New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-01-16

Let iii lie negro minstrels ,nadly sing,
And blood and thunder howl along the gale
Oh, noble Truth be this my latest song,
Though all men rail against the gift of speech
4 That Mercy finds its conquest in gong,
And Love lies buried in brandy peach
-
THE DISCARDED CH0RIsTER.
! Some twenty years ago perhaps more wheI
Rophino Lacy's Rossinian ola podrida, g Cinder
ella = was all the rage, being performed at all the
theaters an incredible number of nights every sea
son, it was produced at the old Chestnut street
thcater. in Philadelphia. in the most snmptuoiis
style. Mrs. Austin was the Cinderella, and the
other parts we're cast to the strength Of the com
pany,n and an excellent company it was. The
success Of the piece at the Chestnut, as previously
/ in New York, and, indeed, as everywhere else il
was performed running night after night for weeks
was god-send to those Of the company who, like
Fusbos in the burlesqqe, had not single face,
and had not to study up quayers and semiquavers,
I roulades and rallenfendos. But Mr.. Manager Row
botam was not inclined to let them off so easily
I and demanded that they should make some show
for their salaries. They must Ego on, in the cho-
ruses, and ii they could not sing, must help the
mise en- scene in capacity Of silent couriers to
Prllcs Fsix, hunting with him IN the first act, and
helping him to discover the foot the little glass
slipper will fit, in the last
This order OF things did not exactly meet the
views Of the gay and handsome young artist who
filed the responsible post Of leading genteel come
dian, in Tie Chestnut street company at tlst time
He had no fancy for playing dummy on the stage
he was wont to tread as : proud representative
Of Shakspeares heroes,n or of Sheridan's and
Knowles youths. And ~ to singing, whether he
could sing or not, at all or much, he had no such
overweening confidence in his powers in that way
as to make him at all solicitous to begin in the
scene where . our noble prince sfound.n He had
no ambition that way.
Now it would not do for the management to
make exceptions in the general requsition for the
services of the corps ddD,dffque, as operate SUI
pernumeraries; and the leading juvenile comedian
was obliged to don the green frock and mount the
boar spear with the rest of the huntsmen; and lie
submitted, or seemed to submit, with what grace
he could.
Among the proverbs III common use there is one
that, like great many more of them, is absurdly
false both in theory and fact; that namely, which
asserts that IA bird that can sing, and won't sing,
must be made to sing We have tried and seen
tried this effort many time, hut we have never
known it to succeed in single Instance. Birds
that can sing. unless they choose to sing, cannot
be made to sing any more than they can be caught
by throwing salt on their tail feathers.
Our Romeo of the Chestnut was no exception to
this rule, as the sequel will show.
The :. Cinderella was announced to be done of
d certain night, and a call In the green room box
announced that everybody was wanted in the
chorus. "a time was fixed for the rehearsal Of that
ent On The occasion. The leader tapped the tin
shade Of the footlight opposite his desk; the or
chestra started off it score the leader fourished
bis fddlestick, and indicated the point at which
the voices should come In.
Rap rap rap Stop what's that? Who's
that ~ raped and shouted the leader. g Begin
againr and they began. But still there was some
thing the matter, and another stop was the conse-
qhence The empresario, with some feryor and
expletiYeness Of expression, demanded who it was
among the chorisEers that was making that dread
full noise, putting all the others out and raising the
very deuce with the music? {. Try it once more,
and, for goodness sake, see II you can't sing in
tame ~
1t was tried again, and still the same pig in the
fence 1t would not do. The conductor laid
down his bow In despair. Looking keenly at his
marshaled force on the stage the idea begins grad
aally to grow In his mind that there might be one
or two too many Of the company in his chorus and
he soon came to the conclusion that our Romeo
WAS very likely to be one of that number. No
sooner had this conceit taken possession of his
fancy than he acted upon it with somewhat more
once more, he kept his eye, and ear, |
too, upon the suspected delinquent and was not |
long in finding acorroboration Of his suspicious.
Well, / thought it was you, sir You pretend |
} black crow. Clear out of this, and for gracious
sake. let never see yourface or hear your croak
n this scene again ~
ID Romeo was eliminated.
A few days afterwards, while the rehearsels
Tere still in progress the manager met his leading
uvenile taking the sunny morning air on the pare
I Chestnut street, ike Orlando, rather poiat de
iue in his accoutrements,s and evidently quite in
Oye with all the world including himself.
4 How's this ~ exclaims & the governor on en-
the comedian so unexpectedly. CLOVIS
his 2 No rehearsal to-day m
"I have been insnlted, SIR was the reply,
grossly insulted by the conductor of your orches.
"a, and shall attend no more rehearsals! am
lot used to be lectured bya COMPOUNDED scraper of
at-gut, in the presence of all the supes of your
heater, sir. It's not in my line, sir! Not what
m engaged for?n
And so they parted--the actor to continue his
lorning promenade, and the manager to ascertain
rom the conductor what the rcw was all about.
" Sings That fellow sing! Confound it, sir, he
as no more idea OF tune or time than tom cat on
be tiles. He put everybody out and SO, in self
efencc, was forced to put him ont
Well The rehearsals were concluded; the
pera was produced; the audience were delighted;
he critics were charmed; the manager was happy:
nd Romeo thought it capital fun. Heswas fond
4 elegant leisure-kneW how to improve and
cake the most Of IT, There was no one more sim
ere in his JOY over the success Of g Cinderella
han our discarded chorister. He hoped il would
rum much longer than it did-for months, in
tead Of weeks.
It was somewhat before the close Of the aCin.
ierellan season at the Chestnut, that a pleasant
party OIL gentleman, connected with the profession
we're suppinB together at well known ears n the
snpnrps q RMiadeiphia OF this party the mana
The supper was excellent, everybody was ii 6ne
spirits, and the symposium, as WHOLE was a grand
success. There were toasts and speeches. and nLas
and songs, and chornses, as the night wore msrrjy
away.
Among thevocal efforts of the room was Tho nss.
formance, in une xceptonable STYLE and greatly n
the acceptation OF the somewhat exactine aud;ence
present. Of the Cheyaiier Eewkomms 6ne snns
/. The Sea, she sea The open sean' BY Romeo,
the discarded chorister: who, afterwards as if to
add insult to injury, astonished his manager Nv /
leading off the hunters chorus in Cinderella j N
q style that ryaled that with which at that very
moment It was being executed the stage Of the
Chesnuts
Mr.. Manager Rowbotham looked as II, at the mo.
ment, he was seeming ue,y diminntive mice!
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al the varieties OF choice and unaduefated wines spirits
each article Of which good in is waJ We direct
The attention 81 tho tssds and Of his
IkFeRrkTfos OF VINES, LIQUORS AND T0BAcdos