United States or Uruguay ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"You can," he said to me, "make a fine success out of it." I expressed my gratitude to him. A month after this visit we were requested to attend the reading of this piece at the Comedie. The reading was a great success, and I was delighted with my role, Catherine de Septmonts. I also liked the role of Croizette, Mrs. Clarkson.
The recommendation came rather oddly from the dramatist who, in L'Etrangère, had disposed of his "vibrion," the Duc de Septmonts, by making Clarkson kill him in a duel. Perhaps he did not reckon L'Etrangère as pretending to reproduce a phase of real life. A duel is, of course, perfectly admissible in a French or German play, simply as part of a picture of manners.
That day we made up our quarrel entirely. A week before the first performance I received an anonymous letter informing me that Perrin was trying his very best to get Dumas to change the name of the play. He wished it goes without saying to have the piece called La Duchesse de Septmonts. I rushed off to the theatre to find Perrin at once.
He had created a person who was extremely interesting and full of action as the play proceeds. She reveals herself to the public, in the first act, by the lines which Mrs. Clarkson says to Madame de Septmonts: "I should be very glad, Madame, if you would call on me.
The five young men rose and bowed low. Then my poor aunt understood her mistake and excused herself in every possible manner, so confused was she. One day Alexandre Dumas, junior, was announced. He came to bring me the good news that he had finished his play for the Comedie Francaise, L'Etrangere, and that my role, the Duchesse de Septmonts, had come out very well.
I was delighted to play the Duchesse de Septmonts, but I shall be ten times more delighted to play l'Etrangere. And this time, my dear Sophie, I'll be quits with you; no ceremony, I tell you; for you have played me a little trick which was quite unworthy of our friendship!" The rehearsals were strained on all sides.
Got gave us each copies of our parts, and thinking that he had made a mistake, I passed on to Croizette the role of l'Etrangere which he had just given me, saying to her, "Here, Got has made a mistake here is your role." "But he is not making any mistake. It is I who am to play the Duchesse de Septmonts."
At the entrance door I met Coquelin, who was playing the part of the Duc de Septmonts, which he did marvellously well. I showed him the letter. He shrugged his shoulders. "It is infamous! But why do you take any notice of an anonymous letter? It is not worthy of you!" We were talking at the foot of the staircase when the manager arrived. "Here, show the letter to Perrin!"
Word Of The Day