The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-24
THE OPERA.

The "Barber of Seville" bored a re-
duced and less gay and fashionable au-
dience last night at the Church Street
Theatre. 1t is evident that few of those
who were nauseated by the attempt to
play Norma, the previous night, had
ventured to repeat the dose. Figaro cut
q poor figure as barber-he is not half
so clever as Louisiana If he is speci :
men of the profession in Seville, they
are very uncivil set, to be sure. This
is considered one of the finest of Ros-
sini's efforts as a composer, and when
rendered by real .artistes, with all the
trained chorus, and proper scenery,
costumes and stage properties, is delight
full to the eye, and sweet to the ear; but
with few broken-dOwn ,voiceless, and
expressionless operators, an orchestra
but little superior tothree blind fiddlers
aud a Scotch bag-pipeman, a chorus of
invalids in the last stages of the gallop-
ing consumption, and all the stage
appointments to suit, it is a tax upon
the patience of the merest novice to sit
it through. Like all opera people, these
folksare filled with arrogance and pulled
up with vanity, and in the pride of their
self-supposed consequence, they came
here prepared for plain-sailing over the
presumed credulity and ignorance, or
rather their preconceived notions of the
gullibility, of our people. But they
have been deceived. We are not quite
such fools i'm Norfolk as these conse-
quential gentlemen from foreign parts
appear to think. They come into place
heralded by a Flourish of trumpets"
and recommended by the "puffery" Of
well paid organs, and assuming patron
izing airs, expect to be treated like
distinguished guests. They intend to
remain two or three days, and in that
short space of time to befool the people
out of few thousand dollars, without
giving them value received, and then
to be off again to richer pastures. They
expect the local press to sing their
praises in return for the pitiful
amount of patronage, worth, perhaps,
thirty or forty dollars, if so much, they
are so kind as to bestow. They look
upon journalists as their legitimate prey,
forsooth, because they are admitted free
to their miserable shows, -which, did
not their duties to the public compel
them to attend, they would not under
have these birds of passage either upon
the press or the public? Do they give
the people an equivalent for the money,
in these times of scarcity, they take
from our business, and Of which they
rob the orphans and other legitimate OBJ
jects of our peoples care and charity Z?
We might not complain SO much about
their carrying off our cash, if their en-
tertainments were either pleasing, USE
full or instructive, for then we should
have at least something for the expendi-
ture. Could they even leave with us
pleasant memories" of their visits, or
satisfy us that we had seen or heard
something that was either surprising in
the wonderful or the beautiful, we
would complain less; but such trash as
is offered by these wandering bands of
ministries, the refuse of the great cities,
caiihot pei,~ct MS in the least of these
things.
We have felt it our duty to say these
words in explanation of our refusal to
join in the chorus of fulsome and indis-
criminate praise which has been lavish
ed upon the opera people since their ar
rival in this city, and which, of course, is
very soothing to their feelings and flat
tering to their inOrdinate vanity. The
matter would be quite different if they
had come here to- remain with US, and
add to the wealth and importance of The
city; if they were common with us i'm
sympathy and interest, and were per-
manent in the city, the case would be
altered. We should then feel in DUTY
bound to overlook their shortcomings.
and to encourage them in every possi-
BILE manner that was right and honora-
bic. But the only interest these people
have in our city, and the only sympathy
they have with us, is to collect and carry
away as much money in as short space
of time, as they can, and spend as little
of it as possible. They will take from our
circulation some three or four thousand
dollars-and what have they left us in
return? The recollection Of having wit
messed three fine operas butchered bysa