The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1885-05-30
OUR LETTER FROM BRoAoBR,M.

Failure of the Lyceum Theatre-Operatic
Matters-A Police Ruf11nn on Trial-An
Unprogressive City-Cussin' the Weather
The KO1ler-sklting Craze Dying Out
An Iu-assorted Pair-Rushing to Europe.
NEW YoaK, May q. 1885.
EDITOR CHIEF: -,
The curtain has fallen, the drama has
ended, and most of our faYorite actors
have skipped by the light of the moon"
AS prognosticated few weeks ago, Mr..
Steele Mackaye's new Lyceum Theatre ia
the deadest of all financial failures, and
the stockholders who were expecting 100
per cent. dividends, find the balance on
the wrong side of the ledger. Mr.. Maokaye
is like that member of the Parliament,
who, after sitting twenty years in the House
of Commons, started up one day, electri-
fed his fellows with one of the most bril-
liant speeches ever delivered before that
body, then subsided into his seat and never
spoke again. With the single exception of
"Hazel Kirke," Mr.. Mackaya. has been a
most lamentable failure. How he could
ever have induced a lot of smart business
men to invest $200,O00 in his utopian
scheme, is an unfathomable mystery. But
their money is in there and it looks now
as though it might remain there for some
time to come. The object of the Lyceum,
as you are doubtless aware, was to train
actors for the stage. It was sort of dra-
matte college, whose diploma was supposed
to be carte blanche to any theatre in the
land. Dramatic dudes and dudines, dying
for first appearance, paid their three or
five hundred dollars for thorough drama
tic education, and have yet to learn that
there was one person connected with the
board of management that knew how to
act himself or who could have instructed
sopernumerary to carry off the bier of a
dead hero. At any rate the thing was a
dead failure and the stockholders are now
called upon to pay the piper.
Colonel Mapleson and his song-birds
have departed. There was wonderful dif-
ference between his exit last week and tie
manner in which he got out 9 year: ago.
The fact is, that the gallant Colonel of Her
Majesty's Contingent is irrepressible as
we'll as irresp0nsible; SO we'll is he under
stood by the great body of opera singers,
that when he goes to engage star he has
to go with the collateral in his pocket.
Your song bird knows her value; her notes
arahank notes; busines is business with
Der, and when the impressario asks her to
sing, she answers by saying, "Mon cher
impressario, how much money have you
got about your clothes?" II the sum
named is sufficient, the gentle creature says
/" Now, put up qr shut up; :" and to the credit
of the impressario, be it recorded. he gen.
orally puts up. Not a singer of any note
has appeared in this country whose salary
vas not assured beforehand.
The study of music seems to destroy
ones trustfulness in human nature. The
musicians of New York form a regular
guild, and it is as close a corporation as
any in the country. Unless you belong ta
the association you ca6 not get q ehance to
play; they are just as firm in their demands
as the prima donna; the result i4 that, the
gentle musician seldom gets left, if he
knows it, and he generally knows it. Most
of the theatres are nov occupied by ort-of-
town companies, who wish to make q city
reputation. These city summer .seasQpa
have been the starting point for sethe Of
the most successful stars IN the country.
Lotta and Joe Emmett tried it sixteen OF
seventeen yeara ago; here Colonel Sellers
made his start; Samuel of Posen and I'm
Gle Josh Whitcopb aud others. There i
hut little money ii the city for these new