The New York herald., 1922-03-12

She had married her conductor, M. Thil-
lon, when she invaded New York, and
leased for a period of weeks the Grand
Opera House. Little has been preserved
in recollection of this bold girls expert
ment. save that it was far from meeting
her expectations, and but one opera repre-
sented by herself and associates had any
real draw" This was Aubef's Diamonds
of the Crown" piece that has been en-
tirely forgotten.
Offenbach's lighter pieces frequently were
given in this house by different visiting
artists. La Belle Helene" la Creole" and
Madame Favart," covering a period from
1870 to 1878, all had prodigious success,
and again on such occasions the beauty
and fashion OF the city displayed itself
nightly in the orchestra circle and broad
balcony, as well as in the boxes.
More Deeply Connected
With Speaking Drama
These song events were sporadic how
ever, and ere long the house became more
deeply connected with the acting drama.
Besides the foreign celebrities who made
their bow here, whose names have been
briefly mentioned already, the list OF well
known American actors who trod these
boards in their day includes Joseph JEFF
ferson, James ONeill, Emma Abbott, Rich
ard Mansfield, Fanny Davenport, Clara
Morris, Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett,
Lester Wallack, Mr.. and Mrs. Mckee Ran
kin, Mary Anderson, Digby Bell, Madame
Janauschek, Nat Goodwin, Robson and
Crane and Denman Thompson.
Others as popular as those in this list
might very well be written here, for in
the day. of the star system the season of
every active company usually began or
ended with couple of weeks at this house.
And when a visiting star had played a
season on Broadway it was customary to
present him here for brief season before
he left the city. Such was the policy of
the house during the 1SS0s and 90s.
BY that time the audiences OF the Grand
Opera House had completely changed.
Only now and then a seeker after some
novelty in diet would leave the beaten
track of Broadway to cross to the West
to see what the Grand Opera House was
Offering. Occasionally melodrama Of the
most Iurid type would be produced there
and then the house would be filed nightly
by the people on whom 1t could most
surely depend. These audiences fell off
alarmingly when a serious society drama
or revival OF Shakespearian piece went
on.
mo Marriage Bells for Her." was one
of the late successes of the house. This
piece and others of kindred type rarely
failed in drawing big audience. one to
which opera in the grand style would have
made no appeal and which got very little
in the way of entertainment from comedy
except Of the knockabout variety.
Therefore the step to vaudeville was
made in natural transition, although the
house was too big to afford this kind of
show It's best opportunity The cinema
made its inroad there somewhat stealth
lily; in its early days, when moving pictures
of several reels we're novelty, these were
exhibited in this house to invited audi
ences. IL was not very long, OF course,
before they we're comfortably installed
there.
Sic transit gloria. Fame, glory, every
human prize has its day and passes.
house hallowed by greater memorie, than
those which cluster round the Grand Opera
House can hold to none Of these things If
trade passes IL by. A long string OF once
very popular theaters have disappeared
from New York, the disappearance or this
one must have been discounted long ago.