New-York tribune., 1905-11-05
NEW CASINO OPENED.
Many Operettas and Stars Haze
Made the House Famous.

III 0Uc JNP II OtSe 4 NH1OUS.
The Casino. which threw open it's doors to the
public again last evening, is to all intents and
purposes. an entirely new house. OF the build
ing erected in 1880. and injured by fire last
February, there remains nothing except the four
outside walls. and even these have been cleaned
by the sand process A force of more than one
hundred men have been working at the Casino
nearly nine months. a part of the time poth
night and day. The amount expended on alter
ssions decorations and renovation has been
about S150OoO
Francis Kimball. who designed the original
Casino is responsible for the building BY
his plan the entire inside work has been torn
out. The stage has been lowered to the ground
floor and the orchestra seats are level with
the street. Where formerly the shop of
dealer in antiques is now a broad lobby of onyx,
connecting the auditorium with Broadway This
will be the entrance of the new Casino. The
original doors on 39th-st. have been left in ser
vice. giving free egress. The original 59th-st.
lobby has been turned into writing room for
women and the cafe at the corner of Broadway
and 39th-st has been abolished in favor of
smoking room
The balcony of the Casino is located
where the orchestra floor used TO be. and the
old balcony has been turned into gallery. The
construction throughout is of Steel making the
house f1reproof in every respect. The seating
and there are now thirty-sfx boxes. eighteen on
each side of the house. Back of these are broad
pronenades, such often seen in theatres
on the Continent.
The scheme of decoration is Moorish and it
gives the Shuberts the right to allude to the
Casino as the Gold Theatre" The color scheme
Il gold and scarlet laid thickly. The draper
les and upholsteries are red. There is an oc-
tagona1 dome in the ceiling, and a sculpt-
ured piece. showing the visit Of Harun-al-
Rashid TO Abu-Hassan. adorns the space over
the ploscenfum arch. Mural decorations and
elaborate Moroccan stucco work finish the
scheme of decoration.
The house is absolutely modern throughout
The appliances used the stage are OF the
iatest pattern, while the devices for heat and
lighting are of the newest invention A steel
curtain and water curtain separate the stage
from the auditorium. All the exits con-
troled by a lever in the box Office well as by
the ordinary knobs.
The Casino. while a comparatively new build
ing, is one of the best known places Of amuse-
ment in the country. It is the only regular
theatre which has been devoted exclusively to
one kind OF entertainment, and its stage has
been occupied by a greater number of persons
celebrated in comic opera and by greater num-
ber of successful musical works than any other
in New-York. 1t opened for the first time
on October 21. 1882. when the attraction was
THE Queens Lace Handkerchief" The house
was conducted by syndicate called The New
York Casino Company, of which the managing
director Rudolph Aronson. 1t is inter-
esting fact that the first performance
nounced and postponed four times, just as has
been the case with the opening performance of
THE Earl and the Girl" The Casino was closed
october 2S in order 20 permit Of the completion
Of the decorations and furnishings. and the pub
lie not again admitted until December 80
when the management resumed the run of THE
Queens Lace Handkerchief" On the night Of
December l., 1888 incendiary made an at
tempt to burn the building hut was caught and
sent to prison
The second opera produced at the Casino was
The Merry War" done on March %. 1884
Then in rapid succession followed "FaIka' THE
Little Duke, The Beggar Student" Nell
GWynne, Prince Methusalem" and Pa
tence." Madame Judic made her farewell
American appearance on the stage of the Casino
April Is. 1856. and May 10. 1887 "Erminie"
had its first performance there with COM
pany which included Jennie Weathersby Max
Freeman. Pauline Hall. Marion Manola, Agnes
Folsom, Francis Wilson, Rose Beaudet and w
s. Debili. 'Nadjy." The Grand Duchess" 1.-THE
Tyrolean" and THE Fencing Master" were the
next performances at the Casino where at a
special matinee Sunday, December 13 1892
Sarah Bernhardt appeared at a special benefit
performance given for the French Benevolent
Society. This the first last and only time
that the stage of the Casino was ever used for
a dramatic performance.
After 1892 operettas destined to become
famous followed each other in quick success
sion at the Casino. Among the number were
''Nanon,'' 'The Gondoliers" "Adonis' The
Rainmaker of Syria THE Princess Nicotine i"
and ''The Hero Worshippers." The house
passed into the hands of Canary and Lederer
and opened under their management in
September. 1893. This firm produced THE Pass
ing Show THE Merry World ''The Lady
Slayey.' I'm Gay New York" and other pieces
The Casino also the first productions in
New-York of THE Little Trooper" Trial by
Jury The Wizard of the Nile The Telephone
Girl AN American Beauty" Jack and the
Beanstalk.' THE Casino Girl THE Princess
Chic and The Little Duchess
III 1900 and the Shuberts leased 1t two years
later. Under the Shubert regime We're offered
"A Chinese Honeymoon The Runaways"
Lady Teazle." which playing there when
the house was gutted by fire last February. The
financial record OF the Casino is held by Anna
Held. who drew something $1,000 at one
Saturday matinee. Lillian Russell once played
there to 50 265, and ''Florodora.'' which at
the Casino almost a year. played TO $3.50 one
night.
Among the well known comedians and singers
who have won fame on the stage of the Casino