in the assumption of such characters as Lolotte in (e Mari de la Dame de Chceurs, or la Mere Petitpre in Renaudin de Caen , in each of which pieces the au- thors have done their best to make her appear as ridiculous as possible. Her choice of ouire costumes is exquisite ; she has invented more preposterously extravagant caps and bonnets than could ever have entered the imagination of the most ingenious costumier, and we re- member seeing her once (we think in Un Mystere) wear a most extra- ordinarily shaped blue hat with what seemed to be white fir apples waving over it, the effect of which was, as Dominie Sampson would have said, "prodigious." Besides the two creations already mentioned, we may cite as among the especial triumphs of M"' Guillemin, Madame Galotizoi in les Trois Logcs, and Un Monstre de Femme (1). .lULlKTTE (Mi'«). A tall fine-looking woman, with a good figure and a handsome face. From constantly playing grisettes and marchandes de modes, she has acquired something of the air and toumiire of both ; and there is a sauciness in her brilliant eyes, and a sort of "touch me if you dare" expression in her manner perfectly in accordance with the characters she delights to represent. Her most successful creation is Madame de Canaries, the ex-milliner, in I'Homme Blase, a part well adapted to. display her peculiar qualities, and which she plays with infinite gaiety and spirit. M"' Juliette, who was, we believe, formerly a dmseuse at Rouen, has (0 We hiivc been told that M". Guillemin's s.ilary amounts to 8,000 fwncs a-year. 20f3 not forgotten her ancient mdiier, if we may judge from her vigorous though rather unclassical, execution of the mazurka in the burlesque of Paris a tons (es Diables produced at the Vaudeville about a year and a half ago (1). LECOMTE (M""). One of the funniest representatives of elderly ladies on the French stage. She almost equals M"'= Guillemin in the selection of her toilettes, one glance at the incongruous display of colours she usually indulges in being sufficient to throw Victorine or Baudrand into fits. M"' Lecomte, among her other accomplishments, is profoundly vers- ed in the mysteries of that elegant series of evolutions familiarly known by the name of the cancan, which she danced some two years ago in a carnival farce called Les Gamins de Paris with such vigour and precision that the authorities became alarmed, and the piece, being voted im- moral, was suppressed. It was, however, revived in 1846, butM"" Le- comte's dancing being then considered even more chicard than it was before, les Gamins de Paris were again withdrawn "by order" from the bills, in all probability never to reappear there. LifiVENNE (M"« ATHfaAis-PAULlNE). We hardly know whether M"' Li^venne is really attached to the Vau- deville or not, for she appears and disappears at uncertain intervals, thereby forcing her admirers to peruse the bills as regularly and as attentively as they would an almanach, if they were expecting the arrival of a comet. Since her dibut in the spring of 18/ii as Agathe in le Carlin de la Marquise, she has been ever on the move ; now finish- ing her engagement with M. Ancelot, now concluding another with (^ ) Junon in la place venladour, one of MH' Juliellc's latest creations, is also one of her best. 207 Mr. Mitchell, and now signing a third with M. Cogniard; and all the time playing so very, very seldom, that, unless her name be actually on the affiche, one hardly knows whether she is in London or Paris. How- ever, as for all we can tell she may possibly reappear some evening when she is least expected, we will not take upon ourselves the re- sponsibility of omitting her in our enumeration of the Vaudeville company. M"» Li^venne is a strikingly handsome woman, less perhaps on account of her face than of her figure, which is most admirably pro- portioned. Her hair is of a lustrous black, and streams over her magnificently shaped shoulders in great profusion ; her countenance, however, notwithstanding the attraction of a pair of remarkably fine eyes, is singularly deficient in expression. She dresses well, and is seen to most advant age in parts where she has little to say or sing. LORRY (M'''). M"' Louise Lorry was once, it is said, one of the most promising young actresses of the Theatre Comte, in the Passage Ghoiseul. She was subsequently attached for some years to the Porte Saint Martin, where, among other parts, she played la Vdrite in the famous Revu^e entitled Aujourd'hui et dans Cent Ans ; and on M. Gogniard's assuming the management of the Vaudeville, she was engaged there, and made her debut in the autumn of 1845, as la Vielleuse in le Liable a Quatre. She is far from pretty, but her eyes are intelligent and expressive, and she has a neat little figure. As yet, her best creation at the Vau- deville has been Pivoine in les Trois Baisers, which she plays with considerable spirit And naiveti (1). (t) Ml'' Lorry has lately succeeded M"« GSraldinc as to Chanson in les Chansons popu- laires de la France, having learnt the part (a very difllcull one) in Icsa than four hours. 208 MAYER (M'") M"* Pauline Mayer first appeared at the Vaudeville December 5, 1845, in Heur et Malheur. She is rather a handsome woman, with fine eyes and a good figure, but her acting and singing are so very indifferent, that if we were forced to decide between her dramatic qualities and those of M"« Li^venne, we honestly think the latter would bear away the palm. MEZERAY (M"«). A plain but modest-looking young ingenue, with a Dutch rather than a French face, whose debut at the Vaudeville took place in November, 1845, as Hermance in Riche d' Amour. OZY (M""). The earliest essays of M"' Alice Ozy took place some years ago at the Salle Chantereine, and one of those who first gave her instruction and encouragement was Bernard L^on. On her subsequently playing with him at the Batignolles theatre for a benefit, her promising talent attracted the notice of M. Leroy, then manager of the Vari^t^s, who offered her an engagement. This Bernard L4on advised her to decline until she should have acquired more experience of the stage, and it was not till three months after that she made her debut at the Vari^tfe as Agathe in les Enrages. During her slay there she was seldom entrust- ed with a prominent part, Louise in the Chevalier du Guet being perhaps the best of her creations. In the spring of 1845 she was engaged for four months at the Saint James's Theatre, and on August 30 of the same year appeared for the first time at the Vaudeville in the opening prologue entitled le Francais ne Malin and the Bai d'Otwriers. She has since created among other 209 parts Aspasie in I'lte de Robinson, Lucienne in Un Mori Pet'dn, and Charlotte in le Gant et I'Eventail. M"° Ozy (Ozy, by the way, is said not to be her real name, but that of her mother) has a piquante and lively face, a profusion of light brown hair, and a plump little figure ; she dresses well , and has some very handsome diamonds, almost as bright as her own sparkling eyes. As an actress, M"= Ozy is most at home in those characters which give her an opportunity of indulging in smart hits and repartees, and, in a word, where she can lancer le mot, which she does most effectively and with perfect assurance and sang-froid. Her voice is extremely distinct, and she sings a couplet with point and archness, and no little humour. SANXAY (M'""). The debut of this lady at the Vaudeville took place on the same even- ing and in the same piece as that of M"" Pauline Mayer, or, in other words, December 5, 18^5, in Heur et Malheur. She is blonde, and, though far from pretty, is not positively plain ; her voice, when not overstrained, is tolerably sweet, and her manners are quiet and lady- like. THl^NARD (M""). In 1825, M"" Gabrielle Bousigue made a successful debut at Nantes, the theatre of which city was at that time under her father's manage- ment. After playing there for two years she came to Paris, and ap- peared at the Theatre Feydeau, where she would have been engaged, had not her marriage with M. Th^nard, a provincial actor, induced her to accompany him to Versailles, where he was then playing. However, on the retirement of M"= Jenny Colon from the Vaudeville, M"" Th^nard was engaged to supply her place, and her first appearance in the Rue de Chartres took place September 16, 1828. U 210 She soon distinguished herself as an excellent ingemie, and acquired some reputation in La Laitiere de Monifermeil, M"'^ Dubarry, Elle est Folle, and other pieces. In 1837, she followed her husband to Brus- sels, and remained there for IWo years, playing not only her own cha- racters, but also those of M"=' Mars, D^jazet, and even Georges. On the death of M. Th^nard she returned to Paris, and in 1839, after a temporary retirement from the stage, re-appeared at the Vaudeville m her own creation of Un Premier Amour. Since then, we believe, she has remained constant to this theatre during its many peregrinations and changes of management. M"'" Th^nard has long since given up the ingenues for the grandes co- quettes, in which line of parts she has few rivals, and scarcely any su- perior. She possesses, indeed, in an eminent degree all the necessary qualities for her very difficult emp/oi; her countenance is at once ex- pressive and agreeable, her voice melodious and yet singularly mor- dant, and there is a quiet graceful dignity in her manner rarely met with on the stage. Her tact is equal to her talent ; she has sufficient es- prit of her own to be able to render still more effective that of her author, if he have any, and to conceal its absence, if he have none. A point entrusted to her is never lost ; on the contrary, the most unmean- ing phrases, the most crude and absurd ideas, acquire a semblance of value owing to her manner of interpreting them. One of her very best personations is la Chanoinesse de Saint-Mery in Marguerite; this delightful comedy of M°"= Ancelot, and more especially the character played by M"" Th^nard, abounds in delicate touches of wit and satire, to which the exquisite jinesse and admirable delivery of this excellent actress impart an additional piquancy. VICTORINE (M"'). iW"' Victorine Capon is a much more agreeable actress than many of her comrades of far higher pretensions, and plays the trifling parts en- trusted to her so unaffectedly, and at the same time so efficiently, as to 211 render it a subject of regret that she should be allowed so few opportu- nities of displaying her piquant face and gentillc little figure. The following are among the best pieces in the repertoire of the Vau- deville. Marguerite. I..oisa. Hermance. Les M^moires du Diable. La Grisette et I'H^ritifere. Une Dame de I'Empire. L'Homme Blas6. Renaudin de Caen. Pass6 Minuit. L'Humoriste. Le Poltron. Trop Heureuse. La Polka en Province. Le Magasin de la Graine de Lin. Madame Barbe Bleue. Un Monsieur et Une Dame, Un Bal de Grand Monde, Riche d' Amour, L'lle de Robinson. La Mansarde du Crime. Les Gants Jaunes. Le Mari de la Dame de Choeurs. Le Cabaret de Lustucru. La Jolie Fille du Faubourg. Le Prot6g6. Pourquoi. Un Duel sous Richelieu. L'Ami Grandet. Les Cabinets Particuliers. 212 Satan. Les Trois Loges. Le Demon de la Nuit. J.es Mallieurs d'un .loli Gar^on. Georgette. Pierre le Rouge. Le Gant et I'fiventail. les Chansons Populaires de la France. CHAPTER VIII. VARIfiTES. BOULEVAHD MONTMARTHE. Manager, M. Nestor Roqueplan (1). M"' Montansier, the founder of the Variet^s, and one of the wittiest women of her day, was born about 1730, at Bayonne, her family name being Brunei. She left France when very young to become an actress at Guadaloupe, and on her return was appointed by Marie Antoinette manager of the Versailles theatre, those of Rouen, Havre, and Nantes being also under her control. On the departure of the court. from Versailles, M"' Montansier came to Paris, and purchased the Salle de Beaujolais in the Palais Royal, which had been originally built for a puppet-show, the puppets appearing on the stage, and their parts being read or sung by actors behind the scenes. This theatre, after having been enlarged according to her directions by an architect named Louis, opened at Easter, 1790, with a tragic, comic, and operatic company. Among the subsequently celebrated performers who there commenced (i; Born Scplcinbcr U, )»0K. 214 their dramatic career were Baptiste the younger, Damas, and M'" Mars. At the same time that M"" Montansier bought the Salle de Beaufo- lais, she also purchased the arcades of the Cafe de Chartres, where she herself took up her abode. Her salons soon became the general ren- dez-vous of all the fashion and talent of the age, even the clergy not scrupling to appear there : previously to his inhabiting the Luxembourg Palace, Barras hired two small rooms of M"= Montansier, in which he and his political friends were in the habit of assembling together, his grand receptions being held in his hostess's drawing-room. Barras one day presented little Bonaparte, as he was then called, to the no longer fair but witty manageress, and, wishing to make his friend's fortune, proposed to him to marry her ; he even arranged a supper for the pur- pose of bringing about the match, but neither of the interested parties were peculiarly smitten with each other, and the matter dropped. M"° Montansier was then nearly sixty years old, and Bonaparte twenty- five : had she been thirty years younger, she might perhaps one day have been Empress of France ! As it was, she eventually married the actor Neuville, who had formerly been a captain of cuirassiers in the Austrian service, and after his death she is said to have been secretly united to Forioso, a famous rope-dancer of the time, of whom she be- came enamoured at the age of seventy-eight years. In 1793, this theatre took the name of Theatre de la Montagne, but in 1795 it resumed its original appellation of Theatre des Varidtes. Three years later, in 1798, Brunet quitted the Theatre de la Cit^ for that of M"" Montansier, and it is from the period of his debut that the prosperity of the Vari^t^s may be said to have dated. This celebrated actor, whose real name was Mira, was born in 1766, and acquired an early predilection for the stage from witnessing the famous Carlin per- form at the Theatre Italien. At eighteen years of age he together with his friend and school-fellow Talma played at Doyen's private theatre, and in 1789 he accompanied a troop of strollers to Mantes, where he not only learnt and performed every part which no one else would take, but also prompted and composed the bills, and all gratis. The comedians of his company at that time lodged in different parts of the town, wherever, in short, they could prevail on the inhabitants to 215 take them in, and Brunet was fortunate enough to fuid in the hous6 where he resided a young woman to whom he became attached, and whom he subsequently married. Soon after, the manager of the Havre theatre, who had heard of our hero from an old actor of the troop, offered him an engagement of 800 francs (£ 32) a-year. This Brunet gladly accepted, and wrote to inform his father of his unexpected good fortune, begging the latter at the same time, with a forethought and delicacy seldom met with in so young a man, to deduct in future the amountof his promised salary from the yearly sum which he had hitherto allowed him. He afterwards played at Amiens and Rouen, and arriving in Paris in 1793, was engaged at the Theatre dela Cit^, which, as has been already stated, he left for the Vari^t^s. There the simplicity and naivete of his acting, as irresistibly comic as it was natural and unexaggerated, obtained for him a popularity hardly surpassed by that of Talma himself. For twenty years, aided by Tiercelin alone, he maintained the Theatre Mon- tansier in a continued state of prosperity, the very name of Brunet (no matter how indifferent the pieces he played in) being a sufficient at- traction to ensure a crowded house. Among the best creations of this inimitable artiste were Monsieur Vautour, Maitre Andre, and le Tyran pen delicat : during one of his performances of the latter piece, Talma, who was behind the scenes, is said to have been so struck by his em- phatic delivery of a certain imprecation in the part, that he observed, " If that fellow were in my line, he would enf oncer me !" As a proof that his reputation was European, Brazier relates in his admirable ''Hisloire des Petits Theatres de Paris" that being one day (March 31 , 181i) on guard at the barrier Saint Martin, a young Calmuck officer, who could hardly speak a word of French, asked him the way to Brunet's theatre. The Vari^t^s were, indeed, at that time especially patronized by military men, as well Frenchmen as foreigners ; the foyer being selected as a place of general rendez-vous by the officers who visited Paris on leave of absence during a truce. It was an invariable custom for a long series of years to father every possible kind of joke on Brunet; nay, it was even gravely asserted that, owing to the political allusions contained in his calemboitrs having been considered disrespectful to the government, he was in the habit of 216 being arrested at least once a fortnight. Some even went so far as to say tliat he was escorted every evening to the theatre by two gendar- mes, by whom he was taken back to prison after the performances. It is needless to add that he was perfectly innocent of all the peccadilloes laid to his charge, but, far from feeling annoyed at being made the scape- goat of others, he rather relished the idea of being thought a mauvais sujet, and, when any unusually long interval had elapsed since his last supposed imprisonment, asked his friends if they could tell him whether he had been arrested the day before. These were the days of Jocrisse and Cadet Roiissel, two of the most successful and popular pieces ever produced at any Parisian theatre : the author of Cadet Roussel, whose name was Aude, was a remarkably eccentric character, and has been the hero of several anecdotes, one of which we relate. Entering a cabaret one day, he found there a work- man disputing with his wife, who was both young and pretty. " Shall I never find any one," cried the former in a sort of soliloquy, "who will take my wife offmy hands ! I would let her go cheap." "How much do you want for her," said Aude. "Oh!" replied the other, "give me six francs, and she is yours." Aude offered him twelve, which the workman gladly took, and, shaking the author by the hand, volunteered to stand treat to close the bargain. After repeated liba- tions, Aude went home accompanied by his new purchase, who subse- quently lived with him for forty years. Mention has already been made of TierceHn, the popular actor par excellence. He took his types from the lowest classes of the people, and invested each of his personations with a life-like reality. He died in 1837, aged seventy-four : three days after, a crown of immortelles was thrown upon the stage, on which these words wBre inscribed : "AUX MANES DE TIERCELIN, LE PUBLIC RECOXNAISSAXT." In 1806, the actors of the Theatre Franqais, who had long complained bitterly that, owing to the proximity of Brunet's theatre to their own, the public had acquired a distaste for classic literature, and preferred i\\& ]dkQsoi Cade I Roussel io all the beauties ofCorneille and Racine, made repealed remonstrances to the government on the subject, and •217 being strongly supported by Fouch6andihe greater part of the public press, prevailed on the Emperor to issue a decree ordering the company of the Vari^tes to quit the Palais Royal on or before January 1, 1807, giving them, however, permission to build another theatre on the Bou- levard Montmartre. While this was in process of erection, Brunet and his comrades, in obedience to the Imperial command, withdrew from the scene of their early triumphs to the Theatre de la <]ite, on the other side of tlie river ; taking leave of the public at the conclusion of their last performance (December 31, 1806,) in a series of couplets composed for the occasion by Desaugiers, Moreau, and Francis, and sung by the different actors and actresses in succession. We quote some of the best : " Vous qui , chaque soir, b, nos jeiix Depuis dix ans veniez sourire , Daignez recevoir nos adieux, En partant, notrejoic expire." Aubertin, as te Jardimer de M. Girafe, sang : "J'nous consol'i'ons bientOt, ma foi, Du p'tit voyasr' que j'allons faii'c, Si cliaque fleur qu'ici je vol Vient orner nol' nouveau parterre." He was thus succeeded by Tiercelin, in Vade a la Grenotiillere : " Si vous craignez d'passer les ponls, Le batelier d'i« Greuouilli-rc S'l-a z'au poste, j'vous en responds. Pour vous fair'passer la riviere." Of these couplets, amounting in number to thirteen, none was more vehemently applauded than that sung by M"'" Mengozzi (mother of M'"" Guillemin of the Vaudeville), which ran as follows : " Vous que Vtambour et tambouiin A la gloir' au plaisir entraine ; Quand vous avez pass6 le Bhin, Craindrez vous de passer la Seine ;•" These, simple verses were sung with such real feeling that they obtained a succes de larmes, the impression produced on the audience communicating itself to the actors, all of whom were in tears. The Theatre de la Cite, notwithstanding its excellent company, was for some time but thinly attended. La Famille des Innocents, however, proved a mine of good fortune to Ihe hitherto unlucky, emigrants; the 218 receipts during the tirst three months after its production amounting to something lilse twelve thousand pounds. At length, June 2/i, 1807, the present theatre opened, Brunet being admitted to a share of the ma- nagement. The company comprised, besides the artistes already men- tioned, others scarcely less celebrated, by whose united efforts the success of the Theatre des Varietds of the Boulevard Montmartre equalled , if it did not surpass, that obtained by its prototype in the Palais Royal. Among the sterling actors attached to the new theatre was Bosquier Gavaudan, the best couplet singer of his day. Possessor of a naturally clear and melodious voice, he articulated each word with such pecu- har distinctness, that not one syllable was lost. Which of his suc- cessors can say as much? From constantly personating officers of every grade, Bosquier Gavaudan is said to have grown so accustomed to wear a red ribbon in his coat, that, even when sitting in his dressing- goM'n at home, he never felt comfortable without one in his button- hole. One of his most talented comrades was M"" Barroyer, whose career at the Varietfo was both long and brilliant. In 1789, she went with the rest of M"" Montansier's company on a provincial tour, and among her fellow-travellers was a little girl, nine years old, called Hippolyte, whose precocious talent so charmed M"'^ Barroyer, that she watched her progress with interest, and even gave her some instruction, feeling sure that her young pupil would profit by it. The event justified her expectations, the little girl being no other than M"" Mars. In 1782, Charles X. , then Comte d'Artois, is said to have admired M"" Barroyer ; forty six years after, being commanded to play, with the rest of the company, before the court at the £lys6e Bourbon, she was recognised by him as an old acquaintance, and promised a pension, which, how- ever, the revolution of 1830 prevented his bestowing on her. In 1809, this admirable troupe was still further improved by the en- gagement of Poller, who, after having served at the battles of Jem- mapes and Valmy, had obtained his discharge from the army on the plea of delicate health. This excellent artiste, whom Talma pronounced to be the most consummate actor he had ever known, was born in Paris in 1775, of a good family. His retirement from the service was shortly 219 followed by his debui at the Delassemens Comiques, where he became the comrade of Joamiy, who had, like himself, been a soldier. From thence Potior went to the theatre in the Rue du Bac, and after a pro- vincial tour, during which he visited Brittany, Normandy, and subse- quently Bordeaux, was summoned to the Vari^t^s, where he made his first appearance in Maitre Andre, one of the best creations of Brunet. A Parisian audience is seldom inclined to show much indulgence to new faces, and the habitues of the Vari^t^s, by whom the character of Mai- tre Andre v^ras inseparably identified with Brunet, had little sympathy for the efforts, however promising, of a debutant. It is not, therefore, surprising that Potier, instead of being received with applause, was listened to coldly, and even hissed. Another actor would probably have been disheartened by such a reception ; but Potier, who knew his own worth, merely remarked : " Mafoi, the Parisians shall take me as I am, or I will go back to the provinces ! " They did take him as he was, and had no reason to repent having done so, the increasing pos- perity of the theatre being an unmistakeable proof of the attractive qua- lities of the new recruit. In 1818, owing to some differences with the management, Potier left the Vari^t^s for the Porte Saint Martin, where he created, among other parts, the famous Pere Soumois in les Petites DanaUes. He afterwards returned to the Vari6t6s, and later still played at the Gait^, the Nou- veautes, and the Palais Royal. On his return from a journey to Holland in 1835, he was compelled from ill-health to retire from the stage, and died May 19, 1838, aged sixty four, at his country house at Fonte- nay-sous-Bois. His remains were subsequently brought to Paris for interment, and the funeral was attended by most of the leading authors and actors of the day, among others by Brunet, who, notwithstanding his great age, insisted on paying the last tribute of respect and affection to his old comrade. "Potier," says Brazier, "was in my opinion one of the best actors that ever adorned any stage. His eyes and arms spoke for him when his tongue was silent. He had perfect tact, and all his creations were stamped with truth and originality." Among the numberless pieces which owed their success to his wonderfully versatile talent, we may cite especially le B^neficiaire, Werther, les Freres Feroces, and le Bottrg- meslre de Saardam (the latter at the Porte Saint Martin). 220 Potier was succeeded by Legrand, an excellent comic actor, whose performance of Wertlier v/as considered but little inferior to that of his great predecessor, Vernet, and Odry. Vernet, like M"" Dejazet, com- menced his theatrical career at a very early age at the little Tlimtre des Capucines, and on his first appearance is said to have been so terrified by the glare of the lamps and the applause of the audience, that he fairly turned tail and bolted. He soon, however, recovered confidence, and after having been for some time a member of the juvenile company, was engaged at the Vari^tes to play the young lovers. A considerable period elapsed without his comic powers being even suspected, but chance leading to their ultimate discovery, he took his place beside Potier, Tiercelin, and Brunet. It is said that Talma loved to watch these four inimitable actors perform together, so exquisitely natural were their delineations of even the most absurd and ridiculous characters ; and we are ourselves acquainted with a lady of high literary reputation, who has often told us that whenever she felt in- disposed or out of spirits, she invariably went to see Vernet, as being the best and most unfailing resource against ennui. Had this great comedian never created any other part but that of Gaspard in h Pere de la Debutante, he would still be entitled to rank among the first artistes of his own or any other day, a more finished piece of acting having been rarely if ever witnessed; but his name is also inseparably associated with a long list of no less brilliant creations, among which we need only mention Prosper et Vincent, Madame Gi- bou et Madame Pocket, and Matliias I'Invalide. He has long been a sufferer from the gout, and is unable to act except at intervals : he, however, occasionally reappears on the boards of his old theatre (to which he has always remained constant), and though age and ill-health have laid a heavy hand on him, he still retains enough of his original verve and humour to ensure him an enthusiastic welcome from all admirers of genuine acting. What a contrast is there between the comedy of Vernet and the farce of Odry ! the one so refined and natural, the other so grotesque and absurd, and yet so irresistibly droll! Odry is an actor sui generis, he imitates none andean be imitated by none ; nor is there the least analogy between his talent and that of others. He was born May 17, 1781, at 221 Versailles, and after playing some time in the provinces and Banlieiie was engaged at the Gait6 to take fourth-rate parts and make himself generally useful. He remained nearly unknown until 1805, when he obtained a slight celebrity at the Porte Saint Martin, and went from thence to the Vari^tes, where chance alone brought him into notice. A piece was produced called Quinze Ans d' Absence, and among the dramatis -persona: was a stupid numskull of a peasant, whose wife would never let him say a word. The whole part consisted of scarcely ten lines, and Tiercelin, for whom it was originally intended, refused to take it. Odry was not so scrupulous, and played it so admirably that his reputation as a low comedian was at once established. . From that time to the present day he has stood alone as an actor of broad farce : his creations (and they are legion) must die with him, for no one is capable of replacing him. Who indeed would be so foolhardy as to undertake Bilboguet in les Saltimbanques with the recollection of Odry still fresh in the memory of every play-goer ! who could hope to equal his matchless '^'■envH'aassez" in Madame Gibou et Madame Pocket, or his queer antics as the bear in I' Ours et le Pacha ! Even now, though broken down by age and infirmities, Odry is still inimitable and unapproachable ; one can hardly hear a word he says, it is true, but his face, voice, and manner are as outrageously comic as ever. The following description of the effect formerly produced by him on his audience might have been written but yesterday, so cor- rectly does it express the sensation which he has still the exclusive privilege of creating. ' ' He came on the stage, and the audience began to laugh ; he walked a step or two, they laughed, louder, and when he opened his mouth to speak, the whole house was in a roar." Odry has not always been attached to the Vari^t^s, having accepted temporary engagements at the Gaitd and the Folies Dramatiques, but he has never, while in Paris, remained long absent from his favourite theatre, where, like Vernet, he may still occasionally be seen by the side of his old comrades, Lepeintre ainc and Flore. Returning to the history of the Variet^s, we find that notwithstanding its change of position that theatre was little less exempt from perse- cution on the Boulevard Montmartre than it had formerly been in the Palais Royal. In 1811, among other pieces of rather questio^able taste 222 produced there, one in particular entitled L'Ogresse, ou la Belle au Bois Dormant, in which Tiercelin played the Ogress, enjoyed immense popularity. Certain passages in this piece afforded the Duke of Rovigo, then minister of police, a pretext for summoning the managers of all the minor theatres before him one day, and giving each successively his opinion as to the moral or immoral tendency of the different pro- ductions brought out at their respective houses. When it came to Bru- nei's turn, tlie minister, after declaiming angrily against the unfor- tunate Ogresse and other pieces of the kind, the bad taste of which, he observed, was equal to their immorality, concluded by declaring that if the repertoire was not purified, he would give orders for the theatre to be closed. Brunei ventured timidly to reply that as all the pieces in question had bsen previously sent for' examination to the censure, he ought not to be made answerable for the effect they might produce when acted, adding that under the ancient n-gim? far more objectionable ) '. ■ fonnances had been given. V I this th3 mjiiister frowned, and, w.ilking up and down the room w '.'i Ion g strides, exclaimed, "Yes, you are right : under the ancient regime dukes, marquesses, and countesses laughed at such insipid stuff, but they were all sent to the right-about, and that won't happen to us." Two years after. Napoleon was at Elba, and the minister of police out of office. Had it not been for the protection of Cambac6r^s, who openly patro- nized the Vari6t6s, the company would probably have been forced a second time to chansje their quarters, so virulent were the press and the royal theatres in their attacks against Brunet and his comrades. The chancellor, however, by showing himself there almost every even- ing (1), attended by his two satellites, the Mirquis de Villevielle and M. d'Aigrefeuille (2), enabled the management to defy the envious (1) Ciinbicirej is said to h;ive bsaii by no m iaus insensible to the eliai-im of M"" Ciii- 7,ot, a eek'bi-ated actress ot tbe Vai-iijtes, wlio ilispiilcl foi- sevei-al yea« tlie seeptre of beauty with Mll« Pauline, Aldfigonde, and Adeline. (2) M. de Villevielle was a mino( esprii, anl author of a pamphlet published shortly after the death of Voltaire, in which he vindicates the right of tliat cjlebratei philosopher- poet to Christian burial. "If yon refuse interment," says he, "to the greatest man of your nation, 1 will have his remains sent to the English, who will b3 proud to place them in Westminster Abbey ." D'Aigrefeuille was a well-known gonrmnnd, and so thoroughly dcvoled to CambaoLTfts, hostilily of their rivals, whose prhicipal ground of complaint was thai, while their own actors were playing to empty benches, Brmiet and Tiercelin attracted crowds to listen to their vulgar jokes and calem- bours, to the great detriment of the legitimate drama. The pieces, however, produced at the Vari^t^s were not wholly of the class above referred to : in many of them the prevailing follies of the day were shown up and ridiculed with unsparing severity. In le Combat desMontagnes, by Messrs. Scribe and Dupin, one of the cha- racters introduced was a young tradesman called M. Calicot, who aped the military dress, and wore spurs and very warlike mustachios. This was intended as a cut against certain citizens, whose delight it was to sport high-heeled boots, and imitate as far as they could the dress and manner of the veterans of la Grande Armee. A cabal was got up against the piece, and it was hissed down. The management, however, would not consent to its withdrawal, but reproduced it with the addi- tion of a very witty prologue, the success of which was so prodigious that the malcontents had the mortification of seeing both prologue and piece maintain their places in the bills for two months. The name of Calicot became proverbial, and the following couplet, addressed to the spurred and booted apprentices of the capital, was circulated from mouth to mouth, and attained a popularity as unexpected by its au- thors as it was mortifying to the heroes of the counter for whose benefit it was written : "Ah! croyez-moi, d^posez sans regrets, Ces fer3 bruyaiits, ces appareils de guerre, Et des amours sous vos pas indiscrets, N'effrayez plus les coUorles Ifigfires. Si desbeautfe dont vous causez les pleurs, NuUe 4 vos yeux se d^robe , Contentez-vou3,heureux vainqueurs, De dteUirer leurs tendres coeurs. Mais ne dSchirez pas leur robe. " Towards 1829, in which year M. Armand Dartois purchased Brunet's share of the management, the prosperity of the Variet6s began sensibly to diminish. By this time, Vernet was almost the only one of the once that during the stormy epoch which preceded tlie downfall of Napoleon, he is reported to have said, in allusion to the Emperor, who was nothing in his eyes in comparison to his much-honoured patron ; " Cel homme en (era ml qu'il finira par compromeltre mon^ seigneur." ' 22/( excellent troupe left to sustain the reputation of the theatre for gaiety, and even he was scarcely able single-handed to contend against a sue- cession of indifferent pieces, bearing indeed but slight resemblance to the admirable buffooneries produced in the days of Potier and Brunei. As, a last resource, FrM^rick Lemaitre was engaged; but that great actor, though he displayed his wonted talent in Keafi and other creations, was but ill seconded by the rest of the company, who were compelled to play both drama and vaudeville vi'ithout possessing the necessary qualities for either. An exception must, however, be made in favour of Bressant, now a member of the Gymnase, who was even then one of the hestjeunesp-emiers in Paris ; but all his and Frederick's united efforts failed in rendering popular at the Variet^s a class of pieces which can only be fairly appreciated at the Porte St. Martin or the Arabigu. A more profitable acquisition was subsequently made by the manage- ment in the person of M"" Jenny Yertpre, who, after an absence of some years, reappeared in the Chevalier d'Eon : the following couplet, sung by her in the character of an inn-keeper's daughter, was warmly applauded : "Dans eel hOtel, on a beau faire, La foul' n'abonde pas toujour? ; Mais enfin, en ces lieux, j'espfere Qu'avee moi r'vieniJronlles beaux jours : Car du public je suis la fiUe, Trop heureuse, si, toujours bon, U me trouvait assez gentill« Pour aclialandcr la maison." This exquisite actress was born at Bordeaux, and when only five years old made her first appearance on any stage at the principal theatre of her native city, to which her uncle was then attached in the capacity oimatire des ballets. Her debut took place in a new ballet, for which a child was wanted small enough to get into a drum, and at the same time pretty and elegant; and Jenny Vertpre chancing to unite all these indis- pensable qualities, she was selected for the occasion. Two years after, her mother brought her to Paris, and she was taught by Brazier, the clever vaudevilliste and song-writer, to sing some of his and D^saugiers's chansons. He then obtained her admittance to the Theatre des Capn- •225 <;iiies, ali-eady meiitioiiud as lliu ^xciic of Vorat'l's early ilra;nulic essays. She was afterwards (at. the ago of nine) engaged at the Vaudevil!c, and remained'lhere four years, after which, returning from a provincial tt)ur, she went to the Porte Saint Martin, wlicre she also continued four years in company with Potior, There she created L' Amour in les Petites Danaides, the immense success of which piece was in no slight degree due to her talent and geniillesse. Quitting the Porte Saint Martin for the Varietfe, she left that theatre in turn for the Gymnase, and from thence crossed the channel to become manager of the newly arrived French company in London, Arnal and Monrose forming part of her troupe. This was not her first expedition out of France, for she had already given the amateurs of good acting in Berlin, as well as in Hol- land and Belgium, a taste of her quality ; but nowhere was her graceful and refined talent more appreciated than in England. From London she returned to the Vari^les, but again started on her travels, after taking a benefit at the Odeon. M"" Jenny Vertpre became in 1824 M'"' Carmouche, by her marriage with the popular vaudevilliste of that name. She has now wholly retired from the stage, her last public appearance (we believe) having taken place in October, 1844 ,at Morsang-sur-Seine, where an enter- tainment was got up for the benefit of a charity ; M"«' Rachel and Du - pont (the ex-soubrette of the Theatre Frangais) being among the per- formers. This charming actress was aptly called the miniature Mars, being extremely diminutive in stature, and yet gifted with the most extraordinary natural talent, hi la Servante justifiee , la Marraine, les Premiers Amours, and indeed in all her creations, she displayed a grace- ful and piquant naivete peculiar to herself, as well as a versatility which enabled her to assume every variety of character with the same unfailing succes. She now devotes most of her time to the instruction of young actresses, M"= D&ir^e of the Gymnase being one of her most promising pupils. M. Dartois was succeeded in the management of the Vari^tes by M. Bayard, the author of le Gamin de Paris, and son-in-law of M. Scribe, who resigned his post in turn to M. Dumanoir, likewise a writer of many successful vaudevilles. The present director is M. Nestor Poqueplan, 15 226 brollier of the distinguished painter, M. Ganiille Roqueplan. Among the actors and actresses of talent who have of late years been members of this theatre, but who no longer form part of the company, we may mention Lherie (1), Gazot, Neuville (2), M"" Jenny Colon, who has been already spoken of in our notice of the Op^ra Comique; M"" Esther (3), M"« Maria Volet (4), and M"" Valence (5). Since the engagement "of Bouff^ and M"" Dejazet, the Vari^tds have been in a high state of prosperity, though it is to be hoped that the ta- lents of the former artiste may in future be better employed than they have hitherto been ; a few good novelties in the style of le Gamin de Paris or les Vieux Pcches would do more towards increasing the repu- tation both of the actor and of the theatre than all the trashy pieces which have been produced at short intervals during the last two years, and which, being for the most part utterly destitute of gaiety, wit, or humour, contrast sadly with the admirable drolleries which once formed the repertoire of the theatre Montansier. AM^DEE. A very useful third-rate actor, who principally delights in personating funny old men. (\) Lh6rie was the son of a Paris jeweller, and author of several successful pieces. Ho died March 29, 1845. (2) Neuville quitted the Vari{St6s April i, 1846. He owes his dramatic reputation more to his still in imitating his comrades than to any remarhaWe talent possessed by him as an actor. (3) Mii» Esther, now in Russia, was the original Ziphirine in les Sallimbanques, and an excellent dancer of the cancan, and other lite importations from the Grande Chaumiere andthePrado. She was a dark-eyed beauty, with abundance of liveliness and emroire. (4) M"" Maria Volet, now retired from the stage, is a daughter of Coralli, the maitre des bailees at the Academic Royale, and made her debut at the Vari6t6s in the spring of 1844, in les Trois Polka. She was an agreeable actress, a charming dancer, and a very pretty woman. (»} M'i» Valence, another pretty deserter from the troupe, was intended for a.pianisle, but having a good voice, and, moreover, an inclination for the stage, she was encouraged by her singing-master, Duprez, to study for the theatre. Her debul at the Varifetfis took place January 18, 1844, as Marjolaine, and up to the time of her retirement from the stage in the spring of 1846, she created several parts in a very creditable manner, especially in le Garde Forestier and la SamarUaine. W>' Valence w aii not only a very pleasing actress, but an accomplished singer, and in neither capacity is she likely lo be easily replaced. 227 BOUFFE (Maiuk). This inimitable artiste, the most perfect comedian of his day, was bora (we believe in Paris) September k, 1800. Son of a carver and gilder, he was himself apprenticed to the same profession, and although he, as well as his sister, M""^ Gauthier, displayed an early predilection for the stage, it does not appear that either of them evinced any un- usual dramatic precocity beyond the mere love of acting. His first his- trionic essays took place at Doyen's private theatre, and on the open- ing of the Panorama Dramatique, April l/(, 1821, he was engaged as a member of the company at an annual salary of 300 francs (i 12), which was increased in the following year to 1,200 francs {£ 48), and subse- quently to 3,000 francs (£120). He used at first to gild frames be- tween the acts in a little workshop he had established in the theatre, as the only means in his power of propitiating his father, who had al- ways disliked his adopting the stage as a profession ; but when he be- came comparatively rich, he considered himself justified in devoting his whole leisure time to study. In 1824, he was engaged at the Gait6 to play le Pauvre Berger, on the first representation of which piece he appeared surrounded by a flock of real sheep ; the poor animals, frightened at the applause which was liberally bestowed on them, ran about the stage in the utmost terror and confusion, some of them even going so far as to invade the avatit- scenes. On the following evening pasteboard sheep were substituted, which answered the purpose equally well and were infinitely more ma- nageable. From the Gait6 BouEf^ went to the Nouveautes, where several ad- mirable creations, and more particularly that of Cateb in the piece of that name, stamped him as one of the most natural and yet most finished actors of his day. But it was at the Gymnase that the inex- haustible resources of his talent were first brought into full play, and the surprising versatility of his powers fairly tested ; he was for years the chief, indeed the sole, support of the ancient Theatre de Madame ; and, during the latter part of his stay there, in spite of the ban launched against M. Poirson by the dramatic authors' association, in spite of the iiiisurublo piucus in wliicli \w was coiideiimcd lo play, liia iiarim alono wai sufficient l,o ward olTlbr a time the storm wliich, after his secession Iruin the company, no elTort on the part of the manager could avert. It was early in the winter of 1 84i that Bouffe made his first appear- ance at the Varietes as Ic Gamin de Paris, and this revival of one of his most popular and brilliant creations proved so attractive that for weeks the doors of the theatre were literally besieged, and places bought up at any price. Le Gamin was followed by I'Oncle Baptiste, Michel Perrin, les Enfans de Troupe, la Fille de I'Avare, and several other masterpieces of acting, all of which are so intimately associated with the name of Bouffe as to be unapproachable to any other comedian (1). Each of these reprises were equally productive of pleasure to the public and of profit to the treasury, which is more than can be said of the few original creations entrusted to this eminent actor since his debut at the Vari^tes, all of which, without a single exception, have been utterly unworthy of his talent (2) . The great perfection of Bouffe's acting is its trulh to nature : he pos- sesses in a remarkable degree the power of so identifying himself with the character he represents as to impress the spectator with the belief that he is listening to a scene in real life, instead of to a dramatic fiction ; and this impression is strengthened by the perfect ease of manner and entire freedom from all theatrical display which, perhaps more than any of his other qualities, establish the incontestable su- periority of this actor over even his most talented contemporaries. His gaiety is frank and communicative; his pathos simple, yet inexpressibly touching ; the foundation of his character is sensibility, he feels all he says. He never employs any superfluity of action for the purpose of producing effect, nor does he seek first by raising his voice almost to a shriek, and then by abruptly lowering it to a whisper, to startle his audience into a fit of enthusiasm : on the contrary, a studied sobriety both of speech and gesture is one of the peculiar features of his (1) We must male one exception in favour of Fan-en, whoso Michel Penin, we think, fully equals, if it iloes not surpass, that of the great French nrtisle. (2) Two out of the number, le Chevalier de Grignon and le mousse, have been played in London, the one at the Haymarket, under the title of (we believe) The Old School, and tlie olher at the Adelphi, under that of the Cabin Dotj. The others are Boquillon a la Itecher- ehe iVim pire, Ic CnrJe I'orcsiier, and De«x Compagnons du Tour de Fiance. 229 acting. WheLher Iho characler assumed l)y him ho serious or romir, his personation of it is equally life-like and natarnl : the suspicious and care-worn miser in la Fille de I'Avare, the lively and garrulous Pcre Turlululu, and the upright simple-minded Michel Pcrrin, types in no one point resembling each other, and yet portrayed by him with the most finished artistical skill, prove, more than words can do, the ^^onderful versatility of his talent. A clever French writer (1), in an excellent biographical notice of Bouff6, has truly remarked that " if the public find that he makes but little progress in the course of each year, it is because he is as near perfection as an actor can be." Nor is the homage addressed to this great artiste by his comrade Arnal less flattering or less merited; we quote the concluding lines of the Epitre a Bou/fc : " Qui, si je vols parfois I'iiidulgencc accueillii" Un iicteur dont ramour pour son art se dC'cilc, Je me rappeUerai mon ardeur et mon zfcle, Etlesquelcfiiesbravosdoiitmon cceura joui : Mais cliez le mCnie artiste... Oprodige iiioiii: Si je vols la finesse et profonde et naive, La grace, la gaild spiritiielle et vive : S'il sail etve finergique avec simplicite, S'il joint ail nature! la sensibility, Aux principes de I'art s'il est toujoui'S lidt"'le. Si loute chose en Uii pent servii- de module, Enfln, si la-bon gout est son cultc, sa loi, Alor* mes souvenirs se portoront sur loi." CACHARDY. A good-looking and gentlemanly amouren.r. DUSSERT. This very useful actor commenced his dramatic career siiorlly after Ihe " revolution of 1830, at tl)Q Petit Lazari , then (I) M.EugfencBi'iirault. 230 under the management of Frenoy, once called the Talma of the Ambigu. He now plays fathers, uncles, guardians, and other elderly gentlemen at the Vari^t^s in a very careful and creditable manner. Indeed, if all the members of the company bestowed as much patience and attention on the study of their parts as Dussert invariably does, the result would be a more perfect e»sem6?ethan is usually witnessed in the pieces produced at this theatre. HOFFMANN (Andri5-Talm a) . One of the most rising actors of the day. Originally a working car- penter, Hoffmann made a successful debiii in a little theatre erected in the Jardin de Tivoli in 1831, and, after acquiring some stage experience in the provinces, was eventually engaged at the Vari^t^s. There he has by slow but sure degrees gradually worked his way up almost to the top of the tree, and from a promising debutant has become an accom- plished comedian. One of Hoffmann's best qualities is his frank and natural gaiety, which has sometimes been even more instrumental in saving an indifferent piece than the admirable talent of Bouff<5 himself. In Iss Deux Compagnons du Tour de France, for instance, Hoffmann, though entrusted with a comparatively unimportant character, contriv- ed by the originality and humour of his acting not only to divide the applause of the audience with his celebrated comrade, but even to obtain the largest share. So decisive, indeed, was his success that after a certain number of representations Bouff^, for whoni the piece had been expressly written, unwilling to appear second where he ought to have been first, resigned his part to another actor, leaving our hero in undisturbed possession of his laurels. As Latulipe in Gentil Bernard, Hoffmann has made another advance in public favour : his performance of the bold dragoon is highly spirit- ed and amusing, and his singing remarkably good; This reminds us, by the way, of another of his peculiar excellencies; next to Levassor, he is the best chansonneite singer in Paris, possessing not only a clear musical voice, but also an inexhaustible fund of gaiety and original 231 humour. As the Anglais Toitriste he is exquisitely droll : he has not only caught the English accent very cleverly, but also the walk, manner, and above all the costume; so that, setting aside a little exaggeration, he has at least as much claim to be mistaken for a real Simon Pure as have Mr. Wigan or Mr. Morris Barnett to be considered Frenchmen. Hoffmann is tall and rather stoutly built : his countenance has a frank and cheerful expression, and there is a sly lurking merriment in the corner of his eye sufficient of itself, even before he has opened his mouth, to put the dullest audience into good humour. We do not know him personally, but we would wager that that very twinkle of the eye bespeaks a corresponding kindliness and joviality of heart : if it be not so, adieu to our faith in physiognomy ! HYACINTHE. Born at Amiens, April 15, 181ili. At the age of eight he became a member of M. Comte's juvenile company, and, when only twelve years old, had the honour of playing together, with several of his comrades before the Due de Bordeaux at the Tuileries. One evening, after their performances were over, the Duke showed the young actors some splendid toys he had just received as a present from Louis XVIII. For- getting the subject in the boy, Hyacinthe suddenly took it into his head to lutoyer His Royal Highness, and instantly received a terrible intima- tion of the impropriety he had committed in the shape of a kick from the boot of a tall garde du cm-ps, who was standing sentinel close by. Instead of smiling agreeably under the infliction, as M. de Talleyrand on a similar occasion recommended, he began to howl so piteously that his lamentations reached the ear of the Duchesse de Berry, who did her best to console him. He refused, however, most decidedly to reappear at court, and his family, finding that his theatrical progress was not so rapid as they had expected, placed him as .shop-boy in a musical warehouse, where he remained two years; until, tired of mounting steps to look after dusty arie and sonate, he tried for an en- gagement at the Vari^tfe, and, thanks to the intercession of some kind 232 friends, was adniiUed as figurant. There he saw and studied the acting of Brunei, Vornel, Odry, and olher dramatic celebrities, and at length, ivishing lo put into practice what he had learnt, he joined a strolling company on the point of starting for Normandy. He was received a member of the troupe, with a right to a full share of the profits, and after a fortnight's acting at Evreux and other towns, pocketed as his dividend the sum of seventeen sous. He consoled himself by saying that had he only been entitled to half a share, he would have received but eight sous and a half. Rather dissatisfied with Normandy, he returned to Paris, and shortly after made a tolerably successful debut at the Vaudeville during the time of the cholera. The Rue de Chartres, however, was not his place, and he soon left it for the Variet^s, where he had succeeded in obtaining a moderate engagement. There his dry humour and comic physiognomy were infinitely more appreciated than they had been by the side of Arnal. After playing creditably in I' If de Croissey, la Consigne, etc. , he created Gringalet in les Saltimbanques , and shared the applause of the audience ■with Odry and the pretty M"* Esther. From that time Hyacinthe took his place among the leading actors of the Varietes, and has recently in le Mattre d'Ecole, la Vendetta, and other pieces, proved himself an efficient representative of that peculiar line of characters which no one since the death of Brunet has attempted with similar success. Hyacinthe has a valuable auxiliary in his face, and more particularly in his nose, which in size is on a par with that of Alcide Tousez, if in- deed it be not even larger. As an actor he rather resembles Odry ; he wants the finesse and tact of Arnal and Vernet, but can lancer le mot with a bold aplomb peculiar to himself, the effect of which is ir- resistibly ludicrous. If he cannot be called a first-rate comedian, he is, to say the very least, a most amusing actor, and there is a certain carelessness and simpleton-like laisser-aller in his manner which accords perfectly with the rather niais (not to say bete) expression of his countenance. We must not omit to add that his by-play is always excellent. 233 JOllRDAIN (Edouard). An indifferent amoureux, whose debiu at this theatre took place in November, 18^5, in Vtpee de mon Pere. KOPP, Formerly at the Theatre Saint Marcel. He has a comic face and a pair of droll staring eyes, and fills out a trifling part very respectably. LABA (Paul). An intelligent young actor, formerly ■pemionnaire of the Gymnase, and afterwards of the Theatre Frangais, who first appeared at the Va- ri^tes in May, 1845, as Henri in I'Epee de mon Pere. Paul Laba pro- mises, with study, to become a very tolerable amoureux; his voice is clear and agreeable, and his manner both animated and gentle- manly. LAFONT. Pierre-Cheri Lafont is (we believe) a native of Bordeaux, and, being originally intended by his father for a navy surgeon, was sent thrice successively to sea in order to learn his profession. Returning after his third voyage to Paris, he resolved on abandoning the art of Hippo- crates for that of Thalia, and with this aim in view became a pupil of the Conservatoire, commencing his dramatic career by singing opera comique at Doyen's private theatre. There D^saugiers, then manager of the Vaudeville, found him, and he made a successful debut in the Rue de Chartres in 1822. After acquiring there a brilliant reputation, he ' 23/t transferred his talents to the Nouveaut^s, but eventually returned to his old quarters, which, however, he again quitted to accept an en- gagement together with M"° Jenny Colon in London. He subsequently played for a short time at the Renaissance, and was ultimately engaged at the Vari^t^s, of which theatre he is still a member. During his career at the Vaudeville, Lafont enjoyed a double celebrity as actor and beau gargon, and, making due allowance for the lapse of years since the period of his early triumphs, he is still a handsome man, with a noble figure and an expressive countenance : his manners and deportment are what they have ever been, those of a well-bred and polished gentleman. One of Lafont's earliest and best creations at the Vaudeville was Pierre le Rouge, in which piece he sustained three characters with consummate ability ; nor was his Jean in a dramatized version of Paul de Kock's novel of that name less remarkable. Since his engagement at the Varietes he has played with considerable talent the General in le Gamin de Paris, and Matignon to M"' D^jazet's Richelieu, besides several original creations, among which perhaps the one which does him the most honour is le Capitaine Ror/uefinette. In this very amusing comedy he is seen to peculiar advantage : there is an easy assurance and a . quiet natural humour about his acting, added to an entire freedom from all vulgarity or exaggeration, which, were his reputation less firmly based than it really is, would alone entitle him to rank among the most finished arasfe.s of the day. Pathos is not Lafont's forte : with all his intelligence, he wants ani- mation and feeling, and though he can make his audience smile at will, he is seldom, if ever, able to make them weep. An occasional thickness of speech, moreover, which is especially perceptible in characters where passion or energy is required, greatly deteriorates from the effect his acting in the more dramatic parts of his repertoire might otherwise pro- duce. But such criticism is, after all, hardly applicable to this cele- brated performer ; he is a comedian ih the strict sense of the word, and not an actor of tragedy or drama ; nor would it be more absurd to expect from M"' Rachel the qualities of a Plessy or a D^jazet, than to demand of Lafont, one of the few living artistes capable of fitly repre- senting la haute comedie, the energy and passion of fiocage or Fr^d^rick Lemaitre, 235 Lafont, it is commonly asserted, was married to Jenny Colon during the stay in London of that celebrated actress and singer, but on their return to France the union was dissolved by mutual consent. A brother of our hero, now dead, was formerly one of the leading tenors at the Academic Royale (1). LEPEINTRE (ain^). This sterling old actor, who was born in Paris, September 5, 1785, was originally intended to be Le-Peinire in more senses than one, his grandfather and uncle having been painters, and wishing him to follow the same profession. He, however, preferred the stage to the studio, and we find him at the age of twelve years engaged at the Theatre des Jeu- nes Artistes in the Rue de Bondy. On the closing of this theatre he left Paris, together with other members of the company, for Mar- seilles, and subsequently played with great success at Bordeaux and at Lyons. On Potier's secession from the Vari^t^s some six or seven and twenty years ago, Lepeintre was chosen to fill up the void left by that great actor's departure, and some clever creations, particularly in le Soldat Laboureur, and I'Auberge du Grand Frederic, made him an especial fa- vourite with the habitues of the ancient Theatre Montansier. Quitting the Vari6l6s for the Vaudeville, Lepeintre, by his excellent acting in Monsieur Botte, became as popular in the Rue de Ghartres as he had been on the Boulevard Montmartre ; nor was his subsequent career at the Palais Royal less prosperous. In May, 18^5, he returned to the scene of his early successes as Michel in le Lansquenet, and we hope for the sake of the theatre that he may long remain there. Lepeintre aine is one of the few surviving actors of the old school : we look upon him with an interest which his own merits alone, consi- derable though they be, would hardly warrant. He is almost the last (,) ufont's popularity in London is abounded : of aU the stars >vho have s^^^^^^^^^^^^ g.;ced Mr. Milcheirs pretty theatre, he is perhaps the one ^.h°/« ^ecepUon hasb „ the most flattering; his re-engagement during almost the entire season hav.ng been uu aniraously insisted on by the subscribers. 236 link which connects the Vari^tes of Brunet with that of M. Nestor Ro- queplan ; of all that brilliant galaxy of talent which once formed the delight and boast of the Parisians, but four still remain to us, and two among those four, Vernet and Odry, are but the shadows of their former selves. Lepeintre aine and M"= Flore (of whom we shall have occasion to speak hereafter) complete the number. Were it not for an occasional indistinctness of voice and thickness of utterance, Lepeintre might yet pass for an actor in the prime of life, so little affected by time are his natural entrain and humorous vivacity. We have seen him play I'Essoiifle in le Beneficiaire, one of Potier's most successful creations, demanding extraordinary exertions on the part of the performer : this character, which rather resembles that of Gaspard in le Pere de la Debutante, so admirably acted by Vernet, was sustained by Lepeintre with the most unflagging spirit, and with a tact and finesse which could hardly have been surpassed even by his great predecessor. Lepeintre ai'ne is equally celebrated as a punster and as a worthy kind-hearted man. "You are ambitious," said he one day to Talma, on meeting the great tragedian with a flower in his coat : " you are not satisfied with being Talma, you wish to he fleuri" (in allusion to the eminent comic actor of that name). Again, he said with reference to himself that he carried abundance wherever he went, "puisqu'on y voyait le pain trainer (Lepeintre (line).'' We conclude by quoting oni; instance of his kindness and generosity. One of his brothers (not Lepeintre jewwe, but a younger brother) came to Paris with his wife, and accepted an engagement at the Folies Dra- matiques. Aware that the newly arrived couple were in anything but easy circumstances, Lepeintre atnc invited them to dine with him at a friend's house near the Boulevard du Temple. The young actor and his wife were punctual at the appointed hour, and the door was opened by their brother, who said that in his friend's absence he would do the honours of the house. He then showed them a small dining and sitting- room with a bed-room, besides a kitchen and well-stocked cellar. "This is all very comfortable," said the cadet, "but it is time for our host to appear." "You are the host," replied his brother, "and this 237 little estxiblislinienl is your own. May your talent enable you to embellish and render it still more comfortable!" LEPEINTRC (JEUMi). One of this actor's numerous biographers, in a most amusing memoir from which we quote largely in the present notice, is of opinion that Balbus Pinguis Pictor, a celebrated performer in the time of Nero, must have been an ancestor of Lepeinlre jeiine. The following description of the Roman comedian by Aulus Gellius appears, indeed, marvellously applicable to the merry mass of flesh beneath whose ponderous weight the boards of the Varidt^s nightly groan. ' ' He was a short fat man, at whom it was impossible to fook without laughing : he was the delight of the populace, who were amused by his obesity." Yet Lepeiatrej eune, if we may believe tradition, was not always the stout gentleman he is at present : he is described as having had when young a small mouth, rosy cheeks, soft blue eyes, and fair flowing ringlets which fell over his shoulders and gave him the air of a che- rubim. Nay, the testimony of his old nurse has been quoted to prove that when a child he had the waist of a wasp instead of that of an ele- phant, and that to look at him one would have supposed him capable of passing through the eye of a needle ! However this maybe, it is certain that Lepeinlre jeune commenced his theatrical career by playing first the young lovers, and subse- quently the tyrants and traitors in melodrama, until, finding that he was making very slow progress up the ladder of fame, he finally resolved, as a last resource, to grow fat. "Soon," says the memoir above referred to, "his pretty mouth took the shape of a letter-box, and his head that of a pumpkin ; and since then his popularity has been ever on the increase. He now forms part of the curiosities of the ca- pital, and when a young provincial comes to Paris, his father's in- junctions are : "Above all, do not forget to see Napoleon's column and Monsieur Lepeintre jeMne .'" After playing for fifteen years at Versailles, Lepeintre jeune was for 238 a long time attached to the Vaudeville, of which'theatre he was one of the most indefatigable members, often sustaining four different characters in the same evening. La Famille cle I'Jpotliicaire, Renaudin de Caen, and other favourite pieces owed much of their success to his exertions, his appearance on the stage alone being generally sufficient to ensure the good humour of his audience. Since his engagement at the Varie- tes, he may be said to have gained both in size and popularity, though the parts entrusted to him have been rarely important; His voice is at times so indistinct that it is difficult to understand what he says; but his face, figure, look, and manner are as droll, nay, droller than ever. Lepeintre jeune has the reputation of being even a more confirmed punster than his brother, a collection of his calembours having been formerly sold in the theatre for four sous. He is said to be the gayest mortal under the sun, thoughtless and improvident in pecuniary matters, and rarely, if ever, out of debt : but at the same time a thorough laugh- ing philosopher and bon vivani, and moreover a warm-hearted and amiable man. He has written some pieces for the Folies Dramatiques, as well as for M. Comte's theatre in the Passage Choiseul, one of his productions bear- ing the strange title of " Ahl mon habit, que je vous remercie!" He was once present at an entertainment given by M. Comte, in celebra- tion of his birth-day, at his country house near Paris, on which occasion each of the guests successively paid their Amphitryon some compliment either in prose or verse. When it came to the turn of LepemUe jeune, he addressed his host as follows, in allusion to the latter's well-known skill as a conjuror : " Un doux prestige t'accompagne, De les tours chacun est surpris ; Ta demeure est k la campagne, Et ton adresse est i Paris." We subjoin the epitaph proposed for this elephantine actor by the biographer above mentioned : " Ci-git Lepeintre jeime, le plus drole de corps, el le corps le plus drftle." 239 PEREY (GHARLiis). One of the shorlesl but drollest low comedians on the French stage, whose humour, though not wholly free from vulgarity, is original and highly amusing. He was for several years at the Ambigu, and his crea- tion of Andre in the drama of Madeleine procured him an engagement at the Varietes. As Jaitlou in Gentil Bernard, Charles Perey is quite at home : he looks the country clown to the life, and pinches and slaps his newly-married wife (by way of proving his tenderness a la mode du pays) with infinite gusio. R^BARD (Jean-Baptiste-Hippolyte) . We sincerely congratulate this actor on his return to the Varietes (May 10, 1846), where he is far more at home than he has ever been at the Gymnase. Originally a jeweller, R^bard, after a little preparatory practice en amateur, made his first public debut at the Cirque Olym- pique, and quitting that theatre for the Folies Dramatiques, played Bertrand in Robert Macaire in so humorous and effective a manner as to attract the notice of the manager of the Varidtgs, who offered him an engagement. His droll face and droller manner secured him a favour- able reception, and he soon obtained a local popularity which ought to have induced him to remain where he was. At the Gymnase over- acting is barely tolerated, never encouraged, and the same charges which will throw a Vari^t^s audience into an exstacy of delight are looked upon in the light of mere buffoonery by the exacting critics of the ancient Theatre de Madame. With such an audience all R^bard's attempts at exciting a laugh by the eccentricity of his walk, manner, or costume were ineffectual : the parts entrusted to him became gra- dually more and more unimportant, one of the last personages repre- sentsd by him being a Russian servant in Yelva, who hardly says a word (if, indeed, he be not altogether dumb) throughout the piece. Had Rebard remained longer at the Gymnase, he might possibly have been reduced to play the figurants; as it is, by resuming his old posi- 2/|0 lion at thb Vari(iles, liu at all events brings his drollery to a better market. If he be not a gainer by the change, most certainly he canii'it be a loser. ROMAND (CAsiMni). A very serviceable actor, who plays a great variety of characters, and some of them extremely well. BRESSANT (M""). jjme Bressant, formerly M"* Augustine Dupont, was born somewhere about 1820, and has been a member of the Varietes ever since the age of eleven years, at which period of her life she was engaged to play children's parts. At seventeen she married Bressant, the talented jeune premier of the Gymnase, and has by him one daughter. The first character personated by her after her inarriage was that of a young girl in I'Etudiant et la Grande Dame, and she has since played in most of the best pieces produced at the Varietes, among others in le Mariage au Tambour, Monseigneur, le Diable a Quatre, and I' Abbe Galant. One of her most recent creations is Claudine in Gentil Bernard, which she performs in a very lively and spirited manner. M""" Bressant is short in stature, and rather inclined to embonpoint : she treads the stage with ease and grace, sings the couplet very fairly, and is on the whole an agreeable and meritorious actress. CHAVIGNY (M'l^). M"' Chavigny has as yet exhibited no great proof of dramatic talent ; she is, however, decidedly superior to her comrades M"' Charlotte and M"« Chataignez. 241 DfiJAZET (M'"). Few if any actresses, French or English, can be said to have enjoyed a more lasting or more deserved popularity than Virginie Dejazet, the Sophie Arnould of her day. Years, we are afraid even to hint at how many, have elapsed since the commencement of her theatrical career : she has counted among her contemporaries Talma, Larive, Contat, Rau- court, Duchesnois, Mars, Dazincourt, Fleury, Paul, Martin, Vestris, Gavaudan, Brunei, Potier, and a hundred other celebrities, most of whom have long since " shuffled off this mortal coil;" and yet she her- self, a second Ninon de Lenclos, still remains to us as a connecting link between the past and the present centuries, between Republican France and the era of Louis Philippe. We believe it to be generally admitted that M"" D^jazet's first ap- pearance on any stage (1) took place at the age of four years, in a little theatre situated in what was then called the Jar din des Capucines, on the site of part of the present Rue de la Paix. There she became suc- cessively danseuse and actress of travesti pacts, and it was during her Terpsichorean career that the following circumstance occurred. At the head of the police of the theatre was a tall veteran with very fierce mustachios, whose office it was to stand sentinel in the coulisses immediately adjoining the stage, and to whom Dejazet for some reason or other had taken an invincible dislike. One evening, as she was in the act of making her entree, this military giant, approaching her with a most portentous frown, so alarmed the little danseuse that she went on the stage sobbing, and so excited the sympathy of her audience, to whom the cause of her grief was a mystery, that she was literally over- whelmed with bouquets. This kind reception, however, did not en- tirely satisfy her, and she half said, half sobbed, as she re-entered the coulisses, ' ' I don't want any more of their flowers, because I must cry before I get them." After playing a few months at the Theatre des Capucines, oiir heroine quitted it first for the Theatre des Jeunes Eleves in the Rue de Bondy, (i ) One of her biographers indeed says that she was I)orn in a theatre, but as this assertion is unsupported by proof, we consider ourselves justified, lilte the man in Hie "Pacha of many Tales," in " very much ilouliting the fact." 16 and subsequently for that in the Rue Daiiphine. We then find her engaged at the Vaudeville, and later still at the Vari^tes, where she obtained great success in Quinze Jns d: Absence, and from whence, after visiting professionally Lyons and Bordeaux, she transferred her youthful talents to the Gymnase, which theatre, thanks to Leontine Fay, was at that time enjoying an unexampled prosperity. There le 3Ia- riage Enfantin, la Petite Sceur, and numerous other pieces, in many of which the two petites merveilles appeared together, afforded M"° Deja- zet constant opportunities of increasing her already brilliant reputation, and rendered her subsequent departure to the Nouveaut^s a subject of great regret to the habitues of the Theatre de Madame. Quitting in its turn the Nouveautes, where she had successively per- sonated Henri IV., Henri V., and Bonaparte, for the Palais Royal, she there commenced that series of admirable creations which have stamp- ed her as one of the best and most versatile actresses that have ever adorned the French stage, so rich in illustrations of every kind. To whom, indeed, does not, the very name of Dejazet recall to mind a host of by-gone celebrities, on whom her exquisite talent has conferred a new and brighter lustre! The elegant Richelieu, the irresistible Le- torifere, the syren Favart, the witty Sophie Arnould, nay, even Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, have each and all been portrayed by her with life-like accuracy. Nor is she contented with merely personating characters who have actually existed ; she must also create, and with an originality, a truth to Nature unrivalled. Fretilton, la Marquise de Pretintaille, Suzanne, Vert-Vert, la Comtesse du Tonneau, la Maitresse de Langues, in short, the brightest gems of the Palais Royal repertoire, owe their popularity to her, and to her alone. In Sous Cle she has proved her ability to keep her audience in constant good humour for nearly an hour, unaided by any other performer, a feat only partially equalled by Arnal in Passe Minuit. Next to the male dress, in which she is more at home than most lords of the creation themselves, the griseite's apron or peasant's cap suit her best : she adopts not only the costume of the personage assumed by her, but the nature and spirit also, one of her chief merits being the utter absence of monotony or sameness in her acting. She has a peculiar way of saying what no one but her would dare to 2/|3 say, and yel, so exactly does she know how far she may safely go, that she never positively infringes, however narrowly she may escape doing so, the strict laws of decorum. The most trivial and vapid dia- • logue in her mouth is invested with point and brilliancy, and the dullest and most insipid plot, animated by her surprising verve and in- telligence, becomes both interesting and amusing. She has never been pretty, but her eye is singularly penetrating and expressive : her voice has always been remarkable for a certain shrillness, but yet she sings with a purity of intonation and even an occasional melody which many practised vocalists might envy. There is no sentiment, grave or gay, that she is incapable of expressing with wondrous reality ; and she possesses in an eminent degree the power of drawing tears as well as smiles from her audience, though it must be owned that the former prerogative is but sparingly exercised by her. No actress dresses better or more appropriately : she is not one of those who imagine that the simple cotton gown of a grisette harmonizes admirably with diamond ear-rings or a massive bracelet ; on the contrary, she inva- riably adapts the costume to the character, never sacrificing, like too many of her contemporaries, the character to the costume. M"' D^jazet is not only one of the most distinguished actresses, but also one of the wittiest women of her day ; were all her clever sayihgs collected together, they would form a volume far exceeding in bulk the famous "Arnouldiana," in which are chronicled the liveliest sallies and repartees of the no less celebrated Sophie. We have but little space for quotation ; nevertheless, a few specimens of our heroine's table talk, selected from different publications, may possibly amuse the reader. On its being once remarked in her presence that she always appeared gay and in good spirits, she replied, " It is because I have sense enough to be only sad at home." A bookseller tried to persuade her to write her memoirs, saying that it would make the fortunes of both. She, however, declined complying with his request. "What can be your motive ? " he asked her repeatedly. " Do you dislike the trouble? if so, I will write for you." "Sir," answered she, "rightly or wrongly, I have the reputa- tion of being clever ; would you have me lose it?" 2U Speaking of Italian singing, she observed that "the embroidery was worth more than the material." A would-be prude remarked one day in her hearing : " I am very particular about my reputation." " Vou are always particular about- trides," replied D^jazet. We repeat, a collection of her bans mots would fill a volume, and what better title could be devised for such a work than " Dejazetiana!" Mere wit, however, even though accompanied by the most brilliant talents, is not suflicient of itself to ensure to its possessor that un- bounded popularity, as well on the stage as in private life, which is enjoyed in so remarkable a degree by M"° Dejazet. Her celebrity as an artiste might justly entitle her to the admiration of her audience, but far other qualities are necessary to merit their esteem. It is her kind and amiable nature, her unfaihng liberality and goodness of heart, that have made her the universal favourite she is ; it is her ready zeal to co-operate in every way towards the relief of those among her com- rades whom age or sickness may have rendered incapable of support- ing themselves by their own exertions ; it is her willing sympathy, her unobtrusive generosity, which have earned her the respect and good- will of all who can appreciate real worth, and who are not too proud to take a lesson in benevolence and Christian charity from a member of that profession, which it is still too much the fashion to vilify and despise. M"* D^jazet's career at the Varietds dates from February 2/i, 1845, when she made her first appearance there in her favourite character of Richelieu. She has since added two or three creations to her repertoire, the most successful being Gemil Bernard, a piece which bids fair to become as popular as Vert-Vert or Letoriere. A son of this inimitable actress, M. Eugene Dejazet, has attained some celebrity as a musical composer, and her daughter (who was, we believe, originally intended for the Op^ra Comique) appeared at the St. James's Theatre, in 1844, under the name of M"' Herminie. 245 ERNEST (M"'« Paul). M™" Paul Ernest was bora in 1823, and commenced her theatrical career at Ghent. From thence she went to Lifege , and was subse- quently engaged for two years at the French theatre in Berlin. On her return to France, after accompanying Paul, the ex-actor of the Gym- nase, in a provincial tour, she made a successful debut at the Variet^s, her engagement at which theatre extends, we believe, to April, 1847. M"" Paul Ernest, without being pretty, is decidedly an agreeable actress ; her voice, though of no great scope or volume, is pleasing, and her manner and deportment are quiet and lady-like. She has neither sufficient physical strength nor sufficient animation for such parts as la Fille de I'Avare, b.ut is seen to advantage in lighter characters, such as Mimi Pinson in the piece of that name, and la Marquise de Sombreuse in Gentil Bernard. FLORE (M'"). The best representative oi the femme du peuple in general, and the portiere in particular, on the French stage. M"° Flore has been justly called I'enfant des Varietes, her first words having been lisped in that theatre, whither her mother, employed there under the management of M"" Montansier, brought her every night. .\t that time M""^ Mars, then aged thirteen or fourteen, was playing with Baptiste the younger in le Desespoir de Joa-isse, in which piece these two celebrated artistes were subsequently succeeded by Brunet and our heroine. When fifteen years of age, M"" Flore was permitted to appear in parts originally created by M"° Cuizot, an actress of some reputation in those days : her first essays were but moderately successful, owing to a defect of pronunciation which she is said to have eventually overcome, like Demosthenes, by holding pebbles in her mouth. She has never been so much at home in pathetic as in comic characters : though she can play with feeling and sentiment, she is more at her ease in broad farce, her 246 jovial good-humoured couutenance being far better adapted to smiles than tears. The creation of Madame Fraiche-Maree in la Marcliande de Goujons first brought M"" Flore into notice, and her subsequent performance of Victorine in les Cuisinieres placed her among the lead- ing actresses of the Varietfe. About this time (says her biographer, M. Dumersan) she inspired a young man with so violent a passion that, finding her virtue unas- sailable, he resolved to carry her off, and so far succeeded in his object as to confine her in a room sufficiently isolated to prevent her cries from being heard. She continued obdurate, notwithstanding, and her inamorato, who had hitherto never left her even for a moment without carefully locking the door after him, became on the third day so in- censed by her repeated refusals to listen to him, that he vowed he would shoot himself if she persisted in her resolution . Flore in her turn declared that if he did not let her go, she would throw herself out of the window, a threat which silenced him for a time, and enabled her during his ab- sence to dress up the bolster of her bed in some of her clothes, and conceal it behind the window curtain. When her persecutor returned, and recommenced his entreaties, she ran hastily to the window, opened it, and hiding herself behind the curtain, threw the bolster into the street. Down rushed the alarmed lover, with Flore unknown to him at his heels : by the time he had discovered the cheat, his cruel charmer was safely out of his reach. This excellent actress has not always remained constant to one theatre : in 1826 she quitted the Vari^t^s, first for the Vaudeville, and subsequently for the Od^on, but has long since returned to the scene of her early triumphs. She is now one of the best duegnes in Paris, M""" Desmousseaux and Guillemin alone being capable of sustaining a comparison with her. Among the many pieces whose success has been partly, if not wholly, due to her exertions, we may mention la Femme du Peuple, les Saltimbancjues, les Belles Femmes de Paris, and more recently Madame Panache. M"« Flore, though by no means tall, appears shorter than she really is, owing to a very decided tendency to embonpoint, which threatens eventually to render her a formidable rival to Lepeintrey«me, whom she already resembles in the gaiety of her character and the amiability of 2/i7 her disposition. Not very long ago she published her own memoirs, a work abounding in amusing anecdote and interesting souvenirs. GRAVE (M"" Anna). A pretty woman and an agreeable performer, who, after a temporary absence from the Vari^tfe, re-appeared there in May, 1845, as Oscar in les Vieiix Peches. She has fine expressive eyes and beautiful hair, which she occasionally wears in long thick curls, a coiffure by no means generally adopted by French women, but which is in her case extremely, becoming. M"° Anna Grave played during the season of 1846 in Lon- don, where she is deservedly a favourite, both as actress and jolie femnie. JOLIVET (M»»). We never saw this actress, who has been several years at the Va- ri^tes, to such advantage as in the character of the wife (we forget the name of the personage) in I' Homme qui bat sa Femme (Vernet acting the husband), in which part she displayed a degree of spirit and liveliness far from usual with her. JUDITH (M""). Early in 1834, two little girls, the one about six or seven years of age, the other rather older, both of the Jewish persuasion, excited the applause and admiration of the Aafejteei of the Theatre du Pantheon in the Rue Saint Jacques by their spirited performance of children's parts. The elder of these youthful debutantes was M"' Sara F^lix, sister of M"' Rachel, and herself an actress of merit; the younger, the subject of the present notice, M^'" Judith Bernat. 2/|8 Afler passing llio iiilervuiiiug poriod betwcuii cliildlioud and uarly womanhood in a •pension, M"" Judith recommenced her dramatic career at the Thealre Moliere, wliere slie played among other parts Cliristine iu Michel et Christine, and Louise in le Maladc Imaginaire. The suc- cess she obtained encouraged her to apply to M. Poirson, then ma- nager of the Gymnase, for an engagement ; but the terms offered her were so extremely low that she at once forsook the Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle for the Folies Dramatiques, where she was engaged to replace M"" Nathalie. Her debut took place in Michaela, one of her predeces- sor's best creations, and she acquitted herself so well of her task as at once to make the frequenters of the Folies forget the loss of their fa- vourite actress in their joy at finding so excellent a substitute. This success was speedily followed by her able performance of Pauline in Amour et Amourette, in which character she displayed dramatic quali- ties of a very high order. We may also cite among the productions most indebted to her talent for the brilliant career they enjoyed le Mai- tre Mafon et le Banquicr, and les Premieres Armes du Biable (first pro- duced November 19, 1844), in which her Rose Marie was a finished and truthful piece of acting. Early in 1845, M"° Judith quitted the Folies Dramatiques for the Va- rietes, where she first appeared by the side of Bouffe as Eugenie Gran- det in la Fille de I'Avare. Her reception was most encouraging, and she has since rapidly gained ground in public favour, although from the lack of good pieces produced at this theatre she has had little opportu- nity of distinguishing herself. As yet her best creation is Suzanne in Deux Compagnons du Tour de France ; but the part is too unimportant to afford much scope of acting. M"' Judith, from being a pretty girl, has become a handsome woman ; her lustrous black eyes are remarkably expressive, and her figure, though slightly inclining to embonpoint, is not the less admirably pro- portioned. She sings agreeably and in tune, a rare merit at this theatre, and her utterance is unusually clear and distinct ; she possesses, moreover, a fund of energy, sensibility, and natural pathos, which, ex- cept in the piece chosen for her debut, have never been displayed to advantage since her engagement at the Variet^s (1). (tj Since the ajjove was wrilteii, Mii= Judith has been »■ ngaged at the Tliatre Fraiicais. 249 LAGIER (M"'), M"" Honorine Lagier made her first appearance at the Varietes July 1, 1846, as Artheiiiise in la Veuve de Quinze Am, being, it is said, only fourteen years old herself. She is not exactly a prodigy, but has an excellent tmue, and acts with grace, naivete, and vivacity. LOBBY (M"'). An ex-actress of the Gymnase, who made her debut at the Vari6t& June 2, 1846, as Alice in la Carotte d'Or. M"° Lobry has fine eyes, and sings with taste and expression. MABQUET (M"" Delphine). We congratulate M. Boqueplan on the very agreeable addition he has lately made to his company in the person of M"" Delphine Marquet, who, not content with exhibiting excellent pantomimic qualities in la Peri and la Muetteat the Academie Roy ale, has, by her graceful per- formance of Louise in la Baronne de Blignac, in which character she first appeared at the Varietes, June 6, 1846, taken her place among the most promising young actresses of the day. M"* Marquet has a slight and elegant figure, pretty eyes, a most fas- cinating smile, and an extremely lady-like manner. Her voice is some- what thin, but not unpleasing, and she acts with an easy self-possession and a playful coquetry seldom met with in a debutante. MAYEB (M""). M"' D^sir^e Mayer, sister of M"' Louise Mayer, the once celebrated 2'50 ingenue of the Vaudeville, made her debut at the Vari^tfe in July, 1845, as Louise in le Chevalier clu Guet. She is rather short, and, except a pair of fine eyes, has little pretension to beauty ; but she acts smartly, aad makes the most of a weak but agreeable voice. PITRON (M"^). ■ A pretty little actress, with a Chinese face, an elegant figure, and a lively geniille manner. As Fanchon in Gentil Bernard she sang and acted charmingly, so charmingly indeed that since she has abandoned the part to one of her camarades, the piece has lost half its attraction. POTEL (M"' Paulike). A very clever and promising young actress, who first appeared at the Varietes September 30, 1846, as Anais in le Pere de la De- butante, SAINT MARC (M'"'). Mile Eugenie Saint Marc first appeared at the Gymnase Enfantin in 1834 ; she was then seven years old. In 1840 she was engaged at the Vaudeville, and continued there until the summer of 1845, when she seceded from the company, and in the November following made a successful debut at the St. James's Theatre, where she played with but little intermission during the greater part of the season of 1846. M"" Saint Marc is now about nineteen years of age, and her face and figure are both extremely youthful : she has pretty eyes, a sweet smile, fair hair, and a delicate complexion, and her voice is distinct and musical. While at the Vaudeville she occasionally played, during the 251 absence of M"'* Doche, Satan, and other creations of that charming actress, and, taking into consideration the difficulties of the task, ac- quitted herself very fairly. She is seen to great advantage in light comedy and vaudeville, and has even attempted drama with some success ; nor must we forget her clever and intelligent performance, while in London, of Henriette in les Femmes Savantes, on which occasion she shBwed herself far more capable of interpreting Moli&re than many a pensioti- naire (we might almost add sociitaire) of the Theatre Frangais. M"' Saint Marc has not yet (October 10, 1846) made her debut at the Varietes. THIBAULT (M-"«). A good representative of elderly ladies, and more especially of the Marquises and Comtesses of the ancien regime, her tall and imposing figure appearing to great advantage in the costume of the olden time. Among the best pieces now played at the Vari6tes, including the repertoire of Bouff6, are the following : Le Gamin de Paris. Le Pere Turlututu. Michel Perrin. L'Oncle Baptiste. La Fille de I'Avare. Les Vieux P^ches. Les Enfans de Troupe. L'Abb^ Galant. La Maison en Loterie, La Garotte d'Or. Le Maitre d'Ecole. Le Capitaine Roquelinette. Le Chevalier du Guet. La Meuiiiere de Marly. Le Pere de la Debutante. La Neige. Les Saltimbanques. La Servante Justifiee. Madame Gibou et Madame Pochet. L'Homme qui bat sa Femme. Prosper; et Vincent. L'Ours et le Pacha. Les Premieres Armes de Richelieu. Gentil Bernard. CHAPTER IX. GYMNASE DRAMATIQUE. ROULEVAUD BONNE-NOUVELLE. Manager, M. Lemoine Montigny. This theatre was erected in 1819, on the site of the ancient cemetery Bonne-Nouvelle, ami opened December 23, 1820, with a prologue, called le Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle, written by Scribe, M^lesville, and Moreau. Its founder, to whom the privilege was accorded by Louis XVllI., was M. deLaroserie, and by him the management of the theatre was entrusted to Messrs. Delestre-Poirson and Cerfbeer, Dor- meuil, thepresentmanager of the Palais Royal, being regisseur general. The company was at first, according to the express terms of the pri- vilege, composed for the most part of" young pupils of the Conserva- toire, and the repertoire of some old pieces, belonging to the Th^Stre Frangais and Opera Gomique, abridged into one act. In fact, the Gym- nase was originally intended, as its name sufficiently indicates, merely as a kind of preparatory school for dramatic aspirants, from whence the most promising actors and actresses were to be occasionally trans- planted to the different royal theatres. The success, however, of the new experiment was very indifferent, notwithstanding the talent of Periet and Bernard Leon, the only two actors of any celebrity in the troupe. The first-named excellent artiste was subsequently compelled to leave the Gymnase, owing to his refusal 254 to accept an engagement at the Theatre Franqais ; the decree signed by Napoleon at Moscow empowering the societaires to recruit their com- pany from the minor theatres, and in the event of any actor's declining to join them, to forbid his appearing on any other stage in the capital. Perlet, thus exiled from Paris, was more than recompensed in a pecu- niary point of view by the immense success he obtained, first in the provinces, and afterwards in London. He married the daughter of Tiercelin, and has long since retired into private life. Few performers ever attained a greater or more deserved popularity ; he and Potier being generally regarded as the most perfect actors of their day. M. Delestre-Poirson, for many years the manager of the Gymnase, is the son of a clever geometrician, and is himself a man of literary attain- ments, being author of several dramatic productions performed at the Odeon, Vaudeville, and Porte Saint Martin. Greatly embarrassed at first by the limited nature of the privilege conferred on him, he soon found means of gradually putting aside the worn-out pieces imposed upon him, and of producing more lucrative novelties, though up to Septembers, 182^, he was continually threatened with the reduction of his repertoire to what were termed the classic limits. At this epoch the Gymnase took the name of Theatre de Madame, a title which originated in the following circumstance. M. Poirson, with a gallantry which did him credit, had profited by the Duchesse de Berry's temporary sojourn at Dieppe to send thither a portion of his company for the amusement of Her Royal Highness ; an attention which so pleased the Duchess, that she signified her intention of henceforth taking the theatre under her especial patronage, and, what was more, kept her word. From this time until 1830 the Theatre de Madame ranked immediately after the royal theatres, before the Vaudeville and, the Vari^t^s ; and, thanks to its protectress, the limited privilege was entirely done away with, and some of the best pieces of its present repertoire produced. The company then consisted of Gontier, one of the most versatile and esteemed performers of his day, Ferville, Paul, Numa, Legrand, M"" L^ontine Fay, Jenny Vertpre, Jenny Colon, D^jazet, and many other celebrated artistes (1), by whom Scribe's charming comedies were W Including Allan, Dormeuil, M">" Thtodore and Grfivedon, and M"* Bferenger, sur- namea, from her extreme beauty, Biroigerlajolie. interpreted in the most admirable manner. After these came Bouff^, and with him le Gamin de Paris, Michel Perrin, and la Fille de I'A- vare; Volnys (i), and M"° Juhenne, one of the best duegnes the French stage has ever boasted (2). The revolution of July caused the tricoloured flag to wave over the Gymnase, now no longer Theatre de Madame; but the prosperity of the theatre underwent no diminution owing to the change of name. On the contrary, the receipts continued to be most satisfactory until in an evil hour for himself M. Poirson quarrelled with the Dramatic Authors' Association, the members of which in consequence withdrew all their pieces from the theatre, leaving the Gymnase almost without a repertoire. Aided by Fournier, and one or two young dramatists, the manager struggled for some time against his powerful enemies, but a continued succession of bad houses and the departure of his last hope, Bouff6, to the Vari^tes, compelled him at length to abdicate in favour of the present director, M. Montigny (3). With a new manager commenced a new era for the Gymnase : the same authors, whose opposition had ruined M. Poirson, not only hasten- ed to restore to his successor the ancient repertoire of the theatre, but also contributed a long list of novelties, some of which, Rebecca, for in- stance, and Un Cliangement de Main, have attained a popularity which may vie with that of Malvina and les Premiers Amours. M. Montigny since his accession has lost Rhozevil {4) , M"= Fargueil (5) , and M"" Natha- (1) This very intelligent and gentlemanly actor, whose real name is Charles Joly, made his first debut at the Theatre Franfais in 1824, and subsequently played at the Odion, Nou- veautes, and Vaudeville, where-he was the original D«c de ChevreuscinVn Duel sous Riche- lieu. After his marriage with Lfiontine Fay, he accompanied her to the Franjais, and was afterwards re-engaged with her at the Gymnase, since her departure from which theatre he has acted nowhere. (2) This excellent actress died suddenly in August, 1813. (3) Formerly manager and actor of the Gait6, and author of sevepl successful pieces. (4) In 1829, Rhozevil began his dramatic career in the provinces, and on the opening of the FoUes Dramatiques, in 183), was engaged there as jeune premier. In 183.f, he became a member of the Gymnase, and remained there eleven years, during which time he not only succeeded Paul in most of his favourite characters, but also created many original parts, and among others Ferdinand in Maurice, and Amidie in la Crand'mhe. He has been thrice engaged at the St. James's Theatre, viz, in 1843, 1 8M, and 1 846, and by his clever and gentlemanly acting has become a very general favourite with the liabi- tuis. We cannot but regret, however, his absence from Paris, where good amoureux are so rare. (5) M"« AnaVs Fargueil was originally intended for the Op6ra Coraique, and indeed maxle 256 lie; but as he has replaced them by Achard, Bressant, Ferville, Geof- froy, Montdidier, M"" Sauvage, Melcy, Irma Aubry, and Marthe, he has, numerically speaking, no cause to complain. THE COMPANY. AGHARD. This popular actor in the strict sense of the word was born at Lyons, November k, 1808, and is the son of a silk-weaver, who intended him to follow the same trade. The shuttle and the loom, however, were not to our hero's taste, his thoughts and wishes, even from Ihe early age of ten years, being wholly centred on the stage. To such an extent, indeed, did he carry this dramatic monomania, that he was in the constant habit of saving up his scanty earnings and paying his place in Paradis at the Theatre des G^lestins, taking care to be among the first to enter after the opening of the doors. There he sat, inhaling the odour of the gas, and staring with rapture at the chandelier, boxes, and curtain until the sound of the trois coups (1) warned him that the per- formances were about to commence. Then away he rushed downstairs, and sold his ticket a trifle cheaper than the regular price to the first customer he could find, thus recovering most of his money, by which means he was enabled at little expense to himself to visit the theatre for several successive nights. her dibM there, but, being partially deprived of her -voice by a severe illness, quitted that theatre for the Vaudeville, where in le Demon de la Xuil, Vn Secret, and many other pieces, she attained! considerable celebrity, as well on account of her beauty as of her intelligent and lady-like acting. Leaving the Vaudeville for the Palais Royal, she there created la Fille de Figaro ■^^ ith immense success, and shortly after accepted an engagement at the Gymnase, wheie, with the exception of -Wa)ic;i/!5fH0/, a piece revived expressly for her and Bernard L6on, scarcely a character of any importance was entrusted to her. Mile Fargueil, since her secession from this theatre, has forsaken Paris for the provinces, but we hope that the capital will not be long deprived of the presence of one of the most agreeable and most fascinating actresses of her day. (0 Three knocks given by the regisxeitr in the couliise as a hint tliat the curtain is about to vise. 257 This tantalizing enjoyment satisfied him for some time, especially as he was now and then, lucky enough to see the curtain rise a little, in order to admi^ of the stage being swept. But the mystic regions behind the scenes soon began to hold out an irresistible temptation to the stage- struck youth, and with the view of gradually making acquaintance with some jeune premier or pere noble he frequented the Cafe des Co- mediens, where the actors were wont to assemble. He eventually suc- ceeded beyond his warmest hopes, not only obtaining his ent7-ee to the coulisses of the C^lestins, but being also permitted to take a part in some performances got up by an amateur company. This was shortly follow- ed by a public debut al his favourite theatre, and the flattering recep- tion he experienced determined his future career in life : a few months after he accompanied a small troupe to Lons-le-Saulnier, rich in hope but poor in pocket. A fortnight, however, had scarcely elapsed when the company, being unable to agree about the division of parts, separated by mutual consent, and Achard returned home, imagining that he was cured of his dramatic propensity. A short experience of the pleasures of silk-weaving soon convinced him of the contrary, and he gladly accepted an offer made him by the manager of the Grenoble theatre, who only wanted a low comedian to complete his troop. ' ' On one condition I will engage you," said the impresario, "namely, that on a pinch you will consent to play the lovers. "With the greatest pleasure in life," cried Achard, "and the fathers into the bargain, if you wish it." The terms were soon settled, and the manager agreed to furnish his new recruit with a supply of costumes, his wardrobe then consist- ing solely of a bad wig and a pair of very indifferent "unwhisper- ables." Achard's good star was now in the ascendant, and henceforward all went well with him. After playing with great success at Grenoble, Saint Etienne, Lyons, and Boi^aux, he made a most brilliant debut at the Palais Royal, July 10, 183Zi, in Lionel and le Commiset la Grisetie. His career at that theatre was long and prosperous, and his secession from the company, shortly followed by that of M"" Dejazet, caused for a time a very material diminution in the receipts of M. Dormeuil's snug little bonbonniere. Achard made his debui at the Gymnase in the summer of 184Zi, and 17 258 is, we believe, engaged there at the large salary of 25,000 francs (i 1 , 0) a-year. Among the pieces which have been expressly written for him at this theatre are Babiole et Joblot, la Vie en Panic Double, and le Petit Homme Gris; but none of them have attained the popularity of some of his former creations, such as Bruno le Fileur, and Indiana et Charlemagne. The fact is, Achard's place is not at the Gymnase ; neither the kind of pieces in which he appears to advantage, nor his own pe- culiar style of acting, can ever be fairly appreciated by an audience accustomed to the charming little comedies of Scribe or Bayard, and to the refined performance of a Bressant or a Rose Ch^ri. Even his sing- ing, once so unfailing a magnet of attraction, is now comparatively disregarded, and as if to mark in a most linniistakeable manner the trifling estimation in which his talents are held, he is seldom allowed to act except in the first or last j)ieces, which in the former case al- ways, and in the latter very often, is equivalent to playing to empty benches. This is unfair, both towards the artiste and towards that portion of the public by whom he is understood and admired ; and we almost wond(y that he has not followed the example of M""= Doche, and cancelled an engagement which ought never to have been signed. The charming actress in question has been amply rewarded for all the an- noyances experienced by her at the Gymnase by the hearty welcome she has received from the habitues of the Vaudeville ; why should not Achard have the same luck in store for him at the Palais Royal ? We have already said in commencing this article that Achard is, in the strictest sense of the word, a popular actor, his rather boisterous gaiety and broad humour being far more intelligible to the masses than the amusing but more refined comedy of Numa and Klein. Again, he has always succeeded best in characters, the types of which are se- lected from among the lower classes themselves ; as a fumisle, a tapis- sier, or a hussard of the Bal Masque, he Is in his element ; but exchange the workman's dress or the gay costtime de bal for a plain coat or an em- broidered suit, and he is no longer the same individual. He appears as ill at ease in fine clothes as Carlotta Grisi does in her white satin dress in /eDjflWed^zwtre; but give him once more his jacket and apron, and "Richard's himself again," We live in hopes that the engagement at present existing between 259 M. Montigny and this really excellent low comedian will be speedily broken by mutual consent, and that we shall ere long see the latter resume his old position at the Palais Royal, instead of wasting his time and talents most unprofitably at the Gymnase, where he can be con- sidered as nothing more nor less than a " fish out of water." BORDIER. This actor has from time immemorial played the men servants in and out of livery, from the maj or-domo to the footman , in a most irreproach- able manner. He is tall and steady-looking, and has in every respect the physique de I'emploi. BRESSANT. One of the hest jeunes premiers in Paris, who, after an absence of some years in Russia, has returned to redeem at the Gymnase the promise of future excellence formerly held out by him at the Varl^t^s. Naturally endowed with an expressive and agreeable countenance, a good figure, and a melodious voice, Bressant has also the appearance and manners of a gentleman, an advantage sufiiciently rare among jeunes premiers of the present day to deserve an especial mention. It is, indeed, more on this account than on any other that we should like to see him at the Theatre Franqais, where a fitting representative of the courtly heroes of la haute comedie is sadly wanted ; and where the most exquisite creations of Moliere, Regnard, and Marivaux are fre- quently entrusted, faute de mieux, to the tender mercies of some inexpe- rienced debutant just escaped from the Conservatoire, who is about as much at home in the character he undertakes as a Boulevard actress, transplanted from the Ambigu or the Gaite, would be in Hermione or Camille. Bressant, however, has other and more important claims to public favours he not only looks but acts well. His conception of a character 260 is invariably clever and intelligent, and often extremely felicitous, and his tact is not inferior to his talent. He never falls into the opposite extremes of stiff monotony or vulgar exaggeration ; there is alvfays the same dignity, the same gentlemanly ease in his manner and bearing, which few of his contemporaries can equal, and none excel. His engagement at the Gymnase, where he made his debut Fe- bruary 21, 18/i6, as Maurice in Georges et Maurice, and where, we be- lieve, his salary amounts to 30,000 francs (£ 1,200), is likely to prove a source of great profit to the management, whose company now includes more really good actors (we cannot say as much for all the actresses) than any other in Paris (1). DELMAS. An industrious and persevering actor, formerly of the Luxembourg and Pantheon theatres, who, on the departure of Bouff^ to the Vari^tes, was engaged by M. Poirson to supply his place. His success, though not exactly triumphant, was highly encouraging, and his performance of Daniel le Tambour was favourably noticed in most of the public journals, one of the feuilleton writers concluding his remarks by saying, " Delmas is not a Bouff6, and perhaps never will be ; but he will be Delmas, and that is something." He subsequently played la Tante Bazu with great spirit and humour, and has since seconded Achard excellently in Pascal et Cliambord. If, however, we may judge from the proofs he has already given of a versatile and original talent, equally excellent in drama and in comedy, Delmas only waits for an opportunity to make a still further advance in public favour; and we hope both for his sake and for that of the fre- quenters of the Gymnase that he will not have to wait long. (0 Bressant's Lovelace In Clarhse llm-lowe Is an admir.ibte creation. 201 DESCHAMPS. Julien Deschamps was once a favourite with the habitues of the Belleville theatre ; he is now one of the most deservedly popular members of the Gymnase. In appearance he is extremely youthful, and his figure is so slight and boyish that those who did not know to the contrary would take him for a lad still in his teens, and would be inclined to question the possibility of his having been some time a pere de famille. Deschamps is one of the best- amoureux on the French stage: his manners are elegant and agreeable, his voice is low and rather weak, but singularly sweet and expressive, and his acting is easy and natural. We would especially mention his performance of Frederic in Rebecca, and of Felix in Uti Tuteur de Vingt Ans, as most able and finished per- sonations, which would do honour to any actor, and which are, nevertheless, only two out of a long list of not less successful creations, with which his talent has adorned the repertoire of the Gymnase. FERVILLE. Louis-Basile Veaucorbeille (Ferville being only an assumed name) was born at Rochefort in February, 1785. His father, who was a theatrical manager, intended his son not for the dramatic but for the musical profession, and our hero's debut took place at the Theatre Lou- vois, where he played a concerto on the violin. On the opening of the Odeon, he was attached as supernumerary to the orchestra, and soon after, bitten with the Thespian mania, and preferring to play on the stage rather than in front of it, he appeared first at the little theatre then existing in the Rue du Bac, and subsequently at the Theatre de la Foire Saint-Germain, where he was tremendously hissed in le Desespoir de Jocrisse, thanks to his father, who, wishing to discourage him, had en- gaged several of his friends to hiss the young debutant, and imagined he had succeeded beyond his hopes. Ferville then took to his violin a second time, and joined a company starting on a provincial tour ; but 262 finding ere long all Ws resources exhausted, he vealured again to turn actor, and with the greatest success. Soon after, while at Namur, at- tached to a company consisting chiefly of youths like himself, the follow- ing adventure happened to him. The departure of the troupe was fixed to take place in two days, but the manager, unwilling to leave the town without drawing at least one good house, resolved on an- nouncing for the next evening Robert, Cliefde Brigands, a piece then greatly in vogue. Unluckily, the actor who was to play the hero only knew twoacts out of the three, and had no time to study the remainder; in his dilemma the manager went to Ferville, who had an inferior part in the piece, and told him that he trusted to his ingenuity to get him out of a scrape. "How so?" said Ferville. "Why, we play Robert to-morrow, and we cannot get beyond the end of the second act : you must therefore contrive, just before the curtain drops, to fall as if by accident into the prompter's box. An apology will then be made to the public, and we shall escape playing the third act." Ferville agreed, and on the following day Robert was advertised, and the theatre consequently crammed to the ceiling. The first act was played with immense success, and the second was nearly over when Ferville, pretending to stumble, uttered a cry and disappeared as if by magic. So far all was well ; but unfortunately, just as the /•e'jfwiewr was in the act of announcing the impossibility of finishing the piece, a medical man who was sitting in the stalls clambered over the orchestra on the stage, and offered his services, declaring that the patient must be bled instantly. . In vain the manager ordered Ferville to be carried to his lodgings : the doctor, in spite of a thick fall of snow, followed the litter, and, getting ready his lancet and bandages, prepared for business in a very systematic manner. Poor Ferville looked on with a most rueful eye, and at last, rather than undergo the dreaded operation, decided on telling the truth, to the great indignation of the practitioner, who, vowing that the whole town should be informed of the managerial ruse, departed in a huff, leaving our hero barely time to pack up his scanty wardrobe, and quit Namur as fast as his legs would carry him. In spite of his provincial successes, Ferville was very poor when he came to Paris and took his place in the orchestra of the Theatre de la Cit6, of which his father was then manager. The latter finally relented 263 SO far as to allow his son to be enrolled among the dramatis personce of the company, and on the closing of the theatre Forville went to Bor- deaux, and afterwards to Nantes, where he again found his father exercising the functions of manager. He next visited Brest and Tou- louse, playing successively comedy, drama, opera, ballet, and vaude- ville. While at Toulouse, he was informed of his engagement at the- Gymnase, where he arrived in 1822, immediately after the departure of Perlet. From this time Ferville's progress was rapid : Scribe en- trusted him with several important creations, and his name began to be cited among those of the best actors in the capital. On M. Harel's becoming the manager of the Odeon, our hero joined his company for a short time, but soon returned to the Gymnase, which theatre he subsequently quitted for the Vaudeville, where he was literally shelved. His reappearance at the Gymnase (March 7, 1846) in la Lectrice and la Chanoinesse, two. of his happiest creations, was a source of great delight to all lovers of genuine acting , more especially , as during his absence many of the best pieces of the repertoire had been laid aside, no other actor being able to replace him. Ferville is equally popular in his artistic capacity and in private life : he is always spoken of as a strictly honourable man, deserving and obtaining the respect and esteem of all who know him. As an actor, he is equally excellent in comedy and in drama. During his early career at the Gymnase, it was the fashion to introduce a general or other veteran of la Grande Armee into almost every piece, and these parts were invariably given to Ferville, whose versatility was such that not one of the forty or fifty officers personated by him could be said to resemble another. As a representative of old men he is without a rival ; witness his admirable performance of the venerable husband in la Pensionnaire Mariee, which we do not hesitate to rank among the finest pieces of acting now to be seen on any stage. His pathos is simple, impressive, and dignified, his humour frank, buoyant, and com- municative : he is, in fact, the man of all others best qualified to invest' the delightful creations of Scribe with a new charm, and to render still more attractive the witty and delicate touches of his author by his exquisite manner of interpreting them. 264 GEOFFROY. This very rising comic actor began his dramatic career in 1838, in the environs of Paris, and subsequently paid a professional visit to Italy, where his lively and original humour was highly relished by the habitues of the Cocomero at Florence and of the Teatro del Fondo at Naples. He then went to Rouen, where he staid nearly four years, and was afterwards engaged by M. Montigny at the express recommenda- tion of Scribe. His debui at the Gymnase took place in the summer of 1844 in Rodolplie, and he has since created parts in les Trois Peches du Liable, Rebecca, I'Image, and several other pieces. Geoffroy is an actor of great promise : naturally gifted with a flexible countenance, a clear and even musical voice, and a fund of inexhaust- ible gaiety, he is also entirely free from that besetting sin of comic performers in general — vulgarity. His acting is, indeed, rather remark- able for esprit than for drollery, and the pieces of his friend and patron, Scribe, are peculiarly calculated to develope and display to the fullest advantage his mirth-creating powers. He sings agreeably, treads the stage in an easy and unembarrassed manner, and is altogether an ex- cellent acquisition to the company. KLEIN. Born in Paris. His father was a great devotee, and made his son officiate for three years as incense-bearer with a shorn crown and white surplice in the church of Saint M^ry. He was afterwards ap- prenticed to a watchmaker, where he found among his fellow workmen a dramatic enthusiast, who delighted in reciting scraps of Corneille and Racine when his master was out of hearing, and moreover occasionally acted en amateur. Klein was soon bitten with the same mania, and shortly after made his lUbut in a little theatre at Montrouge, as Mascarille in le Depit Amou- reiix. Baptiste the younger, then in his glory at the Franqais, was ac- cidentally a witness of this first appearance, and seeing, or fancying •265 that he saw, some resemblance between the young actor and hmiself (possibly because both were tall, thin, and bony), he applauded him, and Klein's future career was decided. He entered the Conservatoire in 1812, where Perlet and Samson were also studying. He then appeared in les Jeux Gymnicjucs at the Porte Saint Martin, where at. that time only two performers were allowed to talk on the stage at once, the acting of the rest being confined to pan- tomime. Notwithstanding this disadvantage, Klein succeeded in attract- ing the notice of the public, and soon after, the restriction being re- moved, several melodramas were played there, in one of which, Ip. Mont Saint Bernard, he personated a young peasant covered with snow in so life-like and natural a manner as to make the audience shiver at the very, sight of him. He was subsequently advised by Potier to accept an engagement at the Ambigu, where he created some sensation by his acting in la Foret PeriUeuse and other popular pieces. At length, find- ing the exertions he had undergone too much for his strength, he re- tired to Normandy, where he was for some time believed to be dead, but eventually reappeared, and, after playing with success in some of Victor Ducange's pieces, was engaged at the Gymnase. His greatest creation at this theatre has been le Vcau d'Or, his part in which comedy was originally intended for Bouffe. That actor, however, refused it on the plea of its bearing some resemblance to that of Grandet in la Fille de I'Avare, and wrote to Scribe (one of the authors) accordingly. Scribe's reply was very simple. "Sir, M. Ferville has played twelve generals in twelve of my pieces, and not one of his personations in any way resembles another." Upon this the part was given to Numa, who, after carefully reading it, gave it back, saying he doubted whether if Prdville were to reappear, even hey,with all his talent could play it. R^bard then took it, and rehearsed it a dozen times, but his conception of the part was so indifferent that Scribe insisted on its being given to Klein, by whom it was played fifty nights. "Avant le Veau d'Or," says a newspaper of the time in allusion to the success of the piece, " Klein etait long; maintenant il est grand." The creations of this excellent actor are legion, and to enumerate them we should be obliged to cite half the repertoire of the Gymnase. We may, however, mention Un ChangementdeMain,and laMailressede 266 Maison as among his most recent triumphs, in both of which he is seen to great advantage. Klein is one of those real artistes whom it is a pleasure to study : the personages represented by him are not crude and hastily conceived sketches, but finished portraits, on each of which he has bestowed more care and patience than many other actors expend on their entire repertoire. He is never imperfect or at a loss, nor are the interests of an author ever endangered by him. His dress, look, and manner are all in harmony with the character he represents, nor is there ever the slightest incongruity visible either in his making up or in his acting. All is at once highly comic, and, as poor Liston used to say, "quite correct." Both in and out of the theatre Klein enjoys very general and de- served popularity, as well on account of his undeniable talent as of his many excellent private qualities. LANDROL (Hippolyte). A most useful actor, formerly a member of the Bordeaux theatre, and subsequently of the Renaissance, who now plays the comic fathers and other elderly gentlemen with no little humour. The characters en- trusted to him sometimes border on the ridiculous, but he has sufiicient tact not to indulge in any undue exaggeration. As Pivoine in la Vie en Partie Double, he is exceedingly droll. LANDROL (Alexandre). A Yom-ig amouretix, son of the foregoing, who made his debut May 25, 1846, as Ferdinand in le Jardin d'Hiver. MONTDIDIER. A clever jeme premier, formerly attached to the Renaissance, who 267 made a very successful debut al the Gymnase, together with M""" Doche, April 17, 1845, as Leopold in I' I mage, and who has since created Alexis in Vn Changement de Main in a highly creditable manner. He has lately been engaged at the Ambigu, and we sincerely congratulate M. B^raud on his acquisition. Montdidier, in addition to an agreeable open countenance and a good figure, possesses more life and animation than usually falls to the lot of jeunes premiers at the present day, and is at the same time an un- affected and natural actor. His voice is rather harsh and grating, and he has acquired a constant and unpleasant habit of contracting his brows into a frown, the effect of which is by no means personally advanta- geous to him ; but these trifling defects are more than redeemed by the earnestness and genuine feeling of which he has given ample proof in the few creations which have been entrusted to him. MONVAL (LfiON), Regisseur of the theatre, and a quiet pains-taking actor, one of whose most recent and best creations is the Marquis de Beauchamp in Un Mori qui se derange. MOREAU-SAINTI (Theodore). A tall and fine-looking young man, son of Moreau-Sainti of the Opdra Comique. He first appeared at the Gymnase in October, 1845, in I'He- ritiere, and bids fair, with study and perseverance, to become a good amoureux. NUMA. Numa, whose real name is Marc Beschefer, was educated at the Lyc6e 268 Ghaiieinagne. His lather inteoded him for a tradesman, but linding that his son preferred the stage to the counter, he sent him to the icole cle Medecine in hopes of curing him. ' ' Fathers," says our hero's biographer, " are excellent people in their way; they have but one little failing, that is, their wishes are always directly opposed to those of their sons." This axiom, however questionable as a general rule, was at all events true in the case of Numa, who principally employed the hours which should have been devoted to study in humming cou- plets and reading le Medecin malgre lui. At last he carried his point, threw physic to the dogs, and came out at Versailles, where he soon became a prodigious favourite. After remaining there three years, he was engaged to supply the place of Perlet at the Gymnase, and has ever since ranked among the most popular actors of that theatre. Numa, to a superficial observer, would seem anything rather than what he really is, a most accomplished and finished artiste, the great feature of his acting being an imperturbable sang-froid and an apparent indifference to everything that is going on around him. He walks about, his hands carelessly thrust into his pockets, and says what he has to say without the least semblance of effort, and with a perfect gravity, which contrasts strangely with the roars of laughter which his peculiar manner excites, and of which he appears wholly unconscious. He seldom smiles himself, even while uttering the most irresistible drolleries, and it is perhaps the extreme composure invariably evinced by him that renders the mirth of his audience the more uproarious. Do not think, however, that this pretended indifference is real, or that the effectofeachscene, of each sentence, nay, of each shrug of the shoulder and comic inflexion of the voice, has not been carefully studied before- hand. The chief art of acting consists in the power of concealing every appearance of effort, and this very rare quality no one possesses to a greater extent than Numa. Among the pieces roost indebted to him for their success are la De- moiselle a Marier, I'Ambassadeur, Moiroud et Compagnie, and more recently Madame de Cerigny, Genevieve, and Jeanne et Jeanneton, in which last comedy he has displayed a degree of pathos and sensibility of which his warmest admirers could hardly have supposed him capable. 269 PASTELOT. Generally speaking, the creations entrusted to this actor are of a very secondary order, and little better than what are technically called with us walking gentlemen's parts. Now and then, however, some author takes pity on him, and has seldom reason to repent having done so, for Pastelbt is not only an useful but an intelligent performer, and fdls up a bout de role very creditably. PERES. A young comic actor of more repute than many of his seniors. Though but recently enrolled among the company, he has contrived to become popular without having had a single part of any importance, simply ow'ing to the peculiar originality of his acting. As a waiter in Un Mari qui se derange he convulsed the house by his perfect imita- tion of a well-known functionary who officiates at a cafe in the Palais Royal; and it is no discredit to Ferville, Tisserant, and the other actors in this very amusing vaudeville, to say that P^res's performance of a part hardly exceeding a dozen lines in length was the feature of the piece. SYLVESTRE. Sylvestre's style of acting is said to bear a distant resemblance to that of Legrand, one of Potier's clever contemporaries ; it is farcical rather than comic, and is perhaps more adapted to the Vari^t^s, where it was once highly relished, than to the Gymnase, where it contrasts strangely enough with the grace of Rose Ch^ri, the polished manners of Bres- sant, and the comparatively quiet humour of Klein, Numa, and Tisse- rant. The mirth-exciting powers of Sylvestre are, however, un- deniable, and although we may on reflection regret the occasional 270 exaggeration which disfigures his acting, we have little leisure or in- clination to do so while listening to his most amusing drolleries. TISSERANT. We know little of the private history of this actor previous to his becoming a member of the Gymnase company, but we have heard it stated that he is the son of a gardener at Meudon, and that some of his early years were spent in painting on porcelain. In his dramatic capacity we can speak of him from our own observa- tion. Tisserant is in our opinion one of the most valuable artistes of the Gymnase : possessed of an extraordinary flow of animal spirits, and of a frank jovial gaiety, he has also in many of his creations displayed a strong dramatic feeling and a simple unaffected pathos, for which those who have only seen him in his lighter mood would t)e hardly disposed to give him credit. In le Diplomate, les Fees de Paris, and Madame de Cerigny he is a witty and accomplished comedian ; in la Belle et la Bete, and Noemie, he changes, Proteus-like, "From gay to grave, from lively to severe," and, attacking his audience on their'weak side, reaps a harvest of tears where he had formerly contented himself with smiles. We look upon Tisserant as one of the pillars of the Gymnase ; and were he even not the excellent actor he really is, we should still con- sider him entitled to our respect, as a worthy and honourable man. GHfiRl (M»' Rose). M"' Rose Ch^ri (whose real name is Marie-Rose Ch^ri Ciios) was born in 1825 at Etampes, in which town her father was at that time attached to an operatic company, under the management of our heroine's grandfather by her mother's side. At a very early age she was renowned for her precocious intelligence and retentive memory, yC^ ^^:^ 271 being in the constant habit of singing, when hardly four years old, frag- ments of the Comte Ory, and other operas, which she had heard at the theatre. One year after, in 1830, she acted the part oi Lisette in le Roman d'une Heme for the amusement of her parents (the other two charac- ters being sustained by two of her playmates), and the talent displayed by her was so remarkable that she was encouraged to repeat the essay in public at the theatre of Bourges, on which occasion her infant exer- tions were rewarded by the enthusiastic applause of the audience, and (what was then probably even more to her taste) by a shower of bon- bons. Two years later, the Ch^ri family being engaged at Bayonne, a diver- tissement was introduced in la Muette de Portici, in which M"= Rose Gh6ri danced a bolero (which she had learnt from a Spanish professor) with such grace and precision as to excite universal admiration. From thjs time her father, anxious to turn her natural talents to some profit- * able account, taught her the piano, in the hope that she would entirely devote herself to the musical profession. The dramatic instinct, how- ever, was so strong within her, that her only happiness consisted in the study of different characters, and nothing ensured her attention to her musical lessons so much as a promise that she should some day be allowed to act. In 1834, while at Nevers, M. Cheri permitted his two daughters, Rose and Anna, to learn parts in le Vieux Gargon, la Petite Sceur, and le Mariage Enfaniin, in which last piece Rose personated the husband, and Anna the wife. The success of these Lilliputian performers was complete, and their father, who had by this time become manager of a provincial company, visited successively Chartres, Limoges, and several other towns, in each of which the extraordinary precocity of the two sisters (and more especially of Rose) renewed the furore which had been formerly created by the juvenile graces of L^ontine Fay. Chartres, Limoges, and P^rigueux, however, with all their triumphs, were not Paris ; and, in 1842, M"" Rose Ch^ri, anxious to brave the or- deal so much dreaded by provincial celebrities, arrived in the capita|, bringing with her a letter of recommendation from a clever vaudeville writer to M. Poirson. He received her favourably, but having little •272 faith in provincial stars, made lier debuier (under, we believe, tlie name of Marie) in Estelle, a part unsuited to her, and ill calculated to display her talent to advantage. After this, M"" Rose Ch^ri was thought no more of for a time, and might possibly have returned in despair toP6- rigueux, had not a lucky circumstance at once brought her into notice. During themonth of July in the same year, M"" Nathalie, who was then acting in la Jettnesse Orageuse, being suddenly taken ill, M. Poirson bethought himself of the debutante he had hitherto neglected, and bade her study the part for the following evening. She did so, and played it with such grace and natural simplicity, that the press and public were alike enchanted, and her subsequent performance in le Premier Cha- piire and le Mariage de Scanon confirmed the impression already pro- duced in her favour. M"" Rose Ch^ri's first original creation was Celine in the piece of that name, which was followed by one of her great triumphs, la Marquise de Rantzau; her acting in this last-named comedy entitled her at once to rank among the hesijeunes premieres in Paris. The versatility of this chamiing actress is as remarkable, if not even more so, than her talent ; the most opposite characters are represented by her with equal skill and success, as a mere glance at her repertoire will show. Therese in Georges et Therese, Alberta /., Emma, Re- becca, Madame de Cerigny, Elizabeth in Un Changement de Main, An- toinette in la Belle et la Bete, Genevieve, laMei'e de Famille, Yelva, and a dozen other parts, prove each in an eminent degree Tier ability to play comedy, drama, and even pantomime, with what effect those only who have witnessed her performance can fairly comprehend. M"' Rose Ch^ri has recently paid a visit to London, where her recep- tion was as cordial as her warmest admirers could have wished. Not only were her brilliant dramatic powers appreciated as they deserved, but due justice was also rendered to the many estimable qualities which eminently distinguish her private character, and which have obtained for her the respect and esteem of all who know her. The press were unanimous in her praise, and we make no apology for transcribing here from one or two of our public j ournals the following passages descriptive of her looks, manner, and acting, which strike us as being peculiarly happy. 273 A critic in the Times alludes thus to la rose cherie du Gymnase : "A more genuine talent, or one so nearly approaching perfection in its in- terpretation of nature, we have never seen. Nature, apart from and to the exclusion of all conventionalism, appears to have been the sole and profound study of M"* Gh^ri, and to have been adopted by her as her only guide. There is a wonderful freshness, consequently, in all she does." Another writer says : ' ' Her figure is short, but symmetrically formed, and her features, though not strictly handsome, have that prominence which always shows to advantage on the stage. Her mouth is full of expression, and her eye, which is large and convex, is susceptible of melting into softness or firing with indignation. Her movement on the stage is graceful and elegant, and her air perfectly unembarrassed. She has been an actress from her childhood, and, unlike many other precocious prodigies in this or other countries, retains her talent as a woman which astonished when only an infant. Her voice is alike pleasing and impressive ; it partakes of the conir'dto quality, is liquid, distinct, and full of the finest intonation." ' We have little to add to the above excellent description of M"" Rose Cheri beyond expressing our own sincere admiration as well of her public qualities as of her private virtues. At the present day, when it is so much the fashion to consider every actress, merely because she is an actress, and without caring or seeking to inquire as to the truth of the accusation, as belonging to a systematically vicious and abandoned class, it is refreshing to be able to point out a few exceptions to the rule so arbitrarily and uncharitably laid down, exceptions who are alike an honour to their sex and to the profession of which they are members. Such an exception is M"" Rose Ch^ri, and we would fain believe and hope that many of her contemporaries have an equal right to the title. It does not necessarily follow that because an actress may possess the talent of a Clairon or of a Sophie Arnould, she should in imitating their qualities imitate also their defects; nor, as we may see in the case of M"= Rose Ch6ri, is excellence on the stage incompatible with modesty or domestic worth (1) . (4) Since the atove was written, M'l. Rose Chferi lias achieved a new and brillianl triumpb ift Clarisse llarloive. . g 27/i CHfim (M"" Anna). What we have said of M"' Rose Cheriisin a great measure appUcable to M'" Anna, who is the younger of the two by one year, having been born in 1826. She is already a very pleasing actress, and promises to follow still more closely in the track of her sister, than whom she could not have a better model. M'" D6sir6e is a pupil of M"« Jenny Vertpr^, under whose auspices, we believe, she made her first debut at Passy, some three or four years ago, in la Demoiselle a Marier. The success obtained by her on this occasion procured her the offer of an engagement from M. Montigny, then manager of the Gait6; her instructress, however, advised her to decline it, and subsequently prevailed on M. Poirson to engage her for the Gymnase. For some time after her dehul there she remained altogether unno- ticed, and beyond a few trifling parts in la Marquise de Rantzau, Da- niel le Tambour, and one or two other pieces, had no opportunity of improving her acquaintance with the public ; but on the management of the theatre falling into the hands of M. Montigny, who had not forgotten the debutante of Passy, she was suddenly withdrawn from her obscu- rity, and the best authors of the day, including even Scribe himself, did not disdain to write for her. Scarcely had she appeared in les Surprises when the whole play-going public were in raptures with her grace, her gentillesse, and the lively piquancy of her manner. Nothing was talked of but M"° D^siree, even Rose Ch^ri herself being for a time almost neglected for the new idol ! Every fresh creation was esteemed a marvel, every piece entrusted to her was considered a chef-d'ceuvre. Her naivete as Gianina in Rebecca, her versatility as Sizerin in les Trois Peclies du Diable, and her co- quettish simplicity in Bahiole et Joblot were commented on with as- tonishing perseverance and untiring admiration by the Monday feuille- 275 ten writers, until the fair object of all their praises, however insensible she may have been to flattery, stood in imminent danger of having her youthful head most irretrievably turned. But her celebrity was based on too slight a foundation to last : ere long, people began to question tlie accuracy of their former judgment, and to doubt the hitherto universally acknowledged perfections of Jenny Vertpre's protegee. The press, too, gradually deserted her banner, and more than one strict and unsparing criticism appeared in the very journals where her supremacy had been hitherto the most absolute. As frequently happens in similar cases, from being over partial the public became unjustly severe; and thus, such was the general anxiety to Strip their former favourite of her borrowed plumage, that those real qualities indisputably possessed by her were considered as dust in the balance , if indeed they were not altogether forg^otten. This reaction is beginning to subside, and M"* Desiree is now re- garded, not as a second Mars or even Jenny Vertprd, but as a mostagree- able and promising young actress, endowed with sufficient talent, beauty, and gentillesse to render her a valuable acquisition to any company. It is generally reported that she has recently accepted an engagement as pensionnmre at the Theatre Frangais, and, for her own sake as well as for that of the public, we sincerely hope that the report may be correct. IRMA (M"'). M"" Irma Aubry, after attaining a certain reputation at Bordeaux, appeared at the Palais Royal in July 1845, in I'Ecole Buissomih-e. Quitting that theatre for the Gymnase, she made her debut there No- vember 12 in the same year, by succeeding M"= Ddsir6e as Marie Perrot in Noemie. She is anexceedingly lively actress, with dark hair, expressive eyes, and a remarkably neat little figure. Her voice is naturally thin and rather sharp, but she manages it with skill and even taste, so much so as to render her singing of a couplet occasionally pleasing. M"' Irma 276 has given proof of talent in almost every one of her personations, but is especially at home as dignsette or a debardmr. K(EHLER (M"= Jenny). First appeared at the Gymnase, January 15, 1846, as Caroline in Un Nuage au del. She is short in stature, and there is a childish sim- plicity in her manner which is not altogether unattractive : a little more animation, however, would greatly improve her acting. LAMBQUIN (M^Ov Actresses in general are unwilling to play the old women until age compels them to do so. M»" Lambquin has been wise enough to.deviate from the usual custom, and has had the courage while still young to devote her talent to a line of parts in which she has but few compe- titors, and with the exception of M™" Desmousseaux, Guillemin, and Flore, no superior. The success obtained by her first at the Ambigu, and subsequently at the Cirque Olympique, has been renewed at the Gymnase, where she is deservedly a favourite. Our praises, however, must be understood to refer to her perform- ance of the middle and lower classes of duegnes, her assumption of la grande dame being occasionally characterized by a degree of vulgarity from which her excellent predecessor, M"" Julierine, was wholly free. We feel bound to add, nevertheless, that M"" Lambquin's recent crea- tion of Mme Harlowe in Clarisse Harlowe is a most decided improvement on any of her preceding efforts. LfiON (M'"). A young and promising actress of the D^jazet school, who quitted the 2^/7 Vari6tes in January, 18/|6, for the Gymnase, where she made a tolerably successful d^but as Helene in les Couleurs de Marguerite, M"' L^on strikingly resembles M"' D^jazet both in voice and manner. MARTHE (M»»). M"° Marthe Letessier created some sensation at the Odeon in the winter of 1845 by her performance of Lais in Diogene. She is, however, far more in her element at the Gymnase, where she first appeared May 12, 1846, as Adelein la Pensionnaire Mariee, especially as she has there an opportunity of displaying to advantage a very sweet and musical voice, admirably adapted to couplet singing. M"" Marthe is one of the prettiest and most pleasing actresses in Pa- ris : she has yet much to learn, and, as far as stage experience is con- cerned, is little more than a novice ; b\it there is such a charming youthful freshness in her countenance, and such a winning simplicity- and naivete in her manner, that, while admiring the delicate rose-bud before us, we are apt to forget our critical severity in our satisfaction at beholding so exquisite a specimen of female beauty (1). MELCY (M^'"). M"" Clotilde Amelie Menier, alias MelcY, first became a member of the Gymnase in October, 184/t, when she made an almost unnoticed de- but in Estelle. Since then, however, by constant study and persever- ance, she has attained a degree of eminence for which her talents as an actress in our opinion hardly qualify her. She is not altogether without animation, nor is she by any means deficient in intelligence, but her voice is larmoyant in the extreme, and there is a sameness in her acting and delivery which tends greatly to (0 Mn« Marthe lools and acts Jemy in Clarisse Uarlowe to perfection. i278 neutralize the many agreeable qualities she possesses. Her personal appearance is very much in her favour : she has fine eyes, beautiful hair, and a good figure, and is moreover one of the best and most lady^- like dressers on the French stage. MQNVAL (JWme). M"" Monval is the vyife of the regisseur, and has preated some comic parts with a certain degree of humour and orjginality. SAUVAGE (M»« EuGi^NiE). Born August 13, 1813. hi 1827, she first appeared at the Porte Saint Martin in les Deux Freres, and was subsequently engaged at the Gait6, where she remained until the destruction of that theatre" by fire in 1835. We find her shortly after at the Gymnase, where her perfojrmance of la Fille d'un Militaire added greatly to her reputation, and was even pronounced equal to the happiest efforts of M"' Mars and L6ontine Fay. Grossing the Boulevard to the Vari^tds, M"° Sauvage eventually left that theatre for the Od^on, and at last, in October, 1845, reappeared at the Gymnase as la Comtesse in Noemie. She is a quiet and lady-like actress ; her manners are totally free from vulgarity, and she treads the stage with grace, ease, and dignity (1). VALLfiE (M"«). M"' Celihe Vall6e, without being a first-rate, actress, is an agreeable and graceful performer, and we regret that, sq few opportunities are allowed her of displaying her very pleasing talent. (0 A8 Cliililde in Mre airad ou mourir, Mii« Sauvage is seen to very great aflvantage. 279 Few theatres possess a better or more varied repertoire than the Gymnase, which has been enriched by the c/ie/i-rf'a;Mt)re of Scribe, Bayard, Melesville, and indeed of most of the leading dramatists who have flourished during the last twenty years. From this admirable collection of pieces, we select a few of the most remarkable, ancient as well as modern : Malvina. Le Mariage de Raison. La Demoiselle a Marier. Philippe. Yelva. les Ffes de Paris. Un Roman Intime. Le Secretaire et le Cuisinier. Les Aides de Camp. Le Diplomate. M™ de C^rigny. Rebecca. Un Tuteur de Vingt Ans. Les Trois P^ches du Diable. La Belle et la BSte. La Marraine. Rodolphe. La Pensionnaire Marine. L'Image. Jeanne et Jeanneton. La Somnambule. La Seconde Ann^e. Un Changement de Main. La Loi Salique. La Vie en Partie Double. Noemie. Un Mari qui se derange. Genevifeve. Clarisse Harlowe. CHAPTER X. PALAIS ROYAL. Manager, M. Dormeuil. After the expulsion of Brunet and his comrades from the Salle Mon- tansier, that theatre became the scene of divers exhibitions, its first proprietor being Forioso, the celebrated rope-dancer. Two brothers of the name of Ravel having denied his supremacy in this saltatory art, a challenge was forthwith sent by them and accepted by their Italian rival, the Theatre Montansier being fixed upon as the arena whereon the championship was to be decided. The contest terminated in the dis- comfiture of Forioso, who, after having been again overcome on a second trial, declared his intention, with the view of re-establishing his su- periority, of walking on a rope stretched over the Seine from the Pont de la Concorde to the Palais Royal. This extraordinary feat, hew- ever, the announcement of which had created a great sensation, never came off. After the departure of Forioso and the brothers Ravel from Paris, M"' Montansier obtained permission to let her theatre for the perform- ance of what were then called les Jeux Forains, or, in other words, for a puppet-show, the pieces consisting of little vaudevilles, and the actors 281 of wooden fantoccini. This novel entertainment was liius alluded to in a couplet sung at theGaite : " Les je»\x forains, jo le vois, S'ouvreHt sous d'heiireux auspiL-es. Tous les acteurs sont de bois, On n'y ci'aint pas leurs malices ; Et s'il prend qiielques capviees- Aux direeteiu's mecontens, Engag'ments, acteurs, actrices, Tout ja s'casse en mi5mo temps." This exhibition was succeeded by another at once more original and more popular, the actors being a company of remarkably intelligent dogs, and the pieces performed by them melodramas of which the reader may form some idea from the following analysis of one of the best. A young Russian princess, held captive in a castle by a tyrant, has a lover, who has sworn to effect her deliverance. On the rising of the curtain the fair prisoner (a pretty spaniel) is discovered walking on the parapet of a tower ; the lover (a very handsome dog) presently ap- pears at_the foot of the wall barking very amorously. As for the tyrant, he is represented by a ferocious-looking bull-dog with a smashed nose. On a given signal the lover's army make their entree, and scale the walls of the castle, which, after a gallant defence on the part of the gar- rison, is finally taken, and the princess delivered. Several private individuals brought their dogs to serve as auxiliaries in this "skrimmage," so that it was no uncommon thing to hear the different proprietors shouting out in tones of encouragement during the piece : ''Bravo, Medor!" " AUez done, Turc!" cries to which the volunteers responded by sundry barks and wags of the tail. One evening, however, a dog was standing sentinel at the foot of the tower, when his master entered the theatre, and took his seat in the stalls : the poor animal instantly recognizing him deserted from his post with arms and accoutrements, and it was with difficulty that the others were prevented from following his example. On the closing of this exhibition the theatre was converted into a ca/e, where all dramatic performances were at first forbidden, but by degrees detached scenes and even vaudevilles were allowed, on condi- tion of their being played by only two or at most three actors. This 282 cafe-spectacle became during the hundred days the favourite rendez- vous of Napoleon's partizans, and on the second restoration the gardes- du-corps of Louis XVIII. came thither, and in revenge broke the glasses and everything they could lay hands on. This disturbance caused the Caf6 Montansier to be closed for a while, but it was afterwards re-opened by a certain Valin, under whose management short pieces were given, the number of actors being restricted to two. In 1830, a privilege for the Salle du Palais Royal was granted by the minister, M. Mon tali vet, to Messrs. Dormeuiland Charles Poirson, and the theatre having been entirely rebuilt opened June 6, 1831, with a "^vo- logue entitled •//« w'otn« M61ingue, of the Th^Mre Franfais. 307 tour through Russia, and, we believe, Turkey, with M"» Georges and some others members of the troupe, from which he returned penniless. During their excursions M"" Georges used frequently to play in the pro- vinces, and on one occasion at Dreux the bills announced the appear- ance of the great tragic actress in Semiramis, the following words (probably added by Harel) being printed in italics at the bottom of the affiche: "M"" Georges will appear in diamonds worth 30,000 francs. N. B. M"« Georges wears nothing false ! " After the resignation of M. Harel the Porte Saint Martin was closed, and re-opened in 1840, under the management of Messrs. Theodore and Hippolyte Cogniard (1), the former of whom is now sole director, IW. Hippolyte Cogniard having recently succeeded M. Ancelot as manager of the Vaudeville. Among the principal novelties produced at this theatre since the ac- cession of the Messrs. Cogniard we may cite Don Cesar de Bazan, and la Dame de Saint Tr'opez, two excellent additions to Fr^ddrick Le- maltre's repertoire, Marie Jeanne, the greatest triumph of M"'* Dorval (2) , the amusing revue of Aujourd'hui et dans Cent Ans , and that most magnificent of all fairy spectacles, la Biche au Bois. The prosperity of the Porte Saint Martin, which has been gradually on the increase since 1840, may fairly be attributed in a great measure to the liberal and spirited conduct of the brother managers, who have shown that the best way to command success is to deserve it. The company is now as complete as that of most Parisian theatres, and comprises perhaps more sterling talent than any single establishment (with very few exceptions) can boast. A void has, indeed, been left in the troupe by the departure of the pretty M"® Andrea (3), but we doubt not that CO Formerly joint managers with M. Mourier, of the Folies Dramatiqnes. (2) Mni« Marie Dorval was born, we believe, in 1792, and made her flrst dibut on any stage at Bayonne. Commencing her Parisian career at the Porte Saint Martin, she was afterwards engaged at the Franjais, where she created KiUy Bell in Chailerlon. In 1844 she was at the OdSon, and from thence in January, 1845, returned to the Porte Saint Martin, which theatre, however, she again quitted at the close of the same year. Mm« Dorval is the flrst dramalic actress of her day : she has more physical energy and passion than any of her contemporaries, and can sustain the most trying and arduous character (Marie Jeanne for instance) with little or no fatigue to herself. The effect of her acting on the female portion of her audience is diffleult to be imagined; her pathos is so real, lier despair so natural, that it is almost impossible to withstand their influence, or to maintain any degree of composure while under the spell of her wonderful talent. (3) Mii« Andrea d'Hargeville, who was engaged in London during most of the season of 308 M. Theodore Cogniard is already on the look out for some new beauty to fill it up. THE COMPANY. BERTHIER. A very clever comic dancer, excellent as le Grand Cousin in the ballet of le Diserteur. CLARENCE. Paris can boast few jeunes premiei-s equal to Clarence, whether as regards personal appearance or talent. After studying for a year at the Conservatoire under the name of Charlait, he made a successful debut at Montmartre, and was subsequently engaged at the Porte Saint Mar- tin. Among his best creations there have been Rochegune in Mathilde, Rodolphe in les Mysteres de Paris, and Charles Barbel in la Dame de Saint Tropez; and he has also, on the occasion of a benefit, played Chatterton in Count Alfred de Vigny's beautiful drama with such touch- ing melancholy and deep feeling as to obtain a most decided succes de larmes. Clarence possesses, in addition to a very intelligent and pleasing countenance, an elegant figure, and a voice at once melodious and powerful : he has, indeed, every requisite for the line of parts assumed 1845, is daughter of a nobleman, formerly attached to the person of Charles X. The re- volution of 1830, which deprived her family of almost every means of subsistence, induced her to turn lier thoughts to the stage, and in November, 1840, she appeared at tlie Porte Saint Martin as Jenmj in Richard d'Arlinylon with great success. Among her subsequent creations were Stella in Pitris le DohSme, Ismaiil in les Mille cl Une I\'uUs and Lazarille in Don Cisur de Bazan. Mi'= Andrfea is notonly a handsome woman, bul a very pleasing actress, and as sucli is still regretted l)y Ihe habitues of tlie Porte Saint Martin. 309 by him, and much do we regret that such talents as his should be wasted on a Boulevard audience, when they might be so advantageously em- ployed and so well appreciated at the ThiSatre Frangais. DUBOIS. A somewhat heavy but occasionally amusing comic actor, who was very droll as King Drelindindin in la Biclie au Bois. GABRIEL. Whoever has seen the famous Revue entitled Aujourd'hui et dans Cent Ans must remember the scene between King Richard and the tenor, so admirably sung by Gabriel. The voice of this clever artiste is rich in tone and by no means deficient in sweetness ; and were not opera less the order of the day than burlesque at the Porte Saint Martin, he might aspire to no small reputation as a vocalist. At it is, he is an ex- cellent comic singer and an equally good comic actor. GRAILLY (EoGfeNE). Never having had the good fortune to fall in with a real King of Spain, and entertaining, moreover, but very vague ideas as to what such a po- tentate may be like, we do not feel competent to decide whether or not M. Eugene Grailly's personations of Castilian and Arragqnese mo- narchs (almost the only parts we have seen him play) are correct. Viewed in the light of dramatic conceptions, they are remarkably clever and artistical, and would do honour to any actor. In Don Cesar de Ba- zan, especially, Grailly invests the character of the King with a sombre dignity and 5 stern yet touching melancholy which contrast strangely with the insouciance and philosophic gaiety of Fr^d^rick Lemaitre. 310 Had Wallack been equally well supported in London, the English version of Don Cesar (we allude of course to that produced at the Princess's Theatre) would have lost little by comparison with the original; whereas, from the entire absence of that ensemble for which the French stage is so justly celebrated, and which is so rarely met with in our theatres , the interesting and effective drama of the Porte Saint Martin, after having been horribly mutilated in order that it might play closer, was only saved from the fate which awaited all the other trans- lations of the same piece by the admirable acting of Don Cesar himself, and the ever charming Fanny Stirling. JEMMA. Born in 1805 at Cottenchy, a village in the D^partement de la Somme. At the age of twenty, he abandoned the medical profession for the stage, and after playing for some time at the Versailles theatre, was engaged at the Porte Saint Martin, where he made a very successful debut in 1825, as the Major d'Hermonville in les Freres a I'Epreuve. In 1831, he performed alternately at the Odeon and Porte Saint Martin, both of which theatres were then under the management of M. Harel, and in 1833 went to the Gait^, where he remained until the destruction of that theatre by fire, February 20, 1835. On its being rebuilt eight months after he returned thither, his engagement not having expired ; and in 1838 reappeared at the Porte Saint Martin, where his principal creations have been Latude in the piece of that name, Seclierin in Ma- thilde, and Antoine Caussads in la Dame de Saint Tropez. Jemma is not only an actor of real talent, but of indefatigable per- severance and industry : he bestows more thought and study on each of his parts than many of his comrades give to half their repertoire, And the result is a perfection both as regards his conception and perform- ance of a character which is rarely to be met with in a Boulevard Iheatre. Naturally gifted with a manly and expressive countenance, a good figure, and a clear sonorous voice, he can, when necessary, so dis- 311 guise these personal advantages as to appear positively repulsive ; and this power of adapting his look and manner to the personage he repre- sents is particularly manifested in Za Dame de Saint-Tropez, his Antoine Caussade in which piece is a most finished specimen of rascality. Jemma is a member of the Dramatic Authors' Association, his admis- sion into which society dates from the first performance of his comedy, les Deux Maris, produced at the Porte Saint Martin October 20, 1838. LEMAITRE (Fr^d^rick). k This celebrated artiste, son of an architect of talent, was born at Ha- vre, we believe in 1800. When quite a child, he used to amuse his pa- rents by reciting verses from the works of different dramatists, with a table cloth thrown over his shoulders, a napkin bound across his fore- head, and a paper-knife in his hand. In 1820, Frederick was admitted a pupil of the Conservatoire, and two years later he presented himself at a public examination of dra- matic aspirants held at the Od6on, in the hope of obtaining an engage- ment, but had only one voice recorded in hisfavour— that of Talma! — Many years after, on being asked by a friend at what theatre and in what character he had first appeared on the stage, he answered with a smile : " At the Varietes Amusantes, as the lion in Pyrame et Tliisbe— on all fours." " Such," says one of his biographers, "was the com- mencement of the ill-luck which has attended him through life. He was playing Thisbe's lion when he ought to have played Pyramus ; he was at Franconi's when he should have been at the Ambigu; at the Ambigu when his place was at the Od^on ; and is now at the Porte Saint Martin, when he ought to be at the Theatre Frangais." From the Varietes Amusantes Frederick went to the Funambules, and from thence to theCirqueOlympique, where he played parts which no one else would take ; and, though frequently hissed, was never applauded, except on one occasion. During the performance of a grand spectacle called la Mart de Kleber, in which our hero personated a confidant, he 312 was surprised aL being interrupted in the middle of a long speech by a general burst of laughter. Not only were the audience convulsed, but even the actor who was listening to his tirade had the greatest difficulty in maintaining his gravity. Taking advantage of a pause, Frederick asked ihe latter what was the cause of this unexpected hilarity, and received for answer an intimation that his right whisker (one of a pair which he had stuck on to look more than usually ferocious) had fallen off. " Is that all ?" said the re-assured confidant; and, lifting up his hand above his head as if to give additional force to the bombast he was uttering, he suddenly let it fall again, neatly removing the remaining whisker, to the great amusement of the audience, by whom the feat was enthusiastically applauded. After continuing his dramatic apprenticeship at the Od^on, where he was still condemned to play the conQdants, though in tragedy instead of in spectacle, Frederick offered his services to the manager of the Ambigu, who had just accepted i'Auberge des Adrets, a melodrama which appeared to him (and was in reality) sufficiently common place to admit of the principal character being entrusted to a debutant. He did not, therefore, scruple to admit the young actor into his company, and gave him the part of Redmond to study. The eventful night came, and the two first acts of the piece having gone off very heavily, I'Au- berge des Adrets was generally regarded as a failure ; Frederick, how- ever, suddenly hit upon the ingenious idea of making Redmond a comic instead of a melodramatic rascal, and began to introduce all kinds of drolleries into his part, which, backed by the equally laughable acting of Serres, put the audience into an ecstacy of delight, and decided the triumphant success of piece and performer. One of the authors had sent his bonne io see the first representation, and was waiting anxiously for her return in order to know the result, when, to his surprise, she came back hardly able to speak for laughing. " Ah ! Sir," she exclaimed, as soon as she had recovered her breath, "what an excellent piece ! how funny it is! I am sure I never laughed so much in all my life ! " " What ! " cried the amazed and indignant author," laugh at my melodrama! This comes of entrusting the leading character to an actor sans conscience ! " However, on go- ing himself to see the piece, he laughed like the rest, and, following the 313 example of his coUabm-ateur, pocketed his author's dues with great good humour (1). We have no space to follow Frederick Lemaitre from one theatre to another, nor to dwell upon the numerous creations which have marked his progress up the ladder of fame. Robert Macaire at the Folies Dramatiques, Kean at the Variet^s , and a dozen equally brilliant conceptions at the Porte Saint Martin, have obtained for him a popularity to which Bouff6 himself can hardly pretend. Georges in Trente Ans , Jacques Ferrand in les Mysteres de Paris, Ruy Bias, Don Cesar ^ de Bazan , are only a few out of the long list of dramatic triumphs achieved by this extraordinary actor, whose pro- found knowledge of human nature is even more remarkable than his genius. To such an extent, indeed, does he carry his desire to be na- tural, that not only are the minutest shades of each character entrusted to him studied with the most laborious care and attention, but even the smallest details of costume and accessories become each in their turn the object of grave consideration. Thus, when playing Buridan in la Tour de Nesle, he appeared as prime minister in the fourth act, clad in velvet, but with a plain woollen shirt, whereas the courtiers around him wore fine linen garnished with lace. On his beiqg asked the reason of this apparent inconsistency, he replied that he did not wear a linen shirt because, at the epoch referred to in the piece, they were not in common use ; " nay more," added he, "a century after, Isabel of Bavaria was reproached with extravagance for having two made of hnenin her trousseau." While studying the character of Mephisiopheles in Faust, Frederick for a long time tried in vain to acquire the peculiar tone of satanic laughter which he considered appropriate to the mysterious personage ; and at last, despairing of success, thought of substituting for it a dia- bolical grin. Placing himself before a looking-glass, he commenced (1) One eveniug, during the performance of I'Auberge des /idiete, Frfidfiriek came for- ward as Robert Macaire, and addressed the audience as follows.- "Gentlemen, we are unable to hill a gendarme this evening, the actor who usually sustains the character being indisposed; however, as the management desire most anxiously to please you, I am instructed to inform you that to-morrow night two seii- dai-mes will be put to death." This was said, hot because the actor was really ill, but because Frfidtack thought aliltle episode of the kind would have a beneficial effect on the treasury by ensuringa full house oh the next evening , and the event proved that he was right. 3U distorting his face into every variety of grimace, vi'hen suddenly hap- pening to glance across the street, he beheld some of his opposite neighbours leaning out of their windows, and staring at him with the most unfeigned horror. Annoyed at being thus overlooked, he hastily pulled down a jalousie which, creaking in its rapid descent, furnished him with the very sound which he had so long ineffectually sought, and which, deeply graven in his memory, was repeated by him with such marvellous effect on the stage. The same strict adherence to Nature, however, which constitutes the great perfection and charm of his acting, is occasionally miscon- strued by the public, as was once the case during the performance of Trente Ans at Orleans : in this piece Frederick, who had played the part of Georges with his accustomed talent, and had been immensely applauded up to the end of the fourth act, was hissed in the fifth because he took snuff out of a piece of paper. The good people of Or- leans, thinking, no doubt, that an actor of Frederick's celebrity ought to have come better provided, and never reflecting for a moment how unlikely it was that a man on the verge of starvation (as Georges is represented to be) should carry about with him such a luxury as a snuff-box, expressed their displeasure accordingly ; and he, guessing the motive of their anger, threw away the piece of paper, and sub- stituted for it a gold snuff-box, which he happened to have in his pocket. This (supposed) amende honorable completely restored the good humour of the audience, and Frederick and his tabatiere (espe- cially the latter) were greeted with loud acclamations. This great tragedian, for tragedian he is, albeit the arena of his glory be a minor instead of a national theatre, and his poets Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas instead of Corneille and Racine, has since the above was written added to his long list of brilliant creations that of Fabien in le Docteur Noir, apiece of little intrinsic merit, and entirely indebted for its success to his wonderfully energetic acting. LINYILLE. If Clarence be one of the best jeunes premiers in Paris, Linville is 315 assuredly one of the worst. He is said to have been once a favourite at Belleville : if he had consulted his own interest he would never have crossed the barnei-e. MARIUS. One of the most useful and least brilliant members of the company. MOESSARD. Simon-Pierre Moessard was born in Paris, May 13, 1781. He has been many years attached to the Porte Saint Martin, where he has played in drama, vaudeville, burlesque, and even ballet, his best crea- tion having been Germany in Trente Am. Moessard is not only an extremely useful, and, notwithstanding his age, highly amusing actor, but a most worthy, liberal, and kind-hearted man, who is ready on all occasions to serve a fellow creature in distress, and whose compassion or sympathy no one ever implored in vain. He has long been regisseur of the theatre, a post held by him during the lesseeship of M. Harel, who was generally on bad terms with his com- pany, and whose somewhat arbitrary messages to the different artistes were invariably transmitted through Moessard, much to the dislike of the latter. Being once ordered to dismiss one of the underlings, who had incurred the displeasure of the manager, he was in the act of doing so (as was his wont) in the gentlest and most considerate manner pos- sible, when M. Harel overhearing him exclaimed in a violent rage, ' ' Sir, when I am in a passion, it is your duty to be in a passion likevnse ! " Happily for Moessard, all managers have not the same ideas of duty as M. Harel. MULLIN. We have seen this actor play Mesrour in la Biche aux Bois, and can 316 bear unqualified tesLimony to his fitness for such parts. It is impos- sible to roll the eye more horribly or more effectively, and the mere lone of his voice (in his capacity of chief of the eunuchs, bien eniendu) is enough to give the stoutest-hearted child a most unenviable night- mare. NESTOR. A very droll and very original comique, who was once a member of the Gymnase, and who subsequently became manager of the Reims theatre. He is rather inclined to overact his parts, and occasionally mistakes exaggeration for humour, but is on the whole extremely amus- ing. Among his best personations at the Porte Saint Martin have been Gobeiout in Aujourd'hui et dans Cent Ans, Fanfreluche in la Biche au Bois, and lePere Sournois in les Petites Danaides , in which last-named character he imitated Poller's look, dress, voice, and manner with sur- prising fidelity. PERRIN. Some actors have too much confidence in their own powers ; Perrin has too little. This, however, is a fault on the right side, and easily amended : indeed, since his very successful creation of Remy in Marie- Jeanne, we have observed a marked improvement in his acting. Let him but earn a few more rounds of applause (he can earn them if he will) , and the timid embarrassment which still occasionally paralyses his efforts to amuse will altogether disappear. PONgOT. A young and promising dancer, who made his debut at the Porte Saint Martin, in September 1845, in a pas de deux with M"" Gamille. 317 RAUCOURT. This excellent actor was originally articled to a notary in Brittany, but soon quitted his master's office to join a strolling company, whose only theatre was a barn, and their audience some twenty or thirty peasants who, thoroughly tired with their day's work, were generally fast asleep before the first act was over. He afterwards played comic parts at Angers, then tragedy confidants at Brest, then young lovers at the Gym- nase in Paris, and at last made a brilliant debict at Bordeaux, in which city he remained ten years. Raucourt first appeared at the Porte Saint Martin as Morisseau in la Duchesse de la Vaubaliere, and by the finesse and vivacity of his acting contributed in no slight degree to the success of the piece. He sub- sequently played for a short time at the Palais Royal, but soon returned to the Porte Saint Martin, of which theatre he is one of the most valu- able members, .\mong his best creations we may mention le Maiire d'Ecole in les Mijsteres de Paris, and Colonel Perkins in Lady Seymour, nor must we forget his very excellent performance of Don Cesar in Victor Hugo's revived play of Ruy Bias. Raucourt's acting is at once natural and dramatic ; it is effective without exaggeration, and amusing without buffoonery. In drama he is dignified and energetic, in comedy he is gay and lively, but never ridiculous nor trivial. He so fully enters into the spirit of every cha- racter assumed by him as always to appear as much at home in each of his personations as if he had sustained the part all his life. This facility of identifying himself with his different creations is one of Raucourt's most precious qualities, and renders him as great a favourite with dra- matic authors (many of whom are largely indebted to his versatile ta- lent) as he is with the public. TOURNAN. Pierre-Bernard Tournan was born at Caen, October 28, 1804. He has been many years a member of the Porte Saint Martin, and is neither deficient in intelligence nor in original humour. 318 VISSOT. Vissot has been more than thirty years at this theatre, and can boast of having played in the Pie Voleuse in 1815, and in the Biche au Bois in 1845. AMANT (M""^ Padline). A plump merry-faced little actress, who makes up for her wan t of vocal and musical ability by the engaging gentiUesse of her manner. CAMILLE (M"-'). A charming and graceful rfaw«e«ie, whom we should like to see at the Acad^mie Royale. CHARTON (M-"*). M"" Charton is a very serviceable without being a highly talented actress, being capable not only of efficiently sustaining a secondary character, but even of replacing, when necessary, a premier sujet. We do not mean to say that she plays Marguerite de Bourgogne as well as M"° Georges, or even M"'" Dorval, but she does her best, and if she seldom rises above, still seldomer sinks below, mediocrity. DfiSlRfiE (M"') A pretty brunette, who acts agreeably, dances neatly, and sings in tune. Rara avis, etc. 319 DHARVILLE (M"«). The belle of the Porte Saint Martin since the departure of M"° Andrea, but lacking the grace and elegance of her predecessor. M"« Dharville possesses a pair of very fine eyes, which, in our opinion, are infinitely more attractive than her acting. DUBOIS (M-"«), « Plays every variety of elderly female, from the " middle-aged lady" to the venerable grandmamma. FIGHER (M»'). M"= richer might become a very pleasing actress, could she get rid of her drawling voice and stiff artificial manner. GENOT (M"'). This lady first appeared at the Porte Saint Martin in October, 18Zi5, as M'"^ Pipelet in Cabrion, She has a lively bustling manner, and, when the part performed by her admits of a little exaggeration, is very droll. GRAVE (M""). An admirable dresser; her toilette is always fresh and becoming, and did we know the name of her cmturiere, we should feel in duty bound to recommend her. M"" Grave has a prepossessing though not pretty 320 face and a symmetrical figure, and, were she to study Art less and Nature more, would be a very agreeable actress. LEVERGNE (M"'). Never having seen this lady except in the character of a black, or rather tawny, Princess in la Biche aux Bois, we are not competent to say whether she is pretty or plain. The part then assumed by her was a very repulsive one, and little calculated to excite the sympathy of the audience ; but we doubt whether any actress in the company could have played it better. MIROY (M"" Clarisse). M"" Clarisse Miroy, better known as simply M"" Clarisse, was born April 20, 1820, and commenced her theatrical career when quite a child at the Gymnase Enfantin, where, according to the terms of the privi- lege, speaking on the stage was forbidden ; the actors being restricted to pantomime, while their parts were said or sung by the regisseur be- hind the scenes. M'"^ Clarisse, who appears even then to have been conscious that she possessed a sweet voice, soon grew tired of this compulsory silence, and quitted the theatre for that of M. Comte, where a young actress having been suddenly taken ill, she olTered to replace her, guaranteeing to learn her part in one hour. This she did while she was dressing, and repeated it not in a parrot-like manner, but with so much spirit and vivacity, that she was rewarded by a round of ap- plause. Subsequently, while at the Gait6, she performed a similar feat, playing an important character in le Massacre des Innocens at a few hours' notice. M"' Clarisse remained two years with M. Comte, and then went to Lisbon, the French theatre in which city was at that time under the ma- nagement of Paul, the ex-actor of the Gymnase. There " la charmante 321 blonde," as she was called, became a great favourite, notwithstanding one unlucky attempt on her part to act tragedy, when, being utterly un- accustomed to recite anything in the shape of poetry except vaudeville couplets, she repeated the few verses which constituted her role (that of Ophelia's confidente in Ducis's translation of Hamlet) in such a sing- song tone, that the tragedy was hissed down. On the closing of the Lisbon theatre M»' Clarisse came to Paris, and appeared at the Pantheon, where she not only became the idol of the Quartier Latin, but also attracted the notice of M. Montigny, one of the managers of the Galte, who immediately engaged her. The grace and beauty of la rose du Boulevard, by which name she was soon universally knovra, added to the simplicity and naivete of her acting, obtained for her a celebrity which was still further augmented by her admirable creation of Marie in la Grace de Dieu. In 1844 she made a successful debut at the Porte Saint Martin as Mariiana in Don Cesar de Bazan, and has since created Hortense in la Dame de Sainl-Tropez, and Pauline in le Docteur Noir. M"' Clarisse, though she now resembles a full blown rather than a budding rose, is still a handsome woman, with expressive eyes, a fas- cinating smile, and a voice which has lost little if any of its original melody, and .which has all the bell-like clearness of M"* Plessy's organ without its monotony. Since her engagement at the Porte Saint Martin, we have noticed a very decided improvement in her acting, to which her constant association with Frederick Lemaitre, in all of whose recent triumphs she has had a share, has doubtless in no slight degree contri- buted. She was always remarkable for grace and sensibility, but it is only of late that she has added to these qualities others more essentially dramatic : her creation of Hortense in la Dame de Saint-Tropez has proved that, without ceasing to be unaffected and natural, she can dis- play at will a degree of energy of which those who remember her merely as the ingenue of the Gaite would hardly suppose her capable. M"= Clarisse has recently attempted Marie Jeanne, the best creation of M""« Dorval. To say that she played the character as well as her predecessor would be incorrect, nothing finer than M"" Dorval's per- formance of the bereaved mother having been seen on the French stage for many a day ; but M"« Clarisse's Marie Jeanne was not the less a 21 322 clever piece of acting, and in every respect worthy of her high profes- sional reputation. NEHR {M"«). M"« Elisa Nehr is a pretty blonde, and a very graceful dancer. REY (iM""' Jourdain). Born in 1821 at Marseilles. At eleven years of age she was principal danseuse in a juvenile cmrps de ballet starring through France, and at fifteen was engaged as second dancer at Bordeaux. There she appear- ed as M"= Anals (her Christian name), and was thought to resemble Ta- glioni both in her face and style of dancing. Her health, however, obliged her to forsake the ballet for the drama, and having after much study and perseverance succeeded in mastering a strong southern accent and a tendency to lisp, she obtained an engagement at Ro.uen. In the following year (1837) she returned to Bordeaux, and remained there until 1839, when she came to Paris, and made a successful debut (July 11) at the Renaissance, in le Fils de la Folk, under the name of M"* Jourdain. After the closing of that theatre she went to the Porte Saint Martin, where, with the exception of a flying visit to the Od6on in December, 1842, (1) she has remained ever since. M"" Rey is a great favourite with us, and, we may add, with the public generally. She not only looks and dresses, but also talks like a lady ; her countenance is extremely prepossessing and intelligent, and there is an attractive coquetry in her manner which contributes a peculiar charm to her acting. We have rarely heard a voice at once so clear, and (to make use of an untranslateable French expression) so mordante; and there is sufficient point and piquancy in her delivery to atone for (0 She was engaged there, with the sanction of her own manager, for the express purpose of creating la Comtesse de Levenbourq in la Main Droiie et la Main Gauche. 323 any want of either in her author. In drama she is as remarkable for sensibility and feeling as she is in comedy for vivacity and grace ; nor do we know many actresses on the French stage more capable of per- sonating with equal excellence and equal success the jeune premiere and the grande coquette (1). RICHARD (M"")- M"" Richard is a clever and agile dancer, but there is little of the sylphideia her face, and still less in her figure. ROSETTE (M"'). A pretty and elegant coryphee. The following are among the best dramas, spectacles, and ballets composing the repertoire of this theatre. La Tour de Nesle. Le Rarbier du Roi d'Aragon. Antony. Angfele. Trente Ans. Mathilde. Richard d' Arlington. Les Deux Serruriers. Don C6sar de Bazan. La Dame de Saint-Tropez, Ruy-Blas. 0) M-J. Rey ha, lately . ■ 108 Bassin ..... . ... . . ■ . . . • . . . 348 Bastien . . . . 343 Batignolles {Thidtre des) 4 Battu ..... 26 Baucher . .... . 349 Bayard 368 Beauch&ne, M"° Atala 196 Beauchene , M"° Marie . . . 352 Beaujoyeux . . . . 5 Beaulieu S Beaumarchais {Thidtre) 352 Beauplan, A. de . . 363 Beauvallet , 71 Beauvoir (Roger de) 171 Beck 197 Begrand, M'l' 304 Bellecour 69 Belleville {Thidtre de) 4 Bellini, M"" 157 376 Belinout, M"" . H) Beral (Frederic) • . . . 363 Beraud (Antony) 325 Berenger, M"" 254 Bergeon, M"' 352 Berger 282 Berger, M"" 29,7 Berlioz 30 Bernard Leon 184 Berthault, M"" 197 Berlhe, M'" 125 Berthier 308 Bertinazzi (Carlo) 110 Berton HI Bessin 33 Betlini 33 Betty, M"" 129 Bignon 196 Billon 365 Blaisot 138 Blanchard, M"* 125 Blangy, M"' 55 Blaze, M"' de 98 Blondy 8 Bobino (Theatre de) 354 Boeage 139 Boieldieu HI Boisgontier, M"" 3b3 Bonval , M"" 1 46 Bordier 259 Bordogni g Bouchardy 363 Bouffe 227 Bqulanger, M""° 125 Boulanger (Ernest) 125 Bourgogne (Hotel de) 61 Boutin, M"« Marie 336 Bouliu 350 Brambilla, M'" Marietta 157 Brambiila, M"' Teresa 457 Brambilla, M"' Peppina 157 Branchu,M"" ^3 Bras, M"« 204 Brazier ^70 Bremond 33 BressanI 2gg Brpssanl, M"° ' 254 377 Brit'fault (Eugene). . • 363 Brindeau 73 Brizard 69 Brocard, M"° (Opera) <3 Brocard.M'" (Theatre Fran?.ais. . , 136 BrohanjM"". 171 Brohan, M"» Augustine. . . . ^ 81 Brunei 214 Buloz • 2 Bussine 115 Caccia, M" Rossi- 3a Cachardy 129 Caignez 326 Caillot Ill Gamargo, M"° de 8 Camiade ■ jss Canaille, M'" "< 318 Carlo 116 Carmouche 363 Carpentier , 167 Carligny. ' 7S Casimir, M"" 125 Castellan, M"" 197 Caupenne (le baron de Ces-) 327 Cazot 226 Celeste, M"" 201 Celestine, M'" 198 Cellarius 28 Cellini U9 Censure {La) 365 Chabenat 352 Cliaix 116 Champmesle (M°") 69 Chantereine (Salle) 4 Chapelle 167 Chaptal {JUkite) 4 Charlet 340 Charlot'e, M'" 240 Charton, M"" 318 Chasse 8 Chalaignez , M'" 240 Chavigny, M"° 240 378 Cheri, M"" Rose ; ' . fih Cheri, M"' Anna -. . . ]' "tfi tlhevalier. . . . - ..'.... 303 Cih6za,-M"'° [■'.'" ] "■' ! 344 S'"y ■ • • ^' r i r' .' ■ 329 ChoUet . ........... . . if6 Choron. . . . . . . . . .. , • .• * " . ' 34 Cihizelli .............. •. , 349 Cirque Olympique ...... . ... •. . 34S7 Cirque des -Chaflips-Elysees. . : . . . . • -, , ■ 349 Clairon,M'" . , ] _' gg Clairval '' ^,j Glairville .■ 35^ Claque (Clief de) 2g Clarence. ... ano 'Gogniard (Hippolyte). . . ■ ■ .-^ , " ,. ' 1^3 Cogniard (Theodore) ■.'.'.-.'.'.•''■ 303 G^lbrun. •..'...*.' 354 Coletti • 150 Collet, M"= Florenline ■■.....'..... 351 GoUeuille (Alexis). . • . . . .-.•.•.'. . , * 354 Colon, M"» Jenny. • . ' ' .' ^^^ Comberousse. •.•.•.. . . •. .•.•.-. . ■ 353 Gotnle.- .-.•..•.. . . .... 3g3 Constarrt ............... ^ 339 Contat.M'".' ...-." •. .' . .' , 70 Coquet.- .•.■..•.... " ' 330 Goralli (J.). . - . . '.'.'.','.'. 46 Coralli (Eugene) 47 Gorelli ....".'." 150 Gormon 327 Gottenet (Emile) . . . -. 304 Coulon. .■ ^3 Courtoi3,M"» (Opera) •...'.'.'. 28 Conrtois^, M»« (Gaite) ..'..'. ". 344 Cressant, M- - " ' ^g^ Grosnier . . ■ . • . '. \\% Crosnier, M"= '••..... . 2g Cuizof, M"' 222 Guilier. 33g Cuvelier ......'. 348 Guzent, M"" 495 D Dabadie. . • •. . .-.•.. %° . . . •. . . . . .uafc/iiU. . >. H3 Dancourt < . . i . '.'- . ''S'1'69 fiangevHle, M"*. ............. ■nvjiqw 59 Daniel, M"". . ..•..•..-.•...,. ^''^^ss Darcier, M"«. ..'...• . '' <26 Darcourt. . . . . -. •. •/ •. •, -. . . ."^'^ . I'^^'iU Darmont, M"" ..-.-.•. .-.•.•.•.•.•... . •«•' 344 Dartois (Armand). •.-..•,•. . - . .•.«..'... ^ r' sjs Daubrun, M"° . - . •■. . •, >. •. -. -. V. j. .<«&*$» oU^gij David. . ; . .'.'...•.■.■.■.'"»' ,36 Dazincourt. ..•.•. , .--•.'■.•. <."'''. . to Deburau . . • . ..•..■.•,•-•..•. . . 335 H6iazet,"M"». •. . . •. . ' '<.' jjii iJglazet (Eugene). . . .•..».•. . . . . ;^|. 244 I^zeVM'" Herminie . .•..•.•.•,.. . . .<5ii,- <^^ Delaistre. . . •. •. . -. .... •. -. •. - . " ' . "we ) 340 Dilassemens-Camiques, • . : '. •.•.•.'..•.•, 58i| Delavigne (Cashmir). . . , , . . . ,•.•.-. 76 Delille, -M'" . .•.%.-. •.-...' 1)6 Delmas.- . .•.-.•.'.•..•..•.•. . . j^o Delvil. . . •..•.•.'.'. , ..■•.•. '^'4 146 Delvil, M"". '. •- •- •. •. •. •. ■. •. •. '. •''', «;' 14s Denain, M"'*. •. '. : . ". -. •. *. •. •. \ '.' "4'"*" ss Dennery. . •. . .•.•.•. . . . •. .'^^.'^ = ggj D6rivis •.■."., /*^'lSO Derval.' . >. . i -. •. •. , 282 D^saugiers 170 Desbirons. . -. . . - . 185 Desbrosses, M"«. • . .•.•.•".•.•. . . • . . ill Deschamps. . . .*.•.•. . ". •. •. •. •. •. . 166 Deschamps (Mien). . '. •. . . 261 Desfontaines. . . •. . . •. . . . . . . . 166 Desgarcins, M'" ■ . . • . . . . . . • 68 Deshayes •. . 340 Desirfee.M"". -...-.... 874 Desir^e, M"' (Porte Saint Martin) ... . -. % . . . 318 Desmares, M°". . •. •. •• . •■ ■ *. • *• *. ■ . . 170 Desmousseaux •..'.. 89 Desmousseaux, M"" 89 Desplaces. . . • . ■ , . .-.-.■ 47 Desprez; . ,.•..-. . .•.•.-.'. . • . 166 Dessessarls; . • . - . • . • . • . ■ . • . • . . » • • . . . 70 D'Halbert, M'". • . . -. •• •• . . •• . •■ ... 46 380 D'Harville, M'" 3^5 Dobre,M"° 40 Doche . [ ' 173 Doche, M°" 198 Doche, M°" Dussert 171 Doligny, M'" .....'.' 69 Dominique ^^q Dormeuil . 283 Dorus ....['. 20 Dorval, M"" ,„„ Doyen ..." 170 Doze,M"= ." .' ! Vol Droits d'antem: . , . . ' sen Drouet, M"' '.....' 50 Dubignon, M"". ... t;s »t!«- ::.::; : : : 30 Dubois, M- 31 Dubourjal ..'...'.'..' U8 Duchaume, M"". ........ Duchesnois, M'". . . ,^„ P"'"^^ ■.■.■.■.■;:: : 35a Ducrow „,„ Dufrene '.'.'.'.''' Ji Dufresne '_ " Dugazon . . 69 Dugazon, M°" ' _" Dumanoir Dumas (Alex.) '. ' 7^ Dumersan ,' ^ DumesDil, M"' ^t Dumilatre, M"* S. . .' . ,1 Dumilatre, M'" A. ....'' .' *p Dumouliu. . . Dupeuty. ....*.■; ,,; Duponchel ••..... dw Dupont (Alexis). ..".'. zl Dupont, M°" Alexis. . „ Duprez ^^ Dupuis (Adolphe) ....'. ^t Dupuis, M°' Rose .....'.' 3^ Dupuis, M°' . . . Jl Dupuis (Cirque). ..'.'.■ fl Durand, M"» Fanny. . ,*, Dorand, M"« Lucile. . . . .' Z^ Dussert ^^^ Duval (Alex.) . '. '. fj^ Duval, M"» . . . . ; ; ; ; ; ; ; • • • y^ 381 Duval, M'" Aline 297 Duverger, M"'. ...*.. 282 Duvernay, M"° 13 Duvernoy 147 Duvert 363 E. Ecole lyrique ,4 Eleonore, M."'. 344 Eiie 47 Elssler, M'" Fanny 13 Elssler, M'" Therese 15 EUeviou \\[ Emarot, M'" 50 Emma, M"' 336 Emon Wl Empis 363 Epagny (d') 137 Ernest, M"" Paul 245 Esther de Bongars, M'" 226 Esther, M'" (Gymnase) 283 F. Fabbri, M°" 51 Falcon, M"" 19 Fargueil.M'" 255 Farren 228 Favart {Salle) <08 Favart '08 Favart, M""= ^O^ Fay (Leontine) <03 Fechler '^* Felix (Raphael) '^* Felix <8^ F61ix,M"" ^^"^ Ferdinand '^ Fereol • ®^ Fernand,M'" <*^ Ferville ^®' Feydeau (Theatre) \\[ Ficher, M'" ^'^ 382 Figeac.M'" >^^ Frorenlino ,..,.;... J63 Firmin. . . . . ■ • . ■ • • . . ™ Filijames, M"° Louise. -. • • {t S< Fitzjames, M"' Nathalie •'•< Fitzjames, M'" (Odeon) • <46 F16cheux,M'" , • 42 Fleury J . . . . . 70 Fleury (Vaudeville) . . < 98 Flore, M"" . . 2^45 Flotow. • . . 363 FoeVe (Theatres de la) \ ■. . . 108 Folies-DramatiqueSi . •• . . . '. • • • 350 Fonbonne ... 306 Fonta • • T4 Fohtenay. . . - 471 Forioso. '•' • S14 Fornasari , 156 Fournier 853 Fraracajs (Theatre). . . . . ... .... . 59 Francisque alne. 387 FrancisquejewMe 341 Franck, M"'. 88 Frenconi /r^res 347 Franconi, M°'Minette 348 Franconi (Adolphe) 349 Franconi (Laurent) 372 Frantz, M'" 203 Fr6neix, M'" 298 FrSnoy. . 326 Fuchs. • 188 FMnamftMto (Theatre des) 355 Fuoco(M"'). .... G. Gabriel. . . 309 Galte (Theatre de la). . . . . 337 Galland. 348 Gallois.. , . . . . ...... . 347 Galoppe d'Onqoaire. . 363 Garat. 13 Garcia, Jl'-sViardot U9 Gftrcin.. jH Garde!.. . 10 GaiSdoni^ . 37 (Jaston. ......... .......... 3B3 Gaaltier , Garguille. . 65 Gaulhier. 548 Gauthier, M""= 348' Gaatier (Th&ophile) 363 Gavaudan {\i Gavaudan, M"". .i' .i m Gavaudan (Bosquier). . . . . . . . , . . , ai^ Geffroy 74 G6nard. . . . . 352 Genot, M- . . 3l» Geoffrey (L'abbe). .,...,„ 436 Geoffrey (Gymnase) 264 Georges, M'" 136 Geraldine, M"' 203 Germain 283 Gilbert 6 Girardin, M°' de . 363 Glover, Mrs 90 G«bert, M"° P. 3b2 Gontier 83 Gontier, M"". . • HO Got 75 Gouget • • 342 Gougibus -'299 Gozlan 363 Grahn, M"' Lucile <6 Grailly (Eugene) 309 Grandi, M"' ^< Grandmenil ^* Grandville . . . • , <3S Granger 90 Grard. ..,....• "» Gras. . 20 Gras, M."" Dorus. • ^ Grassini, M°". . • • • ^z. Grassot fl Grassot,. M- =• • • • • • ll^ Grave, M'" Anna *" Grave, M'" "^'^ Gre»e«e (Theatre de) * Grevedon, M"") JJ* ^"s""'^^.,. .;.::.:.::; 355 Grigny,.M"i ^^ Gringoire(Bierre). . . =. . Grisi, M"°.Carlotta ' '• ' 3U Grisi.M"" Giulia ^gg Gros-Guillaume 65 Guenee 179 Guenegaud (Theatre)^ 66 Guerchy (de) i71 Guillemin , 204 Guillemin, M"" 203 Guimard, M"-' \\ Guinot (Eugene). 363 Gurgy(Bnral de). . 22 Guyon 75 Guyon,M- • -. ' 334 Gymnase Dramatique _ 253 H. Habeneck 2g Halevy .'.'.'.*.'." 363 Halevy, (Leon) 3q Hareourt, M'" C. d' . . . . 362 Harel .'.'."..' 305 Heberle, M"« ' gg Heinefetter, M"' \^ Henri ..'.'.'.'.'. as Herold ^^ Hermann Leon • • . Hervey, M™ .' ^^^ S"^ey ; : : : : ssi Hippodrome okc Hippolyte ..",.., 188 Hoffmann • . . . Hoffmann (Andre) [ \ 23^ Hostein (Hippolyte) . qiq Houdin (Robert) •...<»*» Houdry, Mr > Hugo(Victor) ; f.\ Hyacinlhe f.] » Ail I.J. Janin (Jules) Jawureck, W. ■......', ^^^ Jemma ^^ 340 385 Jeunes Eleces (TM<e Ae&) 3S3 Joannis 77 Joanny. . . ' . 70 Jolivet, M"' • 247 Jolyl M"'. . 136 Josset, M"'.! ..'_...* 28 Jourdaia (Odeon). . U4 Jourdain (Vari^t^s) . J33 Jourdan . UO Jouve,M"'. . ■ . " . . 334 Irma, M"^ . ' ' . . 275 Italienne (Gomedie) 1 6G Juclier. 188 Judilh, M"«" . . ' 247 Julienne, M'" 41 Julienne, M'" (Gymnase) 255 Julielte, M'" (Vaudeville) 205 JuUeite , M'" ( Palais Royal ) • • • ^^* Just (GI6ment). . ' • • • ' t'J K. Kalekaire 286 Karr(Alphonse). 364 Karsten ** Kenebel, M'". ' 372 Klein 265 Kleine,M"' 351 Kock(Paulde) 364 Koehler, M'" Jenny ^'^ Kopp 2^^ ... ■ 233 Laba 7 Labarre. ' ^g^ Lablache ogg Lacouriere 331 Lacressonniere ^g^ Laferriere .jq Lafon. . _ 233 Lafont.' 364 Lafont (Charles) " 386 Lagier, IVi"' 84? Laguerfe, M"' 10 Laisnez it Laloue 348 Lambert, M"« 298 Lambquin,M°". 266 Landi.M'" ^ 139 Landrol. 266 Lindtol fits. 266 LangeM"° 68 Laporte 161 Laporte //s 53 Larive 70 Laroserie 253 Laruetle HI Lasalle 68 Lathorilliere 69 Latouche. 331 Laurencin • . . 305 Laurent, M"« < , . 53 Laurent 33) Lauzanne 364 Lavoye, M"° 127 Lavoye, M"" Marie 428 Laya, Leon 364 lasaH (Theatre) 355 Lebel , . 348 Leclaire 349 Leclere 188 Leclere, M'" A 189 Lecomle , M"' 206 Lecomte, M"° Emilie. . . • 355 Lecouvreur, Adrienne. • . 69 Lefeuve 305 Legrand. 69 Legrand (Varietes) 2g0 Lekain _. . . 69 Lemalre , M°" 336 Lemaltre (Frederick). . . . . ■ . 3n Lemenll. . ■ . ■ , . . . gg^ Lemenil , M°". . ggg Lemercier, M'" 129 L6on,'M"' %% Leontine, M'" .'.... 344 Leonline, M"' (Gdmte). "....• 354 Leopold. • 3§0 Lepeintre IS5 387 Lepeintre jeune 237 Leplus ,,...." 113 Leroux, M"" P. ' |,y Leroux(Paul) " .^^ Leroux, M'"° Louise 351 Leroux, M"" Gamille 349 Lescaut, M"° * " jgs Leuven, (A. de) . . . 364 Levasseur ^g Levasseur (Auguste). 26 Levassor 288 Leveque, M'" 147 Levergne, M""" 320 Lherie 226 Lb^rilier 291 Librandi, M"° igjj Lievenne, M"" 206 Ligier 78 Linville 316. Lireux 137 Lpbry, M"° 249 Lockroy 364 Loges des acteurs 366 Lorry, M"' 207 Loyo, M"°. . 349 Lubbert 13 Lucas (flippolyte) 364 Lucie.M'" 335 Lucie, M"° (Cirque) 348 L«dovic 196 Luguet 292 Lulli. . . 6 Luxembourg (Petit Theatre du) 384 M. Mac^ame (Tiitatrede) 254 Maillard 80 Mainvieile 80 Malibran, M"° 160 Malvezzi < S3 Mante, M'" "• 90 Jl/urai* (Theatre du) 64 Maria, M"". _ S4 Marie, M"' ^53 388 Mario J S3 Marius. . 315 Mary Lafont. 364 Marquel, M'" M 28 Marquet, M"' D 249 Mars, M'" ■ 70 Marthe,M"' • 277 Mariin n\ Marlin, M™ 129 Mariin, M"« 299 Masset 114 Massol 29 Masson (Michel) 364 Mathieu 37 Matis 331 Maubant 80 Mauzin 145 Maxime, M"= 138 Mayer, M"« Louise » HI Mayer, M"°, Pauline. . . ■ 208 Mayer, M"" Desirfee 249 Mayeurde Saint Paul 338 Mazillier 47 Mazurier / 15 Melanie, M"% • 345 Melcy, M"° . • 277 Melesville 364 Melingue 331 Melingue, W" 91 Mengozzi 203 Mengozzi, M- 204 Mtnjaud 70 Mequillet, M'"= 22 Mercier, M"" • . . . . J93 Merle •..*.'.*.' 364 Mernable 63 Mesanges, M'"' '353 Meyer .' . .' 337 Meyerbeer • 30 Meynadier 292 Mezeray, M"" »08 Miclieau. , 81 Michelol 2 Michii Ill Minette, M"" 170 Mirecour gl Mirecour, M"' -* 93 389 Mirlet ( Jacques) ^^ Miroy, M"» Glarisse [ [ 320 Mocker. ^20 Moessard. . . . • 315 Mogador, M"« Celeste ....*. 350 Moisson, M'""- . ' 4, Mole. , ...'.".! 69 Mole-Leger, M"" 135 Moliere gg Moliere, M"" 69 Moliere, M"°- • . . . . 168 Mombelli, M"" ' . . 439 Monnais (Edouard) 2 Monnet (Jean) 4 OS Monrose. 70 Monrose (Louis) 70 Monrose (Eugene) 137 Iflonsieur (Theatre de) m Monsigny 109 Monlaland 198 Montansier, M"° 213 Montaubry 121 Montdidier 266 Montessu 13 Montessu, M"" 13 Montgenet, baron de 305 Montigny 253 Montmartre (Theatre de) 4 Monf-Parnasse (TMatre de) 4 Montpensier (Theatre) 349 Monval 267 Monval, M"" 278 Monvel 69 Moralities 62 Moreau-Sainii 12( Moreau-Sainli, M"" 147 Moreau-Sainti (Theodore) 267 Mourier 550 Moutin, M"" 300 Muliln 315 Munie <9I Mysteries S9 N. Naptal, M"° 335 390 Nathalie, M"° 300 Nathan, M"'% 35 Nation {theMre de la) 68 Nau, M"°. i2 Naudet 75 Nehr, M"' 322 Nestor. 3^6 Neuville, . 214 Neuville (Farietes). 226 Nicey (Jehan de). 6» Nicolet.. . 337 Nicolel U°". '. 338 Nicolo. m Noblel (M"" A.) ' '. 93 Noblet (M"" Lise) ,• • . 93 ^o^'«- ■ • 165 Nourrit (A.) 19 Nouveautes (Thrive des) J74 Noverre 9 Numa ....._ 267 0. Odeon ^34 Odry. 220 Olympique (SaWe) " <48 Opera Comique 408 Opera (Italien) '', 448 Oscar 353 Ostrowski (Christien) 353 Ozy, M"'. ■ 208 P. />a/a?s /{oi/«< (ThMtre du) 280 Palaiseau 35^ Palianti ^22 Pascal ■ .' 304 Passion (Confreres de la) 59 Pasta, M™= . . 149 Pastelot ggg Patin (Jacques) g Paul (Opera) ^3 Paul (Gymnase) 25i 391 Paul (Funambules) 355 Paulin 38 Pauline, M"" n% Pellier . . . . ' 349 "cres _ fflgg P6rey (Charles) . . . 239 P^rlet .'.'.* 253 Perrin (I'Abbe) 6 Perrin.M"" ^^i Perrin (Porle Saint Martin) . 31 g Perrot , , . it Persiani 459 Persiani, M°" 159 Petipa 47 Petit 49 Pezee , M"' J8 Philidor 109 Philippe (Vaudeville) m Philippe (Porte Saint Marlin) 304 Philippe 3 Picard 81 Pierron 191 Pierson, M'" Zelie 58 Pierson 304 Pierson, M"' Louise 304 Piis 165 Pillet(Leon) 5 Pitron, M'" ^ • 250 Pixerecourt (G. de) ...... 326 Plantade 1<3 Plessy, M'" 10 Plunkett, M"." • S6 Poirson.(Delestre) 25* Ppirson (Charles) 282 Poisson 69 Ponchard '' Poncof 8'^ Ponroy. ^^* Ponsard . 36i Pont-Alais ^^ Ponteuil ^^ Porte Saint Martin. ^^^ Portheaut • l^ Potel , M"" Pauline ^^^ potier ;'; Potier, M"" Henri -. . . lau Poller (Charles) ^^' 392 Potier, M°' Charles 381 Pottin (Ch.) 3SI Poultier 22 Pr6ty, M'" 43 Prevllle 69 Prevost, M"" 130 Prevost (Ferdinand) 38 Prev6t,-M"'. 8 Prices of admission 357 Provost 81 Puisaye(de) 326 Pyat (Felix). 143 Q. Queriau 48 Quidant, M"" 331 Quinault . e R. Rabi, M"" 43 Rachel, M"° 94 Radet 168 Raffile 3516 Rameau 9 Randoux 1 45 Ranelagh (Thesitre de) 4 Ratel 305 Raucourt, M"" 70 Raucourt. .. . . 317 Ravel ifreres). . 280 Ravel 292 Rebard 239 Rebecca, M"° . . 107 Regnier. . 82 /ienrn'Maftce (Theatre de la) 114 Revalard. 326 Revilly, M"» 131 Rey,M°=J 322 Rhozevil 2gg Ribie 33g Richard, M"° 323 39 Rich6 83 Ricquier 122 Rimblot, M'" 102 Rival, M"» 335 Riviere, M"° 170 Robert, M'^ . • • • • ... ... . . 57 Robert. . . .' 152 Rochefoucauld (Vicomte de la) t3 Rodrigues i93 Roger t23 Roissy, M"° de. . 44 Rolle ( Hipp. ) 364 Romainville 305 Romand. .............. 240 Romand (Hipp.) 364 RonconJ. 153 Roqueptan (Nestor). 213 Rosette, M'". 323 Rosieres 166 Rosny (Coffin) 338 Rossini 13 Rbugemont (de) 135 Rouillet, M'" 132 Rousset. . . . • 294 Rubel 352 Rubini 1H s. Sagedieu 352 Sageret 135 St. Ange, M°". 132 St. Aubiu.M"" 104 St. Aulaire 87 St: Ernest. 332 St. Georges (Chevalier de) 9 St. Georges (de) / • • • 30 St. Hilaire, M'"» *"2 St. Huberly, M°" 10 S*. Mar 3i2 St. Marc, M'" 250 St. Val, M'" (ainee) 69 St. \a\,W"{cadette) . . 70 Sjinte-Foy '24 Sainte Foy, M"" '32 394 Salnville 294 Salle, M"» 9 Salomon 5 Samson 85 Sanxay , M"" . . . 209 Saqui, M"" 288 Sara, M"" * . . . 346 Sauvage, M"° 278 ScbmoU 326 Scribe 364 Scriwaneck, M'" 30) Sedalne <65 Sen, M- 346 Sennepart 326 i'eVa^Am (Theatre) 3 Serda 3g Serres(M. de) 305 Serres (Gaite) 343 Severini ^49 Seveste _* jg.^ Sevin. ...'.', 35? Smithson, Miss . 30 soiie,M"= ; ; ^03 SonlagjM"" ^9 Sorel ^92 Softies go Soulle (Fr.) .'.'.'..'. 364 Sourdeac, Marquis de 6 Souvestre (Emile) 364 SponlinI gg4 Stainville ggg Stirling, Mrs [ [ 3,0 Stokleit aog Stoltz, M- 4b Strozzi (Giulio) . . . 6 Sue (Eugene) !..'.*. 364 Surville, Sylvain, Sylvestre „ , . ,, 343 Sylvain, M"" 33g 269 T. Tacchinardi. Taconef. Tagliafico. 159 337 1p6 395 Taglioni, M'" 14 Taigny (Emile) HI) taigny, M"" . . . . 199 Talma 70 Tamburini ^49 Tauiin • 326 Taylor (le baron) 2g7 Tetard 192 Theatres no longer existing 358 Theatres in the provinces. , 359 Thenard, M°" <03 Thfenard 209 Thenard, M°" (Vaudeville) 809 Theodore 48 Theodore, M"" 87 Theodore, M"" (Gymnase) 254 Th6odorine, M'". . . . , 91 ThSvenard 8 Thibault,M"' 251 Thillon 114 Thillon, M"' Anna t 4U Thomas (Ambroise) 364 Tiercelin 216 Tisserant 870 Tournan 317 Tousez, M- 82 Tousez (Alcide) 296 Tousez (Leonard) 296 Toussaint 48 Trial. ni Trial, M"" <'' Triqueri8(Edmond) 352 Trubert 1T3 Tuileries (Sa'ile des) 9 Tiu-lupin 57 u. Uzes (la duchesse d') ^^^ V. Valabrequc ; ... ^ 113 Valence, M'" ^^® 396 ' Valin. ... ... . . 282 Vallee, M"' 278 Vanderburck (^mile) 364 Farleies (Theaire des). 213 Farietes amusantes. (Tljeatce des) 68 Varin. 365 Vatel. ..,....,. 148 Vaudeville. .... ... 1 63 Vedel. 68 P"entadQur(^a\\Q). U8 ■Verner. . 333 Vernet '. '.'.'.'. 220 Veron jg Vertpre. ^67 Vertpre (M"' Jenny). 224 Vestris. . 10 Vestris (Jils) ^Q Vestris, M"" ' . ' . . . . _ . _ ' gg Victor. . ... . ■ _ _ _ ggg Victorine,]y}"». , 210 Vigarani g Vigny(Gomte Alfred de) . . . 365 Villeviejlle , M. de. _ . 222 Villot, Anjiand 351 Vissot. ' 3|jj Volet, M"' Emilie .' 47 Volet, M"" Maria ....■..'. 226 Volgay ( Viseney de) ^^ y°!"^'^- ■ 25S Volnys.M"" ^^3 Voltaire " ' „ w. Wallack 3,„ Wiethotf, M"" 58 Worms, M"^ ' ic y. Yamini, M'" g^g ERRATA. Page 10, line 18, for on 27 October, read on October 27, — 13, line 27, for as to Albei-t, read as for Albei-t. — 86, line 5, for withall, read with all. — 114, line 20,, for ner, read her. — 146, line 1, for Blonval, read Bonval. — 150, line 1, for basso, read baryton. — 161, line 21, for /"rom, read 6y. ' — 171, lines 22 and 23, for Dussert, Doche, read Dussert Doche, — 201, line 27, for voyegeuse, resAvoyageiise. — 217, line 30, for A la gloir' auplaisir, read A la glair ', au plaisir. ADDENDA. ( The following changes, etc., have taken place since Ihe foregoing pages were sent to press.) ACADEMIE ROYALE.— M. Habeneck is succeeded as chefd'orchesire by »I. Girard. Mess". Arnbux, Mathieu, and Theodore, and M"" Flora Fabbri no Ibnger form part of the company. THEATRE FRANQAIS. — Maillard has been admitted among the socie- taires. Mess". Bouchet and Rey, and M"'' Doze have been engaged.. ITALIAN OPERA. — Coletti first appeared October 3, as Assur in Semi- ramide. M"== *Landi and Librandi are replaced by M"" Corbari and Albini. Malvezzi is not re-engaged. VAUDEVILLE. — M. Lockroy has, we believe, succeeded M. Gogniard as manager. AMBIGU. — Montdidier first appeared at this theatre October l/i, as Monteclain in la Closerie des Genets. THEATRE MONTPENSIER. — Rouvifere, M"'" Perier and Maillet are engaged.