The Exterior"The new theatre on the northwest corner of Chestnut and Fourth Streets has nothing in its brick facade to suggest the public building. The entrance is mean and does not differ from that of an ordinary house.* The interior is handsome."
Capacity"The arrangement of the boxes is in an agreeable semi-ellipse. The boxes are in three tiers, one above the other, fifteen boxes in each. Of these fifteen, each of the five facing the stage has seven rows of benches and will thus seat thirty-five people. . . . Each of the ten side boxes in each tier has two rows of benches and will seat four people in each row. Each row of boxes will seat 255, a total of 755 seats in the boxes. The pit is raked from the first tier of boxes to the orchestra pit. It contains thirteen rows of benches each capable of seating about thirty persons, or a total of about 400."
The Auditorium"The auditorium is painted gray with a gold design. The third row of boxes even has slender gilt railings of some elegance. The boxes, between which a small pilaster at the front almost blocks the view, are papered in tasteless red paper.
The Stage"The forestage is large. The sides of the forestage represent the facades of handsome buildings but they face too much toward the stage so that they interfere with the view from the side boxes.
Sight and Sound"The acoustics are adequate.
Admission and Accommodations"Admission to the boxes is six francs (une gourde), to the pit four and one-half francs (3/4 gourde) and only three francs to the heaven formed by that part of the third tier above the section of the 2nd tier with the five boxes and seven rows of benches.
(The translation is taken from Bernard Hewitt's Theatre U.S.A., pp. 39-40.)
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