A GOOD STORY OF BARRY SULLIVAN.

Dunstan Times, Issue 784, 27 April 1877, Page 4

A GOOD STORY OF BARRY SULLIVAN.

—o — Years ago—never mind how many, for I speak of the famous Miss Eomer, aud of opera, and both women and music are undated ; years ago. then (writes a correspondent of the Illustrated Dramatic News), I was a dweller in Cork, and the city was all excitement and delight with the visit of an opera troupe, for the charming Miss Homer was the prima donna, the renowned Englishman, Leffler, was the bass, and the equally renowned Scotchman, Wilson, was the tenor. Several operas had been given, and then “ Fra Diavolo” came on the managerial tapis. There were Zerlina, Giacomo, Reppo, Lord and Lady Allcash, the dashing Era himself, but no Lorenzo ! “ No Lorenzo,” sighed Miss Romer ; “ No Lorenzo—whew !” whistled Wilson ; “ No Lorenzo !” an octave lower, diapasoned Leffler. Trio: “Opera can’t be done !” “ Stay,” cried the manager; ‘ there’s a young fellow engaged in the company who has a pretty tenor voice, and who might he able to struggle through it.” Trio (desperate): “ Can he act!” “Don’t know, He hasn’t had a chance yet. He’s only twenty ; been with mo but three weeks, and has not yet trod my boards, or any other.” Trio (contristezza) ; “ Oh ! ah ! just so ! Thanks. Impossible!” “ Let’s do it without Lorenzo,” pnn deronslv suggested the bass “ What! Cut out my lover—my gallant officer ! Never !” cried the prima donna. “ Suppose wo hear this man sing, Wilson,” said she. “Do,” said the manager; “ there are two tilings in his favor. JHe is deneed good-looking, and ho knows music.” Trio (animate): " Bravo, bravo ! We’ll hear him.”

The “young man” was summoned, and Wilson asked him to sing a song for them. “ Chance is the rough stone which decision carves into the image of a god,” says a French philosopher. Our young man seized his chance, and sang with steady nerve and steady voice the old ballad, “The Rose of Allandalo " Trio (con spirito): “ Good ! excellent!” and though the impromptu tenor did not exactly carve the Rose cf Allandale into the image of a goddess, he made enough of the “chance” to have the score of the opera immediately put into his hands, and with Wilson at the piano, he without a moment’s delay, commenced his study of Lorenzo—six lengths of dialogue, a song, and many pages of difficult concerted music ; and four nights after the Corkonians applauded a capital Lorenzo. Well, the “ young fellow with a very pretty tenor voice " who struggled through Lorenzo, was not destined for the lyric stage after all. Inclinations stronger than chance wedded him to the tragic muse, playgoing Britain assisting at the ceremony. The stripling lover has b«en changed into the great tragedian, the “ pretty tenor ’’ mellowed into the “ big manly voice,” and the “ young fellow who never trod tny boards ” transformed into the hero of a thousand theatres— Barry Sullivan,