Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-11-14
THE NEW THEATRE AT GENEVA:
One Of the Fruits Of the Duke Of Bruins.
weeks Muniiicence.
Geneva Cor. lonaNn Timcs

Geneva Ger, London Times,
The new theatre whick WAS opened
last week is one OF the han6someSt and
largest structures of the sort in Europe
In beauty and extent it ranks next 10
the opera.houses Of Paris and Vienna.
In external appearance il greatly re-
semhles that Of Paris, being built III the
same style OF architecture, while the
decorations and arrangement Of the
interior are as perfect as lavish expen-
diture and artistic taste can make Them
The veS,ibule which fronts e Place
Neuve, is connected with the first ttdoe
by two noble flights of stars, with bal
uStrades OF red marble, and succeed,
ornamented panels, lighted by splendid
candlebra representing group ot chill
dren. the work of Nj. Carrier BeleuSe.
The upper part of the staircase walls
and the ceiling are richly painted; one
scene, by NJ. de Beaumont, depicts the
four seasons; another, by NJ nutaux,
the four elements; and Nj. Leon Gsud
has contributed several allegorical fig
ureS of high merit. The five doors
which give access to the first gallery are
surmounted by bus,s of Plautus, Vol
taire, Shakespeare, Racine, and Sophie
Giles. The grand tycr (the crush.rooml
immediately over the Observation-Disclosures,
and lighted by three halconied windows,
is one Of the most remarkable parts Of
the theatre. Tic floor is i'll variegated
porqut,rie. The prevailing tint Of the
wainscoting is light chamois. The pill
laws 40 ~
At once graceful and solid, and the gild-
ing is profuSe without being too prom
inent, But the chctS d &utye of the
room are the carved chimney piece in
the style of Louis XIV, bearing in the
centre the arms of Geneva, and sur
mounted 10y n bust of Apollo; and the
mural paintings Of Nj. Mliet, repre-
senting the comic and the tragic muses.
The auditorium is in keeping with the
rest of the house. The form of the
galleries, the prevailing tint light cha
mois on red ground), and the style of
ornamentation are i'll excellent taste.
The three tiers of galleries have an out.
ward inclination, the lowest tier being
in advance Of the highest The audi
forum is lighted by splendid lustre. u
veritable work Of art, with 400 bronze
burners. The seats are upholstered i'll
red velvet, and the lower parts Of the
walls are papered or painted to match.
While every precaution has been taken
to prevent fires, the amplest facilities
for exit are provided, and the theatre
can be emptied of its occupants in n
few minutes, SO numerous are the doors
and so spacious are the stalrcases and
corridors. Twenty.eight Jets of water
at full pressure are always ready TO be
directed on any point of danger, and,
by means of iron curtains and doors,
ono part of the house can be immedi-
ately cut off from the rest. The cost
of this splendid temple of Thespis has
been betrayed from the proceeds of the
Brunswick legacy, and, including the
value of the land on which il is built,
exceeds 100000 francs. 1t is, OF
course the property of the city of Ge-
nova, and for year, ut least, will be
managed by the municipality, in order
that they may ascertain by actual ex.
perlencc the extent to which It will be
necessary thereafter to subsidize the
lessee. In any case, / believe it is in
tended to continue the system, certainly
peculiar TO Geneva, Of submitting the
clCims of debutants to the direct SUI.
frages Of the play-goers. A book il
kept in which regular irequenters Of
the theatres may enter their names,
and, whenever it becomes question OF
making an addition to the company,
the aspirant is required to perform three
times, after which meeting il Gale d
to decide whether he shall be perma-
nently engaged or not. Players mt
Geneva are thus, like pastors and town
councillors, chosen by universal suffrage.
Judged by It's results, however, this sys-
tenn cannot be looked upon rs altogeth-
er satisfactory, for the old theatre,
whether as regards the character of its
plays or the qualifications Of its actors,
was one Of the least reputable in Swiz
erland. But confident hopes are now
expressed that the drama in Geneva
will ncnceforth be conducted in a man
ner betting its new and beautiful home.