COLARDEAU
Ce soir-ci Nous voici.
Dardard, un bougeoir à la main.
Trois comme les Grâces, Comme les trois Grâces.
Tous.
Trois dindons.
FIN d’un JEUNE HOMME PRESSÉ
NOTES
NOTES
The figures in ordinary type, following the page number, refer to the lines.
Page 1. — 3. Vaudeville is a comedy interspersed with light songs. The word was originally used to denote a satirical song. The name is derived from Val-de-Vire in Northern France, the home of Oliver Basselin, a Norman poet of the fifteenth century, who is said to have composed such songs. French vaudeville is more nearly like our comic operas than our so-called vaudeville, which is hardly more than a variety show. The French vaudeville is not quite so ambitious, though, in the matter of words and music, as our comic opera.
Page 2. — 3-4. Théâtre de la Montansier. Marguerite Montansier (1730-1820) was born in Bayonne. She became an exceedingly popular actress and later was made director of the Palais- Royal, which theatre then became known as the Théâtre de la Montansier.
4. Palais-Royal. Cardinal Richelieu presented, in 1636, the Palais-Cardinal, which he had built for himself, to the king. Thereupon it became the Palais-Royal. Louis-Philippe-Égalité enlarged the building and at the same time added two large halls which became the Comédie-Française and the Théâtre du Palais-Royal. After the latter was taken over by Montansier, it became known as the Théâtre de la Montansier.
5. Personnages. Of the three actors who created the original rôles of the play, two are well known. Pierre- Alfred Ravel wras born in Bordeaux in 1814. By a curious coincidence Dardard, the jeune homme pressé , is also of that city. Ravel gave up law and went first to the Vaudeville, later to the Palais-Royal, where he became one of the most popular actors of Paris. He died at Neuilly in 1881.
NOTES
Of Sain ville practically nothing can be found. He was probably one of the minor actors of the Palais-Royal, and no doubt made a specialty of character parts.
Étienne-Augustin Alcide-Tousez (1806-1850) was one of the best known comedians of his day. His grotesque nose, curiously thin and long, his raucous voice, his curious head, and his foolishly melancholy look made him a favorite with the Parisian audiences. He wrote several trifling works.
Page 3. — 2. table de nuit. A bed-side table in which more or less intimate toilet necessities are kept. They are exceedingly common in France, though rather infrequent in America.
4. plan. This word was originally used in painting to express imaginary distances between objects. Later it was transferred to the theatre, but was given a different meaning. On the stage it is used to express a lateral division which sometimes, but not always, coincides with the wings. The word is used to denote the distance of objects and persons from the front of the stage, the 'premier plan always being the one nearest the audience.
