Last night we went to see "Le Roi" in the Cinematograph salle of the town. Full House.
Quel monde province! My little doctor - I forget his name - sat behind me, and was anxious for us to walk in the forest together in the evening. Unhappily he seems to be entirely uninteresting. My plumber, my house-painter, my bicycle dealer, and my house agent, were there with their wives. This seemed to be practically the only 'world' - that of commercants. It seemed much more provincial than Burslem for instance. It is from such an audience that one may see how small Fontainebleau is. Doubtless the society that considers itself haute kept away. And the theatre is in their minds designated for the tradesmen.
A plain interior with a too-low arching roof, ugly with pitch-pine, green hangings, and very badly disposed electric lights. Hard seats with an appearance of chic. very hard seats after two hours!
This afternoon and tonight I read "Suzette" of Brieux, which is now a demi-four at the Vaudeville. Very workmanlike and good first act. The other two acts no good at all. It is simply astounding that a man so imperfectly endowed as Brieux can make such a deuce of a reputation among intelligent people. He is alleged to have said that "we [the dramatists] must have an idea in our plays ... taken from the life about us, from among the sufferings of our fellow-beings." Perhaps he has run out of fresh ideas about social issues, hence the lack of essential vitality in this latest work.
No comments:
Post a Comment