Adams Papers

28th.

28th.

Paris in the Evening. French Theatre. Iphigenie en Aulide, of Racine, and l’Aveugle Clairvoyant.1 Though the tragedy is perhaps the best that is acted upon the Theatre, and though they had last night several of the best players, to act it, the House was not half full. Such is the present taste in this Kingdom. Brizards2 in Agamemnon is not I think so good as in some other parts: though it is a very disagreeable Character to support. De la Rive, in Archilles is excellent. Mlle. Saintval in Iphigenia, Mlle. Raucourt in Clytemnestra, and Mlle. Thenard3 in Eriphile, are good. Fleury4 in the small piece was, admirable. When we returned, found 3. Letters, for me. W. Warren. C. Storer. Mr. Dumas.5

1. Paris, 1674; and Paris, 1716, by Marc Antoine Legrand (Brenner, Bibliographical List description begins Clarence Dietz Brenner, A Bibliographical List of plays in the French Language, 1700-1789, Berkeley, 1947. description ends ).

2. Jean Baptiste Britard, called Brizard (Hoefer, Nouv. biog. générale description begins J. C. F. Hoefer, ed., Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu’à nos jours, Paris, 1852-1866; 46 vols. description ends ).

3. Probably Jean Mauduit de La Rive or Larive; Marie Blanche Alziari de Roquefort, called Saint-val; Françoise Clairien, called Saucerotte, but more familiarly known as Raucourt; Marie Magdalaine Claudine Chevalier Perrin, called Thenard (same description begins J. C. F. Hoefer, ed., Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu’à nos jours, Paris, 1852-1866; 46 vols. description ends ; Michaud, Biog. universelle; description begins Biographie universelle, ancienne et moderne, Paris: Michaud Frères, 1811-1862; 85 vols. description ends Lyonnet, Dict. des comédiens français description begins Henry Lyonnet, Dictionnaire des comediens français (ceux d’hier) biographie, bibliographie, iconographie ..., Paris, 1908-[1911?]; 2 vols. description ends ).

4. Abraham Joseph Bénard, known as Fleury, the celebrated French comedian (Hoefer, Nouv. biog. générale description begins J. C. F. Hoefer, ed., Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu’à nos jours, Paris, 1852-1866; 46 vols. description ends ).

5. Winslow Warren to JQA, 4 Jan.; C. W. F. Dumas to JQA, 21 Jan.; the third not found (both in Adams Papers).

Index Entries

    You Are Looking At

    Source Project
    Adams Papers
    Title
    28th.
    Author
    Adams, John Quincy
    Date
    28 January 1785

    Reference

    Cite as
    “28th.,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/03-01-02-0007-0003-0015. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Diary of John Quincy Adams, vol. 1, November 1779 – March 1786, ed. Robert J. Taylor and Marc Friedlaender. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981, p. 218.]