The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-21

ION the loose" one did not care to behold IN
London. As, however, NJ. Odenbach expanded
from q composer OF operetta into q composer OF
what from its dimensions at any rate, seemed
entitled to be called opera, aad the teld oil his
laboTs was no longer the upstart Bouhes out
the tlme-honOred Var etee, people began 70
name him with respect as n musical genius
whose solid worth, veied unser gauze of
frivol,ty, had been moderated; and smile OF
grave approval was substituted Tor q knowing
chuckle or a significant nudge in the ribs. La
Beie Helene was pronounced n great work pro-
perlY Interpreted. aud greater still was Ii
GrdGde Dachesse de Ger0lsietn. Great also was
Mad'lle SchLe DER hose naue b. her excellent
performance in both OF these works. had be-
come intimately associated with tne music of
As the fame Of NJ. oIen6ach increased, an
opinion was dlfused that London was in n
humilaed condIton. The two great lyrical
works had been seen in everv European capi-
tai and 1.-THE GraUd Duchess" hae even found
her way to New York, wDere, represented by
Mile Tos,ee, the prlnlG donna OF NJ Odenbachs
esrllcr works, sue was received with great
delight, talking ~ she did in her or0ina Ian
guage. In London, indeed, English limitations
OF the French chefs d'@NUre were produced. out
these were so exceedingly unprOdletive Of
mirth, or even OF cheerluness, that people who
had gone through course OF the dreaTy plea
santry could only marvel to hear that what
seemed slnPuarlY dull on this side Of the Chau-
mel was considered especially droll on the
other. Their faith in Nj. Ohenbach would pro-
badly have broken down altogether had there
not been travelled friruds at baud TO
declare how much better things were managed
| IN France, and how the tedious burlesque5
| which bore the title of OdPnbaCh's books we're
! only base copies OF a genuine article. London,
! indeed, was the sole capital AT which Otienb9Ch
! had not been represented properly, and on that
! account might be considered degree lower in
| civilization than other towns. Nevertheless,
! while the intellectual darkness OF London was
! commiserated, a compliment was paid to Its
moral susceptibility. The Old nudges and
! ChuCkles were revived, and the conjecture was
! hazarded that perhaps, after all the musical
| dramas that find favor at the Varieties might be
| q trine too free for genuine Britous. That we
were averse TO the ill lit idsOn as an expedient
! fol creating serious interest was an hypothesis
! too we'll grounded to admit OF suspicious, and
! is was a tair inference tnat we should be
| equally nice in the article OF funny impro-
! prietCs.
As tie establishment of the Divorce Court
| feartuly shook the belief IN the domestic vlr-
tues previou ly deemed unsullied, OF the mid
die classes, 20 has the summer season, now
closing, terribly enlightened US as to the fastid-
business OF our 'Cpper Ten" IN the matter of
| public amusemeuts So slightly is the Illicit
| French orama, that Nos latlmeS, the most
risky piece on the list presented by NJ. Felix,
! atoi dCd greater satisfaction than auy other
| work, leaving the world TO wonder why an
! embargo had been laid on Paul FORESTER. The
dramatic portion of MS season being at end,
| NJ. Felix ills up his lerm by engaging Mad'lIe
| SChneiderand bringing out La GT.tnde DUctesse,
arousing aomiratlon Oy the magnitude OF his
| spirit aud of his prices of admission. His
| success has been brilliant Not Ouly was his
| theatre crowded on the first uioht sacred to
! OEeubaCh, but the list of visitors published in
| the papers looked like d compressed edition OF
the Gotha Almanac, enriched with excerpts
from the peerage. AS for Nad'lle Schneider,
| she no sooner showed her face than she was
received with an enthusiasm that could not
have been exceeded had a welcome to poouhr
sovereign newly returned from exile been the
| business of the occasion.
That people sbould be amused at the perform.
ance OF La Grand DUCheSSe at the st. James
Thea Te is natural enough, subject dreadtully
INTEL, giole to the meauest adult intellect Is
treated with much ingenuity by the play writer:
odd figures are exhibited TO the pubic, comic
situations are brought about without any 1e-
straint caused by considerations of probability,
the whCle Is made vehicle Tor music Of a
taking kind, and nearly every part is well
sustained-the celebra ed actress, Madlle.
Schneider having been declared by the voice of
Europe to be pre- eminent in the character OF
the "DuChess.n The question is, whether this
is the sort of work that ought to command q
general outburst OF aris OcratiC enthusiasm, in
an age when au atiectahon OF indifference seems
10 be the order of the day; whether the state of
the lyrical drama which arises when the theatre
most approXimateS to the music hall is that
which ought, above all Others, to arouse high
society iIom its habitua torpor
There is, IN fact, no difference between the
| feeling addressed years ago by the musical
pieces brought out at the Boufes, and that to
which the so.called operas OF the Varieties now
make appeal. People will not go so far as
honest Sir John Brute in protesting a love tor
such shocking things as sin and impudence, but
that certain satisfaction at "naughtinessn Is a
prevailing sentiment among modern audiences
of every age and both sexes is not to be
doubled. Had the book OF La Grande
Duchesse" been of purely innocuOus chardc-
ter, Nj. Ofenbach night have WON out all the
lungs aud all the hddle-strlngs in Christendom
before his creations would have excited AN iota
more of enthusiasm than is produced by
the ordinary entertainments in which music
and eK rayagant drama are com bined But the
story of the "Grand Duchess" Is tally
naughty; the fair potentate herself is decidedly
a naughty giIl. She is hty when, being a
| hereditary sovereign she picks out OF the ranks
a stTappng private, merely because as Thacke-
ray says of Tom Jones and his Kind he has
large calves and raises him 10 distinction
gloating all the while on his seuseless face with
the most searching expression of delight. She
is naughtier still when she summons the dolt to
q tete a-tete, seats him on a low stool by her
side, caresses him with her dainty hands, and,
though she retrans from a verbal aYowal of
love, avows her passion by actious more express
slve than words could possibly be. Indeed,
| her army, or whether she makes Que
! at party OF two in her
boudoir, the Grand Duchess is the incarr alton
of every quality that distinguishes the damsel
! OF ill.regulated mind What is most eXtraordi-
nary, the ohenses she commits, and at which
'soCiety" is dIspo ed to applaud so heartily, are
just Of that sort of which the same 'sOclety"
most violently disapprOyes. Many man who
would contemplate without much emotion the
| progress OF an intrigue between lax gentleman
aud a married lady, would shrink with horror
from any manifestation OF a love affair between
q high-born lady and private soldier. Not
only morality, but the feeling for caste which
keeps so many TOueS i'm order is offended. uni ess
We regard La Grdade DucteSSe as no more than
comic pantomime, and deem the lady IS