, 1875-12-26
The Holiday Entertainments
Vouchsafed Us,
What Baker and Farr0n Have Been
Doing---Green-Room Gossip.
Arrival Of the Opera Boufe---Suo-
cess of the Centenary
Church Choir.
The Apollo club---Foreign Notes.
THE DRAMA.

IN CHICAGO.
HOLIDAY ENTERTAINMENTS.
Eng1ich literature is full OF references t
: Christmas pRntonimes, and in the Easter
States of America a feeble attempt has bee
, ! rade this year to introduce the fashion. But il
Chicago the influence OF foreign example ha
extended only far enough to degrade the regu
lar drama without substituting for it respectable
travesty. The record OF amusements for th.
week past is dismal. Mark Tapley might EMO,
it. McFlcker's Theatre has been given up to
variety performanoe-not = good one either
which has been patronized as poorly as it DO
served to be. The California Minstrels have
given an entertainment, which is tbs best o1
its kind, aud yet one which ia not adapted tt
satisfy all tastes. The really good speotacu,
lar play at the Adelphl has been &C
mixed In with beer and tobacco that women
have been virtually excluded from 1t. Al the
Academy OF Music company Of inferior Ectora
whose proper place was once found in the ru1aI
districts has been repeating "The Two Or
phans."
At Col. Woods Museum soma attempt
has been made to amuse the young folks by =
rendering Of ''Lstlo Red Riding Hood" but
previous experience of the entertainments Of
this place docs not warrant the belief that the
play hns been given in satisfactory manner.
TIE WEEK At THE ACADEMY.
| Mr.. Edward Everett Hale's Is aoubie," who
! undid him at last, had for ona Of his stock
speeches the familiar apples OF gold in setting
Of silver: ION the whole 80 much has
been said and 80 we'll sAid that I
will not detain you longer" The ex-
preston may be applied, with ittle varia-
tion, to "The Two Orphans" On the whole,
it has been 80 often played, and so we'll played,
that it should not enchain us longer. We desire
proclamation Of emancipation from theatrical
orphans,-a bill OF divorce on the Substantial
ground that We are tired OF them. There is no
stronger dramatic motive, it is true, than a
mothers love, nor has there lately been lra-
matte composition in which this motive has been
moro successfully used than in 1.-THE Two Or
phans''; but there is q limit to the interest
which we can take even III good play. Mr.
Akeas company labors under the further dissd-
vantage Of provoking comparison With two
of the best theatrical organizations that
have ever been seen in Chicago. There
i is nG5 S. 81 Ps5t IL ubes tes hda Play uPsss Rss
given bettef BY the Onion Square Company or
the New Chicago Company than by Mr. Aiken's
Company. Miss Geneyieve Howard, OF Alken's
company, certainly shows decided talent in her
rendering Of Henrie1e but she might cnme of
lees than conqueror it the recollection Vi Miss |
I1acy's appearance in tho same part were fresher
than it ia. Miss Howard is unfortunate 10 hny- |
ing weak voice. She only needs improvement |
in this respect to take at once comfortable po-
sition in her profession. The Picard OF Mr. |
the audiences at the Academy, is not 80 good as t
that OF hIr. Whif6n at The New Chicago. Mr,
Frank Aiken's Cheuatiez is not good at all. There
is too much Aiken in It, he has sacrificed none
Of himself, not even bis mustache.
BAKER AND FARRoN.
These variety performers probably never At
tained higher dignity than the one which they
Enjoyed ut McVicker's Theatre las: woek. Their
song and dance medley was tzeated seriously Is
I it we're play. The staga-mountings were
beautiful and the absuzd;ty of mounting such
! farrago Of nonsense at all seemed to occur to
Nobody. The frame Was too massave for the
'icture,-the setting more worthy than the
hing set Moreover. the full strength Of the
0 the heavy work Of sitting about in beer
aloon aud promauading in park. The strength |
t the company, fortunately, is not Of such |
igantic dimensions that it suffers seriously |
then used In diversions Of this description.
TIE CALIFORNIA anSsTnELs
re giving the best performance Of the kind that !
as been eeen in the city for several years. They
esetve the success which they are enjoying. I
[essrs. hickey and Barney appear In little
srce, 1.-The Rehearsal" in which they do not
arry oil all the honors. It is an amusing and +
ever jeu deSpri, with several characters, all Of
hom appear in white. hickey and Barney per- 4
>nate an old Iishman and his wife. ,:hey | t
1ow traces OF genuine power as comedians and | j
0 doubt with proper training would develop y
ito something higher aud better than bu1lesque il
'toEs. A tendency on their part to broad and Q
lggestive acting. which was manifest the first t
ght, was thereafter suppressed by the man. O
GERS Of the company. Any person who can t.