[Illustration: Isolde, seated on a sham rock, awaiting the coming of
her lover. Alas! all ends unharpily!]
_Wednesday._--The Irish Question, heard for the first time
operatically, put by The O'WAGNER in his music-story of "_Tristan und
Isolde_." The story is decidedly a _triste 'un and is old_ no doubt
of it. Frau SUCHER first rate as the Irish Princess _Isolde_. Herr
ALVARY plays _Her Tristan_; good, but not great. All vary well. As
_Kurwenal_, Herr KNAPP, in spite of his name, kept everyone awake,
and did his very best; in fact, "went Knapp."
Fräulein RALPH was charming as _Braugäne_, and her manner of
inducing the Princess of the Most Distressful Country to take to the
bottle--KINAHAN's L.L.L.--deserved the encore which she ought to have
received. No matter--Fräulein RALPH played with spirit, which is a
dangerous thing to do as a rule. House crammed: not packed.
[Illustration: "HOW'S YOUR POOR FEET?"
The Pedicure Motif. Shepherd, with pipe, suffering from "Corno
Inglese," showing Triste 'Un, the Cornish Knight, where he may seek
relief from his Bunions' Pilgrim's Progress.]
_Thursday._--Long live the _Don_! _Vive_ MOZART! _Don Giovanni's_
taste as to ladies changed as he grew older. The two musical Duchesses
who accompany _Don Ottavio_ when he is singing are usually, fine and
large; but _Zerlina_, the _Don's_ latest fancy, is _petite_. Why does
Signor CARACCIOLO make _Masetto_ an idiotic old bumpkin? EDOUARD DE
RESZKÉ is admirable as the cowardly _Leporello_, and MAUREL fine as
the Im-maurel Don. With what an air he salutes _Zerlina_! The air
is MOZART's "_La ci darem_," and therefore perfect. ZÉLIE DE LUSSAN
delightful as that arrant flirt _Zerlina_. The Statue was rather in
the dark. The Stalls couldn't see him "noddin', nid nid noddin'."
Let Sir DRURIOLANUS look to this, and say to the Limelighter, quoting
GOËTHE, "More light! More light!"
_Friday._--_Carmen._ Commend me at once to Madame DESCHAMPS-JEHIN
as _Carmen_. Her name is too long, and there's a little too much of
her, figure-ratively speaking. A trifle over-size for quite an ideal
_Carmen_, but then Madame D.-JEHIN is so good that we cannot have
too much of her. Acting excellent. Madame EMMA EAMES EMMA-nently
first-rate as _Michaela_. We all know JEAN DE RESZKÉ'S _Don José_,
which up to now is hard to beat; so for LASSALLE as _Escamillo_,--the
great song encored, of course. Signor CARACCIOLO as _Dancairo_ (of
a mixed race, Irish Dan and Egyptian Cairo--a regular Bohemian), and
RINALDINI as _Remendado_, capital, not overdone. Mlle. BAUERMEISTER
as _Frasquita_, and AGNES JANSON as _Mercedes_, looked winning,
especially when playing cards.
_Saturday._--_Cavalleria Rusticana._ Most appropriate when everybody
is talking of the elections and "going to the country."
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