Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-27
MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.
..Black Crook,, Enjoyed.

The Black Crook with it's spectaeu- | lar presentat tions of pretty women in l graceful poses and onward, upward leg reaching, with its colored lights and | tights, it's acrobats, it's unusually satis- | flying danseuse and witching coryphees, | it's imported specialties and it's familiar | stock in trade, is still an attractive ent5r- tainment, but it does not draw as of old The first audience floor at OBriens s | last evening was not much crowded be- yond the bald-head row, but the galleries were rather fully occupied, and all great ly enjoyed the show. The ballet efforts proved well up to the mark, and were l greeted last night by hearty applause | There were exceptionally good song and dance performances.
 ''Black Crook" as now seen, is. as of yore, largely made up of fun and grace and beauty, with the modern aid of cleo trical lights to give effect to spectacular | scenes. The operation of the lights last evening was very pretty, especially in | the grand ballet, Birth of the Rainbow, | in which appeared Mademoiselles Camis and Doerf1eur of the Folies Bergeres, Paris fzl Nothing was more enjoyed after all | than the droll and startling agility of J. w. World as Greppo. He tickled his | stage companions as well as amused l the audience.
 Birmingham Music Clubs Concert. This evening at Seals hall the Bir- | mingham Music club will render the fol- lowing programme:
 Solo, violin-Herr Bruno Oetteking; ac- companist, Miss Belle Mccoy. Grand selection, Hymn Triumphal' | (Handel Brsson), two pianos, with ac- companiment-MiSSes Amy Jordan and Virginia Walker
 Vocal solo, "L'Estasy dAmore" Oui- gis Badia)-Miss Alice Fallon.
 Chorus, "Polonaise" (Glenka)-Mem- | bers of the club
 Violin solo, "Romance" Ries); Ma zurka" (WieniawskD-Herr Bruno Oct | teking.
 Vocal solo, "The Confederate's Dream" | Boyce, words by Dr. Dozier-Mr. J. M. Cartwright
 Chorus" 70, Give Thanks Boyce)-The club.
 Violin solo. concerts in G, op. 26 CMax | Breech)-1, "Vorspiel Allegro Moderato;" g. "Adagio;" 3, Finale Allegro Ener- gico"-Herr Bruno Oe@eking.
 Part song, 70, Hush,f Thee" (Sullivan) The club. J. MORTON BOYCE, | Musical Director. Yale's Greater Twelve Temptations" 1 It goes without saying that OBriens opera house will be packed to its utmost capacity during the engagement of Charles H. Yale's Greater Twelve Temp | tations," by far the most sumptuous, costly and magnificent spectacle now be-
 | fore the public. Manager Yale's name is l known far and wide in connection with | spectacular productions and is every where justly regarded as guarantee Of surpassing excellence. Its connection
 I with the Greater Twelve Temptations" has proved no exception to the rule and | the colossal show piece has created the biggest kind of a sensation wherever It | has been presented. Besides, the play is l entirely new in every respect and liter | allyaoverflows with genuine and astound-
 I vl,f ata lGn in-
 which are legion invariably carry an l audience by storm and call forth thun- | ders of applause. The trick sets in the
 | first act, "The Village of Wulna" and l ''Hubert's Hut on the Ice Floe" at the
 north pole are simply amazing in the in-
 genuity displayed, and while they occupy | the stage the fun is of the fastest and most furious description. In these scenes | the gymnasts and comedians of MT, | Yale's excellent company have the cream
 l of the performance, and thes spectator l who can resist laughing at their exceed l ingly clever efforts must indeed be as | solemn as a graveyard. Fun is also the staple of the numerous pantomimic epi- | sodes and of the midnight lunch.' The | latter is a curiously absurd conceit A l practical lunch wagon is driven on the l stage and is immediately attacked by | hungry tramps, the comically frantic contest between them and the driver be- | ing productive of hundreds of nonsensical l mishaps to the latter. In the third act occurs the famous Brooklyn side of East river scene, occu- pying the full stage and showing the l ferry boats and other craft in motion in | the stream, with the Fulton Street ferry house and the Brooklyn bridge, across l which are seen to pass the hosts or pe- culiar individuals who wend their way | to Brooklyn after the shades of night have fallen. Each person is described in Int .natr ri Inv appears and the incidents are animated and amusing in the extreme. Other de- scriptive ditties by MT. Yale are All in 1 Row." with accompaniment on musical champagne bottles and glasses and l Battery Park" the latter illustrative of | the noted eathing place or Gotham poor and homeless.
 There is a powerful ballet troupe, headed by those three chic premieres, l Signoritas Chitten, Baldassarre and Bas- signano, and the grand pallets are "The | Four Seasons" National Trio Issues," | "Female Pads" (with the Coming Wom- en and Going Men'O, Riding Oh Grand pas Shoulders "The French Nurse and the Charge" and many others, too nu- merous to mention. By way of taking specialties may be named astounding gymnastic evolutions by the four -Ro- saires, a hotly contested boxing bout by the Elliott Bros, up-to-date juggling by Matthew Byrnes, "Chanson Character istique'' by Katie Gilbert and Gus Bruno,
 Jr., and "The Giddy Old Maid," by Harry LaMarr. All the above artists figure in the strong dramatic cast, which, in addi- tion, includes Mai Estelle, Lida Dexter. Madge Torrance Etta Lyons, Charles H. Flemming and other clever people, be- sides hosts of extremely pretty and shapely young girls. The costumes of
 "The Greater Twelve Temptations are simply gorgeous, and the fairy plot Is as ;,,ta ftpu nd a ma he erything is new, and as glorious all-
 round entertainment the huge spectacle stands pre-eminently at the head of the list.