The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-12-19
TIE DRAMA ABR DAD.
English Thentricnls and Condition Of tht
Theatres On ind on the staso-Tho Opern.
vnxnnu Nov 1910

II the stage does not flourish In England 1t Will
not be for want OF royal patronage, that's certain
Not that tho Queen Is much OF play-goer nova
days Since the death OF her husband she has
never set foot within the walls of playhouse; but
the heir apparent, whose hair, by the way, grows
less apparent every day, and his vile are everlast-
ngly at the play. Last week they were five days at
the theatre and one day at the opera, which was
quite as much AZ could have been reasonably OK
pected Of them. On Wednesday night we had one
OF the most awful f0gs ever known ON the banks OF
the Thames. 1t was q regular London particular"
as Sam Weller would say. The darkness might DO
felt. 1t was Cimmeran IL was Egyptian: 1t was
everything that could have been imagined OF hor-
rlDle and bewildering People "mo0ned' and
ioafed about playing blind mans bun In the fog.
You might hear them shous,ng as in WOOD, ana
looming one another's eyes to any place rather
than Paradise. Yet the terrors of that dreadful
night, when your dramatic correspondent was
within aims acct whatever that is) Of being
run in the Strand by the carriage Of the Right
Reverend Father in God the Lord Bishop OF London,
could not keep the Prince and Princess OF Wales
away from the theatre. II was a. good as play.
and better than many a play have seen In my time,
TO see the royal carriage whIred along and the no
less royal horses galopng through the fog like some
phantom in Oman, with outrlders bearing torches
and half hundred men Of the division OF
mounted police carrying blazing fambeaux at
each side Of the COACH Marry, come upl 1t was
grand sight, ana not soon to be forgotten. And
whisner, think you, was the stately equipage
vending It's wayr Why, TO the little pay
house IN rottenham Court road, to enable the
Prince ana Princess TO witness the performance
royal couple have already witnessed possibly half
q dozen times. On the following Tuesday tue Prln-
Ses5 tns e - n oa w w wen ~ ae be
pected night or two ago the heir apparent
whose hair, &c, &c, visited the Globe theatre with
pretty little wife to see the LADY OF Lyons" and
curiously enough they entered their box just at tire
moment that Pauline Descheppelles was paying her
husband the compliment OF saying 'oh you Princes
are SO changefu." The Queens soa who always
looks pleasant and GENIAL, enjoyed the JOKE I'm
mensely, as also did the audience.
There Is not much TO report in the way or novelty
just at this moment We have mad great time OF
It, but It Is the currents smoothness ere 1t dash be-
ayers are all intent upon the prepara-
ton OF their Christmas pieces. Pantomlmes get
rarer and more rare year by year. and II there should
be two or three pieces of the KIND al The West End
theatres this Yule tide Will be the most We have
been told for The last ten years that burlesque Is
upon It's last legs but it manages TO make good pro-
gress nevertheless, viii have possession OF most
OF tue houses ut Christmas.
On Monday MIR. Fechter commences an engage
ment OF twelve nights duration III the Princess
theatre, opening with "Hamlet.o
st. James, notwithstanding the beauty Of the
house and the excellence OF tneplay, .he Stops to
Conquer" has had but sorry luck. However, ii Is TO
be hoped that more prosperous era VIII be naugu-
Ihteu night, Wllen JOUu WOou VIII her
first appearance in new extravaganza, remodelled
'La Belle Savage
Mr.. Allertons not too prosperous esseeshp OF the
Lyccum VIII terminate on the 10th oil next month.
Meantime he hopes to fetch up the leeway with u
new play, adapted from the French of octave Feu-
lat by Mr.. Palgrave simpson, 10 be called The
Siren"
new theatre to be called the Belgravla. is in
course OF construction III Sloan square, the
station OF the Metropolitan Railway. IL Is 10 be tile
property OF Mr. Henry Grant of tue Grcclan, ana ls
expected TO open about Christmas.
Mr.. and Mrs. German Reed have come back TO their
Old quarters at the Gallery OF Illustration IN Water
loo place and, with some stars OF inferior lusre ara
singing and playing TO good houses IN an operetta,
by Mr.. w. 5. Gilbert entitled ages Ago. a lively
tribe and pleasant witha. but of no great sun
stance-"the perfume and supplance Of a mnue,u
as one VIII shakespeare, forgotten bard, was wont
10 say.
the country for the last year or eighteen months
has returned to London and will open anew nus
budget OF eccentricties az the Egyptian Hall ON
The Westminster boys. or, rather, the Queens
scholars, as they delight TO be called, because the
Latin play III the dormitory OF ST. Peters college,
usual, just before breaking up Tor the holidays.
But Terence Is to be discarded In favor OF rausus,
one oil whose comedies Will be performed. to the III
finite delight no doubt, OF an audience not one In
ten OF whom understand WORD OF the play.
Ii there Is little doing upon the stage there rs a
great TODD about the dramatic monopoly as 1t Is
termed. The wonderful Dr. Veere, or Harrow, aud
the other treated poets who can't get the managers
TO be mute lnglorious" Shakespeare, are at II,
hammer and tongs, ringing the changes upon their
sy ars t anu o0 teraure n
who writes himself IAN Outsider tells us OF an
genous expedlent to which he has had recourse TO OBJ
tain hearing. Finding that his communications
were neglected as long as he dated from his private
address, albeit In street OF great responsibility
the happy thought occurred TO him OF posting has
letters in The House OF Commons, and. viii Il be
believed that the grandeur and importance OF the
possmark succeeded IN elicitng reply BY almost
I'm nnNfH ag AZ fpyn of rio min
Business, however, Is now growing slack, but he
adds, with charnlng ,aoicete ~ think VIII renew
styles himself "a Small Author,n is grateful
for mercies as small as himself, and bears
thankful testimony TO the unvarying kindness OF the
managers. There Is something extremely touching
In such statement as this-'From 1850 to 1860 |
sent many pieces to Of the principal theatres.
return Of nv manuscript This is something 10 be
grateful for. WHO would not be q dramatic author
ON such terms as thesef Verify contcnted mind IL
Poor Paul Bedford Is dangerously Ill. Sir william,
Ferguson Is in attendance on him; bus the some time
idol o: the Adelphi seems hardly likely poor Fellow
to derive much benent from the skill even OF tnat
famous surgeon.
Mr.. Henry Russell writes to the papers to contra.
he has read with concernn MOI to have been able
to read 1t at all might have been worse calamity.
IT L. reported thai an English nobeman Is ready to
proper site can be obtained Mr. A. I. sullivan mas
been in Paris with view, 1t Is understood to the
production oil some OF his orchestral compositions
there. His 'Prodlgal SOM win be given al the
Crystal Palace on the saturday preceding Christmas
Day. Mr.. Bafe, the composer, IS suffering from
severe illness. The site where previous to lis burn
ing down. Savie House stood, In Leicester square.
has been secured for winter garden ana theatre OF
huge proportions. The whole block OF buildings has
been TAKEN and public company is IN process OF
construction issuing pound shares, not less than
twenty-five pounds 10 be taken up me auditorium
OF this new theatre VIII seat 1900 persons aud the
stage VIII be larger than Drury Lane. A covered
acade In front OF the house is also contemplated,