The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-02-25
AMUsE1MENTs.
The Bowery Thest-e's Audicnc, o. . HcIi-
day Night.

Bowery theatre audience is always pc
cular and unique but on holiday night IL blos-
SONS into an absoute curiosity. took 1t in on
waahington's 22d. when Divorce" was played.
attracting not less than $500 people, OF all sorts
and conditions. Ten minutes before the curtain |
rolled up the music bell summoned tho band.
and the boys In the gallery broke out with hi |
hi" welcome which was instantly suppressed by |
tho rattan Of tho officer. who. stationed in the |
middle Of the gallery. raped them into silence |
on every boisterous occasion.
While tho very excellent band was playing tho |
Star Spangcd Banner. Yankee Doodle, and Hail |
Columbia surveyed tho house. The parquet
was nllod 10 overlooking, ut Toast two-thirds be-
ing women Women are women wherever they
are Bowcry as II was. there were just M many
OF those ridiculous high hats az can be seen in
church or on Fifth avenue. Floral displays
were quito IA conspicuous. SO were bangles.
and M for white laco about the neck. there must
have been thousand yards OF 1t. Tho seats
arc rather close together, and comfort Ia
not always otanable. especially when ones
| neighbor wears an ustar or an enor-
nous dolman. The first circle looked little
| blacker. There were more men thcrc but II
| was filed to the utmost by an orderly woll-bo-
| havcd crowd all of whom appreciated and APP
| plaudcd tho music A few men kept on their
hats A few women sat munlcd up TO tho mock
| In tnlck WOollen SnhWiN. N ltW bNu'rS cuJoycu
| the encircng protection Of their escorts arm;
and tho occasional crack OF peanut shell did
not seem inharmonous. In tho second circle
there were some women. and q multitude OF
| boys with a gront crowd OF men. nearly all OF
| whom kept their hats on. and many added u
| picturesque cifect by disclosing their white or
red shirt sleeves The third circle was packed.
absolutely packed. with boys. rcd-faced curly
headed. cap-wearing boys-ncwsboys boot
| blacks. smart "a they mako 'cm AMI keen as
hriars They were in holiday condition. IL not
| in holiday trim. Their wits were brushed up.
| If their clothes were not. Patriotic trrvor WAS
Ct fever heat, for they appl'rnicd Yankee
Hail Columbia with shout OF wclcomc In the
fourth circlc-morq boys and colored folk. the
| latter quite ~ we'll clad. quite IA dccorous as
their fellow men and women III Inc vast space
below.
tains about 1000 p"oplc in his vast establish
| ment and, as general thing. they are the same
time Of which write was exceptional. In the
fcstivlty. Whole, families, we're out together for
family spree. Everybody was IN his best and
all the women wore the latest style.
Human nature ia Just the same in the Bowcry
whose SO volumnous us those displayed east Of
| Broadway
High hats are higher.
French heels are Fr"nchicr.
| Two-hutton gloves have i've buttons.
hcs Of Rsr this mum n thu s"
And as II If with material fashion ana fashion
material. 80 i e with fun ana irolic, win sem
saton and delight. No mealy -mouthcd nero,
no milk -soppei heroine, answers the purpose
ON that stage Of tradition. The meat furnished
for that audience must los meat. Tn" Stops AMI
bread and butter can be- kept Tor the less robust.
The stage is tho largest IN the city Il not IN the
country. On II the greatest. best. and worst ac-
tors have struiicd their strut and played their
parts. II may have been bad hut It never was
tame. That sort of thing would never draw
second night in the Bowery.
ncy.r saw an audience more cxpectant than
this. When Miss Abbott made her first any"ar-
anoc on Friday night. tho Academy Of Music
was packed hya curious. wondering crowd. who
went. Ike the old time people Of Athens, be-
cause they hoped tD find and hear something
now. But this was no such crowd. Thcs, won't
10 see u good company IN good play. They
expectation Of it, literal fulnlm'nt.
The p;Hy 9iil announ ed Agrs,i grand produc;;
.Divortc,' and PROMISED, the aid Of lIark ms.
M ssMi Mary %eIis. and Miss May SSncz, from
The fiih AyNnne ThGa,re Win F Br9Wns, Nj,
Dickson. and Mrs. W. Il. Jones of the regular
II must he fun to play in the Bowery and q
genuine satisfaction ~ well. THERE'S 10 lauiy-
dawdy Indifference about is audience. They
60 e SO play pagcL They gni,r1ia ', It's
see INN. Honest WORK. even ii rough they roc
nSt ~ una ars-n ibev i. ana r ~.
conclude that the Finh Avenue people have
done good work in tneir B9wery season FOR, IA
greeted warmly. especially 10y the gallery-Miss
, Nunez and Mr. DavidSc, being partienlarly hon
, pany are evidently great iavortrs, but Melville
we'll Mr.. Mevle's the low comedian. and that
dian may be checkered like those OF the r,'st II
) rs. but he . always certain OF ms friendly vel
preriquven"ss in his sphere. ,, The audience
and the stage are always his His grin Is text
or @r s0 srav f'' %cs ' thai sf q 6o
: | whol" house ana ms mock grief ~ p,tt'r uihh
! aJoke. Mr., Melville II no cNceptioni but rather
u an admirable illustration OF this theory. He
. plays the part Of Ilrapleton Jn, divorce law;
yer of New York. and, aecompanIgd
: ofnciaI way into the family Of Mr.. lie via
d, who finds himself divorced from his wife in
i the twinkling Of an eye, and compelled 10 marry
T. When Melville in white hat WIN back hand
black kld gloves suit Of sesdy b, o 100 tG en-
house rose at i'm, and for few seconds NE
play was suspended. From that point "a; ~, nv III
OF his eye, the cock Of his hat his simplest Ut
terance II accompanied 10y facial distortion, IN
start. snort. u jump. or whirl the effort was
at once rewarded 10y an uproar OF delight winch
y nothing but the ralping rattan could qucll.
= 50 far a. the gen raj pcrforman - II concern
ed should say It was lul'a equal 70 thnt IN ne
= played Mrs Gilberts role of SUSIE with a fresh,
: ness and beauty strangely at variance WIN her
g usual stted style lthouGht nrte,en III u, nn i
, Bowery company certain Stiffness as thougf
: they wcre playing under restraint Like inc Qid
. idol with n new head. the Joint was dis"rnihl,
: where the two companies came togetlrr I'M
i was especially marked in the scenes between
= Miss Nunez as Fanny Tn Eyck and Mr.
i Browne as Capt Lynde Tho lady grace
II fu. wlowy. and passionate IN utter
I ance; Browne badly wgged, IN short
i tailed dress cont. awk ward and Ill AZ ease Mr.
" Browne IL very much NJ home on the bowerJ
= stage, and when playing with his own compan'
a IL considered "a very good actor nut IN thls m
g stance whether because he WIS overwhclmcdb b,
e the Nunezian gush. or was unused To rs eye
! glass. or whatever was the reisoni, no ~
-, pearcd TO very great disad vantage. When Mr.
u Davidge as Dcf'U made his enfree he WAS ~
y tended both hands OF rotous fellowship. Al,
"a though II Jolly grandpapa ut home he appeared
y, ns spruce and active as "A Younger man OF lorty
:. Now and then the boys acted aS though DavidR'
Il meant more than he said and at every p2ssil l'
opportunity gave vent to their approval, Mr.
Harkins played ilfed with all MS old,tlnc We
hemcnce In the first act he sues ms lady loy'
Ia with fire and fury to the great delight Of the
h spectators, Evcry hitch Of his chair toward TIA
~ possibility Of n squeeze. and finally when tn
~ girlsh consent was given, and the binding kls'
I'd was imprinted on the yielding brow one sran'
y choral acclaim endorsed the a I, ana storm o