Olympic Theatre

“Inauguration of the reign of revelry. The great burlesque founded on The Duke’s Motto. First time in America. Mrs. John Wood as Henri Lagadere, and an immense cast . . .  Byron’s great and immensely popular Burlesque, entitled The Motto, I Am ‘All There’ . . . A new overture by Thomas Baker, who has also arranged all the newly selected incidental music.”

“A crowded audience greeted Mrs. John Wood’s appearance as a burlesque Lagardere last night. The points of ‘The Duke’s Motto’ are terribly caricatured in Byron’s travesty, and Mrs. Wood and her company make the most of the puns which pop off in every part of the play. To make puns is a necessity with a burlesque writer or a burlesque actor, but in this instance they are thick as plums in a Christmas pudding, positively putting to shame the efforts of John Brougham in ‘Pocahontas.’ Two new actors were added to the Olympic company last night—a monkey and a donkey; the former in the gipsy scene, and the latter in the shafts of a vehicle which bore the inscription, ‘this omnibus goes to Brooklyn on opera nights.’ Did Mrs. Wood intend this as a sly hit at the good people of the Brooklyn Academy, who once objected to the introduction of burlesque plays upon those select boards? The scenery and general appointments of the evening were excellent, but ‘I am all There’ is hardly equal to ‘Pocahontas,’ notwithstanding the animated playing of Mrs. Wood and the good ‘hits’ which are visible here and there in the text. A word of praise is due to the little piece by George Jamison, which preceded the burlesque. It was admirably written, and still more admirably played, by Jamison, Owens and Mrs. Sloan.”

“With new scenery, music, costumes, properties, full cast.”

Includes list of the cast. “Mr. Brougham’s ever popular Burlesque, ‘Poc-a-hon-tas’ – placed upon the stage with so much splendor and played with so much spirit at The Olympic – was withdrawn on Monday, at the height of its success, to make way for Mr. H. J. Byron’s more timely burlesque of ‘The Duke’s Motto.’ Both of the pieces, in order to produce their legitimate effect, should have been re-written, for the former contains numberless allusions, which, however comic at the time, have long since lost their virtue, while the latter, written by the cockneyist of playwrights, is crammed with jokes which anywhere but in London must necessarily fizzle out like so many damp rockets. This has made it rather hard here for the burlesques, harder still for burlesquers, and so hard for the public that but for the timely aid of the scene painters and the indomitable fun of Mrs. Wood – which overrides everything – instead of having to congratulate the management on two decided successes we should probably have had to condole with it on two dismal failures.

It is not too late to modify Mr. Byron’s burlesque now, and if the thing can be managed without offending public taste by the introduction of stale political jokes or coarse and heartless allusions to the War (which, in connection with indecencies of one kind and another, seem to form the stock in trade of most of our burlesque writers), we see no reason why the piece shouldn’t run to the end of the year. It is mounted with a degree of magnificence that makes it attractive merely as a display of scenery and costumes; the general cast, if not all that could be desired, is at least respectable; Mrs. Wood’s impersonation of the leading character (Lagardere) is a miracle of fun; Miss Harris’s take-off of Collins’s Carrickfergus is of itself enough to save an ordinary burlesque; the performances of the new member of the company—a learned and irrepressible monkey—are superior even to those of the learned seal at Barnum’s; and the songs sung, and not sung—especially the latter—continue a musical treat, positive and negative, which keeps the house in a state of ‘glee’ all the evening.

We reserve further remarks on the performance until we shall have seen it again, and meanwhile reprint enough of the cast to enable the play-going reader to form some idea for himself as to its general merits. . . .

The burlesque is preceded by Mr. Jamieson’s admirably written comedy, ‘There’s No Such Word As Fail,’ in which the leading characters are almost faultlessly represented by Mr. Jamieson himself, Mr. Thomas Owens, Mrs. Sedley Brown and Mrs. Sloan. Mr. Jamieson sustains an Irish part in such a manner that the statement we made the other day, that since the death of Mr. John Drew no actor among us could invest such parts with sufficient refinement for the metropolitan stage, should be promptly taken back. Mrs. Sedley Brown has a soubrette role in the same play which amply justifies our prediction that she would become one of the most popular soubrette actresses in the country. Mr. Owens, who is almost unknown in New York, played the part of an eccentric and pedantic valet better than it could have been done by any actor whom we can now call to mind; while Mrs. Sloan’s delicious representation of an English young lady who objects to marry a young man (Jamieson) on account of his brogue, but finally yields on account of his good looks, was hardly inferior to any performance in the play.”

“A new Overture, by Thos. Baker, who has also arranged all the Newly Selected Incidental Music.”

“On Monday, Nov. 9th, Mrs. John Wood presented for the first time at her theatre Byron’s travestie of the ‘Duke’s Motto.’ We attended on Wednesday night, and found every seat occupied, and the performance of the evening unquestionably afforded satisfaction to all present. The first piece was a little dramatic sketch, by George Jamison, called ‘There Is No Such Word as Fail,’ and a capital little play it is, and ably was it performed, the acting of Jamison, Owens, and Miss Brown being highly praiseworthy. As regards the burlesque, we have to award the highest praise to the management for the admirable manner in which it has been presented. The scenery is excellent, Wallackian in completeness and beauty, and the general appointments are first-rate in every respect. The burlesque is well written, but is so entirely English in language and local hits, that even a careful revision and substitution of applicable hits to our metropolitan locality fails to make it appropriate for the American stage. Why is it that we have to go to England for these burlesques? We have the talent here in our midst, if our managers would only encourage it, to get up capital original pieces of this class, not only as well written as any imported play, but, what is more to the purpose, full of local hits that can be understood and appreciated by an American audience. Of the performances in the burlesque, the acting of Mrs. Wood and Miss Harris was capital. Both excel in this style of drama, and both were quite at home. The music, too, was a commendable feature, although that given in the Gypsey [sic] scene could be greatly improved. The operatic selections were good, but the original music did not seem up to Baker’s usual standard.”