Holiday Entertainment; Benefit of Starr and Byrne CANCELLED

No entertainment given, because of “pecuniary difficulties.” “The audience was dismissed after an awaital of events, extending almost over two hours. The French artists who were to sing were not responsible, it must be noticed, for the non-fulfillment of the manager’s promise.”

“A performance was announced to take place at the French Theatre on Feb. 22d, for the benefit of Messrs. Starr and King [Byrne?], two gentlemen who had agreed to the honors of management by getting up a brief season of opera bouffe, a few weeks ago, with Mrs. Howard Paul as the principal singer. It appears that the gentlemen were indebted to nearly every person that had been engaged in and about the theatre during their season, as well as $865 for printing of programmes. Owing to some trouble inside the theatre the doors were not opened until nearly eight o’clock, before which time many had gone away. Presently the house commenced to fill up and there was a goodly sized audience present. The time rapidly passed on, and the audience, growing impatient, commenced to get very noisy. Finding that there was no possibility of the show going on, the audience, after waiting patiently until nearly ten o’clock, commenced to retire and the house was soon emptied. At the suit of Paul Nicholson, their programme printer, the Sheriff had taken possession of the box office early in the evening; but it appears that Grau, the lessee of the theatre, had stolen a march on Nicholson by capturing about $250, the proceeds of the sale of tickets during the day at the theatre and elsewhere. The receipts at the door amounted to $274, $100 of which was demanded by the orchestra. Stage manager Duchesne says that the artists of the troupe had owing to them from two to three weeks salary. The managers, Byrne and Starr, say that they agreed with Grau that the latter should furnish the house and help for $250. That they gave him all the seats as security, and that it was only on account of the machinists refusing to work that the performance did not take place. They say that they received no money for tickets, and that Mr. Grau, having secured himself, and the sheriff having taken the remainder, left them without the means of offering a compromise; that Mr. Grau could have saved the performance if he had opened the doors earlier, as many went away; and that if he had offered to give up the money which he had taken, all could have been arranged. One irate party in the parquet clambered on to the stage and commenced a fistic set-to with Byrne, one of the managers. This was promptly stopped by a friend of the aggressor. On Friday evening, Feb. 25th, the managers appeared at Police Headquarters on a charge of swindling, preferred by Wright and Gerard, but the Inspector at once dismissed the case.”

Long article on Byrne & Starr’s venture and the risky speculation of opera bouffe.