The New York herald., 1873-11-16
THE DRAMA IN FRANCE.
Burning Of the Opera HOuSe---The Fire
Not Without Its Advantages.
New Pieces Coming Out---Sar-
dou's "Uncle Sam"
0fFENBACH'S NEW DIVA, NINE. THE0.

Grand opera House In Paris was burned down on
the night OF the 2Sth ult. 1t was right splendid
blaze, which lighted up the bouleyards with lurid
glare, such as had not been known since the
memorable petroleum bonflres which illumined the
last days OF the Commune. Although it was nearly
midnight when the fire broke out, the cdfss and
restaurants were 1ul after their won't and in less
than half an hour crowd OF 5000 persons were
iostlng one another in and about the network OF
narrow streets in the midst OF which the opera
House was situate. Steam fire engines, with their
furnaces aglow, and their living freight OF brass
helmeted dremen meanwhile hurried up al the
gallop; republican guardsmen on hofseoack
ploughed their way through the surf OF excieo ana
curious parisians praying them, entreating them,
roaring TO them TO stand back; companies OF red
breeches nmblefooted infantry snatched out OF
sleep by the alarm bugles ran doubling up to the
scene and drove back the crowds in COM
pact lines right and left and out OF
harms way, and soon, with great clanK-
ing or spurs and scabbards. up cantered
grizzled old General Ladmirault, the Governor OF
Paris, and his staff, riding into the very thick OF
the smoke and sparks, crashing OF timber and riot
Of flames, as II he liked it. Certainly, II man
would wish to be burned out OF house and home In
the merriest way possible Paris would be the city
In which to try the experiment The Opera House
had not been long anre before the shout arose that
the flames had caught the block OF buildings FORM
ing the Opera Arcade and stretching to the Boule-
ward des Italiens and thereupon, to the no small
qualification OF the assembled sghtseers, began
mad scurry OF dodgers and householders OF both
sexes. Mattresses books dresses carpet bags,
clothing, vauables Of all sorts, down to clocks and
vases, were hurled out OF windows by their dis
tracted owners; dishevelled women, half-dressed,
panic-stricken men in their sh1rt-sleeves,
anrighted servants and yelping children tumbed
out Of doors, dragging furniture after Them hug
ging parcels simply giving tongue to add to
the general confusion. AS the spectators saw, or
fancied they saw, that many OF the persons who
thus wild were In real danger, and, as the
scared aspect of some OF them undenably
comic, the irrepressible ocularity OF this extraor
dinary nation found vent at every moment, and
any stranger who had suddenly found himself in
the crowd while the fire was at its height might
have fancied the whole thing was
HUGE sALAMANDRIC MASQUERADE,
got up by the government TO amuse the people
pending the triumphal rcentry into Paris OF Henri
v,who had not then yet issued the manifes to which
shelves his prospects. | should add that politics
we're not altogether absent from the scene; for
rumos Of possible coup detat had been rife, ana
when the soldery began sweeping through the
streets at the dead OF night timd citizens felt sdre
the coup d'etat had indeed come. Terrified
nightcaps might be seen peeping out OF windows
and unmanly bourgeois, whom l met
in small street not far from the
fire. was running home uttering exclamations
aloud 80 mon Dieu It's just as feared
We are going to have Darrcades ana executions
again." am sure If had followed the fine fellow
should have seen him take up his stand under
some doorway, waiting for early news OF the hgnt
and preparing to bawl VfUe le Rofr' or "Vfre la
Reptosbqsaei' to whichever faction had won the
victory. But my present purpose Is not TO tax
politics nor even to describe the 1re at the Opera
House. All French fires alike, and the tale OF
them is soon told in the three words agitation,
tumult and jokes.n But as to this particular fire
1t may be remarked that
''ITs AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NOBODY GOOD
and this burning Of the old opera House in the
Rue Lepelletier win be boon for several reasons.
In the first place II will hasten the completion Of
that new an ana .,ss,oat beautiful opera house
Grand Hotel. In the second place it
Will give the city OF Paris an excuse Tor ter
mlnating the Boulevard Haussmann, which the
Emperor's government had intended TO run right
through the opera House which has just been
delayed finishing because OF the cost OF buying up
and pulling. down the said Opera House; and third,
Boulevard Haussmann Will render it obviously
necessary 10 continue that magnificent Avenue
de ropnTa which Is tho to lead from The
Knocking down a multitude OF small and tor
tuous streets on its way. As this last improve,
ment will give the finishing touch TO the restored
Paris Napoleon III. dreamed it, and as, more
over, all architectural renovaions on this grandl-
ose scale entail numerous sanitary reforms-lght,
air, better drainage. TO say nothing OF picturesque
ness and gayety-it may truly be said that the
1re-fend who applied his torch to the old Opera
House was, for once, an agent OF good. ON the
other hand,
THIS WINTER,
and it is also very probable tnat the fancy dress balls
which used to be held at the Opera House every
saturday evening from December TO Lent Will he
abolished. They had long ago degenerated from
their pristine splendor and were beginning to be
The temporary transfer OF the opera TO the Theatre
du Chatelet, near the river (which is a trine too
far OFF for the dancing ladies, who mostly lived
near the Rue Lepenetier), viii afford the manager,
Halangier or rather the government, whose agent
ne Prerext oI eGsRg sae nnny oas 1Ur
stalk through the streets OF winter night arrayed
as clowns or wearing fantastic helmets with
purnes yard high; more card board noses,
grinnng masks or Naming boards, blue, violet and
carrot no more sprightly ladies dressed as peasant
girls, columbines or sporting mems clothes. Mo-
rality Will be the gamer and perhaps pure frollc,
too; Tor the opera balls had been for the last ten
years somewhat ghasty sight OF forced merrl-
ment and undiguisa9le weariness.
SUBSTANTIAL LOSER BY THE FIRE
aTrn poor AMBROSE y, @ Thomas the compose On tae h
Hamlet was to have been performed for the one
hundredth time, and he was to have received
o"nus is now adjourned for perhaps twelve
month, Tor II SO happens that all the scenery aud
costumes OF Hamlet were burned. The scenery
and properties saved were those of"Le Prophetic
"Guiilaume Tell" and Robert lie Dable;p also
DART of the scenery OF NJ. Mermet's new opera
.Joan OF Arc,n which was to have been broteht
out next week: II wiz be performed all the same
~ saHuaa j. anu WIN tue tnree operas above named
will probably give the staple entertainment at the
Gnateiet opera tlll the new house be naugurated.
supported by state subsidies; 1t receives from
government SloOo0O year, ana the manager
rs bound by treaty 10 bring out al east one
new opera OF iour or five acts every winter The
other subsidized theatres the Theatre Fran
Gals, which receives $4,000; the 0deon $40 600 ana
the Opera Comique, $4,000 These subsidies are
very beneficial, Tor there can be no doubt that
without them no grand operas Of Meyerbeer or
Rossini, and no plays OF Corneille or Moerc could
be performed before a French public with pecuni.
ary pr0nt
AND OPERETTA.
The kings OF the stage are Dumas Sardou,
Meilhac, Halevy, Onenbach, Herve, Vasseur and
Lecoq; and these eight gentlemen-four writers
and four composers-dvide pretty equally be-
tween them the gigantic receipts drawn from the
10 Parisian theatres which devote themselves TO