PRINCE OF WALES OPERA HOUSE.

West Coast Times, Issue 176, 12 April 1866, Page 3

PRINCE OF WALES OPERA HOUSE.

The handsomo and commodious placo of entertuinment to which \liis designation has boon given, was opened on thoovoningoftholGthu^t. Its completion has long been looked forward to by theamusemont-loving portion of tho population. It has boon doforrcd by circumstances to which it is unnecessary now to refer, except for tho sako of saying that tho spirited pro-, prictora of tip now houso have battled mau-, fully against all oJds, aud havo givou Hokitika a thcatro, t\s convenient to tho publio and as complete in all its appointments, as is to be found in any part of tho colonioe. What the arrangements for tho conveuionco of, Jho, audionco arc, the crowded houso tho opening , night alTorded many hundrods of persons an umplo opportunity for judging. Of^tho arrangements behind the sccnea wo can. speak from personal inspection, and have no hesitft^ tion in saying that tho provision made, bo. tj} for the convenience of actors and the produce tion of tho most perfcot soonio effects, ,i» superior to anything that can bo seen in ; tho leading theatres of tho other colonies. The general rule is to make tho most of the hqiwe in front of tho stage, and a sort of makeshift with everything behind tho curtain that doop not appear on tho stago itsolf oxposod to tb^o publio gaze. In tho caso of tho Prinoe.pf Wales, a difforont principlo has boon acted, upon. A very complote sorios of dressing rooms and offices havo beon, provided)., Tho Green Room is a most comfortable apartuiot\t, and tho sconio artist has an amount of accommodation provided for hint, which is vory u#usun,!, but which promisoa to vastly faoilitate the process of preparing scenic decoration*. Wo do not propose, howover, to enter at any length into architectural or building dotailfl. Tile full depth of tho stago was exhibited, and its capacity took tho publio by surprise. There Li nothing within tho rango of dramatic art which may not bo produced on its boards. Tho theatre was in an uuflnishod state, .so far rs tho docomtions *nd sow *>f tho interior arrangements aro concon.oii. The promised gas lighting is not yet introduced, and tho supply of lamps was somewhat insufficient to produce Uio gay and brilliant effect usually associated with A theatre. The stago, howovor, was well lighted, and tho avoidanco of a glare in tho other part* of tho houso was perhaps politic, seeing what extent of surface was bnro, awaiting tho touch of tho artist's ponoil. Tho propouod drop scono is not finished, and we aro not yet at liborty to say what is tho intended subjootof it. Although unfinished, tlio gonoral appoaranco of tho houso was extremely neat and tasty; but wopurposoly reserve any dosoriptiou of it-o dooo-: rations until thoy huveo beon completed. Tho gonoral plau of Iho building in front of tho proscenium is that of an c: tenclod horse-shoo. Bonoath the Dress Circle, vhieh iv vory capa'ious, is tho Pit, extending far backwards, and oi>mmandiug from every point of it a complote view of tho stago. Connected with tho theatre aro saloon, billiard aud reading rooinf and a most convenient and comfortablo cloak room for ladies. Tho regulation ,of tho management prohibiting smoking in any part of ihe house, was last night rigidly enforced. It. would perhaps be more correct to say that it was gonorally acquiesced in, and .tho result len\onstrateil tho practicability of preventing •mi annoyance which does moro than anything olse to doter a largo cliips of tho community I'roiu frequenting tlio ordinary places of publio «atert«iumeut »» Hokitika.