The Comedian’s Shadow
A veteran actor watches from the wings as his son eclipses his own fading career on the Seattle stage.
At the theater, the young Bloucourt made his first appearance on the stage in 'Chatterton.' The piece, which had dropped out of sight for some years, excited on its first night the interest of a great novelty. Those who had been present at former performances were happy to bring back two hours of their youth. It would be impossible to conceive of a more perfect Chatterton than young Bloucourt. In the tumult of the applause, I caught a glimpse of a handsome face which looked out, pale and set, from the darkness at the back of the house. It was Bloucourt, the father, who had come to be present at the triumph of his son. The audience recognized him and pointed him out to each other. 'Look at papa Bloucourt! Isn't he happy tonight?' But the old comedian was suffering. 'I am suffocating, let me out of here!' he exclaimed, dragging me into the street. 'That part was mine; I was to have played it. The boy knew as well as anyone the promise had been made to me, but in his joy he had forgotten it. Children are so selfish in their happiness! This one dealt me the blow with a laugh. I am sure that in five minutes twenty years passed over my head.' As the crowd poured out of the theater, the old comedian leaned on a pillar, his ears strained to catch the commentaries of the spectators. He turned his convulsed face towards me, his eyes glistening with tears. 'Where am I going? To hug the boy, parbleu!'
“What I feel is beyond comprehension. Here is a boy who has taken everything away from me, my name and my glory; he has not even waited for death to step into my shoes.”
This story, written by Alphonse Daudet and reprinted in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, captures the universal anxiety of aging in a city that prizes the 'new.' Just as the elder Bloucourt fears being rendered obsolete by his own son, Seattle’s rapid cycles of growth often leave long-time residents feeling like ghosts in their own neighborhoods.
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