The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-17
AMUsE n ENTs.


/ AMUsEMENTs.
| VARIETIES THEATER.-A fine attendance marked
| the first drawing of the LOTTERY of Life'' Mon.
| day evening, and the splendid house which
| greeted the rising of the curtain last night
| showed that the piece will have good
| run. Like all sensational plays, there is not
much depth Of plot but there is plentiful
supply of incident. Though the main point of the
| story can be told in a few words, it would take
quite lengthy article to do justice to the various
scenes and characters introduced. The main plot
| OF the drama is this: Sir Wylton Downe, an Eng
lish baronet comes to America to hunt up his son.
| Through the medium of several conversations by
| sundry characters 1t appears that, some twenty
| years before the action OF the piece, Sir Wylton
| Downe, then younger son, had come to New York
| and embarked in business. He took for partner
| one Bolter, who, to further melodramatc pur.
| poses, seduces the wife of Sir Wylton, then mere
| ly Mir. Downe, the merchant. So Mrs. Dowue
| goes of with Bolter and takes with her her in
fant son. Wylton Downe very properly becomes
| maniac after this disaster. Twenty years after
he comes over to New York. as before written, to
| find his boy which, thanks to Mr.. Terry o. 0'Hars,
| sn adventurous swell, he succeeds in doing. In
opposition to his success, however, are the work
ings Of the old original Bolter, now disguised un-
| der the name and style of Allcraft. Allcraft
carries on the business of merchant, but also
| ths Jew Mordie Soomons, keeps up his nefarious
| schemes. In q word, Bolter. Mordie SOlomons and
| Allcraft are one and the same person. The re-
| naming characters with their sayings and doings
| of course are introduced solely as sort of back
ground TO the picture. Some idea of the play may
be gathered by following it in detail. Each char
acer will thus be done justice to if nothing further
| be achieved.
| The play opens with a street scene, Fifth
| Avenue Hotel. The usual street scene, as de-
| picted in theaters-two or three policemen, ap-
| plewoman, newsboy, ballad monger, tosth pick
| girl, ETC.; Terry the StoeH wv. r. Floyd intro
| duced, as also Coal OIL Tommy (Vinng Bowers).
This latter individual, capitally personated by the
way, appears to have been introduced merely as
bit of character drawing, as his connection with
| the piece is not at all apparent Then follows the
scene between Robert MOrddlnt W. J. Cogswell)
and Emily Summers Miss Isabel Freeman),
which puts US in possession of the facts that Nor
dauDt has been pardoned from States prison,
whittier he had been sentenced unjustly for rob-
bing his benefactor and employer Mr.. AHcrdtt.
Then the scene M0rdie SoIoDaons' (the pawn
6roker's) shop. Bis interview with Terry the
Swell, in which Soomons is checkmated and
which winds up the act with tsbleau. Act I'd in
PRODUCES TO Sir WILTON DOlone (Mr. F. r. Pierce)
and his man Bob Mdloey wv. J. StantonJ. We
learn that the baronet after his long period,
twenty years, Of insanity has returned to seek his
sor. Terry the Swell presents himself as de-
tectve, and for sum Of money agrees to find the
missing heir. With sundry ludicrous incidents aud
the introduction OF the "JapOnica" waiter saloon
scene the act ends The Sd act opens at Ancraft's
endeavOrs to ascertain from Allcraft the true his
tory of Robert Mordaunt, whom Terry has induced
10 change his name to that of Rupert Downe In
order to impose him upon Sir Wylton Downe and
thus secure his. reward for hndLs the
neir. Plot end counterplot, and after
much stage incident the scene changes TO Terry's
lodgings, where Mordaunt awaits the arrival
OF Sir Wylton. This act ends with grand tab
eaux in which the identity of Allcraft and Bol;er
is established by the entrance of the bsronet
act 4th carries on the action of the drama so
far as TO disclose the plot fully. Bolter, Allcrsft
Mordie Solomons, is completely foiled aud the
end and aim of the piece, the proving Of Mordaunt
TO be Sir Wylton's son. thoroughly consummated.
Act 5th brings the leading characters into perfect
accord Even the distrustful Mss Tartar (Mrs.
Preston,) being satisfied and yielding her full con-
sent TO the union of Robert Mordsunt or Rupert
DOwne to Miss Summers. The burning Of the
ship DashlDg Spray is here introduced; the death
of Bolter, who has fred that vessel, with the mis-
taken idea that the bsronet and bride and groom
were on board, ends the play. The acting
throughout Is generally good. Bemishes there
were, OF course, and the play Itself has bad
spots. Some slang may be omitted, ami some
rather broad alusions dispensed with. But on
the whole the Lottery Of Life " deserves to
draw.
MRS. LANDER AS MARY SrUART.-As in "Queen
Elizabeth Mrs. Lander had in her quiet grace.
ful acting, delneated new phases and brought into
full view some OF the finer lines of the picture left
untouched by other artists. So last evening the
st. Charles in the character of the unfortunate
Queen Of Scots did she give her hearers, aud they
were none too numerous, many interesting
line of which few of US are unfamiliar. The con-
sclous dignity, the unconquerable pride which de.
manded that she be tried by jury of kings be-
came her well, as, confronting Lord Bwletgh
(Ar. Wsrd) and Pa@et Mr.. st. Clair), she bravery
asserted her royalty while yet sIppressing those
deeper feelings of bitterness and grief for her hu-
initiation at the hands of tyranDical sister.
In the interview near FOtberingsy with Eliza
beth, who by the way Miss Osborne impersOnated
with spirit and grace, Mrs. Lander displayed even
more than her usual power, and elected from her
audience q well deserved applause. She received
at the hands of Mr.. Taylor as Leicester and Mr..
Becss as heloile an admirable support, while we
thought Mr. Stevens Mortimer and Miss Preston's
Hannah Kennedy good enough to entitle them to
more than ordinary commeDdation. Mrs. Lander
will appear 10 night as Lady Macbeth and to-mor-
row evening as Adrienne the Actress.
ACADEMY OF MUsIc.-The French Spy" and
"lxion 7" composing attractive programme
as has been announced at the Academy for many
day, were repeated last evening before another
crowded house. In the former piece, Miss Maude
St. Leone distinguished herself in the leading
character displaying in the broad sword combat
q skill and endurance really surPrfsfrg. '1xfon,
the Man at the Wheel" (personated by Miss Jen.
ME Engel), was, however, the great attraction of
the evening. The temple Of Jupiter, Bacchus
saloon Juno's reception hall, the sun. the mytho-
logical temple, and the Celestial hemisphere are
all scenes, handsomely mounted and in which the
Olympian gods and goddesses. personsted by
Misses QuintOn, StOcquelcr, Boyd and Birch, Mrs.
Pelissier, and MessTs. CAVanaugh, Edwards aud
Pastor and others, appear. Go aud see the Man
at the Wheel" but in the first plscs read up your
mytbOlogies.
CRESCENT Cry MUsEUM.-Col. Ames offers to
amusement seekers at his museum on st. Charles
street. opposite the st. Charles Hotel, collection
OF novelties, animate and insnimate, human and
brute, animal. vegetable and mineral, such as out
side OF New York does not probably exist in the
United States to-day. The twoheaded woman
ChristiDe-Milly gives daily levees aud the man
frog, Mr.. Richards. makes an entrance at and 8
O'Clock each evening to his tank where, under
water, he eats. smokes and talks with all the ease
in the world.
LIVING WoNDER.-At No. 72 st. Charles
street may be seen on exhibition natural
living wonder 10 the shape of three horned
and three eyed OK, captured about six months
since near San Antonio, Texas. by Mr.. |
d. McKenley Of that city. The readers of the |
CRESCENT may rely upon finding, in an inspection
of this curious ANIMAL much interest and food for
study. It's owner and exhibitor, Mr.. McKenley, |
proposes we learn to exhibit it at the next State
fair.
marriage.
I InI1 4ba