Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-10-20
THE NEW
Opening Nlght--BrilIianE AS
semblage.

me opening night az our handsome
little the2ter Is always an occasion of
excitement ia fashionable circles, and no
little also among those who do lot claim
TO move in the ranks Of Memphis upper
tendon. a night Ta5 no exception
TO the general rule, and the sudience
which assembled to witness the Lady
Of Lyons would compare favorably in
point OF elegance, fashion and beauty
with that OF any other on the continent.
The curtain arose, and upon the very
handsome stage, which is so familiar to
Memphis play-gOers, was srrSyed the
whole strength of the new company.
The Introductory overture, by Hanover
ker's fine orchestra, was a MASTERPIECE,
and stamped the musical director no or
binary musician. An opening address
written by Col. James 3. Marshall, wac
read by that lady and favorite, Mrs.
NJ. flanagan, whose appearance drew
forth hearty applause from those present,
with all of whom she is held in high
esteem, not only for her decided
merit as an actress, but for
those many charming traits which char
scterise her in the domestic circle. or
the chorus from LA Grande Duchesss,"
in which the Company joined, the least
We csn say is that 1t took the house by
storm, and that Mrs, T. S. Cline, as solo
ist, st once established herself q fsvorite
with those who appreciate cultivated
vocal merit. Bulwer's fine, but rather
threadbare play, Of the Lady Of Lyone
followed, and, Notwithstanding that ths
Company vas new and just brought to-
gether from, we may say, al points Of
the compass, there Hss less OF what We
may term jsrTing than We have ever
UifnnQGad IN afpnFlarg An.oafor. Nj,
Charlotte Thompson, whom we have
ever esteemed one of the most charming
Of our American actresses, was warmly
received, and, as "Pauline," performed
her part with more of n~aturalness-
more OF what We consider the true rem
ditiOn OF that loving but naughty wo-
mans naLure-tnsn WAens hs visited Us
two essOn ago. Ars. Nellie Taylor, as
Madam Deschapelles,p was very
much the lady Of aspiring ideas
and worldly love for her daughters
welfare, not confined especially to Lyons.
She dressed her part elegantly and ives
very much admired and will, no doubt,
prove a favorite. OF the other lady
characters we must see more before we
cRn express L opinion. "Claude Mel
notte,n Mr.. Theodore Hamilton, we
think, came fully up TO even the rigid
requirements Of a first night" OF fine
personal appearance, good voice and
easy carriage, we think the management
has been fortunate in its choice of a lead
ing gentleman. OF the other male
characters we would like to say some
thing, bat prefer to see them In other
roles before putting our estimate upon
them. We would, however, be remiss IL
We did not mention the "Landlordn of
the Lions Head,n Mr.. f. J. Dewey,
who, GU 8 very poor part, succeeded In
making something which gave assurance
that he Wss no ordinary actor, but will
prove himself = trump card when the
occasion. offers. Nj. flanagan, who en-
joys a popularity with our peo-
pie only second to his wife,
as "Mons. D~eschapelles," sustained
his reputation and gave US q true rendi-
ton OF a character that sffords some
fine touches OF nature. Take 1t all in
all, the opening night was q success, and
Mrs. Thompson, the lessee, Mr.. Chris
Steinkuhl, the manager, and Mr.. Robert
McWade, the stage manager, all deserve
the thanks Of our p~lay-goers for placing
before them probably the bsst stoek
company ever on the boards of the New
Memphis. An unfortunate occurrence,
explained by q notice elsewhere, pre-
vented the advertising drop curtain y
from being used after the irst time. 1t
viii be ali right, however, by Wednes-
dsy evening, and regularly thereafter.