Part 50 (1/2)
Mademoiselle BOURGOIN. With respect to this young lady, a powerful protection serves her in lieu of talent; for she is handsome. She persists in playing tragedy, which is not her fort. In comedy, she appears to advantage.
Mademoiselle VOLNAIS. This is a very young girl. All she says is in a crying tone, and what is worse, she seems not to comprehend what she says. In the characters which she first represented she was very successful, but is no longer so at the present day.
_Characters of Confidantes._
Mesdames SUIN and THeNARD.
There are two only who are deserving of notice. The one is Madame SUIN, who certainly justifies the character she bears of a woman of judgment; for she has the most just delivery of all the performers belonging to the _Theatre Francais_; but she is advanced in years, and the public often treat her with rudeness. The other confidante is Mademoiselle THeNARD, who has played the parts of princesses at this theatre with a partial success.
There are also other confidantes, whom it is not worth while to mention.
I shall conclude this account of the tragedians belonging to the _Theatre Francais_, by observing that the revolution is said to have given a new turn to the mind and character of the French women; and the success which several actresses, at this day obtain in the dramatic career, in the line of tragedy, is quoted in support of this opinion. For a number of years past, as has been seen, Melpomene seemed to have placed the diadem on the head of Mademoiselle RAUCOURT, and this tragic queen would probably have grown gray under the garments of royalty, had not the revolution imparted to her s.e.x a degree of energy sufficient for them to dispute her empire. Women here have seen so many instances of cruelty, during the last ten or twelve years, they have partic.i.p.ated, in a manner more or less direct, in an order of things so replete with tragical events, that those among them who feel a _penchant_ for the stage, find themselves, in consequence, disposed to figure in tragedy.[10]
[Footnote 1: _Fenelon_ is no longer performed. It is a very bad tragedy by _Chenier_.]
[Footnote 2: There are players members of the National Inst.i.tute.
MONVEL belongs to the Cla.s.s of Literature and the Fine Arts.]
[Footnote 3: Notwithstanding the ill effects likely to result from such doctrine, far more dangerous to society than the poniards of a host of a.s.sa.s.sins, it appears that, when those actors called terrorists, or partisans of terror, were hunted down, MONVEL was not molested.]
[Footnote 4: There are a great many enthusiastic admirers of his talent.]
[Footnote 5: It is really to TALMA that the French are indebted for the exact truth of costume which is at this day to be admired on the theatres of Paris, especially in new pieces. An inhabitant of a country the most remote might believe himself in his native land; and were an ancient Greek or Roman to come to life again, he might imagine that the fas.h.i.+on of his day had experienced no alteration.]
[Footnote 6: The subject of it is the ma.s.sacre of St. Bartholomew's day.]
[Footnote 7: He wears his hair cut short, and without powder.]
[Footnote 8: One evening at the opera, M. DE DURAS authoritatively took possession of a box hired for the night by another person. The latter, dreading his power, but at the same time desirous to stigmatize him, said: ”'Tis not he who took Minorca, 'tis not he who took this place nor that, the man of whom I complain, never took any thing in his life but my box at the opera!”]
[Footnote 9: All the princes and princesses of the House of Austria have the under-lip very prominent.]
[Footnote 10: The example of Mesdemoiselles BOURGOIN and VOLNAIS having proved that first-rate talents were not necessary for being received at the _Theatre Francais_, as a tragic queen or princess, the number of candidates rapidly increased. For several months past, the merit of these _debutantes_ has been the general concern of all Paris. Each had her instructor, and, of course, was carefully tutored for the occasion.
M. LEGOUVe, the tragic writer, first brought forward on this stage Mademoiselle d.u.c.h.eSNOIS, a girl about twenty, extremely ill-favoured by nature. DUGAZON, the actor, next introduced Madame XAVIER, a very handsome and elegant woman. Lastly, Mademoiselle RAUCOURT presented her pupil, Mademoiselle GEORGES WEIMER, a young girl of perfect beauty. Mademoiselle d.u.c.h.eSNOIS played _Phedre_, in RACINE'S tragedy of that name, seven successive times. She certainly displayed a semblance of sensibility, and, notwithstanding the disadvantages of her person, produced such an effect on the senses of the debauched Parisian youth by the libidinous manner she adopted in the scene where _Phedre_ declares her unconquerable pa.s.sion for her son-in-law _Hippolyte_, that her success was complete. What greater proof can be adduced of the vitiated taste of the male part of the audience? She also performed _Semiramis_, _Didon_, and _Hermione_; but in the first two characters she betrayed her deficiency. The next who entered the lists was Madame XAVIER. On her _debut_ in _Semiramis_, she was favourably received by the public; but, afterwards, choosing to act _Hermione_, the partisans of Mademoiselle d.u.c.h.eSNOIS a.s.sembled in such numbers as to const.i.tute a decided majority in the theatre. Not content with interrupting Madame XAVIER, and hissing her off the stage, they waited for her at the door of the play-house, and loaded her with the grossest abuse and imprecations. Lastly appeared Mademoiselle GEORGES WEIMER. Warned by the disgraceful conduct of the _d.u.c.h.esnistes_ (as they are called) towards Madame XAVIER, the comedians, by issuing a great number of _orders_, contrived to antic.i.p.ate them, and obtain a majority, especially in the pit.
Mademoiselle GEORGES made her _debut_ in the character of _c.l.i.temnestre_, and was well received. Her beauty excited enthusiasm, and effected a wonderful change in public opinion. After playing several parts in which Mademoiselle d.u.c.h.eSNOIS had either failed, or was afraid to appear, she at last ventured to rival her in that of _Phedre_. At the first representation of the piece, Mademoiselle GEORGES obtained only a partial success; but, at the second, she was more fortunate. The consequence, however, had well nigh proved truly tragic. The _d.u.c.h.esnistes_ and _Georgistes_ had each taken their posts, the one on the right side of the pit; the other, on the left.
When Mademoiselle GEORGES was called for after the performance, and came forward, in order to be applauded, the former party hissed her, when the latter falling on them, a general battle ensued. The guard was introduced to separate the combatants; but the _d.u.c.h.esnistes_ were routed; and, being the aggressors, several of them were conducted to prison. The First Consul a.s.sisted at this representation; yet his presence had no effect whatever in restraining the violence of these dramatic factions.
Since then, Mesdemoiselles d.u.c.h.eSNOIS and GEORGES have both been received into the company of the _Theatre Francais_. Madame XAVIER has returned to the provinces.]
LETTER LV.
_Paris, January 22, 1802._
The observation with which I concluded my last letter, might explain why the votaries of Thalia gain so little augmentation to their number; while those of Melpomene are daily increasing. I shall now proceed to investigate the merits of the former, at the _Theatre Francais_.