The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-14
AMUsI MEHT SUMMARY.

event 10 be recorded IN the annals OF Tue "eeA,
If we except the production Of the "Scnooi Ior
Scandal" at the Varieties In excellent style on FRI
day night, and the benefits of Pastor and Ralph, |
at the Academy on Wednesday and Friday re-
spectively. I-.f.r.r.Jr
These two latter occasions were gwen speciai
ecldt by the appearance of the oenenciaries IN |
their different speciaties, Ralph singing, among
others, his great song descriptive OF tne conse-
quences ensuing from the vencing OF charcoal oy
his psternal relative, and giving some OF MS
Ethiopian comicalities which, from the recent
dearth of that species Of entertainment, acquired
some little freshness and interest wnie fastor
came out in his great character. Johnny Crdpedu,
in Little Red Riding Hood" also enliVening the
ertr'dcte by introducing bis gallery of living
pictures, representing dozen well known per-
sopapes of these modern times. The attendance
at both of these benefits was simmer than one
is wont to find on such occasions. Perhaps peo-
pie are waiting for Ixion," and for Msude st.
| Leone as the French Spy, both Of which come
| out tomorrow evening.
The chef d'euure. as we minated above, in the
little Graver street theater during the past week,
was undoubtedly Sheridan's "School Tor Scandal"
| 1t was produced for the first time on Friday
| evening" and following rs 1t did "Ibe Lancashire
| Lass, - which was played on Thursday. was all
the more enjoyable from the broad contrast be.
tween the rsshy, sensational, murdero1s, Diooa
and thunder piece, and the witty, natural drama,
the production of half century ago, but as fresh
to-day as when it was first played. All how So,
| perb those old comedies are! Their worth proved
from the fact that they have been so long pre-
served, they seem to gather luster with the lapse
| of years, and TO shine brighter on every repeu
| ton II may be because there have been so few
| really meritorious plays produced within the last
| decade, that the genuine goodness OF these old
| dramas are more conspicuous, and sight OF their
| rendition is refreshing TO the mind from the too
| obvious contrast with the spectacular ana
scenic pieces lately SO popular pieces
that without the scene painter and tights, and
| blue lights, would sink on their first representa-
ton into the nothingness out Of which they were
created or il may be from the new beauties
which the careful critic discovers each new time
he sees them. Certain it is that such comedies as
| las You Like i, ~ "She Sleeps to Conquer, by
The by, why can't Manager Floyd let us have
that?-and 1.-THE School for Scandal" never pail
| upon the taste. One look at "Black Crook" is
enough but dozen evenings spent in the COM
peny of the 7edzles, the Surfaces, the SneerUeLS,
the Lu7npkins are not enough TO exhaust all the
enjoyment 70 be derived from standard comedies,
where wit and genius Turk IN every expression
| and peer out from behind every word.
| as 10 the manner in which the Varieties troupe
pIpyed the School for Scandal" it should be
subject Of congIatplatlon ooth 70 tSe ne. pd
and Miss Orion an altogether charming Lady
| Teozle. Mr.. Floyd's Charles Surface was what
| ell Mr. Floyd's characters are, very clever i'm.
| personstoD. Mr.. Pierce played Su OaUer, and
| nIsyed il extremely well. The rest of the com,
| pany were all well up TO their parts. though we
Dust say that the character OF Joseph Su'Jdce
did not seem to fit Mr.. Sheridan very well, though
| be did his best for it, The piece was reproduced
Yesterday at the matinee. aud will probably be
kent as a stock piece the balance of the season.
We bespeak for It, in behalf of the patrons OF the
| Varieties, q frequent reproduction.
| Mrs. Lander has appeared thus far IN but TWO
| characters, playing Marie Ant0tnete for the four
nrst nights and reserving Elizabeth for her benefit
on Friday. None Of her audiences have been as
large as we had wished or expected. On MONDAY
night it rained pitchforks, and this alone was
enough TO have discouraged herself, the manage
nent and her many sdmiring well wishers. IL
Iained all day long on Tuesday too SO mat spite
of the gorgeous sunset and the starit evening
which followed. there was another small house.
| On Wednesday Dight, and it was line weather,
there a larger attendance. but still the house
| ives only half full And SO it has been nightly
| since. Now this we can only ascribe TO certain
| surfeit of tragedy on the part OF playgoers. we
| were in the coming of Janauschek and Mrs. Glad
| siaue carried by violent transition from the
threadbare sensation drama TO classic or historic
| tragedy. which in turn has held sway for two or
' | three weeks uninterruptedly, and has we rear
coyed, as did its predecessor, upon the play
goers' palstes. 1t is only in this way we can &C
count for the comparatively meager attendance 81
| the St Charles this week, for when IL comes TO
y question of merit shutting out all matter o.
' national pride, which TO be sure has weight Of
A It's own, Mrs. Lander presents claims which ever
the most captous critic cannot reason away
n There ia lie ne SdiS qltO1 OF refinement anC
A graceful ease about her every look, gesture anC
4 motion which bespesk the cultivated lady, whllt
| in all the varied scenes through which the career
ofFrances or Englands queens, as sketched by thu
y dramatist carry her, she gives evidence, we think
of rare natural talent, polished by hard study AM
n careful rehearsal. How pleasant her voice ant
N | smile are There is nothing bosterous Ut V1olen
!. in her acting. She is the calm, complscent lad
n | in her drawing-rOom, and we confess 10 IN
smallest dash of regret whenever the exigencle
of the part compel her momentariy TO throw
- | this gentle meD, and display what appears less
- - part of her nature intense passion. Her countt
~ nance is play Of itself. Indeed, there are ce
70 tain schools of actors who make their fame o
e this alone whose features do all their setting f.
:. them. Hackett in Fdlstdf, or the late Charlie
=; Kean in Louis AZ, may be cited as notabl
- instances of this faculty, and in the same seho
" we must rank Mrs. Lander. Who, having see
~ her bitterly sarcastic smile when the MOB,
roaring without the palace at Versailles. or hi
wonderfully dssembed grief when DdctSSoh O.
| nounces that Md7ys head has been held up to u
~ people, can but agree with us on this point
Ia Ia Mrs Lander, nee Jean NJ. Davenport, was Dor
" in Northampton. Shropshire, England, az
10 made her fret appearance in public 10 the chara
~ Ter ofLile Pickle in 1.-The Spoiled Child. and in
* | play called The Young Actress" by Boucica1
This was at her fathers theater in Richmond n
first appearances on this side of the Atlantic WI
in 1880 when she PLAYED an engagement at q
X Old National in New York. Returning to Europ
on three years later Miss Davenport studied music
W. Paris, and with such success as TO induce dete
% mination on her part TO adopt II, and not =
er | drf ma, as a permanent profession. Elsltng M
To- land in 1885, she invited by the king to pla
nd before him in Amsterdam as julia, a part IN viii
she added TO her already assured reputation. Tw
Is wears later we find her announced as giving Iea
en- pgs in England, and year later STILL le In isA
eel returning TO America, with the intention OF maxi
he | it Ter future home. This intention she has q
hered 10, and has by long series OF successl
he 1 euoaoements Thoroughly identified her name Wi
III | the triumphs of the American stage.
'H At San Francisco, on the 8Oth OF October, Isl
en- | Miss Davenport became Mrs. Lander, marryi
Us | Mr. F. w. Lander, then a oirl enGinsar- in al
an citv but subsequently general officer In !
he | federal army. in company with her husoa
Iut | Mrs. Lender made the journey across the plal
from the Pacific 10 the States, her husoana snoL
~ | of Gen Mcclellan, and entering upon active serv
st in Western Virginia, where, after short but D
ION liant career-for he was an officer whose dasnl