The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-04-24
Moro New Theatres.

In addition TO the french theatre now IN
course of construction, there is another build
ing being erected which will prove great re-
lief to the metropolitan community when it is
completed. We refer to the new Opera HOUSE,
on Fourteenth street. opposite Sideways. We
understand that it will be compact and elegant
theatre, suitable alike for opera and the drama,
and will altogether supersede the dreary cata-
combs on the other side of the way. The
Academy can be used for what it is best
fitted-political meetings and religious ser
vices, like the old Broadway Taber-
nacle. When we have the French theatre for
comic opera, and French dramas, the
Fourteenth street Opera House for Italian
opera, and Steinway's splendid new hall for
concerts, our wants in these respects will be
pretty well supplied, and the establishments
hat do not advertise in the New YORK HERALW
will be defunct. These new structures are all
designed to suit the present public taste. They
will be elegant and comfortable in their in
terror arrangements, and especially calculated
for musical effect. All the modern compost
lions are set higher than the music of a
hundred years ago; the orchestras are pitched
higher, and it demands an immense effort of the
voice to produce any effect in such monstrous
barns as the Academy of Music. Consequent
ly we find that what might be called singing in
a moderate sized house constructed on acoustic
principles is only screaming in the former
building. The best of artists sang there at a
great disadvantage, while the poor strained
voices that have been lately holding forth can
not be said to have sung at all. Hence it was
that the audiences did not go to the Academy
to enjoy the opera so much as to fulfil the obi
cations of fashion and have pleasant reunion
early days Of the playhouse, cavaliers and no.
bles Of the court were accustomed to frequent
the theatre as a general rendezvous, because
they had no better place to 60 to, even crude
and almost uninteresting as the theatre then
was 1t has been pretty much the same for
some time with tho Irving place barn. Ger
tainly, whatever was the attraction to the limited
MISREPRESENTATION fashion, sociability or firta-
tion--it was not the music.
We hope soon to see a reformation In all
this. By proper management in the new thea
tres the public will be favored with the
kind Of nmusements they desire. There
are plenty Of rich repertoires to- be drawn upon,
plenty Of French and English light operas,
brilliant plays and vaudevilles that the au-
dicnco can thoroughly enjoy and the critic can
conscientously praise. II was because we
would not accept M first class artists singers
with broken down voices, of which the public
were thoroughly tired, that the present 'estab-
lishments did not advertise in the New YORK
HERALp;" It was because we would not puff
stale old plays, or new immoral trash that
"these establishments did not advertise in the
NEW York HERALD" II was because we de-
mandcd for the public something that was
worth their money and good for their minds
and morals that "these establishments did not
advertise in the New YORK HERALD" In short,
il was because we could not be manipulated"
after the fashion of certain city papers, as
shown in the Batcman triHl, that 'thesc estab-
lishments did not advertise in the New YORK
HERALD"
Such were the causes, row, what are the
consequence Slim houses empty Golfers
disconnected actors, n dcmOralzed drama,
and-two new respectable theatres!
w. DnA, kax,. NJ "a