Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-11
VIOLET CAMERoN's DEBUT.
New York Disappointed at the
Entertainment.

Entertainment.
New YORK, Oct. 9.-The much-talked-
about Violet Cameron made her debut at
the Casino on Monday night, and proved
to be disappointment. She is not pref
ty, and she is not particularly clever. she
made her appearance in most puerile
adaptation of one of Ofenbach's operet-
tas, and the dead weight OF the text would
have tested the vitality OF smarter wo-
man than Cameron. The entertainment
was meant to be that form of a burlesque
that Lydia Thompson introduced here, in
which young and pretty girls and scant
costumes made up for lack Of dramatic
ability. 1t did not, however, come up to
the LYDIA Thompson standard. Inc girls
were am ateurish and scragey. The men
were not funny, and Miss Cameron had
nothing whatever to do but strut about
and exhibit herself.
The assemblage of club men. FOUNDERS,
roues, gilded youth, bald-headed idlers
and sap-headed prodigals was eXtraordi-
nary. / counted twenty women in
packed paTquet, and they looked or tried
to look masculine for the occasion.
1t was generally expected that some
thing would happen at this performance.
There was an aching expectation that the
manager from private bOX,nr that some
! anti-English crank would hiss the star,Or
that Lord Lonsdale would make speech.
But nothing whatever happened. 1t
was Quaker funeral. Cameron tell like
wet blanket. There was not the slight
est inclination shown to treat her unjust
ly. She was warmly welcomed and en-
couragingly applauded, but it was felt
that she would not do, and so all the
! Lords in ENGLAND pannot hpln her with
| the American public.
AS curious illustration OF how Had
! vised has been the management of the
| whole affair, it may be stated that Mr..
Hummel, the lady's American attorney,
| went about in the audience during the
intermssioDs and invited the press to visit
Miss Cameron in her dressing room at the
end Of the piece, and there assembled
| number OF reporters who were smiled up
on by the burlesquer in tights while Lord
! LOnsdale leaned gracefully over her in
dress coat.
! OF course this was done to catch the
critics and suborn them with witchery.
But they didn't come.
On the same night Langtry made her
| temperance here, at the Fifth Avenue
! Theatre; in fact, it was wOman's night.
Nearly every theatre in town WAS held by
| a female star. Mira. Bowers was at the
! Fourteenth Street, GeneVieTe Ward was
at the Star, Clara Morris was at the Union
Square, Janauschek was at the Windsor,
Ada GRAY was at the Peoples.
Langtry caught the swell crowd, Mrs.
Bowers and Clara Morris caught the solid
theatre-gOers.
! On Tuesday night Mr.. DAILY opened his
! theatre. 1t was in every respect a social
! event. Mr.. DAILY now has ''the call' on
the community. The best class of pa
| irons crowd his house. to see his pIoduc-
! ton and his company. He has no star,
does very little advertising, and depends
! solely on the merit Of his work. 1t is the
! only theatre in New York where such a
sceue as that OF Tuesday night is possible.
! Every member of his company was well
! coined on their appearance with cordial
! shouts, the manager was called out and
made speech of thanks, and a general
air of festive go0d-fellowship prevailed
! The opening piece, called "After Bust
ness Hours" is a very light and fimsy
sketch from the German, but it was so eX-
| quisltely played that it won an artistic
success. Its one scene is the measuring
of Miss Rehan by man miIliner for a
| dress, and you cannot imagine what a lot
! of fun two clever actors got out of this
bit. NYM CRINKLE.