Tammany Hall

“Tammany will be all agog with sensations this evening. The pantomime of ‘Robinson Crusoe—[sic, no close quotation marks] the Covent Garden version which proved such a great success in London last season—will be produced this evening at this establishment for the first time in this country. The scenery and properties are all new, and the Zanfretta family have been engaged to personate [illeg…] Baretta, the charming premiere danseuse, will also make her first appearance; the brothers Rizarelli will appear in a new break-neck act, and Mlle. Zulata and Mons. Ventini will make their first bow in this city upon the flying trapeze.”

Two advertisements on same page.

Brief. “At the Tammany to-night will be produced the elaborate pantomime burlesque of ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ for which special preparations have been made. Besides this attraction, the Rizarelli brothers have been engaged and will appear this evening in perilous feats.”

“A pantomime-burlesque entitled ‘Robinson Crusoe,’ and wrought out of tolerably old material, was enacted for the first time at the Tammany last evening. It was close upon midnight when its performance, which will be witnessed with greater pleasure when repeated rehearsals shall have smoothened it, terminated. The delays which lessened the agreeable character of the entertainment yesterday also interfered with a proper critical appreciation of its merits. With the exception of one or two sets the scenery did not appear to be suitable either for artistic finish or for effect, but there is a great dael of action in the piece, and so soon as that shall progress with rapidity the admirers of pantomime will not be exacting on any other score. The plot of the work, if we may give the name of plot to the incoherent succession of incidents that occur first in London, then on a desert island, and lastly wherever the spectator may choose to locate the scene, can be inferred from its title. And a detailed reference to the miscellany of songs, dances and acrobatic feats, would be no more interesting than a recapitulation of the story. We have only to add that the singing in ‘Robinson Crusoe’ is done by Misses Alice Harrison, Bessie Sudlow, Josie Zanfretta, the dancing by Mlle. Carle and the child Zanfretta, and the gymnastic acts by the Rizareli brothers. Messrs. Maffit and Bartholomew are the pantomimists. All these artistes will appear in the novelty until further notice.”

The ‘Robinson Crusoes’ of the emaciated Colville and the operatic (German) Grover have no doubt badly frightened ‘Humpty Dumpty’ and the ‘Seven Dwarfs,’ as both these pantomimes are now in their ‘last nights’ and the last stages of success.”

Brief. “Maffitt and Bartholomew’s engagement at the Tammany is fast drawing to a close.”

"Previous to the pantomime McDermott and O’Dowd did the song and dance of ‘Lovely Nancy Brown,’ but an attempt to encore it was loudly hissed down.”