Theatre Comique

“At the Theatre Comique the inimitable Lingard continues his comic specialties and has added many new features to his characteristic sketches. Mr. McKee Rankin, late of the Broadway theatre [sic], will make his first appearance at this establishment this evening.”

“The Theatre Comique, under the management of Charley White and Sandy Spencer, has become one of the most popular places of amusement in this city. Since the opening night, Lingard, the London Comic, has been one of the attractions, and continues so up to the present writing. Prof. Hilton and Emmett, the Dutch comedian, are also very good, and render valuable assistance in giving a good entertainment…To-night McKee Rankin appears.”

“The new style of entertainment offered at the Theatre Comique has thus far proved to be among the successes of the times, both matinees and evening entertainments being alike crowded, and this has been the rule ever since the season commenced. We attended one of these entertainments during the past week. The frame work, if we may so call it, is composed of a couple of light pieces, farces generally, which are poorly played, but this only sets off the pictures to better advantage by the unfair contrast. The filling in, if we may so express it, comprises a variety of singing, imitations, ventriloquism, and Dutch comicalities, participated in by Miss Alice Dunning, Mr. Horace Lingard, Hilton, and Joseph Emmett. Mr. Lingard is billed as the great attraction, and certainly he possesses considerable talent, but if we are to judge of real merit by the applause   bestowed, Mr. Joseph Emmett stands first in the estimation of the audiences assembled at the Comique; and certainly Mr. Emmett is deserving of the very liberal tokens of approval and appreciation of which he is the nightly recipient, his eccentricities affording a fund of merriment seldom enjoyed in an establishment of this kind, while his performances on a tiny mouth organ are listened to with the deepest attention, for from this simple little instrument he extracts the most pleasing harmony and the most pathetic of melodies; in a word, Joseph Emmett fairly divides all the honors with Mr. Lingard. The latter we have fully spoken of in former venues—his style is something new to an American audience, and, being a novelty, and the gentleman himself being somewhat clever, we take to him and his performances just as Americans take to everything possessing this merit of novelty and freshness; yet, Mr. Lingard is not a great artist; as a singer he is fair—his imitations evince a deal of deep study of character, and while a few of them are strained somewhat, the majority are easily recognizable, and their peculiarities are caught up by the spectators quite readily. We presume this gentleman will find his richest harvest in this cosmopolitan city. Miss Alice Dunning looks exceedingly attractive in her sky-blue silk, which is cut sufficiently low in front to disclose a portion of her personal charms—and this seems to be her strong point; her vocalisation is free and easy, and altogether she adds interest to the entertainment. Prof. Hilton’s ventriloquial dialogues are well carried on, and seems to be enjoyed by a portion of the audience."

“Emmett, the Dutch comedian, withdrew on the 12th.  Why? Was the applause he received the cause of his leaving?”