The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-05-01
u.Ile, ma Drama.

SIn 1853 they, called that horr1d i'm
moral show was speaking of the moral
"Model Artists and people wouldn't
90 to see it. But now they call that
sort of thing "Grand Spectacular Dra-
ma and ever body goes. 1t is all in
name. And it is about as spectacular
as any thing I ever saw without sink
ing right into the earth with outraged
modesty. 1t is the wickedest show you
can think of. You see there is small
harm in exhibiting pack Of. painted
old harlots, swathed in guaze, like the
original model artistes, for no man car
eth cent for them but to laugh and
ieer at them. Nakedness itself, in such
case, would be nothing worse than
disgusting. But warn you that when
they put beautiful clipper-built girls on
the stage in this new fashion, with only
barely clothes enough on to be tantal-
izing, it is shrewd invention OF the
devil. 1t lays heavier siege to puDlic
morals than all the Legitimate modei
artist shows you can bring into action
The name of this new exhibition that
so touches my missionary Substitutes,
is the BLACK Crook" The scenic effects,
the waterfalls, cascades, fountains,
oceans, fairies, devils, hells, heavens, an
gels-are gorgeous beyond any thing
ever witnessed in America, perhaps,
and these things attract the women and
the girls. Then the endless ballots and
splendid tableaux, with seventy beau
ties arrayed in dazzling half-costumes
and displaying all possible compromises
between nakedness and decency, cap
tufe the men and boys-and so Niblo's
has taken in S2,40O o night (seven
nights and matinee weekly for five
months, and sometimes $1,000. 1t is
claimed that multitude equal to the
entire population of the State of Cali
fornia, Cinnamon included, have visited
this play. The great Herald newspaper
pitched into it, and sensation parson
preached sermon against it; this was
sufficient to advertise it all over the
continent, and so the proprietor's for
tune was made.
The scenery and the legs are every
thing; the actors who do the talking
are the wretchedest sticks on the
boards. But the fairy scenes-they fas-
cinate the boys! Beautiful bare-legged
girls hanging in fower-baskets; Others
stretched in groups on great sea-shells;
others clustered around fluted columns;
others in all possible attitudes; girls
nothing but & wilderness of girls
stacked up, pile on pile, away aloft to
the dome of the theatre, diminishing in
size and clothing, Ne last row, mere
children, dangle high up from invisible
ropes, arrayed only in chemises. The
whole tableau Respondent with col
umns, scrolls, and vast ornamental
work, wrought in gold, silver and bril-
liant colors-all lit up with gorgeous
theatrical fires, and witnessed through
a great gauzy curtain that counterfeits
a soft silver mist! 1t is the wonders of
the Arabian Nights realized.
These girls dance in ballet, dressed
with meagerness that would make a
parasol blush, and they prance around
and expose themselves in way that Is
scandalous to me. Moreover, they come
trooping on the stage in platoons and
battalioDs, in most princely attire, /
grant You, but always with more tights
in view than anything else. They
change theirclothes every fifteen min
utes for four hours, and their dresses
become more beautiful and rascally all
the time. 30
ALL DRAMADoM AFFECTED.
1 have been sitting here blushing so
long that might as well finish the sub
ject now.
The Worrell Sisters Cat the BOwery)
are playing fairy piece, also, which
enables them to undress to suit the
popular taste. However, they do not
take off enough by any means, and so
they can not hope to achieve supreme
success.
But our Sallie Hinckley, late of San
Francisco, discounts the "Black Crook"
She is playing a nude fancy piece, also,
and i'll the last act she makes lovely
statue of herself, and stands alOft be-
fore the audience, and dressed about
like the Menken. She looks very beau
tifnl-but heaven help her assistants
She has got abeut thirty padded, paint
ed, slab-sided, lantern-jawed old hays
with her, who are so homely that moth
ing tastes good to them. And to see
those lank, blear-eyed, leathery old
scallawags come out and hop about in
melancholy dance, with their cheap,
ragged, nine-inch dresses Tapping in
the air-Oh, it's worth going miles to
see! And when one of them finishes
her poor little shin-dlg and makes her
wind-up stamp in the orthodox way,
sticking out slipper like horse
trough, with a criminal attempt at
grace want to snatch q double-bar-
relied shot gun and 60 after the whole
tribe.
j. III. Smith e. Co. ....s..
Have received a new supply of Kid