The Portland daily press., 1883-09-22
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
ROBSON AND CRANE.

ROBSON AND CRANE.
These two celebrated comedians packed
Portland Theatre last evening as was to have
been expected. The play of hOur Boarding
House" is, as is well known from its former
production here, roaring farce in several acts,
consisting merely of number of excruciat
ingly funny situations brought about by the
boarders in fashionable boarding house.
Crane is "Col. M. T. Elevator" Robson 'sProf
Gillypod," and upon them the burden of the
piece rests. Last night they kept the house in
roar whenever they were on the stage. Their
songs were exceedingly comic, and their make
ups admirable. For genuine, hearty laughter
which fairly shook the building, nothing shss
been heard for long time to compare with
that produced by the fearful encounter between
the colonel and the professor at the close of the
second act OF course both comedians were
called before the curtain.
The company is a good one and embraces
most of the old members and several new ones
Mr.. Snyder was gladly welcomed back by his
old Portland friends.
"Our Boarding House" will be repeated at
the matinee to-day, and the evening perform
ance tonight.
HEARTS OF OAK.
Herne's "Hearts of Oak" which was SO
well received here last summer, will be pro-
duced at Portland Theatre, Wednesday even
ing n64C. Inc Boston Gl0Do says:
"Since its production at the Boston, several
seasons ago, the drama has been thoroughly
reconstructed, and, in a marked degree in
proved. As given now by Mr.. Herpe and his
excellent company, it is most interesting and
effective from first to last. 1t is put upon the
stage in admirable style. and some of the scenic
effects are really remarkable The scenery in
the first act, consisting of Marblehead Neck at
sunset, with rolling surf, the distant light, an
the gathering thunder storm, in which the
Nantucket is wrecked, is realistic in the ex-
treme, and called forth hearty applause last
evening. The stage-setting of the second act,
representing the interior of the old grist mill
in active operation, was also very striking, and
the scenery in the remaining acts of the piece,
though less novel, was none the less effective.
Not upon its scenic effects alone, however, does
the play depend for its success. Drawn from
the life, with less exaggeration than most dra-
mas of its class, "Hearts Of Oak" arouses and
maintains the interest of an audience because
its characters are human, and appear as men
and women, not as actors, upon the stage"
NOTES.
The spectacle of "Jalma," as spoken of by
the Boston Transcript must reflect great credit
on the Boston Theatre. The Transcript says
the ballet5 and the scenery and the costumes
are all very beautiful. Nor is the beauty al
scenes, "The Grove of Palms and fThe Sa-
cred Plains" which impress one by their SER
entity quite as deeply as do those entitled THE
Cave of the Cataract" and s'The Palace of
Prince Buelah'' with their splendor. OF beau
tiful dresses there is an endless variety, and
many of the specimens of the theatrical dress
makers art exhibited are of real artistic merit
in design. The ballet corps is very large in
numbers and very strong in principals. The
solo dancers, Rosina Viale and Lucia Cormani,
easily command admiration, and the quartette
of seconds is made up of excellent material.
There are many good dancers, too, among the
coryphees, and the force of fgurantes is attrac-
tive to the eye. The most effective ballet busi-
ness in the piece occurs in the fourth act where
a troop Of Amazons in green and silver armor
march in and out, and finally fill the stage
with dazzling splendor.
The new Metropolitan Opera House, New
York, issues very attractive prospectus.
The Consolidated Electric Light Company
The new central lighting station of the Con-
solidated Electric Light Company of Maine is
rapidly approaching state of completion. 1t
has been almost rebuilt since its purchase from
the Arnoux Company, and already presents an
appearance of business practicability. In anoth-
or column will be seen the advertisement of
this company, with prospectus of their busi-
ness. That their lights are of the best of the
arc system has been fully demonstrated by al
The Boston Globe, in their financial article of
yesterday, said:
Whatever may have been the opinion of
leading business men, or however much they
may have differed one year ago regarding the
ultimate success of the American Electric and
Illuminating Company, and its system of sub
or local lighting companies, President Goff has
demonstrated to the satisfaction of his friends,
as well as the general public, that electric
.~h@ 1,rxnt
stations can be made a successful business en-
terprise, deserving its full share of public aid
and financial support in common with gas
companies and other legitimate business insti-
tutions. In fact, the electric lighting business
here in Boston has grown SO rapidly during the
past eighteen or twenty months that feT, If
any, of our citizens had any conception OF the
magnitude of the business now being done in
Boston, until few days ago the Daily Adver-
tiser undertook the task of a thorough and sys-
tematic investigation OF the subject the result
of which was as surprising to the publishers as
it was to the readers of the paper. Nearly
1,700 electric arc lights of 1000 candle power
each are now in use in this city, and vet the
business is new and but fairly begun. During
the summer and autumn Of last year the Amer
ican Electric and Illuminating Company had
but twenty lamps in operation in Boston. On
or about the 1st of December the company's
business began to pick up. The public bad
watched the quality of the light critically for
SIX or eight months, and was Satlshed that the
company really furnished the best electric light
in the world. From that moment success was
assured The business began to enlarge. Or
ders came in from all the cities and towns of
New England faster than they could be filled.
The Boston plant was largely increased its
capacity was doubled and triped, until to-day
over one-third the entire electric arc business
Of Boston is supplied by the American, or
Thomson-Houston system, and in New Eng
land, outside of Boston, nearly 1000 lights
have been established.
Having purchased the property and con-
tracts Of the Arnoux Company in this city, the
new company will begin operations on pay
ing basis In the hands of such energetic and
reliable gentlemen as compose the directory of
the consolidated company, together with the
advantages Of their system and the proposed
extent of operations elsewhere in this State,
their stock should prove profitable invest
ment.