_By Victor Who-goes-Everywhere._
[Illustration]
M. COQUELIN is at the Royalty with an efficient French Company
appearing in a round of his best-known characters. He has already
taken part in _Un Parisien, Don Caesar de Bazan_ and an entirely new
piece (first time in London and elsewhere) _L'Aine_. This last I had
the pleasure of seeing the other evening, and was delighted to
find that it was a play that could be safely recommended as a fit
entertainment for their charge to the guardians of that apparently
very easily-influenced infant, "The Young Person." It is rather
suggestive of several English original pieces, amongst the rest
_Miriam's Crime_ and _Faded Flowers_. The adopted daughter (rescued
as a child from the gutter) of a millionnaire, after her protector's
death, undertakes the reformation of her benefactor's brother, who
takes, through intestacy, the whole of his senior's estate. To carry
this out effectively, the young lady prevents the heir from drinking
his _chasse_ after his coffee, and playing a game of _ecarte_ with an
old friend, for love, and finally offers to marry him. The heir is as
quiet as a lamb under these inflictions, until he discovers that
his _fiancee_ loves some one else, when he proposes, at the earliest
possible moment, to commit suicide. This inconvenient intention is
prevented, the adopted daughter marries the man of her choice, and
the heir goes back to America, thus all ends happily. COQUELIN, as the
heir, was seen to very great advantage in the less sentimental parts
of the character, but was not quite so successful when he commenced
crying over the portrait of _L'Aine_, which, by the way, was a very
excellent likeness (without the eyeglass) of the Right Hon. JOSEPH
CHAMBERLAIN. For the rest Madame MALVAU was rather a mature adopted
daughter, M. ROMAIN (as "_Georges_--her friend") a little too heavy in
more senses than one as the superfluous lover, and M. DUQUESNE a
very excellent lawyer. There is nothing particularly brilliant in the
writing, and only one line raises a laugh. When the vagabond friend
of the heir extends his hand, _M. Vivien_, without a movement, merely
asks, "_Combien?_" But on its repetition this admirable joke did not
"go" quite so well. Still there is a freshness in the central idea
of the play which is welcome. As a rule every one on the French stage
weeps over somebody's mother, but in this case the tears were reserved
for somebody's brother. It is said that the Author of the piece, M.
PAUL DELAIR, is a novice at stage-craft. This seems to me very
likely, as had he had more experience, I fancy he would have allowed
(especially if he had known that the character was going to be played
by M. ROMAIN) _M. Georges_ to have been shot dead in the First Act.
This would have been really a great improvement, especially had
_Yveline_ (the adopted daughter) been allowed to expire from grief
early in the Second. Joking apart, _L'Aine_ is not half a bad piece,
although I cannot conscientiously go so far as to say that it is half
a good one. Before the engagement of M. COQUELIN is over, the talented
actor has promised to play _Gringoire_. No doubt this will be
produced for the benefit of Mr. BEERBOHM TREE, who richly deserves the
compliment.
[Illustration]
The Paris Hippodrome has once more taken possession of Olympia, where
it seems likely to remain until well into next year. The entertainment
is of the customary quality, which is saying a great deal in its
praise. There are excellent _troupes_ of acrobats and performing
dogs (with a wonderful black poodle that is the best clown that
has appeared in a Circus for many a long year), chariot-races, and
horsemanship in all its branches. This season the Ladies have it all
their own way. The last time M. HOUCKE visited us, Gentlemen drove
the team of thirty-two, and jumped over the hurdles with the tandem of
three; now their places are supplied by members of the fairer sex. The
horses who take part in these feats are so admirably trained that
the element of danger is entirely eliminated, and, consequently, the
change is an improvement. Then an accomplished cob and an elegant
elephant take a turn together in more senses than one, for they dance
_vis-a-vis_ a waltz and a polka. The novelty of the Show, however, is
kept for the second part, and is apparently a page from the Algerian
experiences of General BOULANGER. The attention of a tribe of Arabs
(seemingly on their road to church) having been attracted to a
military train containing a bugle-band of Turcos and some half-dozen
soldiers of the French line, devotions are temporarily abandoned for a
pitched battle. The Arabs fire upon the Europeans, who, however,
after a lively skirmish, succeed in "taking up a position" with the
bugle-band, and then retire. The Arabs bearing no ill-will, dancing
follows, and the fighting being quite over and forgotten, General
BOULANGER, accompanied by a Staff, swaggers in and assists at further
military exercises. Then the bugle-band heads the procession of French
and Arabs, and, after marching past BOULANGER, _exeunt_. The attack
upon the train, if a little perplexing from a purely historical point
of view, is capitally managed, and very exciting. Since the opening
night the large hall has been very well attended; and now that the
American Exhibition is closed, may be expected to be crowded--and a
crowded audience at the Addison Road cannot be recorded in less than
five figures. "The Wild West is gone--long live Olympia!"
A second visit to the Royal Westminster Aquarium has not improved my
opinion of "the Wolves, the Wolves, the Wolves!" (see Advertisement)
as a pleasure-insuring entertainment. I have already said that the
tricks of these animals cause a "creepy" sensation, and when I made
this observation I referred to the "kissing act," wherein a wolf
embraces the portly person in the Polish lancer's uniform who has
trained it. But the fights between master and brutes are even less
tolerable, as may be judged to be the case when I say that, on
a recent occasion when I was present, the trainer seemed to be a
good-half-hour (no doubt it was an infinitely less period of time) in
getting one of his wild beasts into its allotted cage. It is not at
all a nice sight to see a man beating a snapping and yelping wolf with
a whip, for one feels that there is the element of cruelty on both
sides. Take it allround, I prefer "the _belle_ FATMA,"--that is,
taking her all round, on which I need hardly say I should not
venture,--to "the Wolves, the Wolves, the Wolves!" And I sincerely
hope that FATMA (the old lady near her looks more like Fat Ma) may
always be able to keep the wolf from her door.
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