New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-03-12
THE OPERA SUPPER.
PROSPECTUS OF THE GREATEST TIME
THAT EVER WAS"-UOW THE SING
Frs WILL BE STARTED FOR

EUROPE

It Is not easy TO give even a hint IN advance 10
say nothing OF a description. OF the festivities
which are 70 close the most successful season that
The, Metropolitan Opera House has ever he'd. II
will probably be hard enough 10 describe H. even
after II Is over IT would be impossible now. There
IS a Committee Of Arrangements which Will give II
a gentle push to start H. but after that II Is eN-
pec,ed to take its own course and strike us own
speed. Ike toboggan. and the members OF 'He
Committee OF Arrangements would no more take
Il upon themselves 10 say when or where II VIII
end than anybody else. Some slight pr"cau''t's
will be taken on behalf Of those whose time IL o.
value. In the direction OF eXtricatng them rom 'e
trouble the proper time and starting them IN the
proper direction, but these are merely side issues
They will be mentioned again IN the proper place.
for there t. some order about the writing OF TINS
story though there be about the opera supper.
The Opera Supper" That Is what II IS TO be
called One Of the members OF the Committee OF
Arrangements says that II VIII be the greatest
blowout that ever was" And he is man whose
memory goes back 10 the Old Guard. whereof ne
vaa = member which saw Niemau of TIL nobody
excspt the cabnan who had orders 10 get 10 the
steamer. no matter what happened. knew or '"''i
whether the opera season was JUST over o' J''
about to begin. The names OF the 'omrh''t'e Vi
Arroneemeuts are here recorded so that tuture
generations when they ask who planned the opera
sumner" may find the answer In the ME OF Inv
Tribune Yet let not future generations think mat
the Opera supper was planned by anYooIy' i"'s
mon will Only start H. as has been sdiu' II "'''
have no plar and Its course VIII be "c'ateu ~ ~"
inspiration Of the moment. or rather OF '"e se'e'
hours These are the names Of the committee oi
Arrangements Jean de Reszke. Stanford Nhi'e'
Chester 5. Lord. Nahum Stetson' u Nre,s,'''
Webb Edward Lauterbach and H. F. krehbie!.
"The greatest blowout that ever was VIII oeSih
-, ,9.9o = m on April o. 1899. Ard when Will 1t
end do YOU ask o child Of an unborn gehera'o"'
An that will be history. by the time you become
interested In IT, and the province or me present
writer Is prophecy. Whether ANYBODY WHO N"'"
the history will be able 10 write II cannot ho" NC
told: hence the usefulness Of the propne| arc
| Tho onera company finishes It's regular season mere
n will go to Boston After II comes BACK from
Hoston there will be a benefit performance LOT
Maurice Grau That will be on April Il IL VIII
/ nrobablv be over at about midnight. and then IN
half an hour will begin the greatest blowout that
ever was A.,
II will be attended by all the members OF the
opera company men and women. and by some
others who are favored by fortune TO the num-
/ her altogether of some two hundred. The place
/ has NOT vet been selected The Committee OF Ar
rangements whose names have been given already
is now looking for a place large enough. l"e
opera house itself the Madison Square GARDEN ana
/ Ambrose Park have been suggested, but maj ue-
cision cannot be reached til the committee mas
given some further thought TO the probable scope
OF the affair. It is desired to have place which
&c reasonably near TO the landings Of the European
| teamers The place must be decided soon, now
ever in order that the electricians may have time
10 put in the ambulance call.
! once started II 10 presumed that the affair VIII
90 on tiU all the steamers Of the following day
have sailed The members OF the opera company
are 70 20 OH those steamers. Some of them sail
| ar 10 o'clock some at o'clock and some at
| o'clock 1t Il understood, though no member OF the
| committee has actually authorized the statement.
that each person who Is to sail is TO wear rag
bea ring his name in distinct letters with the name
Of his steamer the number OF his stateroOm and
/ the hour Of sailing Then there are TO be certain
! retaners who will come little while before the
first steamer Is TO sail. pick out those who are TO
! 20 on IT, and see that they get on board and are
! NOT allowed to get off again And with the
! other steamers The rest of the party can do what
! IT likes or what IL is able
/ And thus the opera season which has been burn
ing SO brightly will have its blowout An ordi-
nary opera season Is simply turned OFF, but this IL
an extraordinary season and II IL 70 be blown out
II is not to be supposed from this brief prospectus
that there IL likely to be anything disorderly about
the AFFAIR on the contrary. 1t has already been
said that the women of the company are to be
present Moreover true gentlemen abhor anything
disorderly as much az ladies do But there VIII be
those present who have had some experience o.
festive occasions and know how to make them. ana
they may be trusted fully 10 set the Opera supper
a-gong in the direction Of being In the highest ana
best sense "the greatest blowout that eyer was