Mr. Quinson and Mr. Volterra are, in Paris, the best, or, at least, the most up-to-date, in terms of entertainment entrepreneurs capable of making the spectators cough up a few pounds sterling, before that these are now only worth sixty francs, like in the good old days.

These gentlemen are extremely impressed by the new arrivals from America, who are teaching the astonished world the creation of new model theaters, of colossal proportions and where, in addition to the show, - lovers of artistic entertainment will find a restaurant for dinner, a bar dancing for supper and a hotel for bed.

So there will be an end to late returns looking for impassable taxis in the rain. An extra comfortable room will await you, and to rest from the cerebral fatigue caused by the new masterpiece, you will have the joy of a good bath, in a sumptuous bathroom. And what a delicious sleep afterwards!…

As there are lodges where friends meet, there will be entire apartments where the rooms are adjoining. And from the morning, at the necessary time, after the delicious chocolate, cars from the Hôtel-Théâtre will take everyone back to their business or pleasures, at the time they please to indicate.

Of course, those who prefer to spend the night drinking or dancing will find everything they need in the same hotel: subtle drinks, vigorous cocktails, Hawaiian jazz bands and expert dancers.

Isn't it obvious that in Paris, once a city of Light, this artistic formula is taking root in our customs? If Parisians are a little reluctant at first, the countless foreigners, almost an eighth of the population, will immediately be customers of these Palaces.

You can imagine that the Directors' Union and the Hoteliers' Union will not fail to make contact, in order to begin talks. These two groups are respectively powerful “forces”, which have at their disposal all the necessary capital and publicity. They will be able to find their account by organizing, in different genres, performances, renewed every day, uniting their interests, in such a way that the customers will adopt the theater because they will find themselves at home in the hotel and will adopt the hotel because they will be happy at the theater.

The delicate point is to find sites in the capital large enough to give a daring architect the possibility of making things luxurious, comfortable and spacious. A regulation that the Municipal Council, despite numerous requests, does not agree to cancel, prohibits, in France, the skyscrapers which, in America, allow these reckless actions.... Don't we come, in New York, to begin to build, not only a theater-hotel, but a church-hotel of formidable proportions, where hundreds of pilgrims will be able to sleep and eat, between their devotions?

In Paris, we must replace with width what we cannot have in height, and the price per square meter, in the central districts, reaches unheard of figures.
The problem, however, is not insoluble and if MM. Quinson and Volterra do not risk it, managers from America of these men who stop at nothing and who, in the middle of the capital, are already buying at any price, all the available houses, in order to In fact, the banks are quite capable of holding out.

One of the chapters, and not the least interesting of their project, would seek, it is said, to carry out this type of enterprise, on a more modest scale, in the large provincial towns where it must unfortunately be noted that theaters, such that they are organized, have a hard time living...

Can we only start from this principle by magnificently building, in cities like Lille, Le Havre, Nantes, Brest, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Tours, Nancy, Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier, etc., palace theaters, where we would find dinner, supper, dancing and sleeping, in reasonable financial conditions, there would be an incontestable attraction for provincials who do not have much fun in the provinces, on the condition of having good shows, always new.

For this, first-rate troupes, with a first-rate repertoire too, would circulate between these cities, to which they would be exclusively devoted. The shows would alternate between great music, operetta, drama, ballet, comedy, and this would make it possible to constitute a dozen troupes, made up of excellent elements. They would employ a good number of these very talented artists, who, despite this talent, remain unemployed. There would even be reason to consider the creation of new plays by great authors which would have their consecration in the provinces, before having it in Paris. Why not?

All these projects are under study. Let us be certain that, within a few years, we will see projects of this magnitude come to fruition. As we have seen colossal stadiums and swimming pools built for athletes, we will see artists have their share, especially if, alongside artistic concerns, there is a concern for comfort, gluttony and nocturnal distractions, for which so many people spend so much money, without skimping. Obviously, this will be a notable change in our morals. But can't we expect everything, in the bewildering times we live in?…

HENRY DE FORGE.