, 1874-02-01

LY TR1BUNE: SUNDAY,
| With Big Indian in it is no more American OF
that account than q play Ia English because its
! dr0nadlls persona are composed OF. ancient
| Britons and Saxons-
Mr.. James E. Murdoch gave reading In New
! York, last week, at Association Hall The Her
d.1 eays " We could not see tha. time had de-
! priyed Mr.. Murdoch Of an lota Of that ability
| which has made him almost as popular IN the
lectu1e-room as on the stage. He il not by any
means what could correctly be called pic
| tuTesque or forid reader. His action IL never
so theatrical that We forget tho absence OF
scenery and costume But bis intelligence is go
| penetrating, his study 30 accurate, his sympa-
thies 80 fine aud true, and his reading so c21eful
that the impression left upon tho app1eciatot =
memory is as ucisiye an intagi1o." Which, for
tho intellectual department. OF the Herald, is not
! SO bad
One Of rhe Paris journals publish sonao in-
tcrestiug statistics connected with tho theatres
OF the French Capital. During the year that has
just elapsed no less than 305 NO" dramatic pieces
| Of every kind have been produced. There are at
| present in Paris 6fty-si1 theatres of different
categories and 104 cafes concerts. Seven new
| theatres have been inauguratcd during the year,
viz: the Port Saint Martin, the Renaissance the
Fantasies PigaIle, the Fofles Bobiuo, the
/ Theatre Labourdonnsye. the Sale Retro, aud
Frascati Nine theatres were obliged to suspend
operations within the same period viz. the
ItaIiens the Menus Piaisirs, the Foliea Ma,igny.
the Chnte1et, the NouyeauteB, the Iabourdon-
uaye, the Theatre Saint Pierre, nvoli, and the
Athenee OF these, several are in full blast"
again.
Tho dead-head is evidently not extinct in
France An editor whom he had irnportuned for
theatre tickets recently, gave him the following
letter to tue business mauaser of one OF the
principal theatres MY Dear Friend-I send
lima fi~ uhn hua forf +rA $xvN
hours for tickets but beware OF him, for ho is
very dangerous. His family usually keep him
in charge Of q faithful attendant, but to-day he
has managed to escape. think ho ia armed.
Yours, ETC." The unsuspectiug D. Il. presented
this note at the theatre, and was astonished
to find the manager brandiHh chair, order him
Off, and roar for the fireman to bring the hose
aud give him duching. tho victim wont down
stairs four steps ut q time, and has ever since
been profoundly amazed ut the reception he met
with.
The st. Louis Globe says s'1t is perhaps u
little bit unfortunate that the Italians who have
hitherto appeared before Amerlcan audiences
have distinguished themselves chiefly by an un-
pleasant development Of striugY and superduous
muscles in the calves Of their legs and an ab-
normal growth OF Bpangles On tho upper Part OF
thoir persons In the higher walk OF tha 1talinn
opera they have been recognized By weat1ng vel
vet panta1ettes, with lace fEills at the bottom
and long feather in their hat, and in this un-
usual costume have placad one hand On their
hearts md sawed the air with the other, while
the audience wondered what it all meant. This
performance usually ytakes pface in theatre, but
it bears about the game relation to dramatic art
that goosebsrry wine does to good old Bourbon
whisky.
The prejudice against the theatre had been
very great in Scotlsnd, and still existed among
the rigid Calyinists One day. when VAS Il or
Is, on going into the drawing-toom, an old man
sitting beside my mother 1ose and kissed mo,
saving, IL am ono Of your mothers oldest
friends" It was Homo. the author OF the trage-
dy OF Douglas" He was Obliged to resign his
living in the kirk for the scandal OF having had
his play acted in tile theatre OF Edinburgh, and
some Of his clerical friends were publicly re-
buked for going to see it. Our family was per-
fectlv liberal III all these matters. The first time
I had ever been in 8 theatre I went with my
father to Soc ''Cymbeline." I had never neg
Iected Shakespeare, and when our grea. tragcdi-
ans, Mrs. Sidlons and her brother, John kem-
Bile, came for short time to act in Edinburgh,
/ could think Of nothing etse- They were
both remarkably handsome. and, notwith-
WAS crowded every night. It was misfortune
to me that my mother never would 60 into So
ciety during the absence OF my father, nor, in
decd, at any time, except, perhaps, to dlnncr
party but had no difficulty in finding chap
to the theatre in the morning, and ash to sea
the plan Of tho house for the evening that
might know which ladies' I could accompany
to their boxes. Of course paid for my place.
Our friends we're 80 kind that saw these great
artists, as we'll as Charles helnble, Young, and
Baunister. in Hamlet" Macbeth" Othello,"
!" "Coriolanus.'' ssThe Gamester," etc. It WIS
greatly to the honor Of the British stage that all
the principal actors, men md women, vera Of
excellons moral character, and much esteemed
an old uoman, l drank tea with her, and heard
her read Milton and Shakespeare. Her daughter
told us to applaud, for she had been so much
accustomed to it in the theatre that she could
not read with spirit without this expression OF
appreciation -Recollections Of Ars. Son.ertNle.
tre, London, in Hiss Braddon's drama, 's sGris-
e}da." She ia said to owe her success rather to
Photographic art than to ability having been
more extensively photographed than any actress
on the English stage. The London Figaro thus
neatly expresses it, in an imaginary scene ba-
tween the lady and noted photographer:
(scESH-The stage set for "Griselda.)
Mr. Sott.ge-And say, fair lady, what this piece ls
Ike
And stead Of ms Being patient called, n3ethints
It Is the audience claims that adjective
,Ir Notase-1n s; sooth IS: 80: .oo,, :,
4 play more heavy, dismal, aud devoid
or human interest never have rad
Than 1uy own Taylor. dramas from the French,
And spurious history from the German stage.
Nj NogeLlhy words, Gsisslda ~ me- ,.,d With alarm
O tell me, is there no hopa left for 1h +
Mrs RousbySay, So,tage, do NJ" take 1t 70 to heart;
The play In dull, ay, very dull ntseed,
But ain beautiful, even ~ OF yare. /
Grisella viii not take the town, It's tr7e,
But thou mayst take Grisella as thou wilt
Mr.. Eottage-A thousand thanks!
1lrs Nousby- Thou'rt welcome, kindly kir,
For meier can forget the service great
Thy cameras have worked for HE and mine,
When I. unknown, from Jerrey's is1and came, |
Twas thou who focussd 1ne with skil!fuI art,
And filled with various photographs Of ZIG
Tho window -panes throughout the tecning land.
My thanks ere due to thee that albums all
Display, to Ray the least one of my carries:
Think, soo, how numerous and diverse
The ways In which thy company have taken me.
They have sitting. standing, lying auwn,
Aud lneelng in score Ut GiEerc.t Taya;
Hair mp, hair down. en- profile and f1,!l face:
Eyes raised III e'x'puance, lip turned up in scozn;
In Quecniy robe, in silken tights at.ircsf,
In rut, In donblet, and the 1iupens kat;
And row me:hirks again to me thou com'st
To pray sitting
Mr. NottaGe- Tia thou hast sid
And anxious q verdict now await. |
cbr- mi tor4 r7fas |