New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-26
THE OPENING OF OLYMPIA.
OSCAR UAMMERSTEIN'S NEW HOUSE
JA,IMED WITH PEOPLE.
EXCITING TIMES IN LUXURIOUS AUDIENCE ROOMS
A Bl-ELEsQUE AND a VARIETY fHif O''"
ANcE-AN OCCASION NOT 70 BE DE-
sCRIBED OR FORGOTTi

\
Axcf,-AN OCCASION NOT TO BE DE
scRIBED OR FORGOTTEN.
Ovr,p,a opened. That was the mann ti''ns' '"e
only really important thing. ana inc ue'ahs w no
so much matter. or course. details WI" oriu'e
themselves upon every period ana ihciue"' ~ nv
and there were details enough at Oscar lamef-
..,. h,o reu, onuaement house last night TO make
80, ,oiun,inors stories of a dozen openings Inc!
'ore strange unaccustomel. bewildering. amusing
annoying-but they will all fade into a J"mole u
inds,inctness in little time, while the great hs'or
teal fact that will remain is that Olympia opened
Tho big illuminated sign the front OF the build
ing III no tho mist last night; and some few thou-
sands Of people steered through the rain to"ard II
and Taught their way through the doors and tred
TO find out which end OF tho building they belonged
in or which brner they would be safest in. In the
main lobby was square, inaccessible place markeu
"Elevator-not completed" Beyond it the
opening of a decvity that seemed to lead into me
bowels of the earth, and this marked Theatre
I,hre-unfnshod" Before the e1'-appe1 explorers
found their true stations they began 20 doubt wheth
er anything about the place finished. But no
mat;er-it was open.
When TIE time came for beginning the two per-
forrnances the one in the music hail and the one
in the theatre. it was heavy task to move about
the building 1t had been loudly announced that
one Zee would admit him who paid IL 20 All paris
Of the bu.lGlng and so IT did but it worth the
fee TO move from one part to another The ushefs
we're having hard work 10 find the seats repre-
sented by the coupons offered 10 hem. the men
with the coupons were having hard work TO find
tie shers and the space back Of the seats In
both nails packed with people who had no
coupons at al. Many OF them got discouraged In
Their efforts TO hear anything at al except
the paint on ore anothors back. rubbed OF the
wall and they found their way % the concert
ball upstars in the middle OF he building. and
soon that was full too. There was no vaudeville
show there and there was NJ play, but tnere was
an orchestra and there wa" room 20 brca;ne ana
=, smoke and to drink. IL the waiter VAS not too
busy to bring anything.
Nov the music hall and theatre were fine sights
There is no doubt about thai. The water huns In
0rops on the ceilings under the balconies and II
wos no. safe to touch anything painted and there
were reports OF crushed hats that were never made
70 crush and of lost diamonds but the general
c,actacles were unquesiionably fine. The masses
If boxes at either side Of the stage in each house
gave an offec, such az 10 other theatre in New
YORK can show and everything was gay and
brilliant 10 the last degree. The most striking fea
ture of the appearance OF both halls was thcir
seemingly numberless boxes and there can never D.
. really bad audience In either Of them, for there
ar, enough caryatides and cupids 10 make up
pretty fair crowd.
Now such being the general effect OF the whole
AFFAIR I, was hardly possible fo- anybody presen;
70 feel setled enough TO be quite su:e OF anything
that was going on upon the stages. ana SOBER
judgment from anybody of the merits OF the per-
fornances vas not 10 be expected. In the music
he ali The performers were new 10 tho city, and
many Of them were good. Some were unusually
good but as has been hinted before, 1t was no
time for details.
In the theatre e. Z. Rces bur!esque company
pared new piece. called Excelsior, Jr, IL was
much amusing and much more fnished per
Torrance than It - common Tor 4 piece OF sicn a
character BE- first night; The audience en-
joyed & without restraint, and Il lcoAei IKE de-
clled success Many Cd frients we're weicomed IN
the cast. Mss Fay Tcmpleton. C1ar.es \ Bise-
low. Walter jones. Arthur Dunn ami Wallace Back
al gave clever performances. The last-naned eur
pissed everybody by his funny dancing As monk
OF s.. Bernard. David Abrahams, who has been
seen and admired here before. was capital - ST
Bernard dog.
when the play was over there were loud Gals
for Mr.. Il ,rnme-sts.n He q: the other end
OF TIE building and had to be sent for. In the mem
time the audience diverted Itself by calling the
p1ny before the curtain. one actor at time. When
Mr. Hsmmcrstein came AT last he made speech
which he had already made in the music hail. This
WAS t. Ladies and gentlemen ! have always liked
life ard ! have a.waya liked tails world but have
never been more Ilesssi with ne or the world
than | am at this moment
A volume could be written about. the things that
happened Olympia las: night. but nobody woui!
understand II who was not there.