The Theatrical Year in Paris

A Comprehensive Survey of the French Plays and Revues for the Season of 1920-1921

GEORGE JEAN NATHAN

I PRESENT herewith a comprehensive chronological catalogue of the most important plays and revues presented in Paris during the theatrical season of 1920-1921, together with the names of the authors and a brief outline of the themes set forth. In the instance of the revues, I set down in brief the nature of the leading features. This catalogue may prove of some value to the professors in our Middle-Western colleges who write in a cosmopolitan manner of the foreign stage, and to the members of the Wentzville, Mo., branch of the Drama League who desire to be au fait as to the latest theatrical developments when they visit friends in St. Joe. It provides, in convenient form, a sketchy but nonetheless accurate picture of the contemporary French theatre, and, I believe, fills the want of a people whose familiarity with the subject does not, perhaps, extend much beyond the knowledge that the Comedie Frangaise is situated opposite a particularly good and comparatively cheap restaurant whose specialty is roast beef cooked in the good old American style, and that it is all right for Frenchmen to keep their hats on during the intermissions.

I begin the catalogue with the production of Andre de la Roche's comedy, J'Aurais Pu Lui Donner de l'Argent, in the Theatre Michel, on September 3, 1920, and carry it up and through the presentation of Lucien Arete's problem drama, Lesquels de Vos Souliers Sont Dechires?, at the Gymnase on the night of April 15, 1921.

EPT. 3. Theatre Michel. J'Aurais Pu Lui Donner de l'Argent, by Andre de la Roche, dramatic critic of Le Psaume de la Boheme. Theme: Gabrielle Heureux, the young countrygirl wife of Gaspard Heureux, a wealthy steel manufacturer of advanced years, finds consolation in the embraces of Pierre Fontaine, an impoverished young artist. Her husband, coming into possession of the facts and realizing the difference in the ages of himself and his young wife, provides the means for Pierre to set up an establishment with Gabrielle at Saint Cloud. It is agreed between the two men, however, that this arrangement shall not prevent the husband from visiting his wife occasionally, a compromise to which the young artist agrees only after Gabrielle has confided to him that they need not concern themselves, since Gaspard's inamorata, a danseuse at the Folies Bergere and an intensely jealous creature, is ensconced in the chateau adjoining the one that is to be theirs.

The second act passes at Saint Cloud. Gabrielle and Pierre have tired of each other. Pierre has eyes now only for Gaspard's inamorata, who secretly returns his affection. They arrange a rendezvous in the arbour for that night and are surprised by Gabrielle and her husband. In the end, all is happy. Gabrielle returns to her husband's roof and Pierre and his danseuse are permitted the use of the spare room. The play was a great success, receiving excellent notices from the critics of Le Hanneton, La Gloire, Le Co chon Anime and other journals owned by the publisher of Le Psaume de la Boheme.

SEPT. 6. Theatre Chatelet. Madame T. a l'Air Mécontent, by Guillaume Mouchoir, dramatic critic of JeSuis. Theme: Angele Tendresse, the young country-girl wife of Henri Tendresse, a wealthy soap manufacturer of advanced years, finds consolation in the embraces of Armand Dubonnet, an impoverished young sculptor. Her husband, coming into possession of the facts and realizing the difference in the ages of himself and his young wife, provides the means for Armand to set up an establishment with Angele at Versailles. It is agreed between the two men, however, that this arrangement shall not prevent the husband from visiting his wife occasionally, a compromise to which the young sculptor agrees only after Angele has confided to him that they need not concern themselves, since Henri's belle amie, a chanteuse at the Ba-Ta-Clan and an intensely jealous creature, is ensconced in the chateau adjoining the one that is to be theirs.

The second act passes at Versailles. Angele and Armand have tired of each other. Armand has eyes now only for Henri's belle amie, who secretly returns his affection. They arrange a rendezvous in the arbour for that night and are surprised by Angele and her husband. In the end, all is happy. Angele returns to her husband's roof and Armand and his chanteuse are installed in the guest room. The play met with instantaneous favour, receiving enthusiastic notices from the critics of Il Est, Nous Sommes, Elies Sont and other journals owned by the publisher of Je Suis.

SEPT. 8. Grand Guignol. Four one-act plays: La Morte Terrible, by Marcel Dechirant, La Diphtherie, by Jean Sang, La Morte Douloureuse, by Louis Grondeur, and La Tuberculeuse, by Paul Gaston de Homicide. Theme of La Morte Terrible: A physician finds his wife in a compromising position with his young assistant. While both are asleep, he inoculates them with hydrophobia germs. Theme of La Diphtherie: A surgeon finds his wife in a compromising position with a young interne of the hospital. He asks them to smell of a new perfume which, he says, he has just obtained from Algiers. The bottle contains chloroform and, once they are unconscious, he inoculates them with diphtheria germs. Theme of La Morte Douloureuse: The scene is a dark cellar, the meeting place of a group of anarchists. One of their number is suspected of being a spy. The others seize and bind him, inoculate him with malaria germs, and fiendishly watch him shiver himself to death. Theme of La Tuberculeuse: A woman in the last stages of tuberculosis learns that her boyhood lover is unfaithful to her. She bids him dine with her. After they have risen from the table, she gods to the piano and plays an old love song, a favourite of his. He is turning the leaves of the music for her when, suddenly, she reaches up, crushes her lips to his, and then cries out in demoniacal glee that she has transmitted the disease to him.

SEPT. 11. Folies Bergere. A revue entitled, Eh, Bébé!!, by Rire and Sourire. The star, Mlle. Nelly Éclat, in a towering head-dress of four ostrich feathers.

Sept. 12. Jardin de Paris. A revue entitled, Voilà, Chérie!!!, by Gaz and Toupie. The star, Mlle. Gaby Rigolade, in a towering head-dress of five ostrich feathers.

SEPT. 15. Théâtre des Capucines. Pour La Patrie, apatriotic French melodrama by Lucien Brûlant and Max Durchwasser. Theme: Lyse Duchamps has been the wife of Frangois Privas for thirty years. Their one son, Eugene, has grown to manhood and is a captain of artillery. News comes that the Germans have invaded Belgium, are even now outside the gates of Paris. Madame Duchamps, whose great-uncle was an aide of Napoleon's, rushes to the attic to get out the old sword her great-uncle wore at Austerlitz, that Eugene may uphold the proud traditions of the family. Nervously rummaging in the old chest, her hands fall upon a photograph. She hurries to the gas jet to look at it. A cry escapes her lips. It is the photograph of her husband in the uniform of the Potsdam Imperial Huzzars. Her husband is a German! Her son has the blood of the enemy in his veins! She gropes her way blindly down the stairs and finds her husband in the library busily engaged making notes. She demands to know what he is doing. He laughs at her and answers lightly that he is merely making out the family accounts. She regains her composure after a struggle with herself. Slowly, she edges over toward him and glances over his shoulder. On the paper before him are the plans of the Pr£ Catelan! Her suspicions are verified. Nonchalantly humming a light tune, she steals to her escritoire, covertly removes her great-uncle's revolver, and conceals it in the folds of her dress. She cries out her husband's name, he turns, and she fires a bullet through his heart as, in the street below, the troops march to the front to the stirring strains of the Marseillaise. Twenty-nine curtain calls after the second act.

SEPT. 18. Theatre Marigny. A revue entitled Vive La Paree!!, by Fernand Ecrire and P. Gromy. Principals in Vive La Paree!!: Harry Pilcer, the Robinson Sisters, Florence Walton, the Original English Pony Ballet, Madge Lessing, the London Trio, Genevieve Williams, Les Brighton Girls, Bessie Clayton, Ward and Foley, trick bicyclists, and Houdini. Musique nouvelle et arrangements de Sigmund Straus et Jack Carroll. Danses reglees par Bert Andrews et Emil Wachs. Ballets de M. Leo Staats. Costumes de Mme. Rosenberg, dessines par Blumenthal. Toilettes de Fitzpatrick et Wormser. Chapeaux de McFee. Mise en scène de Nigel Armstrong. Coiffures de la Maison Kraus. Accessoires et cartonnage de MM. Cohen, Leve et Garfunkle. Decors de MM. Entwistle, Mastbaum et Smith.

SEPT. 20. Theatre Athenee. Monsieur Amasse-Richesses-Vite Wallingford, adapted from the American play of George M. Cohan by Hervé Bonchose and Gerard Bemaise. ThAne: Monsieur Jacques Raoul Wallingford and his friend, Monsieur Benoit Daw, arrive in the village of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, intent upon swindling a rich villager, Monsieur Edouard Lamb, and betraying his daughter, Mlle. Mignon Thérèse Lamb. Mlle. Mignon is the mistress of Monsieur Sacha Jasper, the owner of the village hotel, but succumbs to Monsieur Wallingford's charms one night after the latter has played for her Chopin's berceuse, op. 57. Monsieur Wallingford now proceeds to defraud his new mistress' father with a covered carpet tack which he has invented, but is prevented from doing so through the efforts of Monsieur Lamb's mistress, prima ballerina of the Theatre Astor in New York. The Mlle. Mignon, outraged at her lover's attempt to beguile her father, deserts him for his friend, Monsieur Benoit Daw. Monsieur Wallingford accepts the situation philosophically, announces that he will reform and henceforth'lead a virtuous life, and settles down in the village with the ballerina, whom he has persuaded to desert Monsieur Lamb, as his mistress.

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Sept. 22. Theatre des Mathurines. Molhre, a biographical drama in five acts, by Edmond Renard. Theme: The influence of Molière's eighteen affaires on his life and writings.

Sept. 23. Theatre Porte* Saint-Martin. Corneille, a biographical drama in six acts, by René Fouillat. Theme The influence of Corneille's twenty-six affaires on his life and writings.

Sept. 30. Theatre Sarah Bernhardt. Le Petit Lord Fauntleroy, translated into French by Laurent Trifouillon-Schneider, with Madame Sarah Bernhardt in the leading role.

(To Be Continued)