New Theatre Comique: Opening

“The Largest and Most Powerful Company Ever Congregated in One Establishment.  The Most Varied and Pleasing Performance.  Ben Cotton and Sam Sharpley’s Minstrels.  The World Renowned Buislay Family.  Charley White—Miss Eva Brent.  Ella La Rue—Mlle. Devere.  The Great Caron Family.  Nearly 100 Artists of Celebrity.  Concluding with Laughable Pantomime.”

“Charley White, Ben Cotton, and Sam Sharpley, three distinguished leaders in minstrelsy, opened a new theatre last night, opposite the St. Nicholas Hotel. The establishment has been used before for theatrical purposes, but the thorough renovation, improvement and decoration make it essentially a new theatre. The entrance has been widened and the box office removed from the side to the centre of the foyer. The house was crowded almost to suffocation last night by a good natured and demonstrative audience. The company consisted of Cotton & Sharpley’s Minstrels, the ever popular favorite, Charley White, Miss Eva Brent, a singer; Mlles. Augustine Lodoviski and De Vere, dancers; the Caron family and the Buislay brothers. The programme was the usual variety performance—music, singing, dancing, acrobatic feats, Ethiopian comicalities, pantomime, aerial ladders, &c. Charley White seems not to have lost any of his popularity during his absence from the city, to judge from his enthusiastic reception last night. To criticize or even enumerate the pieces at a variety theatre or a theater comique would occupy half a newspaper; so we will only say that the performance last night was equal to any of its kind, and gave immense satisfaction to the closely packed audience." 

Describes renovations to theater and entertainment to be offered.