First Performance of French Play

The first performance of "Le Pedant Joue" was given last night in Brattle Hall. Considerable credit is due H. B. Stanton '00 and his assistants who have taken a crude, old fashioned play, cut it down, and remodelled it into something fit for the modern stage. But more remodelling and curtailing might have further improved the performance. Throughout the first and second acts there was a tedious succession of long monologues and one-sided conversations in which the speakers, as a rule, overacted their parts. Meanwhile the rest of the cast stood inactive and apparently inattentive.

Several commendable features, however, offset these defects last night. The work of the minor principals was excellent. J. A. Dix '02 as Pierre Paquier, the servant of Granger, was particularly good both in his acting and in his accent. F. W. Morrison '00, as the peasant Mathieu Gareau, was more in character than any of the other actors, and, with the aid of a droll voice, was well qualified to portray the stupid countryman. Dix and Morrison were the only characters who helped the audience realize that a comedy was being played. A. S. Hills '00, who took the part of Corbineli, was pleasing because he was perfectly at ease. The music and ballets added music to the play.