The New Orleans crescent., 1868-12-06
in the shape of demand for tickets and good

Il
character Of blunt, honest Farmer Allen.
II this play. appealing as it does 10 the natural
| love for plain and unassumng goodness sketch
| ing as 1t does those peaceful rural scenes for
which all OF us, immured in city walls, so Oft have
longed; representing in its events nothing Of down.
| right evil or villainy Introducing none but the
plain forefafhers Of the hamlet, their children and
their children's children, and finally teaching q
lesson OF forgiveness and repentance which. with
| more potency than preaching, makes one inward.
| ly VOW never again to cherish rancor or resent
| ment-if this play does not carry with it TO the
heart of every one who witnesses it, not only q
pleasure, mellowed by dash of soft regret, but a
| moral too TO be through life recalled by the
| memory OF simple Dora. then that heart is hard
| and worldly indeed. We wish to hear no more
instructive sermon nor yet one more sgreeably
communicated than this same sweet pastoral
| play.
And there is humor in the piece, too. When
| Jim Blunt comes running up the shaded country
| road, and announces that the vicious mare has
thrown his master. he says it in such broad
Yorkshire accent that one involuntarily laughs at
him. And when the farmer, crusty and bruised,
Is carried in, and, amid his groans, threatens Jim
with instant dismissal, and as a consequence, the
| workhouse. the fellow bounds off in quest of the
| attorney with the air OF q vertable clodhopper,
| such as Pollock describes:
-," One man there was,
| And many such you might have met,
Who never had dozen thoughts in sll his life,
| But told them DER each In its 'customed place
| From morn till night, from youth to hoary age.
| Little above the OK his reason rose.
| And bis memory SO untaught,
That what at evening played along the swamp,
Fantastic clad in robes of fiery hue,
| he thought the devil in disguise, and fed
With quiV'ring heart and winged footsteps home."
/ The child-he cannot be over four years old
brought upon the stage during greater part of
the play, is really an admirable little fellow, well
trained TO his part, and while modest exhibiting
none Of that naduudise honte too frequently seen
when children Of tender years are called upon to
We can, too. in all sincerity, speak fsvoraby of
Miss Osborne's pleasing manners as Mogy 1HO77-i.
son, Of Mr.. Stevens's Luke bloomfield, and NJ.
Murphy's very natural acting as the invalid, We
dam Allen.
Dora" will be played throughout the coming
week, at the st. Charles.
The Varieties.
"Under the Gaslight," ""Arrah ma Pogue," the
marble Heart" each twice, and Macbeth" last
evening have constituted the programme at the
Varieties during the past week. The attendance
at this theater has been good, and one can go
there any evening now with a reasonable GER
tsntY of finding not only pleasure in tue enter
tsnment. bat good deal to admire and observe
about the house. There is about the Varieties q
certain indescribabe air of elegance aud comfort
je ne sdis quoi of refinement, which impresses
one upon the first visit there. Manager Floyd
never has put piece upon the stage during his
managerial career, but that ii was put on well.
This the public know, and hence the theaters
popularity.
Il is our intention hereafter to fur.
nsh the readers of the SUNDAY CRESCENT with
sketches OF the career of prominent members of
the different dramatic or variety companies now
in the city. To-day. Mr.. Charles Pope, of the 81.
Charles, Vining Bowers, of the Varieties, and
Mile Augusta Sohlke, queen Of the Academy
ballet are the subjects ofsketches which will affo
come idea Of when, where and how they gained
that experience which now enriches their psrfor-
mances.
Tomorrow evening Mr.. Floyd promises "Dora"
with new and appropriate scenery, accurate cos
tunes and appointments, and the original music.
Mr.. Ryer will play Farmer Alien, with Miss Josie
Orton as Dora, Miss Freeman as Mdry Morrison,
Mr.. Floyd as Luke Bloomfield, and Mr.. Sheridan
ss lillian Allen. We and the public anticipate
keen enjoyment in witnessing the play with such
cast OF characters.
Undine.
Who is Undine, What is Undine These are
questions we hear asked at every corner. The
answer is somewhat thus Uadine, a water
nymph, having become enamored of a young
knight of Lorchsusen, surnamed Herbert TIE
DdUntless, determines to lure him within her tolls
and for this purpose sends one of her ennis
saries, disguised as holy pilgrim, to his castle.
where he discovers Sir Hubert, and his boon COM
panions making merry over the last fsgon of
wine left in the old castle. The knight here in
forms his comrades that his fathers gold is all
gone, and announces his determination to destroy
himself by jumping into the Rhine. The pilgrim
Informs him of an old legend connected with that
river. In which IL is said ANY knight, being
both handsome and brave, who will visittthe dark
waters of the Rhine and gain the love of the
water spirits, may return with wealth and honor"
This determines the knight at once. In company
with his faithful squire, Bdltiste, he visits the
Lurlieberg at midnight when Undine is said TO hold
her yigis, and beholds the beautiful vision that
lures him beneath the flowing waters. The faith
full squire determines to follow his master at all
hazards, and leaps into the wster after him. Un-
dine leads Sir Hubert through the beautiful stall
actite caverns, and showing him vast treasures of
which she is mistress. receives from the knight
promise that if she will permit him to take back
TO earth enough wealth to reft his castle he will
return in three months and make her his bride.
She consents, and he returns, laden with gold and
jewels. Three months pass, but Hubert re-
turns not" UndiDe becomes melancholy, and
sends her demon Kh1deb0Tne to discover the
cause of his absence. He discovers Sir Hubert
in the very act of marrying the Lady Una, his
first love. Kuhleborne forbids the banns, and re-
turning TO Undine informs her of Huberts per.
fdy. She, terribly enraged, orders all within her
kingdom TO prepare for war. They attack the
castle and take Sir Hubert and his followers pris-
oners. Undine forgives her errant knight, and
returns to her home, never to visit earth again.
The piece is said to be full OF fun, caused by Idea
and Bsptisie, the former a handmade of Undine,
lively, merry Dymph, who coquets with Baptiste
to her hearts content.
Incidental to the piece, too, area number of
beautiful ballets-among which are the ballet of
Golden Leaves, the Fire Fly ballet and Shadow
Dance, and De Pohs celebrated Can-Can. Mile
Sohlke, the premiere will figure in all of them; so
Will Miles Cribelli, Evers, Bertha and a large
ballet. During the third act there will be intro
duced grand Amazonian march, and a march by
knights in magnificent gold and silver armOr, i'm
ported from Paris expressly for this piece. The
scenery is mostly new, and gotten up in splendid
style. The calcium lights are improved and under
the supervision of new operator from London.
In the cast will be found Miss Jennie Engls as the
Queen, W. 3. Kavanagh as Boptiste. We are also
20 have new candidate for public favor. Mrs.
Jas. A. 0ates, burlesque actress and prima dom
na, who will pesonate her original character Of
IdeJ. Mrs. Oates, although stranger to our city,
has won golden opinions u in every city where
she has appeared. as vocalist, and is pronounced
most excellent by the press OF Chicago and Gin
prcSdfuced under the Immediate direction OF Joehh
r. Allen, who last season brought out :" The
Tale OF Enchentment" at this same theatsr.
The CHAMPION COOKING STovR is THE PEERLESS.
In purchasing good stove the party should take
into consideration the requisites necessary to
make it perfect. The first of which is the