Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-11-13
Dramatic, Musical and Art Gossip.


cess of the attractions presented. The Sangall
troupe, which occupied the only regular place
Of amusement, failed, Notwithstanding some
good features, to meet the reasonable require
ments Of the public. This result was probably
due in some measure to the unfavorable start
which grew out of circumstances perhaps un-
avoidable, but no doubt in a still larger degree
to the weakness of the troupe ITSELF which is not
equal to its pretensions, nor anywhere near Whist
intelligent amusement lovers have a right to ex-
pect. On many accounts a result like this is t.
be regretted but on the whole it will not be
without good effects, inasmuch it tends u
demonstrate what is every day becoming NOR
apparent: that the day for anything but first
class entertainments in Washington has gone
by. Next week we have a prospect of better
things, in the engagement Of Mr.. and Mrs. Wat
kns at the, National, and in the musical per-
formances of the Franko Family, who will oc-
cupy Metzerott Hall on Wednesday and Thurs
day evenings. We look, also, for good houses a,
each place, as both entertainments promise to
be light, pleasant, and good of their kind.
The dramatic event of the week i'm New
York was the appearance for the first time this
season of Lester Wallack. He opened at his
own theatre, in the play of "Home," and was,
as matter of course, welcomed by hosts of
friends.
-LOtta, who is nothing of an actress to speak
of, closes her second week of jammed houses at
Niblo's tonight. She has proved to be one of
the best cards recently held by the management
OF that house. But then its audiences have been
pretty badly demoralized of late by the flash
drama.
Miss Kate Fisher, upon whose shoulders
The Menken's want OF a mantle appears to have
fallen, closed her impersonation of "Mazeppa"
in Hartford the other evening by making
speech, in which she threatened to sue the Times
of that city for saying that "she wears false
calves! (" and said she would "make the reporter
prove it.'
Clarke, the comedian, now in England, does
not expect to return to America until next
spring.
- Mr.. and Mrs. Florence recently closed a
profitable engagement at San Francisco, at the
close of the last performance of which they were
presented with a gold brick worth about thou
sand dollars. The clever advertising story that
Mrs. F. lost So, 200 worth of wardrobe on the trip
is only matched by the other one, that the rail-
road company promptly paid the full amount Of
her bill.
- Hackett is to appear as Falstaff, at Booths
Theatre, before long Can't he be persuaded TO
visit Washington during the winter? He has
nowhere more or warmer admirers than here.
philadelphia has had Laura Keene at the
Chestnut and Lucille Western at the Walnut
street Theatre, this week.
Edwin Booth closes a brilliant engagement
at the Boston Theatre tonight, in Macbeth"
Maggie Mitchell opens at the same place
Monday evening,-in "Fanchon," need we say?
Lydia Thompson's blondes had a successful
run at Cincinnati, and were interviewed, seria-
atm, by one Of the Enquirer's reporters, who
publislel the resuIt in n sketch
The recent New York lecture of Miss Kate
Field, on her Adirondack Experiences, is pro-
nOunced by the critics unworthy the reputation
kindly fixed up for her in advance by the Boston
newspapers.
Chicago has been favored beyond her desert
this week, k,-having both Parepa-Rosa and Jo
Jefferson to cater to the taste of her citizens
EAST Lynne" Lucille Western, and that sort
of thing would be more in keeping with their
style.
The musical sensation of the week in New
York has been the temperance Of Madam
Anna Bishop, after an absence from this country
of nearly four years, in which time she has been
putting musical girdle around the earth, and
singing her songs in more than half a dozen
different languages. She has lost some of the
original richness and elasticity of her voice.
but its sweetness and delicacy remain unim-
paired, and the purity Of her method is said to
be as striking as ever.
The German Opera Troupe, as constituted
in its best days, commences an engagement at
the Philadelphia Academy Of Music next week.
The advance sale of seats augurs well for the
success of the season.
Italian Opera is the attraction Just now a.
the New York Academy Of Music, and the-Rich-
ings Troupe will commence q season at the
Grand Opera House on Monday evening The
company stands as when it appeared here last.
The fall exhibition Of the National Academy
OF Design at New York this year is said to be no
improvement on those of several years past,
which were discreditably poor. The contribu
tionslof De Haas, Colman, s. II. Clifford, Inness.
Durand, McEntee, Vedder and the Harris, to-
gether with offerings from q few such foreign
artists as Schreyer, Kaulbach and Wust, save
the collection from utter condemnation, but il
is pronounced to be on the whole alike unworthy
the present condition of art in this country and
the pretensions Of the institution under whose
direction the exhibitions are held. 1t is thought
however, that after the election of a new per
manent President, and particularly after the
amendments to the constitution-which reduce
the number on the hanging committee and open
the Academy to the efforts of artists residing
outside Of New YOrk-have fairly taken effect
there will be marked improvement both in the
scope and quality Of the semi-annual exhibi-
tiOns in future.
The e"Vanderbilt Bronze, ;" unveiled in New
York on Wednesday last, is quite puzzle to
the critics, and no two of them agree as to its
merit. He Of the Times, for instance, saws a
portion Of the work "refects the highest credit"
on the artist; the thunderer of the Tribune, on
the other hand, pronounces the whole affair can
abortion" and ga monstr0us device;" while the
World man boldly declares 1t to be "unmistake-
ably the work Of genius of some kind" From
such descriptions as we have seen, we judge 1t
to be huge attempt to portray in metals, in bas
relief, the different means by which Mr.. Wander
bilt accumulated his enormous fortune. 1t repre-
sents the hero in colossal size, surrounded by a
curious tumble Of gods and goddesses, looms,
ploughs, anvils, locomotives, ferry boats, trains
Of cars, yawl boats, steamships, and all the
other adjuncts Of civilized enterprise,-the
whole covering space nearly one hundred and
fifty feet in length by thirty in height, weighing
about one hundred thousand pounds, and costing
in the neighborhood of 500 ,OoO 1t was designed
by Mr.. Ernest Plassman, and cast BY Messrs. G.
& V. Fischer,-all resident of New York, and, SO
far as we know, new candidates for artistic repu-
tation.
Mr.. Church, the artist, has recently re-
turned to this country from Damascus, bringing
picture of that Oriental city, painted by him