1928-09-22 — Page 18

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH,

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1928.

COMEDIE-FRANÇAISE.

AN OLD TRADITION IN DANGER

As the Comedie-Francalso is the only theatre which may be said to continue to exist artistically in August though, of course, a few others are open with entertain. ments of a more or less provincial character-It is the only theatre which is talked about. There have been further reasons for this. One is that there is a proposal for increasing the annual subvention, not only of the Comedie, but of the! Opera, the Opera-Comique, and the Odeon, which like it, are State theatres. It is well known that M. Rouche can only afford to be director of the Opora, because he is a rich man-he married the Heiress of one of the largest per- fume manufacturers in France and can afford to lose as much as the Government grant. Though the Comedie-Francaise gots £00,- 000 francs a year and a rent-free building, the aum not only re- presents to-day merely a fifth of the value before the war, but was even then worth considerably less than in the time, of Napoleon III, when it was fixed, while the more modest 100,000 francs a year of the Odeon has not been increased since the time of Louis Philippe. It is not surprising, therefore, that these theatres, like the Opera- Comique, have considerable diffi- culty in making both ends meet:

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Now this diflicuity has severa! very defnito and unfortunate artistic results. It means not only that the. Comedie-Francaise is tempted to give prominence In its repertory to modern plays, to the detriment of the classics, to keep alive.the tradition which is its main reason for existence, but it is led to favour, among modern plays, those of a more popular' and sometimes artistically less valuable kind, because the takings are likely to be larger. Paul Ray- 'nal's play, "Le Tombeau pour l'Arc de Triomphe," is a case in point. Ta has just withdrawn it froin the repertory of the Comedio, because, in spite of its indubitable artistic success, the performances given of it have been so infrequent. | The Societalres of the Comedio reply that they cannot afford to give it more often, as every per fashionable and more formance of it is a loss of money, sensational kind. We have had, as compared with certain other plays.

SERVICE,

Sole Agents for Hongkong and South China."

24 Des Voeux Road Central. ·

or loss

this season, an example of this kind of thing. The Comedie- Francaise, no doubt largely for the An Unbroken Tradition.

benefit of that considerable part of While such is the effect of the its clientele which consists of for reduced circumstances of the cign visitors announced a cycle of Comedie-Francaise with regard to fourteen eighteenth-century plays. modern plays, artistic results of Whether the thing was in itself at least as serious a kind are be worth doing may perhaps be quea- ing produced in the treatment of tioned. Apart from the master- the classics. The great, tradition pieces of Marivaux and Beaumar- of the Comedie-Francaise as the chais, which are never out of the guardian of the vitality of French current repertory of the Fran- dramatic masterpieces by keeplug cals, and which the public will them on the stage remains happily never allow to be forgotten, the unbroken. It is in the classics real dramatic activity of the that young actors receive thelroighteenth century in France was education at the Conservatoire, not very remarkable-though per- and It is always in 11 classical haps some of the playa which were part that a new member of the recently chosen for performance company makes that debut, or first might, with advantage, have been public appearance, which often replaced by others which were menus so much to his future not.

career. It was, for example, in

If the thing was to be done, how-

more

the part of Almaviva in the ever, it might perhaps have been "Barbier de Seville" of Beaumar-done with more care and chais that Pierre Faubert triumphantly

firat

jualified the outlay, and with the co-operation of a larger number of the leading which prize

he

won

at the examination of the members of the company. Of the fourteen plays, eight were already conservatoire, A first prize to

In the current repertory, and of which many critics had consider these eight only one "La Mariago ed him to be hardly entitled.

Higher Prices,

de Figaro" was honoured by n rather dusty It is by their performances in renewal of the famous classical parts that ane-scenery and rather haphazard tors of reputation continue to be stage production which is the compared and to be judged, and almost inevitable fate of the cur- the performances of the most rent repertory plays. famous plays of the classical re- pertory draw such regularly good audiences, partly of foreigners, Of the remaining six, three- partly of bourgeois Frenchmen the "Turcaret" of Le Sage, and the who care little about the, modern "Znire" and "Les Troia, Sultanes" theatrical movement, and partly of Voltaire-have been produced of children, as an essential fea- during the last few years, and ture in their literary education, were only revived for this occa- that they are not likely to be aban-gion. The three new pro❜uctione doned. It may even be said that are "Le Philosophe sans le the audiences for the more famous Savoir," a boring play by Sedaine, classics are larger than ever, for which was revived this year, and there is a class which has grown Marivaux two charming comedies, rich since the war, to whom they "Le Legs" and "La Mera Con- appeal with a quite refreshing

fidente," both of which were very novelty.

simply but most admirably pro- duced by M, Croue, an actor who "The Actor and the Play.

le perhaps less well known than The danger is, however, that it he deserves to be, simply because will only be these few and most he has throughout his career at famous masterpieces that will the Comedie-Francaise, devoted remain in the repertory, to the more time and care to the Inter- detriment of others, which are pretation of this same classical No. 318, Top Floor, Wyndham Bt. also essential parts of Fronch repertory than to creating new

Hongkong.

MRS. MOTONO

HAND & ELECTRIC MASSAGE

MRS. SEKAI MASSAGE

6, Wyndham Street, Tat floor, Hongkong.

dramatic literature, and that even parts in modern plays. these famous masterpieces will be performed in a routine manner by

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actors who know that their ties of the Comedle might partly wealthy; and the small French public opinion would never stand chances of advancement and of be solved by raising the prices, bourgeois, who now goes to the that. Another solution would be attracting the attention of critics for the theatre is nearly always Francafs because it is cheaper to rebuild the house and increase and of the dilettante portion of fall; but although the seats would than the other theatres, would no the number of the seats; but who the pubile lle rather with what probably continue all to be sold.

they can do in new plays of ait would be to foreigners and the longer be able to afford It-and is to find the money?