[Illustration; The Empire of Melpomene and Terpsichore.]
SINCE the SHAH spent a pleasant evening in the Theatre of Varieties
North of Leicester Square (and if it comes to that, long before) the
Empire has been a notable place of entertainment. At the present moment
there is an exceptionally strong programme. Two _ballets_, both
extremely good. The first, "_The Paris Exhibition_," pleasingly recalls
the glories and expenses of last year so inseparably connected with the
Cairo street dancing and the Tour Eiffel. The second, "_A Dream of
Wealth_," is interesting amongst other matters for proving conclusively
that the Demon of Avarice (conscientiously impersonated by Signor LUIGI
ALBERTIERI), is a singularly gentlemanly creature, and not nearly so
black as he would conventionally be painted. The story of the
_divertissement_ by Madame KATTI LANNER, if rather obscure, is still
thoroughly enjoyable. It would seem that a miser with a comic but
sound-hearted clerk, after an altercation with some well-fed
representatives of "the most distrissful" tenantry that ever yet were
seen, makes the acquaintance of "an apparition," and dreams that he is
the tenant of his own jewel-casket. In his sleep he is present at a
_ballet_ replete with silver and gold and precious stones, to say
nothing of shapely limbs and pretty faces, and makes great friends with
the "apparition," who shows him much graceful courtesy, with the
assistance of one of her acquaintances, that singularly gentlemanly
creature, the Demon of Avarice. That all ends happily goes without
saying.
But perhaps _the_ feature of the Empire Theatre of Varieties (a title
justified by the programme--a document, by the way, for which a uniform
charge of two pence should be made, instead of "anything you please,
Sir," subsequently translatable into at least sixpence) is the
realisation, by Miss AMY ROSELLE, of _The Woman and the Law_, written by
Mr. CLEMENT SCOTT. The accomplished actress, in a simple black dress, in
front of a scene suggestive of (say) an unused ball-room in the Vatican,
holds her audience in her grasp. In spite of the smoke of the stalls,
the levity of the lounge, and the general incongruity of her
surroundings, Miss ROSELLE scores nightly a distinct success. Lastly,
Mlle. VANONI, returning to the scene of her former triumphs, once again
delights all beholders by the sprightliness of her singing and dancing.
No reason to fear the disruption of the Empire at present.
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