However, nothing deterred her. Julienne, as she used to say afterwards,
would rather have trudged the distance that separated her from her
child, on foot, than waited any longer. The events of 1829 spared her
the trouble. Owing to certain evidences of internal discontent, the
government of Charles X was developing liberal proclivities. Among other
political exiles, it allowed Félix Harel to return, and with him his
illustrious mistress, Mlle. Georges. Julienne shared their lot. She
accompanied them, not only to Paris, but to the Theatre of the Porte St.
Martin, which, under Harel's influence, rapidly became the stronghold of
romanticism, and on February 27th, 1830, she made her début on its
boards in the part of Emma, in _L'Homme du Monde_, by Ancelot and
Saintine. Then she migrated almost at once to the Odéon, of which Harel
had just undertaken the management, without, however, resigning that of
the Porte St. Martin. She played various parts there throughout the year
1831.
We shall hear later on that she was beautiful, but for the present we
must confine ourselves to the question of her talent and dramatic
qualities. It has been hinted that she owed her success solely to her
lovely face and graceful figure, and that she was one of those ephemeral
favourites who reap popular applause in return for the exhibition of
their charms. The truth seems to be that "la belle Juliette," as she was
already called, gave proofs of distinguished powers, although one is
fain to admit that, at this distance of time, it is not easy to define
her capacity with any exactitude. For one thing, it was never Juliette's
good fortune to play an important part which has since become a classic,
and by which her true qualities could be gauged: in Harel's troupe the
first-class parts were already justly monopolised by Mlle. Georges and
Madame Dorval. Also, nearly all the plays in which Juliette appeared are
nowadays looked upon as antiquated and sometimes even absurd. In fact,
it is difficult to conceive how they ever could have been given. It will
be wiser, therefore, to rely mainly on Pradier's letters to discover
what were the natural gifts which could have inspired that artist to
make of his mistress an actress, and even a tragedian.
Pradier, then, considered Juliette well equipped by nature in respect of
sentiment, intelligence, and voice production; but he criticised in her
a certain timidity and lack of assurance, sufficient to mar her
entrances and cover her exits with ridicule. He also thought fit to
observe to her that, once she was on the scene, and had overcome her
initial fright, she overacted her parts, and was not sufficiently
natural; she forgot to address herself to the audience, and would speak
into the wings, and neglect to vary her gestures, intonations, and
pauses.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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