The Osceola times., 1877-02-10
GRAND DUKE OPERA HOUSE.
NOOLAs GNITE EHT OF -lq1g

NooLAs GNITE EHT oT-.asa
The latter guide was found to point
to very rickety pair of winding stairs,
up which my companion and | ven
tured. A large room above, several
greasy tables, several reasy people
eating from greasy spoons, and here
We learned that we could have bowl
of rich soup for five cents, and plate
of any kind of meat for ten. We did
not eat. Turning downward again we
entered the arched portal, stepped
down gingerly intoa foot path which
led through oozy slime twenty feet,
passed a coal-bin and very sour
smelling open culvcrt to hole in the
ground in which light glimmerC d.
Peering carefully down, irregular stone
stairs were found to descend into the
earth some twenty steps, when, 10, the
opera house in all its glory burst upon
the enraptured vision! In hole in
the ground on the right was the ticket
otiice-admission, ) cents; orches-
ira chairs, 10 cents private boxes,
% cents, Ho. We took a private
box, which we found 10 be two chairs
so disposed in front corner behind "a
railing as etlectually to cut oifall view
of everything that transpired on the
stage. Disgusted with this we desert
ed our aristocratic proscenium and
took orchestra chairs--a plank on legs
running along the front. Here dis
covered that we were the only adults
in the building" (Which was really a
kind of a potato CELLAR. There were
boys-at least one hundred and fifty.
nine varieties of the genus qdn,in,
perched on seats elevated one above
another to the ceiling. The latter was
about nine feet above the floor.
The whole auditorium was about four
teen feet wide and twenty-five feet
deep. The stage was, by actual meas
urement, nine feet wide at the foot
lieh hts and seven feet high, and over
the top of it was ornamented with
three pieces of old gilt scrollwork that
had originally done duty in holding
window curtains. As the curtain was
not vet up, ! went to the ticket office
(my card bore the name of "P. Con
nors md b. Muzzio, Managers and
made some inquiries. Sometimes, the
treasurer said, there were ten dollars
in the house. The "stars' were paid
two dollars II week and the ordinary
performers Fifty cents. Then the
lonesome orchestra drew one saw on
his fiddle. and the curtain rolled up.
Such scenery. Sme bootblack had
tried to paint a street scene, and the
prospective was distorted past hope.
Bue-bricks stood edgewise on the side
of a slanting house, and a green dog
twenty feet long barked at a saffron
man as high as a telegraph pole. The
"fes" were equally troublesome, even
though it was midwinter: Then come
forth the actors. They were boys from
eight to eighteen years old, and their
acting mainly consisted in cutting up
pranks and crude bits of character
sketching not quite up to the Bowery
standard. There was no "Sdeath !"
and not much ranting. There was some
good dancing, some vile singing, and
some gymnastic tricks so very clumsy
that the youth was driven from the
stage by the vociierous derision Of the
discriminating audience. eli Get
out there!" Tie up yer leg" "Put yer
hoad undor y pump" were some OF
the choice bits of advice uttered with
roar. One thing was noticeable to
this haunt OF the roughest boys of New
York. Though one of the gamins
appeared as n girl, and there WAS unre
strained freedom and no female in the
audience, there was not an impure ex
preston or a double entendre ut
tered during the evening. There
was slang "until you couldn't rest,
but nothing that would have offended
the most modest lady. A sensation
was created about 10 o'clock by the
arrival Of a couple Of policemen look
ing for young fellow who had jus,
stabbed 4 cronv in bar room acres.
the street. We took advantage oi
their protecting shadow to withdraw
The whole place smelt literally like q
pig sty. Even the kerosene lamp:
burnt dim in the ietid air. This theatre
was simply hole in the ground, with
no more ventilation than woodchuck'
Durrow when the mouth is closed. Il
wasslckening. On passing out asked
the treasurer, "Do ladies ever come
down here ?" NO, sir" he said, "not
zee in the four or FIVE years shes beer
ping. Some ladies come to tn,
kometimes and look down. bu
venture clear in. This j.
ely night gents he added
ap more'n seven dollars
.i-afS-- mot n oiti,an n.