THE THEATRES, MUSIC, AND THE FASHIONS.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 160, 9 December 1874, Page 4

THE THEATRES, MUSIC, AND THE FASHIONS.

(From a correspondent of the Press ) Paris, Odober 3. Theatres.—The Gymnase has brought out "Gilberte," a comedy in five acta, by Messrs Gondinet and Peslandes. There is a drama as well as a comedy, badly woven, in this not unsuccessful piece. It is the history of a young country lady who weds one of the leading men of fashion in Paris—the Comte de Guerches. Mme de Ruys ha 3 married a second time, but Gilberte is her daughter by her first husband; she appears to have separated amiably from her second partner, who leads a roving diplomatic life, and is remarked at Stockholm more for his gallantries than ambassadorial gravity. Mme de Ruys supports the separation bravely, if not gaily; she thinks no more of her lord than of the Grand Turk ; one has never seen two beings better made to encounter, get married, and to never live together. She is young still, very worldly, leads so extravagant a life that she has ran through her fortune. She is really dependent on her daughter Gilberte, whose property is the castle and estate of Verdiere, in Poitiers. Gilberte understands her mamma's position, and as she possesses as much heart as head, rather than cause her an instant's pain, Gilberte declines to marry, were even the Prince Charming himself to demand her hand. Suitors besiege her, for she is beautiful as well as rich ; at last the Comte de Guerches, the lion of Paris high life ; proposes. Gilberte, vowing she will ne'er consent, consents, for, making the Comte the confident of her secret not to marry, he at once agrees to take her without any marriage settlement, and to take Mme de Ruys as their common mother, an infant more in the family. Before the honeymoon is well over, the Comte is summoned to attend a dying uncle at Nice; pending his absence, Mme de Ruys decides to give him a surprise on his return; she sets out for Paris, resolved to impart to her daughter in a series of rapid lessons, the manners necessary to move in the fast life of the capital. She first commences by purchasing the town residence of the Marquise d'Orbeccha, who is notorious for her liaison with the Comte de Guerches; her husband is a nincompoop. Not only does Mme de Ruys possess the goods and chattels of the Marquise, of a certain famous Japanese boudoir above all, but she makes Gilberte imitate the frail beauty in dress and ornaments. Imagine the surprise of the Comte when he arrives from Nice, to find not only his pure and simple girl-wife occupying the apartments of his former mistress, but aping her even in dress. Gilberte suspects her husband's trouble, becomes jealous, but forgives on being assured the past is buried. Mme de Ruys still complicates matters, as she has invited the Marqime to the housewarming; the Marquise simply replies by upbraiding the Comte, and inviting him that evening to elope with her. The letter falls into the hands of Gilberte, who says nothing till she observes the absence of her husband from the ball-room, at the hour fixed for the elopement. She cries treason, but the Comte returns, explaius his absence was caused by his fighting a duel with a fop, who intended to compromise Mme de Ruys. What a son-in-law. Explanations follow all round; the mother-in-law is advised to join her husband at Stockholm, who has become repentant, having arrived at the age of laborious digestions, and finds his ideas of virtue and morality set in with his first attack of rheumatism. An amusing figure is the little Marquis d'Orbeccha, he is a kind of drawing room cretin, having the air of a creature who lives in a band-box, his whole life consists in conducting polkas, waltzes, &c. There is a "mute" character in the piece, an old monsieur in black, with white cravat, he arrives with the early visitors to Mme. de Guerches, takes a seat, after saluting gravely, rolls his thumbs, opens his mouth, smiles, avoids all attempts to discover his incognito, and retires saluting the puzzled company. A man who can hold his tongue in so droll a manner, merits a role wbere he can have something to say. The subject of the piece is rather stale, but it is not the less well conducted and interesting, despite the false alarms, causeless anxieties, and abortive emotions ; there \a finesse and gaiety, and a M. de Pontvilain creates much amusement by relating to people he does not know the most disagreeable incidents in their lives. The attraction for the evening was, however, for the rentree of Mile, de Laporte, absent on leave from St Petersburg, and for whom the role of Gilberte was written. Her acting carried the play to success, and possesses the dominating quality of being natural, in diction, gesture, and the least movement, while displaying tenderness and sincerity, Cluny.—"Les Betes duCapitaine," comedy in four acts, by M. Celieres. The author is extremely inexperienced, but possesses talent, and an instinctive appreciation of the stage ; he will make his way. Captain Coperneste has such a mania against everything suggesting sailore as to be very nearly a maniac, and for the exhibitions of the latter, four acts are too long. His horror of the marine is the offspring of personal souveniers ; when a child he was struck on the head by a footstool that a sailor intended for another person. Later, when Coperneste was on the point of marrying, a navy lieutenant carried off his sweetheart, threatening at the same time to cut him down with a sabre as a compensation. Becoming ambitious with years, he offered himself as a candidate for a council-general, but was beaten by a retired admiral. Then he has two nieces, the eldest is married to a sea captain, who has been absent for some years on a voyage round the world, but his wife unfortunately recalls the husband. The other niece is but sixteen, and has promised her heart to a boy in blue. It is evident the marine was only invented to plague the old land captain. But there is [balm in Gilead. A sailor arrives with a letter demanding an interview, which is of course denied, till the last act, when the letter turns out to be the announcement that the husband of the elder niece is dead. It is one sailor less in the world, and if that one does not return, his place is soon occupied by a " marine painter," who has been since a long time paying addresses to the niece. The captain has no longer strength to resist; he even allows his younger niece to have her way—concession or Buicide is all that is left to him. There is dash and style, and above all promise, in the piece, but there are too many sentimental tirades, and an effort at picturesque expression, forgetful that style for the theatre consists in action. The same house represented a trifle, in one act and verse—" Le Medallion de Columbine, by M. Dreyfous. The political allusion is slender, and represents harlequin, pantaloon and the clowns as rivals {or the love of Columbine,

Palais Royal.—" Les Samedisde Madame," comedy in three acts, by Messrs Labiche and Duru. To judge by the title one might be. led to believe that Madame had one day for reception per week— bame&i. First as tc Madame ; she is the wife of a barrister named Pomerard, who is old, rheumatic, waspish, and gluttonous. Madame is the contrary, and consoles herself with assignations given to a young barrister named Jacotel, in his specially hired chambers for that purpose. Pomerard dies of an indigestion in due course, and the widow,_ after crying the usual period, returns to Paris and calls upon her paramour to marry her. Jacotel consents; the union is unhappy, as is ever the case when a man marries himistress. The husband proposes the idea to his wife that they should renew their •'Saturdays" as formerly in his bachelor chamber, the souvenirs of the past might restore tranquillity. Agreed to. While in conversation, a knock is heard at the door, the wife jumps up, frightened, exclaiming. "My husband!" and the curtain falls. The morality of the piece is objectionable, and the cast was bad. Dieudonnc, returned from Russia, illustrated how much a constant residence out of Paris can spoil an excellent actor. Odeon. —This theatre has resumed its classical Fridays, so much in vocrue formerly. The programme included Moliere's " Ecole des Maris," the " Celibataire et rilomme Marie," a vaudeville dating from 1822, that ought not to be revived, being too old, and the " Tricorne enchante " of Theophile Gautier. On the whole the entertainment was good. Varietes.—"L'lngenue," comedy in one act, by Messrs Meilhac and Halevy. These famed Siamese authors have here failed. The plot turns upon a gentleman encountering a lady who went to see her niece in a copvent, and to make love becomes tutor to her nephew. The niece, on coming home for vacation, guessed he was no tutor, " but a gentleman," and falls in love with him. She interrupts him, however, while on his knees before her aunt, who rejects and dismisses him. He then holds out his hand, accepts the niece, who consents, knowing who he is. The acting of Mme Chaumont, the successful interpreter of the author's creations hitherto, was a miserable breakdown as an ingenue. Music. —The usual revivals of the popular operas are taking place, but the new works continue to be rehearsed. Concert music is in course of taking up its winter quarters. Frascati will open under new management, and will be more select. Litolff will be chef oVorcliestrc two evenings of the weekWednesdays for classical music, and Sundays for family concerts. This looks like opposition to Danbe, who has not been well supported since he left the Grand Hotel for another, but very inconvenient Iccaln. Perhaps his progrnmmes also had become too massive, he was gradually relinquishing those gems of the great composers, requiring but ten minutes to execute a morceau, which was done by first-class musicians. The whole concert never lasted longer than one hour and a half. The extraordinary farewell benefit given to the aged and worn-out actress, Virginie Dejazct, was perhaps more a musical than a dramatic fete. Mdlle Dejazet has been on the stage since seventy years, being now aged seventy-six. Indeed death seems to have forgotten the artiste so famous for never growing old, as she has the exact year of her birth. She was most popular in her profession, and hence it was not surprising to note the most famous actors and actresses soliciting the honor to take part in the adieu. Those whose services could not be accepted, owing to the necessities of limiting the representation, were content to take part in the procession, where all the well-known artistes defiled, in the costumes of their be y t characters, before the benefioiaire. Mme Carvalho deposited flowers, and Dumaine acted as a simple watercarrier. There was no jealousy. All the "stars," though of different magnitudes, formed a meeting of gentle lights. The trio from " Guillaume Tell," was snng by Tamberlick, Fauve, and Belval. Never was such an execution heard, and the spectators were so far carried away as to positively redemand it, what has never yet occurred. Dejazet sang Berat's " Lisettede Beranger," surrounded by the prettiest actresses of Paris, dressed as grisettes. She also appeared as the singing-master in " Monsieur Garat," a role which she created fourteen years ago. The voice of the once agreeable chanteuse was all that it could be at seventysix. Mme Judic sang a successful ballad, expressly composed for her by Lefort. The ballet of " Conpelia" closed the attractive programme. If Dejazet has escaped suffocation from avalanches of flowers and crowns, she ought to be next to dead from emotion. She trembled like an aspen leaf. The benefit will secure her an independent annuity of 6000 f.

Fashions.—There are two distinct classes of fashionables. Those who belong to the loud school, and cannot have robes too training, cuirasses too sparkling, and trimmings too expensive. The second class patronise a vigorous simplicity. The materials must be beautiful, but sombre, few ornaments, the cut irreproachable, and the toilette harmonious, 80 that the eye will be at once struck, and the verdict will spontaneously come to the lips —"there's a pretty dress." Autumn toilettes are sober, which is the opposite for full dress. Irish and Scotch woollen materials are in vogue, whether thick or thin, fleecy or shaggy, being a matter of choice. Many costumes are to be met with, thus composed —jupon in black and white cross bar stuff, entirely covered with flounces in black taffeta, so placed in point of distance as to allow the jupe to be perceived at equal intervals ; black corsage cuirasse, with band in cross bar before and behind; sleeves square with bands of black taffeta encircling the arm three times. Tnis form equally applies to shades uniform and tender, associated with black, such as maize and black, pale blue and black ; the light color forming the jupon, the black the trimming ; the opposite is for the corsage. The polonaise after being dethroned has again become sovereign, thanks to the favor of thick tissues ; the form of the new polonaise is that of the princess, a little vague it must be avowed, the fronts crossing by two rows of fantastic buttons. For the winter ladies promise to be enclosed in long paletots, sack form ; this Russian overall would enable the wearer to easily and warmly make the tour of Siberia. The corsage cuirasse, lacing behind, moulds the figure admirably and elegantly, and when the lace is black or colored, zebrant the corsage and tabliers, the fantasy is attractive and gives a fresh look to a robe. In one respect hats are nearly uniform in being in felt, but of various colors to match

!he toilette, however, the shape is generally literal by the milliner to suit the features, hence the form is elevated, diadem, rakish, turning up on one side, with a cluster of fan-like velvet bows falling from behind, with cock or ostrich feathers, heads of birds, and even entire birds. Strings continue to be patronised. Silks are considered this season to be too rich, being worked with gold and silver. Crochet fringe is in request, and bows of ribbon are attached to the ends of streamers. No new collar has yet appeared, velvet, ribbon, and feathers even, are being tried.