Black Crook

Complete cast.

“With the first word, a grand, a dazzling, an overwhelming success. Every nook and corner, every settee and every standee, every nook, corner and angle of the carpenter work that could afford the faintest semblance of ‘the comforts of a home’ for a human being of any shape or size, filled and packed close with demonstrative humanity. The splendors of the Châtelet and the glories of the Porte St. Martin, of Paris—nay, even of the San Carlo, in Naples, on their most spectacular nights—never held forth a more exciting promise, and never was that promise more superbly fulfilled. Long before the curtain rose the house was literally jammed from the parquet to the seventh heaven of the galleried Olympus. The sovereigns below and the ‘god’ above were in the best of humors, too, by contrast with the storm of wind and rain outside; and their exhilaration was heightened from the beginning by the admirable music of an orchestra to which the genius and effort of Signor Operti have imparted an excellence which of itself was, from first to last, a most striking feature of the entertainment. We shall not pause here to moralize. We regretted the short life of the elegant Shakespearian revival, which made the boards at Niblo’s classic through the past fortnight, and summoned the taste and intellect of the metropolis to that far-famed and always pleasant temple of histrionic art. We heartily wished that the legitimate drama could have continued so brilliant a reign, and in these columns it received every encouragement; but Messrs. Jarrett & Palmer have ideas of their own with regard to the fancy of the great multitude, and, soeth to say, they have carried them out with princely magnificence. Moreover, the endorsement they last night received has made the revival of ‘The Black Crook’ an event of eminent artistic importance. All who witnessed the gorgeous succession of fairy scenery and the lavish richness of costume, with the troops of youthful and graceful coryphées who figured on their stage, will be ready to credit even a greater outlay than the $15,000 which the new preparations are said to have cost. The plot of the ‘Black Crook’ has been so often sketched and is so well known to New York audiences, transient and resident, that it would be superfluous to attempt even an outline here. It is but a somber thread on which a bewildering succession of musical, spectacular and choristic scenes are festooned. The demons and death-lights are but shadows to the stalactite caverns of the sylphs and gnomes of the wonder world, and the scenic artists, Messrs. Voegtlin and Reitzky, have more than worked out the oddest fancies of their countrymen—the poet Wieland—in the surprisingly accurate and glowing effects that they have produced. During the first term of the drama, when it swept away all competition in its own line for the entire seasons of 1866-1867, and 1868, the press rang with the praises of its magic scenery; but the latter was left decidedly in the shade by the new edition given last evening to the public. The combination of two complete troupes of thoroughly trained dancers from Paris and Vienna, under the inimitable direction of Signor David Costa; the improved mechanism, the novel devices to facilitate the smoothness of each transformation, the fresher and brighter coloring, the much superior music, the higher class of talent and the continual and costly floral demonstrations of the night fully justified, as they were immensely assisted by, the spontaneous enthusiasm of such an audience as inspires the dullest organization and makes a roysterer [sic] of the most saturnine—not to mention the jolliest—of managers. The first act was late in beginning, but when it came every point of any moment in it was perfect. The occasional tick-tack of a hammer behind the scenes and hoarse calls for ‘another nail’ were taken as good jokes, and when the grand corps de ballet, 100 strong, sparkling with health, beauty, rich costume and as vigorous as so many chamois of the Alps, bounded into the pas de sabot (clog dance) the house shook again and again with honest applause. Mlle. Cora Adrienne, the leader, was repeatedly recalled, and all the resources of our great florist, Hofheimer, were well nigh exhausted in the exquisite bouquets, garlands, coronals, baskets, &c., that encumbered the footlights in compliment to her and her colleagues. Mlles. Rosita Pagani and Rosa Zuardi also acquitted themselves to a charm and were duly honored. The crown of the regular performance, in this first act, rested with the lovely and graceful Miss Rawlinson, in the part of Amina. Her very presence on the stage, which her naïve tenderness and fawn-like grace illumined and enlivened, was a certain guarantee of success. Miss Fanny Prestige, in her pretty songs and the bewitching archness with which she took the audience into her confidence, also made a splendid hit. It is not too much to say that we were delighted with the dash, the voluptuous fullness, the champagny brio of the Fifth Avenue Galop accompanying and interwoven with the pas de fleurs, or floral dance, which established the point of the earlier part of the performance. Mr. C. H. Morton, as the Black Crook; Mr. Theodore Hamilton, as Rodolphe, and Mr. Felix Rogers, as Greppo, the Sorcerer’s servant, did excellently well. Their first opportunity of fine display was in the second act, which, moreover, dazzled the throng with the beautiful form and sweet vocalism of that queen of the blondes, Miss Pauline Markham. It was here, too, that Mlle. Bonfanti and Signor Norissimo, the first danseur and danseuse assolute, made their first grand effort with tremendous effect. But to detail all the points of this superb spectacular revival would fill unlimited space. The second act was so crowded with gorgeous transformations and drew such incessant encores that it had scarcely concluded at eleven o’clock. In the third act—the concentration of all the attractions of the night—scene after scene and dance after dance were of themselves a spectacle in each, and would make the fortune of a minor theatre. The Nautch Girl girl, the Cantonniere Parisienne and the Pas de Folie would have made the eyes of good Haroun Al Raschid start from their sockets with greater wonder than he ever felt in the realms of the genii, when he summoned them with the signet of Solomon to enchant his royal Persian guests in his golden and crystal halls at Bagdad—for which the mimic terrace of the Castle of Wolfenstein was a superior counterfeit. The Grotto of Stalacta and the Fern Lake of the Silver Sheen, stupendous as they were in electric lights and sparkle, had hardly prepared the audience for these displays, and from that moment the combinations increased, until the performance of the ‘Wonderful Majilions,’ in their ‘Trois Diables’ and the far-famed skaters, Messrs. Moe and Goodrich, in their most peculiar of all feats of movement, agility and skill, carried the spectators by storm. In the fourth and closing act the Palace of the Dew Drops and the splendors of the grand final transformation scene terminated by far the most overpowering display of stage resources ever witnessed in this country. In a word, the new Black Crook is much superior to the first, and with the renown of the latter the country has rung for years. Messrs. Jarrett & Palmer have evidently formed a compact on the most favorable terms, but, we trust, not in a manner perilous to them hereafter, with Gamiel and his hosts, and the holiday season in New York is to be indebted tot their wealth and enterprise for such glimpses of fairy land and such enchantments of the ‘Golden Realm’—nymphs, naiads, elves and all—as London, Paris and Vienna, in their fading glories, would sigh for utterly in vain.”

“Burlesque, despite the assertion that it is dying out, certainly retains extraordinary vitality in the immense jam which packed Niblo’s last night almost to suffocation can be taken as evidence. There was not a vacant seat in the house, nor scarcely an inch of standing room, and the audience comprised nearly every one of note in the city.

“The play has been put on the stage with a degree of lavish splendor that will ensure it a long and prosperous ‘run.’ The scenery and effects surpass even those features

“In the original production, while the costumes are more costly and beautiful, and the famous transformation scene is retained, as are also the cascade of real water and the ‘developing’ scene called the Fern Lake of Silver Sheen. The latter, and the set scene in the third act revealing an illuminated golden terrace, are stage pictures original in design and of dazzling splendor, and last night the scenic artist and machinist were called for by the surprised audience and deservedly applauded.

“The ballet is led by Mlles. Bonfanti and Adrienne, and a new male comer, Signor Norissimo, but is scarcely up to the excellence of the former ballet, and some of the dances should be shortened or left out entirely. The latter remark applies to the skating scene, which is not only out of place, but helped to protract the performance until nearly two o’clock this morning. The Majiltons, three in numbers, one of whom is a lady, established themselves as favorites at once. There is much to praise and little to condemn, and by judicious pruning, so that the audience may reach home on the same day that they go to the theatre, the play will probably run for the next twelve months.” 

“The revival of this celebrated spectacle, the fame and name of which have been spread over the whole civilized world, was an event looked forward to with much interest, and that interest of course culminated last evening in an overflowing house of expectant people, curious to see what new development of beauty and art would be unfolded in this second illustrated edition of the ‘Black Crook.’

“The curtain fell upon the third act at twenty minutes of one o’clock, and the performance bade fair to reach on well towards the morning.

“Of course at so late an hour but a few words can be said.

“The audience we think was to some extent disappointed, and this from the force of circumstances, and not from any fault of the management. The play itself was the same old story that most of those present already knew by heart. The situations were the same.

“The dances and most of the scenes were similar to those of the former representation. In fact, everything that the imagination could conjure up, or the art of the scene painter or the costumer suggest, was done for the 'Black Crook’ when it was first brought out, and it was not in the power of the management materially to better their first efforts. Red, yellow, and blue are the primary colors, and all the art of Christendom cannot make any that are brighter or better. Therefore the colors and costumes of this present piece are no more vivid or picturesque than the former ones.

“It is not possible in the nature of things that they should be, and those who looked for any new sensation in the kaleidoscope of color must of necessity be disappointed.

“As for the play itself, it was better acted than before—Mr. Hamilton, for instance, and Miss Markham being in the cast—but no amount of good acting could possibly make it other than a dreary absurdity.

“The ‘Black Crook,’ it has always seemed to us, would be a much pleasanter affair with all the spoken portions expunged; and if the bouquet business, which wastes so much valuable time, and is such a very dull affair to all but the giver and the receiver of the flowers, and the florist who parades down the aisle with them, could also be assigned to oblivion, there would be another positive gain.

“The features in which the present entertainment differs from its predecessor are the following: There are two scenes of wonderful beauty—one is called the Lake of Silver Sheen, and the other the Golden Terrace. This last was so effective that Mr. Voeztlin and Mr. Sherwood were vociferously called for to receive the compliments of the audience.

“Two skaters, Mr. Moe and Mr. Goodrich, were introduced. Their performances were really wonderful, and would have been creditable to them even had they been shod with English rockers and stood on black ice instead of with parlor skates and on the uneven flooring of the theatre.

“Three other eccentric artists also appeared. The brothers Majilton and their sister. These three elastic creatures astonished the audience with an India rubber sort of performance the like of which has never been seen on any stage in this city. Their twistings and turnings were almost super-natural.

“Finally everything seems to have been done that could be done to give éclat to this revival.

“As to the effect of such a production upon the best interests of dramatic art there can be no question. It is detrimental to them.

“It is equally beyond a question that it is detrimental to the morals of the community. These questions, however, have been often enough discussed and are certainly pretty fairly understood, and may be left to take care of themselves.

“The public is only concerned to know whether the display of female beauty, of spectacular effects, of scene, ballet, and costumes, is all that the management have promised, and that we may safely say it is.”

“The town has been overwhelmed at once by a vile easterly storm and by ‘The Black Crook.’ Both arrived yesterday. The storm came in the morning. The Crook came at night. Niblo’s Garden was, of course, the scene of the latter. There it had its birth three seasons ago. There it reappeared last evening. The house was densely crowded. The auditors were mostly men. A blacker audience we have seldom seen. As a matter of course, the excitement was very great. Nothing grow (?) the masculine bosom like the anticipation of a ravishing prospect of calf. Long before the curtain rose enormous bouquets of flowers were seen to proceed toward the stage—spontaneous tributes to prospective loveliness. The curtains rose at twenty minutes before nine. From that time till nearly morn ing the pageant went forward. Of ‘The Black Crook,’ as a literary composition, we need not speak. If presented on its literary merits alone, it would never have been presented a second time. Last night’s performance showed it to be the same rubbish of old. But the real charms of the spectacle were abundant—and they exerted their former influence. In other words, the legs were very numerous, and they were duly admired. A clog-dance led the way—like the sherry and bitters before a grand banquet. Then came the solid meats of the banquet. Mlle. Cora Adrienne, a fine woman and a skilled dancer, was warmly applauded. Later a cordial welcome was awarded to Miss Pauline Markham, who rose through the floor, and whose superb pillars were seen to be in an excellent state of development. Bonfanti came, in act second, and was greeted with enthusiasm. The town has evidently become habituated to these beauties, and welcomes their merits with a critical eye. It seemed to us that there was an excess of dancing. Tastes differ as to this. For the fancy of the town, the more leg the better. There was a great abundance of it last night. And the scenic display was gorgeous, from the last scene of [illeg.] second to the end of the spectacle. We can only now touch upon its points, in passing. The old question as to the spirit and influence of exhibitions of this sort need not now be raised. It can afford to wait. An immense deal of labor was put into last night’s performance. Time will show whether it is labor in vain. There is no question, in our mind, that it is labor misapplied. It were long to tell all the radiant instances of this lustrous occasion. But we must find room for a special word of commendation for the Majiltons. The agility, the variety, the grace, the national character, and the enticing charm of the antics performed by these players could not readily be described. They carried the house by storm. The fantastic beauty and airy grace of Mlle. Marie Majilton will assuredly make her one of the most popular of performers. This is something unique, original, and fine. A skating scene. By Messrs. Moe and Goodrich, wona great deal of applause. The scene that closed the fourth act was deformed by the straight lines of what looks like window cornices in the center.”

“Every evening this week Niblo’s Theatre has been crowded by the thousands who are [illeg.] to see the ‘Black Crook.’ Last night, for instance, there was scarcely any standing room even. The piece passed off smoothly. The dreary dialogue was endured as a [illeg.] necessity, and as serving as a foil to the more important parts of the play. An actor like Mr. Theodore Hamilton, who has been . . . [The remainder of this paragraph and all of the second, third and fourth paragraphs are mostly illegible. The Majiltons “entirely new” act is mentioned, as is “Zimmerman’s dog.”]”

“The ‘Black Crook’ at Niblo’s Garden has been the cynosure of attraction this week to the large class of not over-fastidious theatre-goers whose eyes must be fed, however it may be with their sense. Too much can hardly be said in recognition of the gorgeousness of the scenery and other details of this revival, or in applause of the MAJILTONS, who, without having anything in particular to do with the ‘Black Crook,’ are among the most finished artists in their line ever seen here. The lady is especially clever and has already made herself a prime favorite. It is true that the art represented by these performers is not of a very elevated type, but it is something to be facile princeps in any department, and, theatrically or otherwise, there are advantages about being first in a village over being first in Rome. The present ballet of the ‘Black Crook’ is said by those who are curious in such matters to be better than before, and so far as comeliness is concerned this is probably true. Artistically speaking, however, the merit of he dancers, with one or two exceptions, is hardly equal to that of the scenery and carpenters’ work, which, in their way, are almost miraculous. We are told that several dancers of fame are on their way from Europe to reinforce the troupe at Niblo’s and the managers are probably wise to keep some of their attraction in reserve.”

Detailed description of the entertainment. “..the mermaid’s song from the opera of ‘Oberon’ is heard beneath the waters, and at its conclusion Miss Pauline Markham, most charmingly costumed, rises from their depths and steps upon the stage with the lightness of a fawn to receive the welcome plaudits of the audience, which are by no means stinted.”