Cortland Opera House Grand Opening and Review

 

Canadian actress Margaret Mather

 

Clara Louise Kellogg

 

The Cortland News, Friday, May 15, 1885.

Opera House Opening.

The Kellogg Concert Company well Received—A Grand Affair.

Margaret Mather in the “Honeymoon.”

   Wednesday evening before seven o'clock a crowd commenced to gather around the doors of the Opera House waiting to be admitted. As soon as they were opened the people commenced pouring in in a perfect stream, and long before the curtain went up every chair in the parquette was filled and nearly all in the gallery. The comfort of the chairs was something that Cortland audiences have not been used to heretofore, and were properly appreciated. Quite a long and tedious wait was experienced by those present before the concert commenced, but once the curtain went up everything went off like clockwork, satisfying everybody assembled.

   The members of the Kellogg Company are each one artists of merit, and were all encored more or less, Miss Kellogg, Miss Jacobs and Mr. Morowiski giving the most satisfaction. The tenor, Mr. David, has an excellent voice but it lacks power. The storms of applause which greeted Miss Kellogg must have been pleasing to that lady, although she is, of course, used to such kind of treatment. To write a criticism of an artist of her abilities requires a critic that is up in operatic music, and one who knows more about it than we do. Suffice it to say that she was encored after each number when she appeared, and was greeted with the warmest applause. Miss Ollie Torbett, violinist, was also well received.

   One thing also must be said, and that is that the voices and the tones of the instruments were plainly heard in every corner of the house, and that not a sign of an echo was visible to any one, those in the back seats of the gallery being able to distinguish each note and word as clearly as the more fortunate ones in the front seats of the parquette.

   Margaret Mather in the “Honeymoon,” was greeted Thursday evening by even a larger audience than was the Kellogg Company. Miss Mather in her first appearance here took the entire audience completely by storm by her superior acting, and received a regular old fashioned ovation. She seems to throw her whole soul into the role she assumes, and consequently there is none of that self consciousness that is so often marked in ladies of her profession. The support given her by the company was excellent throughout and in pleasing contrast to that in most dramatic organizations where a lady is on a starring tour.

   Manager Hill seems to understand to a nicety the wants of the amusement going public and caters to them in a moist satisfactory manner.

   Everything off and on the stage passed along without a hitch of any kind, and the audience was one of the most orderly that could be imagined. Although applauding vociferously they did it in an orderly manner, and the hoodlum element being absent from the gallery there was no whistling or catcalling to disturb those who went to enjoy an evening's feast.

   To-night Miss Mather will appear in "Romeo and Juliet."

 

References:

1) Margaret Mather: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Mather

2) Clara Louise Kellogg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Louise_Kellogg