The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-04
CHEAP OPERA DIDN'T PAY.
MANAGER COBURN AND THE ORIEN-
tai OPERA co. AT OUTS.

Mr.. COburn Threw Up His Contract
Because the Company, He Said,
Was Not Up to the Contradictions
sequentIy There Was no Opera
Yesterday Only CInemntOscOpe
Pictures-Manager Holmes Says 1t
Is II ThrOw-DOwn-He and His
Company in IA had Box.
The Oriental Opera Company, which has
been entertaining the people of Savannah
with opera at popular prices for the last
week, is stranded here, and the manager
does not know yet how he will get his
company away. There were no perform
ances by the company at the theater yes
terday as advertised. The theater was
open, but only the cinematoscope pictures
were given.
Mr.. A. c.. Lengnick, who has been act
ing as treasurer Of the company, an
nounced, just before the time for the cur
tain to rise for the matinee performance,
that owing to a difference between Man
ager Coburn and the manager of the COM
pany, the company would be unable to
present the opera OliVette, as
would be presented, however, he said,
advertised. The cinematoscope pictures
but those who did not wish to remain
could set their money back at the box Of
fee.
The performance had been advertised as
candy matinee, and the house was
crowded with children. About half the
crowd took advantage Of the offer to get
their money back. The others remained to
see the pictures At night the pictures
were shown again to a small audience, and
at the conclusion of the performance, the
money awards amounting to S25, were dis
tributed as advertised
Manager Coburn, when see after the per
Torrance, said he had thrown up the con-
tract because the company was not up to
the required standard.
THE contract called for a first-class
company" he said, land this was not a
hrst-class company by any means. / con-
Sidered that Mr.. Holmes had already
broken his contract with me and had
no hesitancy in throwing up my end of
it. The performances during the first
part of the week were pretty fair, but
after that they got pretty rocky and the
audiences fell off. 1 declined to pay any
thing after the Friday night performance,
and when MIR. Holmes demanded my rea-
sons for refusing gave them to him.
offered to give him $3.50 to complete the
week, but he declined the offer to-day"
Speaking of the contract, Manager CO.
burn said: THE prices OF admission were
not specified in the contract,
and Manager Holmes was Just
as much under obligations to
give a performance for which a dollar
admission would be charged, as he was
one for which 30 cents was to be charged"
Mr. Coburn said he had offered the com
pany the benefit of the billing and adver-
Using ut Florence and Darlington, S. c..
where the company is billed to appear for
three nights in each place this week.
The contract between Managers Coburn
and Holmes was for a company of "A peo-
nv setoff
night performances and five matinees each
week The contract was for four weeks
at 500 a week, SO to be paid each night
and the remainder on Saturday night.
The company spent one week at Column
bia, and one at Augusta before coming to
Savannah.
Manager Holmes of the Oriental com.
pany was seen later. He was somewhat
downcast. 1T is the worst throw down
ever had" he declared. eff 1 thought
there was any chance Of recovering any
thing from Mr.. Coburn 1 would take legal
steps, but the prospects on that line are
rather slim, 1 fear. I had a contract with
Savannah he owed me $191, which was to
be paid here. Friday night, after the
performance, he declined to pay me any
thing. l refused to continue unless the
money due me was paid, and, consequent
ly. there were no performances to-day. Up
had given the two performances to-day he
would have owed me SAG. He offered $3.50
as settlement in full if we would give the
two performances to-day, but after con-
sulting with some of my people 1 de-
clined the offer"
Mr. Coburn was well acquainted with
the company before he entered into the
contract" continued Mr.. Holmes. eve
gave two performances here in Novem.
Der under the name Of the Robinson
Opera Company. Since then he has been
beseiging me for a contract. We drew
good houses in Columbia and did fairly
well in Augusta. We had good houses
here every night, with the exception of
Wednesday night, when it rained There
was a good house Friday night, when Mr..
Coburn refused to pay me anything. We
drew the people and Mr.. Coburn could
certainly ask no more"
Mr. Holmes said if he could arrange
to do so he would probably take the
company to Florence and Darlington.
With twenty-four people on hand and
board bills unpaid, his situation is not a
very pleasant one.