French Theatre: La Grande duchesse de Gérolstein

To be given in French and English, on alternate nights.

“The pluck of young America is proverbial, but we venture to say that it never received a more striking illustration than in the fleeting glories of opéra bouffe. There is no doubt that the public, after they recovered from the surfeit of musical bonbons with which Grau and Bateman fed them for two seasons, longed once more for the fleshpots of Offenbach, and rejected the manna of Mendelssohn and the other prophets who wished to lead them to the proposed land of genuine music. Therefore, while the murmurs of the people were at the loudest, two of the youngest managers in Manhattan threw themselves into the breach, raised the Offenbachian standard, hung their respective banners on the outer walls of the Francais and unsheathed the sabre de son père. The result was ‘La Grande Duchesse’ last night, Mrs. Howard Paul and a crowded house. Mrs. Paul made a genuine hit in the title rôle, thereby endorsing the high encomiums passed upon her by the London press. We cannot well compare her with Tostée, as her rendering of the part was more artistic, more refined and more ladylike than the willful potentate of the petite Parisienne. Her fine contralto voice was also heard to advantage. There are few artists on the stage who possess a finer lower register of contralto voice, and although when it merges into the region of the soprano it changes its quality it is nevertheless always enjoyable. Her acting is graceful and arch, with abundance of vivacity, but no vulgarity or coarseness. The Fritz was an indifferent singer and inferior to our old friends Guffroy and Carrier in acting. The Boum was the well-known favorite, Duchesne; and Francis made an excellent Prince Paul. Duchesne was hoarse and manifestly distracted by his double duties, as stage manager genéral en chief. Wanda sang badly, but acted better. The chorus and orchestra, under the able direction of Robert Stoepel, one of the most reliable conductors in the city, was all that could be desired. Altogether, as a performance, we can safely say that Messrs. Starr & Byrne have made a successful opening of their season, and we trust that they may be able to pilot their way safely through the many shoals and quicksands that beset the managerial craft in the metropolis.”

“That the familiar strains of Offenbach have not wholly lost their hold on the New York public is evidenced by the fact that a large audience filled the French Theatre last night on the occasion of the revival of the ‘Grand Duchesse.’ The only member remaining of the original cast was Duchesne, whose General Boum proved as amusing and droll as of yore. Mr. Gierrebeuck, the tenor, as Fritz, acted and sung respectably, though the recollections of Guffroy, Carrier and Aujac in the part were not favorable to the present hero of the opera. Wanda was represented by Mlle. Guillemot. Prince Paul was represented by M. Francis, whose action was marked by a degree of burlesque—a mild sort or buffoonery—that served to amuse the audience, and secured an encore for the Gazette de Hollande song in the first act. M. Genot was the Baron Puck. This trio of men acted and sung carefully, but were not equal in grace, finish, and exquisite delicacy of humor to the original trio, in which Le Duc, Lagriffoul and Duchesne made so pleasant a renown.

“Mrs. Howard Paul as the Grande Duchesse was the great success of the evening. She entirely surpassed the expectations of her friends in singing and acting, while her pronunciation of the French language received the encomiums of the Frenchmen in the audience, though we understand that this was the first time the lady had attempted the part in other than the English tongue. Her by-play was often original, and always at once modest and piquant. Her singing was clever and fairly artistic, though of course her voice is but indifferent when the music carries her out of the alto register. In the drinking song of the last act Mrs. Paul introduced some very original and humorous vocal effects, which promptly secured for the piece a double encore. Altogether, Mrs. Paul’s Duchesse is quite as striking and vivacious as that of Tostee herself, and is free from the points of indelicacy which marred the performance of the French prima donna.”

“The Opera Bouffe was brought to life again last evening at the French Theatre, and the very large audience that attended gave an all-sufficient evidence of the hold that this class of amusement still has upon the public. Many of those who took part were singers who had already made their mark—such, for instance, as Duchesne, Francis, Genot, and Edgard—and these were all received with many friendly tokens of remembrance and good will on the part of the audience.

“The special occasion of interest was Mrs. Howard Paul’s appearance in the part of the Grand Duchess. It was in every sense a success. Her singing was by no means faultless, but vocalism is a matter of secondary importance in Opera Bouffe. What is vital to the business is spirited and intelligent and humorous acting, and all these Mrs. Howard Paul furnished. Mr. Girrebeuck, the tenor, has a pleasant voice, and sings smoothly and well. He seems, however, a little lacking in the drollery that is essential to the part. As to the scenery and general setting of the piece, it does not differ materially from former representations. The orchestra is strong and the chorus very excellent.”

“Offenbach’s choicest complication of fun, effrontery, melody and—something else, was revived last night at the French Theatre, under the management of Messrs. Byrne & Starr. The experiment looked on its face somewhat doubtful. So well has the opera been done here before, and such favorites have been representatives of the principal rôles that the attempt really looked like inviting failure.  Strange to say, the performance of last night was a decided success—so decided as almost, in its way, to constitute a triumph. Mrs. Howard Paul, who played her erotic Highness of Gerolstein—for the first time in French, we are told, although her personation of the character in English has attained celebrity—will become a great favorite. She has what always pleases a New-York audience, an abundance of joyousness, of healthful animal spirits. Her laugh is natural, ringing and contagious; her voice a rich contralto, unequal in parts of the scale, but capable of unequivocal displays of power, well trained and showing considerable executive facility; and her action is that of a thoroughly-schooled actress. Mrs. Paul was on good terms with the audience directly they saw her, and this statement would quite inadequately describe her position in their good graces when the curtain fell at the close. Her singing of the more celebrated morceaux was greeted by hearty applause, and the demand for their repetition seemed universal as well as genuine. On the whole, Mrs. Paul’s Grande Duchesse will compare favorably with those of the best representatives of the character that have been seen in the United States. It is certainly full of the elements of popularity, and if slight exception be here and there taken to her accent, this must be admitted to be the solitary preventive of a general recognition of her superiority. Such exception is, however, not likely to be urged by the majority of the lady’s audiences, and she has therefore good reason to congratulate herself on almost unqualified prospects of future success. M. Girrebeuck, the Fritz of this occasion, lacks the unction and cumulative energy of a former popular actor at the same house, but on the other hand he usually sings and always looks Fritz better than the artist in question, and it is satisfactory to have something like a raison d’être for the grand ducal passion which is otherwise now and again in danger of becoming disgusting. M. Francis, the Prince Paul, we may remark in the same way, is not quite so elegant as that finished actor his predecessor, but he is a great deal funnier. The General Boum of M. Duchesne—who was received, we may mention, with long continued plaudits—is so well known as to call for no description other than it is one of the best bits of burlesque acting our stage has seen. He exaggerated at times rather more than formerly or than is necessary, but a laudable desire to assure the success of the opera was doubtless his admissible excuse. It is only requisite to add that the chorus was carefully drilled and the orchestra sufficient, and that both did great credit to the ability and industry of Mr. Robert Stoepel, the conductor, to show that all the needful material for an auspicious result had been anxiously considered by the management, and no stone left unturned by them to secure it. We do not affect to improve dramatic works like the ‘Grande Duchesse.’ Our conviction is strong that neither their immediate tendencies nor their prospective influence are favorable to public morals or the best interests of the stage. None the less are we bound to acknowledge artistic success when we see it, and in conformity with this duty our opinions of last night’s performance at the French Theatre have been thus frankly recorded.”

“Whether Opera Bouffe was hopelessly dead or not has been a question for some time in the public mind. A solution of it was offered last evening at the French Theater, or rather the beginning of a solution, and, if one might judge from the number of the audience and the general interest manifested, it would seem that its patrons are by no means inclined to leave it without support. Of course there is nothing new to be said about the Grand Duchess. Whole libraries have been written concerning it, and the only point that the public will be interested in at present is to know in what respect this last representation differs from former ones. And this is a question that may be briefly answered, since in most respects the cast is the same as that of last Winter. The title role is in new hands—those of Mrs. Howard Paul. This lady is an admirable actress, and certainly seems to merit the praise that Mlle. Schneider, the creator of the part, accorded to her. She has great mobility of face and a remarkably comic talent. Many of the points that she made were entirely new, which is much to say when it is remembered how carefully every situation has been studied by the intelligent artists who have previously acted the part. We think that Mrs. Howard Paul compares favorably with any representative of the character we have had, if indeed she is not really the best. Her voice is strong and resonant, rather than melodious, of unequal register, and surprising one occasionally as with the effect of the voice of another person, a consequence of this unevenness. But still she sings most effectively, and by her admirable acting carries the part through quite triumphantly.

“The opera was very well put upon the stage. Mr. Duchesne performed his old rôle of Gen. Boum with his accustomed force and humor, as did also Mr. Genot that of the Baron. Fritz was rather weakly given. Mr. Gerebeuck does not appear to possess conspicuous talent as a comedian, though he is a very correct and good singer. The opera will be given every evening for the present, and is soon to be followed by ‘Genevieve de Brabant.’”

“The second night of this revived entertainment at Niblo’s was quite as successful as the first. The ‘Grande Duchess’ was repeated before a large audience, Mrs. Howard Paul again exciting the liveliest admiration, and winning a double encore for her piquant rendering of the drinking-song in the last act.”

“Opera Bouffe was revived at the French Theatre on Jan. 24^th, with a representation of ‘The Grand Duchess,’ Mrs. Howard Paul making her debut in America in opera bouffe and her first appearance on any stage in this character in the French language. This lady had played the ‘Grand Duchess’ in English in London with great success, for a great many nights. Within a week after she first took hold of the part for the purpose of rendering it in French, she made her public debut, and was a success. It was a bold undertaking for any lady, after the great success met with on the same stage by Tostee, but she went at it with determination and was highly successful. With regard to the execution and manner with which the opera was brought out, we can only say that it far surpassed the expectations which had been formed. Of course, here and there a slight blemish might be found, but the ensemble with which it went off fully compensated for it. Above all we must give unqualified praise to the chorus—both male and female—and the orchestra. The choruses are the fullest and best drilled that we have heard in an opera in a long time. Mrs. Paul made several new points, all of which took well with the audience. Mrs. Howard Paul has the feelings of a lady and abstained from all such business, which takes with only a very few of the audience. The Can-can was done in a manner that could not have offended the most fastidious, but the sparkling music that Offenbach has given would make it popular. Mrs. Paul sang the arduous part of the Duchess in a creditable manner. She possesses an agreeable contralto voice, sings with taste and expression, and her enunciation is distinct. So completely did she identify herself with this character, and so devoid was her impersonation of the gloss of that broad acting which characterized the performance of Tostee, that she at once became the favorite of Opera Bouffe. She entered into the spirit of the rôle with all the gusto of the veriest joker who enters into mischief from inherent love thereof, who jokes for the joke’s sake. Her acting possesses one remarkable feature, she acts for herself, the opera and those who are colaborers with her; the audience, to her, is entirely secondary. The attendance throughout the week was excellent.”