The French Play.

The Cercle Francais will give next week its fifteenth annual performance, at Brattle Hall in Cambridge on December 6, and at the Bijou Theatre in Boston, on December 9. The play is Racine's comedy in three acts, entitled "Les Plaideurs," together with a ballet, presenting ore of La Fontaine's fables, "L'Huitre et les Plaideurs." This fable, which has been arranged for pantomime by M. Bernard is a moral to the play which it accompanies. This is the first attempt of the Cercle to give a play in French classic verse.

The cast for the play is as follows: Dandin,  W. D. Haviland '02 Leandre,  E. C. Edson '04 Chicaneau,  A. C. Champollion '02 Isabelle,  W. A. Burnham '04 La Comtesse,  K. H. Gibson '04 Petit-Jean,  F. B. Thompson '03 L'Intime,  R. Goelet '02 and J. P. Hoguet '04 Le Souffleur,  L. B. de Koven '04

The scene of "Les Plaideurs" is laid in Normandy in the early part of the seventeenth century. The play holds up to ridicule people who take petty cases to court, as well as the judges who try the cases. The action of the play turns about the old Judge Dandin, who has become weak minded through a too close application to his profession. His son, Leandre, takes care of him, and to keep him from going to court arranges a trial at home, at which the house dog, who has stolen a capon, serves as culprit.

Leandre is in love with Isabelle, the daughter of Chicaneau, a gentleman who is also found of law-suits. To win Isabelle, Leandre plays a trick on Chicaneau through which the latter is made to sign a marriage contract believing it to be a deposition of apology. Finally Dandin takes a liking to Isabelle, and declares that she shall marry his son in spite of Chicaneau's objections. The marriage takes place, and Chicaneau threatens to bring another law-suit against Dandin.

The special features of the ballet are the dance of the Nereides and a grotesque dance by E. B. Ahlborn '02. These dances were arranged by M. Bernard and have been elaborated by Mr. J. J. Coleman, the ballet master. The music for the play and ballet will be rendered by the Pierian Sodality.

The ballet cast is as follows: Un Centumvir,  P. V. A. Koechel '02 Deux clercs,  R. H. Thomas '05, A. W. Callender '02 Deux Pelerins,  F. Johnson '05, R. C. Kibbey '04 Capitaine des gardes,  H. Kellogg '03 Amphitrite,  E. B. Ahlborn '02 Nereides, soeurs d'Amphitrite,  S. Burton '03, F. Watson 02, W. H. Chase '04, H. B. Whitman '03, H. R. VanLaw '02.

The scene of "Les Plaideurs" is laid in Normandy in the early part of the seventeenth century. The play holds up to ridicule people who take petty cases to court, as well as the judges who try the cases. The action of the play turns about the old Judge Dandin, who has become weak minded through a too close application to his profession. His son, Leandre, takes care of him, and to keep him from going to court arranges a trial at home, at which the house dog, who has stolen a capon, serves as culprit.

Leandre is in love with Isabelle, the daughter of Chicaneau, a gentleman who is also found of law-suits. To win Isabelle, Leandre plays a trick on Chicaneau through which the latter is made to sign a marriage contract believing it to be a deposition of apology. Finally Dandin takes a liking to Isabelle, and declares that she shall marry his son in spite of Chicaneau's objections. The marriage takes place, and Chicaneau threatens to bring another law-suit against Dandin.

The special features of the ballet are the dance of the Nereides and a grotesque dance by E. B. Ahlborn '02. These dances were arranged by M. Bernard and have been elaborated by Mr. J. J. Coleman, the ballet master. The music for the play and ballet will be rendered by the Pierian Sodality.

The ballet cast is as follows: Un Centumvir,  P. V. A. Koechel '02 Deux clercs,  R. H. Thomas '05, A. W. Callender '02 Deux Pelerins,  F. Johnson '05, R. C. Kibbey '04 Capitaine des gardes,  H. Kellogg '03 Amphitrite,  E. B. Ahlborn '02 Nereides, soeurs d'Amphitrite,  S. Burton '03, F. Watson 02, W. H. Chase '04, H. B. Whitman '03, H. R. VanLaw '02.