Lola Montez in Grass Valley (PH 17-1)(Undated) (40 pages)

The American Theatre, a brick structure located on Samson between Sacramento and California Streets, reopened on May 1, 1853 after some alterations and a new management. San Francisco Daily Herald, May 23, 1853: “Lola Montez world-wide diplomatic and dancing celebrity will appear at the American Theatre on Thursday night. She has performed in all the principal cities of the United States, and during her stay on the Atlantic side of the continent has made no inconsiderable sensation among the theatre going public. Attracted doubtless by the great success of other artistes, M’lle Lola has come to test the appreciation and the gallantry of a-San Francisco audience, and . whatever be her artistic merits, there is no doubt they will be critically judged and liberally rewarded .The great curiosity existing to see a person so much talked of throughout Europe and America for several years, and who has been represented as the heroine of so many strange incidents, will cause the American to be filled to overflowing on the occasion of Mlle Lola’s first appearance. Mr. Charles of the Royal Conservatory of Paris is to lead the orchestra, and Mr. J. S. Henning is the agent of Lola Montes.” (Many of the early newspapers spelled the name Montes.) tori AMERICAN TREATRE. NOTICE.—In consequence of the Unusual Domand at the Box Office for Scats for THURSDAY EVENING NEXT, THE:HIRST APPEARANCE OF Ride. LOLA MONTDS, COUNTESS OF LANDSPELDT, And in order tu accominodate the Public, the CHOICK OF KEATS WILL BE 80LD AT PUBLIC AUCTION, THIS MORNING, May 25. at tl -o'clock, AT THE AMERICAN SHEATRE, by J. L. RIDDLE, Acctionegn. The minitoum PRICE OF SEATS un Mdlle. LOLA MON. TES NIGHTS. will be— To Drovs Circle and Parquoette... ces Painily Circle .. 2.2.2.2. 2200-200 2200 2-0 QBS The amonnt bid willeconstitute a PREMIUM OVER AND ABOVE THRE SAME. we m25 it Kikik The following article from “The GoldenEra,” May 29, 1853, was printed after Lola’s San Francisco debut: “As all the world and the rest of mankind . have either seen or heard tell of this extraordinary . woman, we will not speak of her as elaborately as her notoriety might demand. Suffice it to say that Lola Montez, the artiste, the politician, thenoblesse . and the ‘fair shoulder striker’ is among us and that . her name has attracted to the American Theatre the most brilliant and overflowing audiences ever witnes. sed in this city and who have given her talents a most unequivocal endorsement by the cordial manner in which she has been received. We can’t say that we admire Lola’s acting, but we do think her dancing is ‘heavenly.’ Success to the Countess of Landsfeldt. She will appear again at the American tomorrow evening. The impact Lola made on the city during the first two weeks of June was typified by Grace Greenwood’s description on seeing one of her performances. “Everybody knew that she was by no means a nice and proper person, yet everybody was anxious to see that dancing enchantress, who owned herself to being ‘wild and wayward, though never wicked;’ that subduer of elderly kings and tamer of young husbands. Everybody went once at least and was subjectfor one perilous evening to the spell of her dark, splendid entangling eyes and Circean fascinations, She appeared merely as a dancer, and she was hardly that. Daring and dazzling, she was wanting in grace and artistic finish. She showed a sort of petulant disdain of the ordinary arts of the danseuse, relying wholly, it seemed, on the piquant beauty of her face and the ee ee . ee St Le splendor of her costumes. Her form was light and lithe, but too thin at the time for perfect symmetry. Beautiful she was, with those wonderful eyes, blazing forth now and then from under heavy, long drooping lashes, the masked batteries of passion; her dark soft abundant hair, gathered back from her low forehead in lovely shining ripples, and lit by same gorgeous tropical flower. Yet tome there was something sad in her passionate, defiant, utterly unpeacefui face.” The San Francisco Herald, May 29, 1853: “The best evidence that an actress will be successful is when her second appearance attracts a larger audience than the first. Upon this principle M’lle Lola Montes has accomplished a triumph in San Francisco for she appeared last evening before one of the largest audiences ever assembled within the walls of the American Theatre. The principal attraction of the evening was the celebrated ‘Spider Dance’ in the execution of which it has been proclaimed Lola has no equal. An unusual degree of excitement prevailed to witness this performance. M’lle Lola appeared inthe picturesque costume of ‘La Tarantella;’ the Spider Dance, was seen, admired, and encored and the triumphant danseuse retired admidst showers of bouquets and thunders of applause, after returning thanks in ap~~ w propriate terms of her kind reception. Her style of dancing is fresh, novel, eccentric and beautiful and we cannot doubt she will become animmense favorite as a danseuse.” The Daily Herald, May 30, 1853: “There is much curiosity to witness the performance of Lola Montes in the role she herself played through life represented in the drama of ‘Lola Montes in Bavaria.’ The characters in this play are all sketched from life and the incidents strictly histrionic. Many of the persons represented are still living. It will be produced with correct scenery and costumes. The'‘acts are as follows: ; Era of the lst. ‘Lola Montes the Danseuse’ Era of the 2nd. ‘Lola Montes the Politician’ Era of the 3rd. ‘Lola Montes the Countess’ Era of the 4th. ‘Lola Montes the Revolutionist-the Fugitive’ The play concludes with the revolution in Bavaria. The Daily Herald, May 31, 1853: “The American Theatre assembled within the walls last evening a concourse of people as large as could be gathered within an equal space to witness the drama of ‘Lola Montes in Bavaria.’ The play has been put upon the stage with all those aids of scenery and costumes best calculated to give effect to such a historical place. Although some of the performers were inaccurate in their parts, having had but insufficient study . the chief actors removed every obstacle. and covered a multitude of imperfections. At the close of the play M’lle Lola was obliged to appear before the curtain to answer to a continual storm of applause. She expressed her thanks with a few ready and spirited remarks concluding with an apt and graceful compliment to American liberty.” “METEORIC RISE AND FALL” The theatrical career of Lola Montez in California was not brilliant or prolonged and her engagement in San Francisco lasted less than three weeks. Few wished to see her more than once as the following quotes from the San Francisco Daily Herald indicates: May 29, 1853: “The bill at this establishment last evening was the same as that of the preceding night. The attendance however was not so large. June 1, 1853: “The audience was not so numerous as on the preceding night for curiosity had much to do with the attraction on that occasion and that being Satisfied it could not be expected that such an unusually large assemblage should be present.” Lola counteracted each low period of Public disinterest with an additional artistic performance. The famed “Spider” dance followed her first appearance -.

The American Theatre, a brick structure located on Samson between Sacramento and California Streets, reopened on May 1, 1853 after some alterations and a new management. San Francisco Daily Herald, May 23, 1853: “Lola Montez world-wide diplomatic and dancing celebrity will appear at the American Theatre on Thursday night. She has performed in all the principal cities of the United States, and during her stay on the Atlantic side of the continent has made no inconsiderable sensation among the theatre going public. Attracted doubtless by the great success of other artistes, M’lle Lola has come to test the appreciation and the gallantry of a-San Francisco audience, and . whatever be her artistic merits, there is no doubt they will be critically judged and liberally rewarded ..The great curiosity existing to see a person so much talked of throughout Europe and America for several years, and who has been represented as the heroine of so many strange incidents, will cause the American to be filled to overflowing on the occasion of Mlle Lola’s first appearance. Mr. Charles of the Royal Conservatory of Paris is to lead the orchestra, and Mr. J. S. Henning is the agent of Lola Montes.” (Many of the early newspapers spelled the name Montes.) tori AMERICAN TREATRE. NOTICE.—In consequence of the Unusual Domand at the Box Office for Scats for THURSDAY EVENING NEXT, THE:HIRST APPEARANCE OF Ride. LOLA MONTDS, COUNTESS OF LANDSPELDT, And in order tu accominodate the Public, the CHOICK OF KEATS WILL BE 80LD AT PUBLIC AUCTION, THIS MORNING, May 25. at tl -o'clock, AT THE AMERICAN SHEATRE, by J. L. RIDDLE, Acctionegn. The minitoum PRICE OF SEATS un Mdlle. LOLA MON. TES NIGHTS. will be— To Drovs Circle and Parquoette..... ces Painily Circle ... 2.2.2.2.. 2200-200 2200 2-0 QBS The amonnt bid willeconstitute a PREMIUM OVER AND ABOVE THRE SAME. we m25 it Kikik The following article from “The GoldenEra,” May 29, 1853, was printed after Lola’s San Francisco debut: “As all the world and the rest of mankind . have either seen or heard tell of this extraordinary . woman, we will not speak of her as elaborately as her notoriety might demand. Suffice it to say that Lola Montez, the artiste, the politician, thenoblesse . and the ‘fair shoulder striker’ is among us and that . her name has attracted to the American Theatre the most brilliant and overflowing audiences ever witnes. sed in this city and who have given her talents a most unequivocal endorsement by the cordial manner in which she has been received. We can’t say that we admire Lola’s acting, but we do think her dancing is ‘heavenly.’ Success to the Countess of Landsfeldt. She will appear again at the American tomorrow evening. The impact Lola made on the city during the first two weeks of June was typified by Grace Greenwood’s description on seeing one of her performances. “Everybody knew that she was by no means a nice and proper person, yet everybody was anxious to see that dancing enchantress, who owned herself to being ‘wild and wayward, though never wicked;’ that subduer of elderly kings and tamer of young husbands. Everybody went once at least and was subjectfor one perilous evening to the spell of her dark, splendid entangling eyes and Circean fascinations, She appeared merely as a dancer, and she was hardly that. Daring and dazzling, she was wanting in grace and artistic finish. She showed a sort of petulant disdain of the ordinary arts of the danseuse, relying wholly, it seemed, on the piquant beauty of her face and the ee ee . ee St Le splendor of her costumes. Her form was light and

lithe, but too thin at the time for perfect symmetry. Beautiful she was, with those wonderful eyes, blazing forth now and then from under heavy, long drooping lashes, the masked batteries of passion; her dark soft abundant hair, gathered back from her low forehead in lovely shining ripples, and lit by same gorgeous tropical flower. Yet tome there was something sad in her passionate, defiant, utterly unpeacefui face.” The San Francisco Herald, May 29, 1853: “The best evidence that an actress will be successful is when her second appearance attracts a larger audience than the first. Upon this principle M’lle Lola Montes has accomplished a triumph in San Francisco for she appeared last evening before one of the largest audiences ever assembled within the walls of the American Theatre. The principal attraction of the evening was the celebrated ‘Spider Dance’ in the execution of which it has been proclaimed Lola has no equal. An unusual degree of excitement prevailed to witness this performance. M’lle Lola appeared inthe picturesque costume of ‘La Tarantella;’ the Spider Dance, was seen, admired, and encored and the triumphant danseuse retired admidst showers of bouquets and thunders of applause, after returning thanks in ap~~ w propriate terms of her kind reception. Her style of dancing is fresh, novel, eccentric and beautiful and we cannot doubt she will become animmense favorite as a danseuse.” The Daily Herald, May 30, 1853: “There is much curiosity to witness the performance of Lola Montes in the role she herself played through life represented in the drama of ‘Lola Montes in Bavaria.’ The characters in this play are all sketched from life and the incidents strictly histrionic. Many of the persons represented are still living. It will be produced with correct scenery and costumes. The'‘acts are as follows: ; Era of the lst. ‘Lola Montes the Danseuse’ Era of the 2nd. ‘Lola Montes the Politician’ Era of the 3rd. ‘Lola Montes the Countess’ Era of the 4th. ‘Lola Montes the Revolutionist-the Fugitive’ The play concludes with the revolution in Bavaria. The Daily Herald, May 31, 1853: “The American Theatre assembled within the walls last evening a concourse of people as large as could be gathered within an equal space to witness the drama of ‘Lola Montes in Bavaria.’ The play has been put upon the stage with all those aids of scenery and costumes best calculated to give effect to such a historical place. Although some of the performers were inaccurate in their parts, having had but insufficient study .. the chief actors removed every obstacle.. and covered a multitude of imperfections. At the close of the play M’lle Lola was obliged to appear before the curtain to answer to a continual storm of applause. She expressed her thanks with a few ready and spirited remarks concluding with an apt and graceful compliment to American liberty.” “METEORIC RISE AND FALL” The theatrical career of Lola Montez in California was not brilliant or prolonged and her engagement in San Francisco lasted less than three weeks. Few wished to see her more than once as the following quotes from the San Francisco Daily Herald indicates: May 29, 1853: “The bill at this establishment last evening was the same as that of the preceding night. The attendance however was not so large.. June 1, 1853: “The audience was not so numerous as on the preceding night for curiosity had much to do with the attraction on that occasion and that being Satisfied it could not be expected that such an unusually large assemblage should be present..” Lola counteracted each low period of Public disinterest with an additional artistic performance. The famed “Spider” dance followed her first appearance -.