The herald., 1897-02-07

! OTERO IN NEW YORK !
&AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE4&&AAA4Ax

The American substitutes for the de-
vitalized deformitieS OF Europe, who
wax enthusiastically suicidal over wo-
! men like Otero, went to Roster q BiaPs
| last night in full force. II was the
proper caper, don't you know, and as
| proper capers in New York never
| amount to very much, nor last very long,
we can afford to look them cheerfully
| and derisively in the face. These Amer
| lean substitutes are rather fiabby crea-
| lures, with dropsical foreheads. Life
here is too busy for their multiplication.
There are few of them only In the
Thirty-fourth street auditorium they
back grounded the boxes, while their
imitators-coy youths who have MASTER
ed the difficult art of "HoW to be Dew
ilish on $40 a Week." crowded in the
lobbies and leaned over the blue velvet
| railings.
The Otero, who used to stamp her
feet at the Eden Musee a few years ago,
and march exultingly around the tiny
stage of that institution, was forgotten.
A new Otero had arisen-one who had
been able to get herself talked about
in Germany and Russia, and France.
For six years she had been working
abroad in the interest of Roster e. BIZ
ais. Had she remained in America and
studied assiduously for twelve hours
out of the twenty-four during that pc
rlod she would probably at this time
be wearing paste jewels and silk at
forty-nine cents a yard. Otero has been
cOquetting with dukes and princes
and things abroad. They are the pre-
paratory course for a triumphal en-
gagement of thirty nights in q. New
York music hall. They mean diamond
gewgaws and tiaras, and cable mes
sages, and notoriety. and-Mr. Bial!
1t was very late before Otero came
in. At first / was inclined to believe
that some of her diamonds had gone on
strike, or had .quarreled among them
selves. A $100, 900 tiara might have clam
ored for a more prominent position on
her person than $4,000 necklace. or a
$780, 900 ring might have felt itself slight
ed for $4,000 sunburst. One never
knows. Diamonds play SO prominent
a role in the careers of women like Otero
that the Imagination is tempted to imbue
them with real life. The suicidal lady
was preceded by number of coarse
people who have never known the lux
ury of wearing diamonds on their toes,
or reveled in the ineffable bliss of chest
protectors studded with pearls. am
sorry to say that enjoyed their work.
immensely, and should infinitely havei
preferred Otero for the opening feature
of the performance to dazzle the audi
ence into their seats.
She succeeded a couple Of "grotesque
gymnasts" and proved to be-'Gro-
tesquer." I knew she was coming by
pain in my optic nerves. When the
moving array of diamonds f1oated upon
the stage the pain grew intenser. There
on her face. Her nose was clear. So
were her lips. Every other portion of
her entity blaZed. The display was
not vulgar; it was ludicrous. There isn't
window in Union square that could
compare for n moment with Otero'S be-
diamoned bust. Ornaments of all de-
scriptions were pinned on-lizards, and
crowns, and solitaires, and brooches, and
every conceivable arrangement of the
poor little gem. Her bodice was dec
olette, but she could have gone out in a.
blizzard without catching cold, thanks
to the huge diamond poultice that cover
ed her chest. 1t was mighty and coll
ossal affair. The audience sat in 81
lence and waited for her to begin. They
seemed anxious to get the unfortunate
jewel-bedizered creature off the stage
Alas! poor Otero! She sang a couple
of songs in a '2rsh, shrill voice that
caused my poor friend Huneker to wish
himself back at "Siegfried" or "Tris-
tan" These songs called for coyness,
chic and spice Otero's interpreta-
tion is by elephantine methods, punctu-
ated by glances at an unfortunate old
man in an upper box, who had appar-
emily put on smoked diamonds to avoid
injuring his eyes with the liamantine
display. After this Otero tried to be
saucy, and lifted up her dress la Cissy
Fitzgerald, to show a misty wealth of
yellow chiffon. She did it all so awk-
wardly, so coldly, so brazenly, that you
asked yourself how it was that so strik-
ingly handsome a woman could be so
bereft of all grace
IF she'd only stop squalling, I should
mt mind" said querulous woman be-
hind me. And I echoed her sentiments
with a fervent me, too!'
The piece de resistance was a dance
with very tough looking gentleman,
garbed la Toreador, and programmed as
Mons. B. Aragon. Otero took off her
poultice to do this dance, either to show
that she had real flesh underneath it, or
because it hampered her movements, al
ready sufficiently hampered by nature.
Before she removed her poultice she
dropped a diamond from it, and one of
Mr.. Biars satellites rushed from the
stage with 1t in a frenzy of fear.
Otero's Spanish dance with the Ara
gonese person was the best thing she
did. 1t was the old Carmencita dance
revived. She twisted her body, let
down her hair and caused her petticoats
to revolve. She put herself to a great
deal of trouble to show us what we had
seen years ago. However, as said, the
dance was well done. Otero has improv-
ed in that direction, and the amazed au-
dience gave her the applause that her in
effably stupid songs had failed to elicit.
STILL take it all in all, the Otero feature
is a singularly stupid one.
II her supply of grandmotfers in Spain
were to give out, l am afraid that this
Spanish lady would be badly off for her
daily diamonds. Nothing that she did
justified her appearance as a star at
Roster & Balls. The songs would have
been scarcely tolerated at shrieking
summer roof garden, and the dance was
infinitely better done by clever little
Nellie Lynch in Jack and the Bean
stalk.
Otero. however, was exceedingly salts
smirked necessarily and she threw
jet eyes at the poor old gaffer in the up
per box who had put on smoked glasses
The chappieS in the house didn't know
what to do. They couldn't reasonably
go again to see such a very indifferent
artist.
1 won't say that Otero has been over
advertised, for without the advertise
ment she would never have got within
ten blocks of Roster & BiaTs. AS it is,
she has got there, and she will stay there
for thirty nights. However, 1 believe
that she has something up her sleeve
no, not diamonds, but some new Terpsi-
chorean feats. l hope so, 1 an sure
Anything for amusement-and what
we saw last night was as dull as the dull
est ditchwate:'.
Otero's engagement may do some good.
IT NAV cast diamonds into deserved