Article on Conditions for Permanent Italian Opera at the Academy of Music

“The weak, spasmodic attempts which are periodically made at our representative opera house to revive public interest in Italian opera only excite disgust in the minds of all who desire to see this great branch of the lyric art permanently established in this city, and by their constant failure do more harm than good. When some artist of acknowledged reputation arrives from Europe forthwith a manager seizes him or her, leases the Academy for a brief season, and, without paying the least attention to necessary details, gives the same skeleton performances of Italian opera that have almost driven the memory of genuine lyric drama out of the minds of the metropolitan public. In the opinion of the manager the star is a sufficient attraction, without regard to ensemble of cast, chorus, orchestra, scenery or appointments. When the inevitable failure takes place the manager’s sole excuse is that he is so hampered with conditions attached to his lease of the opera house that he finds it impossible to produce operas in the style necessary for their perfect representation. Some of these conditions are certainly calculated to discourage even the most enterprising impresario. Besides being obliged to give up two hundred and fifty of the best seats in the house to the stockholders, without receiving any compensation therefrom, the has no jurisdiction over a hose of employés [sic] attached to the building. The little children who sell bouquets and the persons who attend the bar and restaurant downstairs are entirely independent of him, and doorkeepers, stage hands and ushers owe him no allegiance. This alone is a hard condition; for a manager should have full control in his theatre. Then he is prohibited from making any material changes on the stage which may be necessary to the production of certain operas. The terms of the lease are so worded that he scarcely receives anything but the bare walls and collection of old scenery which is of little use to him. The only remedy for this, and the proper way to make Italian opera successful at the Academy, is for the stockholders to lease the house for a long term to some manager in whom they can have confidence and to give him full and unrestrained power to regulate everything connected with the house, as he may deem expedient. Then, if they desire to retain their seats, they should pay for them, and as they represent some of our wealthiest citizens they should furnish the manager with a subscription at the commencement of the season large enough to enable him to meet a large proportion of his expenses. Italian opera is an expensive luxury and cannot be sustained in the same manner as the drama, by depending merely on the patronage of the general public. No impresario in Europe would venture to commence a season without the express guarantee of a large subscription from the wealthy classes, who alone are able to sustain such a luxury. Then a manager can present Italian opera in its entirety and bestow the same attention upon the scenery and appointments as Wallack, Booth and Daly do in the production of their plays. But the stockholders must have confidence in the manager, leave his hands unfettered and assist him substantially.”