Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1

27th.

29th.

28th. JQA

1785-01-28

28th. Adams, John Quincy
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 ).

2.

Jean Baptiste Britard, called Brizard (Hoefer, Nouv. biog. générale ).

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; Michaud, Biog. universelle; Lyonnet, Dict. des comédiens français ).

4.

Abraham Joseph Bénard, known as Fleury, the celebrated French comedian (Hoefer, Nouv. biog. générale ).

5.

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