Our Paris Letter.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2106, 4 October 1875, Page 2

Our Paris Letter.

(by ovh own cobbespondent.)

Pasis, June" 89.

Theatres.

HisTQEiQni; (late Lyrique-Dramatiqae) —This newly-baptised house opens successfully with the fire-act melodrama of "Latude," by. Pixerecourt and' Bourgeois. When first brought out in 1834, this pieco had an astonishing success, although its subject dates from 1749. It is the hit* tory of a captivity of thirty-fire years, Latude being the victim of Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV. People fiver feel interested in the history of imprisonments and evasions. They have the attraction of a fairy tale, touch the heart in. its most sensitive part—our instinctive love of liberty. The eighteenth century is the heroic age of escaping prisoners, who effect miracles of in* trepidity and ruse. Latude is, perhaps, the most touching of these fugitives. Baron .Trenck at the same time was engaged in a similar struggle against bolts and stone walls. For both celebrities tb« cell seemed to be a centre of attraction*

as they escaped only to be retaken. Casanova is less interesting, though he worked his way out of the ducal palace, and under the very noses of the Council of Ten, in a most .wonderful, manner. • He was a bad character. It is this boldness that captivates us ; hence why we feel less interest in the meek resignation of Silvio Pelhco. Latude's history is^ot less true than the drama represents it. At the age of 24 he left;Kißnativel«tfK!iiedocand came to Paris to iVek his foirtnW Believing it to*be the shortest road to succeed, he addressed himself to that fountain head of favors, coutte»»n--Ppinpad.our. His love sonnet* \failei^i|h>n lie trumped upVa-story that he v jEftd discovered a ip]o** *° P°ison her^ she. promised him her protection.! When the powder reached her by post, it was foand to be a harmless substance and despatched by Latude himself He was. arrested, thrown into the Bastille,' transferred from there to the doajon of Vincennes, then to lunatic asylums; when he>escape& -he was re-seized, and for thirty-five years his life was thus passed. The, piece exposes the incidents connected with" his imprisonments' and ; evasion*. jyoc escaping from;yiriceione¥, his first busjne.ss yras tb pr^cee^ to Versailles, and erave^pa^i^^^fethe King} Mine, de Pompad%&&adjfiim arrested in the antechamber^ of $^41$^ and re-cast into the Basting '"■'*' Here lie encountered the JOUDi^A|i|^f by the courtesan fo.rj£%pQonmg her. In bpain it. was' dpath^ttfj;ijpufcsh" the Queen : in Franijejimppis^pniixent for life for touching a Toyal proitittite., The two prisoners ■con displayed, "tfae genius for evasion. Withvth"© patience of an ts, and the silent •WeiilftM &i tkk&§ t they devoted tea years t& awfc&K* *wd 140 feet long Mraftbetf beddiiig, and the fibres of firewood, for it wlS%^*^y;t^3escena'aebimney-turret of that altitude, and" then to struggle for hbora,in the lro.zen. water of the moat. TflSJfescaped to-^Holland; but were recaptured. Latude was sent toTiiieenhes, fr.om-,.wh«i?e.lii?-escapedj and. with a naivete tn^F^i^^^^™ 6^*1^6 Tenge?n<sf otixSieteV* iwr ■ the hate of a Fredegonde, ht^!ddrt-s*ied & prayer .for mercy from his hiding-ipiace to la Pompadour, who request ed'tlie police-general to attend to the niattpri was again thrown into the -Bastille, and in »is cell he made a flute out'of *• stf a* of bis bed, and charm'eii' his.companioha—^the rats. In course of time he learned the courtezan was dead* he was later set at liberty, but arrested "again, and lodged for years in a loathsome dungeon in a lunatic asylum. A woman ruined him; but a woman saved him. Mme.Xegros^ a,sempstress, found one of his petitions in the street dropped accidentally by an official. Moved by its details, she devoted her life to invoking public interest in the fate of Latude until clamor compelled Louis XVI. to set him at liberty in 1784. Latude married Henri«tte Legros, and lived happily, till his death in 1805. Henriette received the prize for virtue from the Academy; Latude was awarded compensation from the State, and won the.same from the heirs of the royal mistress. The scenery is very beautiful throughout the drama, and the perilous descent from the tower of the Bastille during a winter's night, and the cellintnelupaticra^yllllll' are tlie mosi ■ensational of the sensational scenes. Then the whole drama ia remarkably well-played—the part of Henriette especially. „. ■ ... Vaudeville.-r* *Xa Dame aux luas Wanes." Comedy in two acts, by Mme. Fiquier. This lady writes very fair novels, but ,feifsisi3 ; ; in jeomposing: bad plays. She has a talent for the first, but is innocjeace'-itself in connection with .he latter/ ! Two women *io resenible- 4£ach other, m- -l^be hardly-, distinguishable k one/Mairie. avirtuoiw young widow, the" oiher, Josannah.^aaye of Calcutta, a distinguished star Tn the demi-monde, and given the sobriquet of " La dame aux lilas blancs," her admirers always •end their billet doux in a bouquet of " spotless white lilac" Andre loves both; he sighs at the feet Eosannah, but demands the hand'of Marie. While •wearing fidelity to the latter, he learns Bosannsb: has departed fibrilndia with a former lover, whom ?he will wed, because he comes up to her^standard, that of beating her whenevef~:she is sulky. Thus the comedy ends, or rather the exposition, just as ife ought tcTcommence, when spectators were expecting to witness a struggle between two women to retain Andre, the one by love, the other by pride. The same actress fills^the rdle of the two women; Marie leaves the stage by the right, and'-re-enters as Bosaonah by the left.

Palais Eoyal.—"Partie' pour SauMur," vaudeville in~To«e ficfc" by'itfiSlßYs Delacaur and ErnySllM. Pascarel is in trouble, but like all unfaithful husbands hifc'ofily. hitoaelf^toTbffl^e. r ;jff| kay^f Jus home every*Sa&irday evening at seven" o'clock, to shoot. But in reality he *i*g£ W Wguc: qttiKrffibS. "^SeWes tbfe^ujftjKar^oof ttf effteir betfeath that c£jKH& <DerJßett<?, wherehhre r de.pos.es his l^i^^^ties^lns^ido^pu^clifesin^ | quantity of^ game for his bag at the central marEet.^ 'NexC^day !heßeturns homo, and his wife is of course convinced tlptt^tinday was employed scouring the 'ft»lds and woods. Is the game bag not "fa&P '^S-es, but sundry pieces, emitting a I rety ancient smell after so .short a time, kil&dt, awaken the suspicion of Madame. She heir husband. Cerisette has "j64rlfe: Saumur," having an appointment with ax} . officer of. dragoons,; and a letter intended'fpranothefrlfearns' to, Pasoarel that she ranks him no higher tbAn »n old ape. This is hard; and while . musing, a MmpMf^yre&u, .seeks refuge in the'apartment Trom her jealous husband. *no quickly dpgs her, and holds the unfortunate Pascarel responsible. At this moment Mme. Pasoarel enters ; her husband hides; she begins to throw sheefp's^yes at M. Burlureau, and .ultimately both sit down to the supper intended forPascarel ahdOerisette. M.. Burlereau attempts to lower the lamp very low, »nd during the obscurity, Pascarel and &me^ Burlureau escape; but they return very soon with a commissary of police, to testify to the conduct of their respective wife and husband. All is explained; the, Palais Eoyal never kills a hero or heroine, but nearly dees so, as in the present instance, with the spectators* by provoking uncontrollable laughtii?.' - ' ■' ■ ■■ ■■ This house also brings out pieces, where observation is mixed with pleasantry, as well as simple farces composed of buffoon ■ituations more or less improbable. To this last category belongs " L'Homme dv Lapin blanc," a comedy in three acts by - M» "Puru^ The plot is not new, and turns upon, conjugal niisery. Pulverin is a notary;,' and in his younger days has commilted a fault, so tliat-he now has a grown up illegitimate daughter. On the point of being married he does not know how to break this uupleasaut fact to his father-

in-law and intended wife. At last ho entrusts the making of the disclosure to his friend Boisrose", but no sooner has the latter commenced his delicate task than he is estimated as a calutninator and shown the door. The marriage then takes place without the existence of Jeanne being known to the wife. • Jeanne hasbeen brought up in the'country, and by one of the tenants of Pulverin's father in • law. Pulverin is known in ; the cotintry only as ]\i. ■ Gustaye, anditp; avoid surprise commits all kinds of ifccentric acts, attempting to strangle his' fqther-m-law, and to do the same for a young man who proposed for Jeanne. Bis wife brings away the latter; while, father-in-law make his way to the inn of the Xapin Blanc, where Gustave habitually ..put up • to know is he the same individual as Pulverin After the various amusing cross scenes all is explained and arranged by Boisrose marryini? Jeanne. Good acting pulled the farce through. There is but little for the actresses to say, so they improve the occasion to show off their toilettes. ■ '"

Music. The dead season is so far drawing to a close; that the opera houses are busily opcupied with the rehearsal of new works, and if only the one-half of the rumored wonders in music and ballet be produced the coining season will be most wonderful indeed.

That very important duty, the public examination of the pupils of the Academy* of Music, has just taken place. It i* ihs, nursery ground of future artistes, ana .reflects in no small measure the musical culture^ of the nation. Every young man.; or 'woman a native ;of France, is .admitre'd oh passing a** matriculation exa- - mination, and is educated at the expense of the State. The director of the Conservatoire is Ambroise Thomas, the composer of " Hamlet." He succeeded^ Auber, The most eminent musicians in France reckon it a great honor to be appointed a professor. There is one drawback in the case of vocal instruction, no two processors adopt tbe same method, so that their teaching is a series of schools in a school The mean average results of this year's examination are good ; a professor cannot give a voice to those irho have not got it; he only teaches his pupils to sing. M. Cou*oriner, a pupil of Koger, won the first prize ; his excellent barytone voice is still tremulous. M. Caisso received- tbe second prize, he sang some of Gluck's music, introducing a few changes, not very happy. Of all the great masters, Gluck is the last who can be altered. M. Gaily had a voice that shook the building like a cannon; he ought to take care and not abuse his enormous power. In opera, and opera-CDmique music, Mile. Vergin carried off the palm. She will make a good Marguerite in the Huguenots, and a Maihilde in William Teli. In piano playing the execution was exceptionally brilliant in point of delicacy, mechanism, and expression. One young girl, aged 14, astonished the spectators by her finished, style. As in the rase of the piano, so with the violin, nothing was to be desired. The fair sex carried off the first prizes both for the piano and - the violin; the latter wat tested by a Morceau from Kreutze. The violincello playing was. less successful, and here also the -victor was a female. It is an instrument, which since the time of St. Cecilia, has|Jnot been. much culti- i vated by ladies. There are critics who deny that that saint was the patroness of musicians, thegrilj on which she suffered, being mia«*tOT^fw%^]«cal in* strument. The contest with winiTinstruwas most excellent, save trumpets, in the use of which the French are vastly behind Germany, England and Belgium.

A Thbeatening- Prospect.—A man who was about to be .hamged in Alabama, sang joyfully, as he stood with the noose about his neck, " Oh ! the bright angels are waiting' for me." Whereujaaftlr-the local editor fiendishly wrote — "$&& tuffi the angels stirred up the fires and Lokea brighter than ever."