The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-11
FIRST NIGHTS kIRMESS
Several Hundred Young People Dance
Themselves Into General Favor.
MAS A PRONOUNCED SUCCESS
Nothing to Mar the Beauty and Delight OF
the Spectscle-Au Unusual Gather
Ing Of Wealth. FsshiOa
aud Respsetsbility.


champetre was given last night In the
rockingham theater with an eclat. a
dash, O grace and q good many other
things which assures the success or
the spectacle beyond the peradventure
Of doubt, and which Is bound to repay
with interest the many laboriOus hours
OF the dancers and management In de-
veloping II to such degree Of perfec-
ton. From the moment the curtain
was first rung up until the close, the
audience was moved to frequent. al
most constant applause. The applause
was given not wholly because the per-
formers were known to the audience,
but chiefly because the entertainment
was so excellent.
There is u great deal that might be
said about the first night of the kir-
mess---so much, in fact, that II the story
were half told. the beauty of the per-
formance itself would not be half ap-
preciated. 1t should be seen and heard
heard because the splendid music OF
the Lawrence orchestra is not the least
part OF the enjoyment.
All Scranton was there last night, and
judging from the seat sales, all Scran-
ton win be present each night through
out the week. and by all Scranton" IL
meant u general representation OF the
city culture. respectability. wealth
and fashion. the patronage OF which
means undisputed approval and success
of any project. The theater was
packed Practically every seat was oc-
cupied from pit to dome, and half way
from pit to dome contained as many
well known persons as did the starting
point, simply because 1t was q matter
of getting seats somewhere. anywhere
In order to be first .nighter. But as
the sale has been correspondingly
large for the remaining nights. one may
have the satisfaction Of being among
"all Scranton" at any performance this
week. .,..
1t Was All Good.
With every such affair as the kir-
mess there is the accompanying Ques-
tlon, What was best?" 1t was all
good; each class Of dancers and all the
soloists and duettists acquitted them
selves very creditably. But II the ap-
plause and comment indicated any
thing, the "Tambourine Dance OF Rou-
mania" was the best received. Its
dancers are Jewish young men and
ladies of well known families and they
did their part with such natural grace
and abandon and entered so fully into
the wild spirit Of the gypsy measure as
to win warm encore.
Just preceding the final tableau some
one called out Miss Stewart" but the
popular young woman whose splendid
taste and talent and remarkable ex-
ecutive ability has made everybody
wonder, was too modest or too busy
behind the scenes to respond.
The fine work of the Lawrence or
chestra invited quite general compli-
ment. Led by Richard Lindsay. who
has many times before given evidence
of versatility and proper conception Of
the needs Of such spectacles. the or
chestra contributed largely toward the
kirmess' success.
The curtain rose on scene Of the
time Of Napoleon and showed Julie. :"
Miss Grace Rose, rehearsing before q
supposed mirror for a dance of the
TroubadOurs. The reflection was q
however. and the audience
was not little SURPRISED later to see
the supposed likeness develop into Miss
Annie Rose. The two were !oined by
Serenaders Arthur Dunn and H. A.
Pierce and later by the whole class of
TrOubadOur dancers. among them We're
Miss Ada Bone and Thomas Hall. whose
names We're inadvertently omitted
from the printed programme.
The Opening PrOcessiOnal.
All the dancers were grouped In tab
leau when the curtain was raised the
second time. Then followed process
sional In which the many classes of
dancers Were given special and sepa-
rate applause from their friends.
The Tyrolean peasant dancers were a
party of young German Americans
chaperoned by Mrs. F. w. Gunster and
Mrs. Emanuel Zitzelman Their en-
trance was introduced by O Bavarian
yodle duett by Miss Lydia Pichel and
+. II. Zurfieih. The duet was danced
by Miss Jennie Moth and Leo Schimpff.
The dance of the Venetian gondoliers
was chaperoned by Mrs. Henry Belin,
jr., and Mrs. James Archibald. and was
executed to such music and with such
graceful style of movement as to indi-
cate, almost, the presence of the
dreamy and enticing atmosphere OF the
city which suggests the title OF the
dance. A delightful part of this num-
Der was a vocal solo. Good Night"
sweetly sung by Miss Clara b. Simpson.
Then came the tambourine dance of
Roumania. chaperoned by Mrs. L.
Marks and Mrs. j. r. Cohen. This
dance was introduced by Miss Frieda
Harris. who sprung and skipped and
leaped and glided with such rare grace
don and agility as to win the deserved
applause of everybody. She shared the
honor few moments later in connec-
ton with the same tambourine dance
by the duet of Miss Gussie Bernstein
and Miss Martha Moses, to whose effort
might be applied the same favorable
criticism accorded Miss Harris.
stately Military Dance.
The military dance was executed with
the stateliness which Its name indi-
Gates. 1t Is one of the most difficult of
execution on the whole kirmess pro-
but was given with a perfec-
ton which reflects credit upon the men,
bers Of the class. 1t was .chaperoned
by Mrs. J. A. Fritz. Mrs. L. 8. Barnes
and Mrs. Schuyler GernOn. and its duet
was by Miss Grace Bailey and Harry
Battin.
A romping and skipping number was
the dance of the follies, in which the
solo was danced by Miss Grace Thayer.
She danced very prettily and coquetted
with her shadow which was reflected
from light in the wings. The chap
erons were Mrs. II. NJ. Streeter and
Mrs. c. X. Shryer.
Probably the mlnuet and gavotte,
suggestive Of the French court. shared
Roumanian dancers. The costuming
was something very rich and elegant
and the stately tread Of the dancers to
the music of the ball room scene In Err
mimic recalled to many their informa-
ton Of the etiquette and splendor Of the
court Of Louis XIV which the dance
was supposed to portray. The charm
ing tread and courtesying of the per-
formers could not have been better
done. and In this dance alone Miss
Stewart displayed an emphatic evil
dence Of her artistic powers and knowl-
edge Of custom and costume of many
decades ago. The chaperons We're Mrs.
II. NJ. Boies. Mrs. T. II. Watkins, Mrs.
L. N. Willard and Mrs N. Y. Leet.
They Dance tho Spanish Cachuca.
Sweet Sixteen" might be used in re-
ferring to the eight young girls who
danced the Spanish cachllpa They cer-