The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-01-20
GRAND OPERA HOUSE.

This week at the Grand opera house
will be an eventful one for the attrac-
lions to be presented at this large and
attractive house are of a high standard
and are generally to be seen only at
high prices, but nothing is too good for
the patrons of the Grand, and they see
them at popular prices.
The story of Down on the Suwanee
River" the Afro-Anlerican fantastical
farcical and musical extravaganza,
which will be presented tonight and
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, is a
great laugh producer. The first act
shows the negro as a savage in Africa,
and presents him in all his natural
environment on the burning sands of
the dark continent. The background
for this act is a gorgeous tropical spec
tacular scene painted by John III.
Young, the noted scenic artist of the
Broadway theater, New York King
Boom de-Aye is disclosed in his royal
| village OF Bakube4 beset by a world Of
trouble created by his fetch men, his
wives and myriad of mothers-in-law, a
white and black missionary from Amer
| lea, a big gorilla who insists on pelt-
ing him with cocoanuts, and the near
proximity OF "a band of slave hunters
who are intent on the capture Of him
and his entire village and their trans
portation to America as slaves The
king sentences the two missionaries to
be broiled in hot pot, and their efforts
to escape their steaming. liquid doom
| furnishes large part of the comedy in
| the first act To capture the slave
hunters the king pretends friendship
and gives them an entertainment which
serves to introduce several specialties
| in the way of war songs and dances.
! instead of capturing the slave hunters
they capture the king and his people
and take them all to America, where
they are sold as slaves to the orange
planters on the Sllwanee river All the
costumes, weapons and musical instru-
ments used in the first act are exact
duplicates of originals brought from
Matabele land in Africa by a British
traveller. The second act takes place
on an orange plantation on the Suwanee
| river in Florida. This part is literally
filled with most intensely interesting
specialties in singing and dancing and
original plantation diversion, showing
| the characteristic lie of the slave In
the south before the war Two grea
features of this act are a pie-eatine
match and a challenge dancing contest
In which fifteen solo dancers of great
ability and the entire company appear
4 The final or the second act Is the eflan-
cipation OF the slaves by President
Lincoln, which carries the negro on; to
the third stage Of his career This act
takes place in social hall in Thomp-
son street, New York, and displays the
life of the negro in great city as he
Is to-day. This act, too, is filled with
great specialties. The final feature OF
the entire performance Is an old fash
toned Virginia cake walk, more arts.
tically presented than anything ever
before seen in which twenty ladies and
gentlemen and a full dress band OF
sixteen colored instrumentalists appear
This piece has made "a great hit In
, Detroit, where it was first presented
five weeks ago, and in Chicago, st. Louis
and Kansas City The production will
undoubtedly attract wide attention
here. Matinees as usual.
"A Bowery Girl" a new melodrama
will be presented at the Grand opera
house on Thursday, Friday and Satur.
day evenings with matinees Friday and
Saturday. 1t Is from the pen Of Ada
Lee Bascom and is described as a
| comedy me1odrama.