Evening star., 1952-12-16

THE National is filled nightly
met with a good reception on
Tuesday night. We hear that The
Infant Drummer who is still go
ing on four years old is in the
city, but what kind of houses he
delights. or whether he delights
them, we cannot say.
In addition to this array of
talent we have some fairs 60
ing on where those who feel dis
posed to be charitable sometimes
attend and find amusement IN as
sisting those who assist the poor. ="
This man, writing perhaps with
a ball point quill, is an ancestor
to be proud of. His column"
covered the entertainment horizon
of a city of 10000 with a sue
cinctness that none of his lineal
descendants can hope to achieve.
No man, he, to consume news
print brooding upon the merit,
or lack of it, in a production. One
sentence suffced for the ballet at
the National. Another for Albonl's
concert, the long haired music
event of December Is. 1852. The
two. together, were disposed of in
fewer words than "The Infant
Drummer" who seems to have
been some kind of prodigy toward
whom the appropriate attitude
was one of scorn.
Entertainment was the antidote
then for the blues and there was
no criticism to question its eftec-
tiveness. If it did not work, no
one knew it but the stranger" or
the native who went on being
melancholy in the privacy OF his
own being. Criticism. as of today
was several decades away
The amusement reporter at the
far end of this 100-year corridor
had a small. tight beat with his
Office located not far from the
approximate middle of it.
His largest. newest theater was
the National. 1t had burned down
In 1845 and had been rebuilt in
1851. the year before The Star
began publication. 1t was then
the city's west end theater, with
the Apollo. which was located
across Pennsylvania avenue.
An older pair Of theaters, the
Adelphi and Odeon. formed a
cluster at Four and One-Half
street and Pennsylvania avenue,
and Carusi's was locGted at .1th
and C streets. The latter was
destined to survive into Goth CEN
tury. the early 20s of it in fact.
under the names of the Lyceuia
and President. It's story under
these names was the tale OF a
Journey downtown through Sec
ond rate repertory. burlesque and
finally cobwebby oblivion.
x y y X
Yet, had he not been busy with
other things-after all the birth
of a newspaper is no doubt as up
setting a business as Tooth an
niversary edition - the drama
reporter of 1852 could have writ
ten a rather exciting story.
Weatherwise. that was quite a
time and streets were doubly dark
with sheets of chilly rain and huh
deep in mud. This dismal MIDI
December switch in Washington's
whimsical weather was the more
depressing for having come on
suddenly. After weeks OF bright,
invigorating days that on which
The Star was born was one to
discourage the most loyal lover OF
the fine and/or popular arts.
But the cultural energy alive
here then was not to be put out
by even such a rain as this. WASH
ingtonians from as far away as
the White House on the west
President Millard Fillmore and
his entire family-and several
blocks to the east of the Capitol
Building made it to Carusl's.
Alboni was here and the clty's de-
votion to Alboni was not to be
gained by any sort of weather.
"Alboni," as The Star man
said, "met with good reception. ;"
This is what it means to have
been a PIMA -Melchior type in the
days before there were records,
haIATicinn
Good for "the blues" Albonl
was. the best thing in town in
deed. Neither rain. streets areek
with mud, nor uncomfortable
theater chairs could deter the
faithful
Musicians were the name stars
of the time. contemporary plays
being of caliber that gave audi
ences little justification to idolize
NAHV NAH