They divide these troupes according to the various kinds of acting;
thus, there are companies of tragic, melodramatic and comic actors,
but it is very rare to find a combination of tragedy and comedy in
the same entertainment. There are at present about eighty different
troupes of actors in Italy, including those devoted to the marionnette
and dialect performances. The principal are the "Salvini," "Ristori,"
"Majeroni," "Sedowsky," and "Rossi" for tragedy, the "Bellotti Bon"
for high comedy, and the "De Mestri" for farce and vaudeville. The
"Ristori," "Salvini" and "Rossi" troupes have been the round of the
world. The "Bellotti Bon" has, I believe, never quitted Italy. It is a
remarkable combination of well-trained actors, devoted exclusively
to the representation of modern society plays and dramas, mostly
translated or adapted from the French. Bellotti-Bon, the director,
is not excelled in his own line even on the stage of the Theatre
Francais. His company is rich, and its scenery and dresses are
tasteful. The late Signora Cazzola, formerly the leading lady of this
troupe, was perhaps the best high-comedy and dramatic actress Italy
has produced. Signer Salvini informed me that Alexandre Dumas _fils_
told him he preferred this lady's interpretation of the _role_ of
Marguerite Gauthier (Camille) in _La Dame aux Camelias_ to that of
Madame Doche, who created the part. She produced a great effect when
the dying Camille looks at herself in the glass for the first time
after her long illness.
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