WHEN PATTI SANG

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 October 1933, Page 11

WHEN PATTI SANG

QUEUES DAY AND NIGHT. Probably thqse people who have come to maturity in the last few years will never realise to what an extent a great singer can excite a multitude of apparently sane people. An instance of the kind is related in the Mapleson memoirs concerning the appearance of Adelina Patti in San Francisco. Patti, though born in Madrid, made her debut in New York on November 24, 1859, under the name of Lucia, “the little Florinda.” It was not until her appearance in grand opera, in London two years later that her pre-eminence was asserted, and from that time on Patti became the world’s toast, and was in a position to claim and secure £lOOO a night. One of the most extraordinary spectacles ever associated with her appearance was in San Francisco. The opening house had been “sold out,” lint on the evening of the company's arrival news had spread that some Patti tickets were to be sold the next day. Shortly after 10 o’clock that night the first young man took his stand outside Sherman and Clay’s premises, the booking office. He was soon afterwards joined by others. Then came some .ladies, and’ the queue at midnight ' extended to the district telegraph office. Some had brought chairs or boxes, food and drink, prepared for an all-night vigil. Some shrewd young men who were in the line were prepared to sell their place, and a position. in the line thirty from the entrance was sold for ten dollars (£2). Toward morning the price of good places in the line went up to 20 dollars. When morning dawned there was a. vast crowd in Montgomery Street, which became blocked as far as ordinary traffic, was concerned, and when Colonel Mapleson, the impresario. who had turned out early to go tor a walk, inquired what was causing the trouble, he was informed that it was over the crowd wanting to buy tickets for the Patti performances.

On forcing his way through the crowd he found that not one window in Sherman and' Clay’s was whole, and inside the big shop the people were standing on the tops of the pianos and organs.

Messrs Sherman and Clay entreated Mapleson either to remove Patti from the city or to cease allowing them to sell any more tickets, the damage to the premises and stock having at that time been about £609. At 8 o’colck that evening Patti was serenaded by a large orchestra under Professor Wetterman in the great courtyard of the Palace Hotel, which was brilliantly illuminated. As soon as the lirst strains of the music were heard Patti came into view with a few friends, listened attentively to the music, and sent, congratulatory messages to the conductor on the performances of I he orchestra.

Patli made Imr debut in “La Traviata.". Ou the day of the performance it took the whole of the available police to protect the theatre from the overwhelming crowds who were still hoping in a scmi-freiiziod way to be

able to purchase tickets, although it had been announced that none were for sale. Long before daylight these people had formed into a line that extended throu,gh four streets, and from that time until four weeks afterwards that line was never broken at any period of the day or night. A brisk trade was done in camp stools at 4/- a time. Large squads of police were on duty the whole time, and were kept busy defeating the attempts of people to laid the queue.

TICKET SPECULATORS. 'Picket speculators were reaping a rich harvest, selling four dollar tickets for anything between' £4 and £lO each. Hundreds of tickets had been sold for standing room only, and when the chief of police saw the aisles blocked with these people he took out a warrant for the arrest of Colonel Mapleson. In the meantime the air was hot with disputes between people, whose tempers were frayed by the long wait and the crowded conditions of the theatre. One gentleman challenged another to a duel on the sidewalk with revolvers.

Of course, Patti was riotously welcomed. The stage was smothered with flowers, and there was a scene of unprecedented enthusiasm. Next morning it was discovered that 200 forged tickets had been imposed upon the management. So good was the counterfeit that it was next to impossible to detect the fraud. The next day Mapleson was arrested' and charged with obstructing the aisles and passage-ways of the theatre. Later in the season, when another series of performances was announced, Colonel Mapleson saw that a, number of ticket speculators had got in ahead of the ciowd, with the intention of purchasing all the tickets available. When he passed them, he nodded and winked toward a room in the gallery. They, knowing him, thought, it was the direct tip to follow him and so secure their plunder quietly, hut Mapleson, having secured them in the room, locked' the door on them, so that they could not operate on the box office .plans to the detriment of the public. Subsequently Mapleson was lined a heavy sum for overcrowding, which was reduced to 75 dollars, which the judge, evidently a lover of music, took out in opera tickets.