The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-23

New England in April under the management Of
| Mr.. Lowell.
Mrs. Florence. now at the Convent OF the st. Au-
| gustine Sisters near Paris, has composed mass
| which was sung for the first time ON Christmas
| Eve
| "Alixe," at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, Is such
complete success that we may expect to hear
Lucennc speak OF the luke for weeks and perhaps
| Tor months yet.
somewhat unusual feature OF the audiences at
Wallack's last week was the attendance of "theat-
rical parties" One of them number sixty persons.
| After the play we understand 1t Is customary for
| these parties to lunch and close with the dance.
| The matinee at the Union Square Theatre to-mor-
row In aid Of the st. Barnabas Home. under the
management Of Mr.. Sheridan Shook, Is to be an
| amateur performance OF ''Married Life" and
| "ROugh Diamonds" the parts being taken by well.
known ladies and gentlemen. musical perform
ance viii be given in the interlude by Mrs. John
Terry, Nine. de Ryther. and Messrs. J. N. Pattison
| and G. w. COoney.
"Humpty Dumpty" did large business at the
Olympic last week. "One Hundred Years Old" at
the Union Square drew full houses. and 'David
Garrick" at Wallack's was exceedingly successful,
the house being almost ''sold up" for more than
week In advance. The dulness OF the early part or
the season is longer felt at any of the theatres Of
the city, though 1t is possible some OF the managers
regarding the approach OF Lent with feelings OF
no great religious iervOr.
The success Of "Le0 and L0tOsr at Niblo's Is one
Of those things which confound criticism and con-
flute predictions 1t has no humor, and yet it
amuses. 1t shows nothing but scenery, the ballet
and the circus business, and yet 1t draws. chow
long Is this confounded piece going to rum" said
| the Black Crook to Harry Palmer "a year or
| two MORE" answered Harry. We might suppose
the same thing would prove true Of "Leo and
| Lotos," judging from its past success.
| The death Of A. w. FennO OF Booths Theatre,
was a singularly easy passage from this world to
the world beyond. Like an actor changing his
parts he changed from mortality to immortality
in moment. Sitting In his chair in an attitude 80
easy as to show he was not expecting death, he
expired without knowing that he was dying. At
noon he was In full life, and at night "hunted
down" to life's certain end. Mr.. Fenno's part OF
Mr.. Gibson, in ''The TicketofLeave Man," is now
played by Mr.. Rhyner.
Next Saturday evening Mr.. Florence will have
played the part Of Bob Briefly, in the ''Ticket of
Leave Man." LOGO times. His success at Booths
has been very great and he plays to full house
every night After the run OF the piece, which Is
In its last week, he appears as Jules Obenreizer,
the Swiss. in mo Thor0ughfare, part which is
among his best. Among the funny things which
are told OF 'The Ticket-of-Leave Man." we hear
that clergymen commend it as better than a SER
mon and BANKERS and merchants prefer 1t to
burglar-prOOf safe.
The new piece at the Grand Opera House had q very
prosperous first week. 1t has improved since the
first night and the transformation scene at the close
now works charmngly. This scene, which represents
the four seasons, Is very fine one 1t is poetic in
conception, and satisfies the understanding as
well as the imagination. OF the play itself we
have already spoken at considerable length and 1t
is not Of it that we nave anything to say at this
time, but OF the class of entertainment to which
Ground the Clock" and "Roughng It' are'the in
PRODUCTION. We may call them rubbish, II we will,
but all the events which are daily happening about
us are mere rubbish in many eyes-things SEEM
lngly unworthy of world which God made. Yet
the best Of men and women are constantly doing
ludicrous things. The gravest duties of life have
their humorous side Even devotion TO art be-
comes ridiculous. The expression of these things
on the stage is worthy Of encouragement. Until
these attempts 1t the Grand opera House anything
that was done in this way was by means
OF what we have been in the habit OF calling
burlesque. The stories OF ancient mythology, the
tales OF the Arabian Nights, the myths OF the Mid
die Ages, were the staple Of this kind of amuse-
ment. Hector and Priam, Ali Babi and the Cap
tain OF the Forty Thieves, Heloise and Abelard
were made to talk bombastic nonsense about the
Boss and Andy Carney. There was no wit in it
and nothing that could be called acting. The
change, of which "Roughing 1t" Is only the begin
ming, opens the way for both wit and acting Mrs.
John Wood shows how much there Is that Is exqui-
site even in the germ She makes of Antonietta
Macdufic veritable creation. She depicts the
average American girl with rare humor and
touches with singular fidelity the exact border of
the real and the extravagant, blending them so
finely that 1t Is impossible to tell where one begins
and the other ends. Her only fault Is that she
does not make Antonetta sufficiently "a lady,"
II she were little more real she would be the
more exqusitely extravagant, for it is upon these
that this class of entertainment depends for sue
cess.
The following letter from Wachtel to his former
business agent in this country sets at rest all
speculations in regard to the coming of the great
tenor to this country once more:-
MY DEAR Mr. RADEN-While deeply regret not
having had the time to write before, my spare time
being much more limited than when l was in
America and each year becoming more So vet I
can find sufficient TO pen q few lines in answer to
your kind note, and to state That am not engaged
by NeuendOrf or any one else to go to America;
but that, on the contrary, have written to Neuen-
dorfr direct, informing him that had determined
would not again make journey across the Attain
tic Ocean, principally for these reasons:-
Frst-That there exists no necessity for my so
ments want here, and If will only sing l shall be
received with open arms and general applause at
every theatre enter.
Sec0nd-That will not vex myself by engaging
to travel with such troupe again.
In leaving the musical agent )" my dear Raden,
made something with the Lucca guarantee this
year, or expects to make thing, and therefore
he thinks he can trot you out with Wachtel and
Lucca. Is this not so2 You write me that the
''star' had been taken up better have said 1t was
against her. How much money must this Mr.. M.
COhn expect to spend at the outset2 How much
money can he expect to make If he has Lucca,
wachtel and two such other persons to pays How
q fA IN hn mai
am certainly pleased to learn that the n anne of
Wachtel has lett so favorable an impression behind,
and that such combination as that proposed
under Rosa's direction might be SO easily made
successful.
My principal engagements are arranged.
shall start on the 10th Of January, and continue
travelling until the end OF April, singing at the fol-