Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-05-24
RICHMOND IN FOUR DAYS.

SOME COMPETENT OPERATIC CRITICISMS
"A RICHMOND AUDIENCE-HOw THE
CITY LOOKs-OPPRESsIvE ATTENTION
TO THE COUNTRY PRESS,
Correspondence Of the Staunton VINDICAToR.1
RICHMOND, May Goth.
''Sec. 1, No. Z, Dress Circle, Grand
Opera. Retain this check" That is the
way I came to be looking down into the
parquette, Wednesday night. after six
years absence. The bald heads affected
me deeply. 1t was the first time in a long
life that had known an audience in the
parquetta to outnumber the orchestra in
the matter OF bald heads, 1t was very
sad to see men that had known in their
better days, as they came in in full dress.
but scalped. Men that I had gone through
nine courses with at the famous Zetell's,
or imbibed the virtuous oyster at Delarue's,
or who, peradventure, had been with me
at the humber hostelry of the 'White
Goose" with high hopes and suits of hair
now with no more superstructure than
billiard ball. With few exceptions these
middle-aged FOUNDERS of other days bore
their affection like men, and presented the
glistening surfaces from which the drop
pings of Time had worn every vestige of
covering, with praisworthy frankness, but
the exceptions caused me much pain.
Somehow it has always struck me that a
man who will comb his hair from the side
over bare Uranium is ready for perfdy Of
any description. When bald man IS
boldly bald he seems to say to the world
with frank humility, "See, my friends.
this is the hand of Heaven. Note my
resignation But when he stealthily
combs his locks up from his ears, he is not
only deceiying his fellow men. but flying
in. the face of just Providence. Some I
saw were not only bald, but married L have
not the heart to pursue such men.
The opera was Faust-Gounod' IS Faust.
I feel oppressed with desire to write you
criticism of it. When I did the eds
patch" the honor in other years to receive
from it a hebdominal honorarium lie good
enough to mark that expression], Mr..
Cowardin ranked me as the best critic in
the Office, next to tie head folder. I have
not deprecated since, and as have to pay
for my tickets now have the additional
merit of being disinterested. And being
so am bound to tell you that Kellogg has
grown fat-not only stout, but fat. True
she is not as large as Parepa Rosa was
but she is too fat to get about with grace
At the jewel scene, some indiscreet admirel
threw her bouquet, and she, being alone
on the stage, had to stoop and pick it up
The Struggle to get at it was fearful. The
man who threw it ought to have beer
shot. There is no doubt that Kellogg il
the greatest singer that America has pro
duced- nobody who heard her famous SOLE
in Mignon could gainsay it, but how cal
you be carried away by a Felina weighing
/ one hundred and ninety, or weep with a
Marguerite at two hundred. I do not, mari
you, mean to say that men cannot love
| fat women, but it must be that subdued af
lection we bestow on ham and cabbage
love with which we pursue partridge
on toast, or, we'll say, tube roses. Th'
greater part of love is sentiment, and thu
cold steel of a Fairbank scale will soon chill
that tender emotion.
The tenor had voice that would have
Wed with a locomotive whistle in strength
and sweetness. Later in the week, listen
ing to "Favorita, we were all waiting
for "Spirto gentil," and yet with a faint
hope that somebody would kill the tenor
before he gave it. At last it came: the
din convent yard. the cross, the subdue6
music, and then the tenor, in great distress
entered, and finding the air, literally rem
ded 1t to pieces.
Thursday night we had ''Mignon" with
both Kellogg and Madame Roze. Would
you believe me if L say that she weighs
more than Kellogg 4? Yet it is so-thirty
pounds more. A clever woman who was
with me, firing Of her entreaties in Favo
rita, to the lncredulous Fernando, sugges
ted that if she would fall on him it would
instantly bring him TO terms. But it is
not of the singer, though she is a very fine
one, l wish to speak, it is Of the audience
1t was the finest in all respects they told
me that had been seen in the theatre fol
years. Even the second gallery had fine
audience of ladies in it. The majority OF the
younger ladies were en- grande tenase but GER
tainly not en- reggie. They have here way
of their own about it and pretty way it
is. The girl who thinks she does not look
we'll in the regulation costume for opera,
goes in some dress she does look well in,
which call very uncommon sense. l
know of no audience in large city that
behaves so well as Richmond one. They
are appreciative, and applaud at the right
time, the rush for drinks by the men be-
tween the acts is small and is not looked
upon as an accomplishment, and there is
no loudness among the women nor rudeness
among the men. OF the girls l may say
that this years crop is the prettiest since
1867. which as l recollect was great year
and the yield was unexampled. The young
men are decided Improvement over the
crop of I'll which is the last 1 remember
They are stylish lot and there manners in
public are good.
Favorita was the best of the operas and
had the advantage of being more familiar
to the audience. Without doubt the COM
pany has the best drilled chorus and best
orchestra that has Travelled in Virginia for
years.
If should try to tell you how beautiful
Richmond is, it would be so long that I'm
afraid you would shoot the whole letter
into tie waste basket. The fact is the
people here don't know, themselves, whata