The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-06

Inc Dlay Will 10 TSpcdlcu bulo 6f0utuS.
FRANK MAYO.
Tonight the eminent actor, Frank Mayo,
will appear at City Hall for the benefit of the
Browns Light Artillery, in his famous crea-
ton of "Dayy Crockett" The drama itself is
rich IN beauty, sentiment and noble inspira-
tons. Its central figure is that of the honest,
courageous and chivslric Crockett, and its out
lines in substance have in them everything to
admire; nothing to condemn. Mr.. Mayo has
allied himself to the part with that consummate
art which battles the endeavor OF the critic to
discover flaw, and his admirers continually
find new beauties in the character which he so
admirably assumes. His support is said to be
in every respect commendable. The members
of the company will officiate as ushers
LYcEUM THEATRE.
There was good bill presented at the Lyce-
UNI last night. John F. Fenton and Johnnie
Mack remain from last week, and the new
corners are Miss Kittie Sharp in her speciality,
entitled "The Active Girl" and Miss Annie
Hindle, the male impersonator in her brilliant
changes. Mr.. Tony Williams also appeared as
end man in the first part and as Pat o Brion in
the laughable after piece "Our New Candi-
date, land Johnnie Mack pleased the audience
as Jake" in the negro act "Bless the Baby"
MIR. Uric j. Rioux is now leader Of the orches>
ira.
CONCERT AND READING.
The concert and reading to be given at Pine
Street Church, Thursday evening, should be
well patronized. Miss Caroline Roach will be
the elocutionist, and the Boston Advertiser
says of her: 'The lecture was prefaced by a
character reading by Miss Caroline Roach of
NTo1l 4lal A. A
to the Election The personation was we'll
taken, there was no attempt at caricature or
burlesque, but the whole conception and rem
dering was in fine taste.''
IMPERIAL DRESDEN BAND.
The Imperial Dresden Band, will form the
attraction of the Stockbridge course, to-mor-
row evening at City Hall Their playing is
highly commended by the Boston papers where
they have been giving concerts in the foreign
exposition building. A few seats remain at
Stockbridges.
THE OPERA IN NEW YORK.
The Boston Journal correspondent thus sums
up the first week of the opera in New York:
On Monday night, when the curtain at last fell
upon that unfortunate performance of Faust
of which SO much had been expected, Nine.
Nilsson, l am told upon excellent authority,
cried bitterly and said that she had experience
ed the bitterest disappointment of her artistic
life. She had failed to establish any kind of
influence upon the audience, and she felt that
the failure of the performance was due to her
shortcomings. There had been CLEANS of
brightness about the performance, as when, for
instance. she sang the "Jewel song,' but upon
the whole the enthusiasm which followed that
focf ,1sa 81. AZ
woman than,to the singer The performance
after the first two acts was failure, compare
lively, and acknowledged as such. Down at
the, Academy the house was crowded, to be
sure, but glance at the audience was enough
to convince an expert that free tickets had
been scattered where they would do most good
doubt If the first night at the old house. not
withstanding Gerster's popularity, was a salts
factory one from the box-ofice point of view.
Thus at one house there was an audience which
paid its money more to be present at the OPEN
ing of the house than because of the music,
and at the other an audience largely Of invited
guests.
On Wednesday Nine. Marcella Sembrich,
one of Mr.. Abbey's new stars, appeared as
Lucia, and carried the house by storm. Not
WITHIN the last generation has such brayura
singing as that of 6embrich in the mad scene
OF Lucia" been heard in this country. She
has all the range and facility of Gerster's
voice, with more power, better quality and
dramatic instinct. She achieved veritable
triumph, but, as she naively remarked to a re-
porter, she had never sung to SO empty house
before. Inc great audience OF Monday had
dwindled on Wednesday to half house or
less. No one wanted to sit in the gallery or
balcony, because it was impossible to hear, and
tIao 40 - e;x Jo1lo~ k.e
scantily filled. At the Academy, Mr. Maple
sons policy of going into the highways and by
ways for an audience rather than have empty
rows of seats to dishearten the singers, was
faithfully carried out, and the sign standing
room only" displayed at nine o'clock, notwith-
standing which it is doubtful if the perform.
ance paid expenses. Nine. Gerster sang in
"Rigoletto," and the evening was pleasant
one in spite Of the break down of an unfortu-
nate tenor
On Friday night, at the Metropolitan, Mr..
Abbeys company gave what is generally adj
mitted to be the best performance of "Il Troy
atore" heard here since the days when La
grange, Badiali, Brignoli and Amodio sang to-
gether, that is to say, nearly thirty years ago.
The cast comprised Nine. Valera, who comes
back with more powerful voice, and more of
the Patti timbre than ever; Mime. Trebelli,
who, as Azucena, achieved tremendous sue
cess: Stagno, new tenor, who carried the
house by storm with the beauty and power of
Kashmann, German baritone of great excel
lence, who had already distinguished himself
in Lucia" have seldom seen such enthusi-
asm as the explosion which followed "Di quella
fra" The audience roared for minutes at a
time. All this must have been pleasant for
Mr.. Abbey. but his tressurer's sheet was not
encouraging; the house was not more than
half full. At the Academy Bellini's venerable
Norma" was brought forth for the inspection
OF the younger generation. and, as interpreted
aIrs-~
Folletti, the younger generation win have
none OF it, The performance was failure,
although the good qualities of Signor Foletti,
who really has fine voice, were recognized.
Again the house was filed to the doors by
Mr.. Mapleson's invited guests. On Saturday
afternoon Nine. Nilsson sang in Faust" to a
fair sized audience at the new house, and
Nine. Gerster, as Amina, trilled to great
crowd who may or may not have paid for their
seats.
York's attempt to support two italian opera
OF rather of the attempts of rival
managers to induce New York to do so.
Neither house made money, and though Mr.. |
Abbey gave the best performances, Mr.. Maple |
son had the largest audiences. As some one |
the first week went badly, what is to happen |
this week, and after that? Mapleson does not |
expect Patti to sing until the middle of No |
vember, and in the meantime he announces, |
among otner works, s'Faust, with Signor |
Perugini in the title rolei Signor Perugni |
is young American, who was barely able to |
sing acceptably in the lghtest of English comic |
opera. Mr.. Abbey announces 81 Puritani' for |
tonight, with strong cast, including Stagus
and Nine. Sembrich, and on Wednesday he
will bring out "Mignon," in which Nilsson has
no rival. The press has spoken in the most
enthusiastic manner OF Mr.. Abbey's perform
ances; If the public does not crowd the new |
house this week it may be considered as settled |
that no singers, no matter what they are, can |
make the speculation pay. The present pros
pect looks like disaster for both houses If |
matters do not mend before the end of another |
week it may be that some sort of coalition can |
be made Dy which Mapleson would cede to Abb |
hey Mines. Patti and Gerster and Galassi, the |
three really valuable members of his present |
and give the academy back to its |
stockholders with his compliments Upon the |
other hand while Abbey has the better COM |
pany, his salary list is proportionately great, |
and in a long contest of endurance he might |
be forced to capitulate because of the excel |
ence and consequently enormous salaries paid |
TO his singers.
AS to the new house itself, it may now safely |
be said, after four public performances, that |
she singers can be satisfactorily heard from any |
part of the parquette and from the best of the |