Tony Pastor’s Opera House

“A very large audience visited the above-named theatre last night, and the frequent applause manifested the interest and pleasure afforded by the performance. All of the actors and actresses performed well their parts, particularly Tony Pastor in his comic songs, and Mr. Emerson, who made his first appearance in a song and dance. Mlle. Bertha as usual, danced well, and was applauded frequently. A ballet d’action, entitled Nathalie, was excellently performed. Miss Benson was to have sung a ‘characteristic song,’ but excused herself, and gave in its stead a dance, for which she was encored. Shakespeare Mutilated, by Wild and Gaynor, was an excellent burlesque, and occasioned roars of laughter. The evening’s amusement closed with a new drama, entitled the Mysteries of Gotham. Although last evening was the first time it was performed, the piece went off well and received much applause. [Lists cast.] The drama contains the usual amount of villains, misers, &c., and ends as all sensation dramas end, with virtue triumphant and vice baffled. Nevertheless it possesses many new features, the tableaux are excellent and the denouement fine.”

“Shakespeare Mutilated was one of the acts performed last week at Tony Pastor’s Opera House by Johnny Wild and James Gaynor. These two moke [sic] representatives were in their glory, and created considerable fun. Carleton, the Irish comic, came in for two turns giving his budget of Irish comicalities, consisting of singing and dancing, to the delight of all lovers of the shamrock. Billy Emerson, who has been in the city for a short time, laid up with sickness, put in an appearance in two acts.  As a song and dance man he is pretty good. The act called ‘Dandy Jim’ he did very cleverly, but he makes it too long with so much dialogue. Mons. La Thorne did the glove and cannon ball acts. The ballet of ‘Nathalie’ was splendidly given by the ballet troupe, under the direction of Mons. Szollossy. In the afterpiece of ‘The Mysteries of Gotham,’ T.G. Riggs, Willis Armstrong, G.F. and Frank McDonald, and all the company, appeared.  Tony Pastor is as popular as ever in his comic songs, receiving almost every evening from five to six encores.”