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THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1910. "CHANTECLER."

I The realist and the romanticist have for so long shared the monopoly of the stage between them that the arj rival of a new competitor in the symbolist conveys a very welcome hint thnt dramatic forms are not necessarily to be limited in the productions of the writer who depicts hard actualities and the writer who portrays rosy possibilities. M. Edouard Rostano'a remarkable drama "Chantecler," which has lately been produced in Paris amid a choxus of enthusiastic and delighted approval from the ' pres>, carries symbolism to such an ! extreme point that in some parts of 1 the play the symbols, are said to became unintelligible. But the general verdict seems to be that M. Rostand has produced a brilliant work, full of humour, wit, and pathos, and thickly studded with exquisite jewels of poefic fancy, though somewhat lacking H solid dramatic inter st. Given the story ot the play aii.it .. e

reputation of the author, and Buch a i verdict might have Ibeen anticipated, i "But the story was not given, and therefore everybody who is interested in the stage—and there are few who are not nowadays —was kept upon the tenterhooks of expectancy for months and even years. Seven years were occupied in the preparation of this one dramatic work, and misfortune after misfortune —including the death of Coquelin, the great actor who was originally engaged for the principal part delayed the production until the auperstitious Parisians began to believe that it would never be staged at all. The last postpone- j ment was brought about by the disastrous floods in Paris, but finally all obstacles were overcome, and the play, which has probably attracted more interest than any other dramatic production of modern times, was represented with all the advantages of perfect and magnificent accessories. Whatever its dramatic value may be there seems to be no doubt that "Chantecler" is a stagepoem of wonderful beauty, in which j the thoughts and passions of humanity are symbolised by a representation of the life of a farmyard, where "Chantecler," or Chanticleer, is the dominant and eye-arresting figure. The experiment appears to have justified itself by ite* success. M. Rostand's own summary of his aims in this great piece of drahiatic symbolism has the merit of being succinct and lucid. "Chantecler," he says, "is the drama of human effort in the struggle with life. Chantecler is man, passionately fond of his calling; man, full of isep faith in his work, and allowing nothing to stand in the way of it. He meets the hen pheasant, who is Love, woman, modern woman, emancipated, independent, domineering, jealous ol: man's work, who seeks to enslave him to her love, and who in the end yields only because he has worsted and subdued her, and only perhaps with a secret hope of revenge. The dog is the philosopher, the good fellow, always ready to do a good turn. The blackbird is quite Parisian. Persiflage is his forte. The toads foam at the mouth. The guinea-foal is the bourgeoise snob. The nightbirds are the envious haters of everything that shines." Here then is the scope of the work,and the author's own comment shows that so far from unventing a new thing he has built up his brilliant edifice quite in the style of that ancient master-architect of the forms of comedy Aristophanes, who presented the Athenians of old' with "The Birds" and "The Fiogs." To a causal glance it might seem that for a great dramatic poet to lavish all the power of his intellect upon a drama to be performed by actors and actresses made up as birds and animals, is to draw near to the confines of decadence. But a little further consideration serves to show that a plan of symbolism which flourished on the Athenian stage in the period of its greatest splendour cannot lightly be dubbed decadent. It would appear, moreover, that while the birds and frogs oi Aristophanes were engaged in delivering symbolic comments upon- the political situation as it existed in Athens simewhere about 400 8.C., the birds and frogs of M. Rostand are introduced to symbolise aspirations and emotions that are common to all humanity—a far higher aim than that of the Athenian writer of comedies.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19100405.2.7

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10010, 5 April 1910, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
718

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1910. "CHANTECLER." Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10010, 5 April 1910, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1910. "CHANTECLER." Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10010, 5 April 1910, Page 4

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