Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-10-08
THE vARIETY STAGE.
Our Dramatic Critic Takes a view
of Inner Life Of variety PEOPLE
Ag g ne their Professional
Identity.

40 u pOputhf aWuoculcnt Win the
masses. The hypercritical and aristo-
cratic classes, as well as the literary set
who, ike Mohammed's coffin, hangs be-
tween earth and heaven, or between the
attractions of the legitimate and variety
stages wherever native or cultivated tai
cut crops out, Of course, owing to their
cultivated taste, prefer the true dramatic
business of the Shakspearean school or
the modern school Of the drama called
society plays or standard comedies.
The language Of Shakespeare, like that Of
Bacon, his Contemporary, or Of Addison
and Steele, who wrote classical English
years afterward, is becoming quaint and
obsolete. no one nov expressing himself
in that heroic, mock heroic OF Latinized
or Saxonized style Of speech. Since
their times the English language has
changed wonderfully, aud a citizen of
Queen Elizabeth's time would be at a
loss, if living. to understand the strange
compounds now called the English or
American languages. But ever with
this apparent drawback, a Shakspearean
play, when presented by artists, has a
fascination not only for the cultivated
in the boxes but for the gods in the gal
leries. A bit of heroic sentiment, no
matter how quantity expressed, strikes
the heart Of man and finds therein a re-
sponsive echo. But for the amusement
Of the masses Of people the variety
stage, or its more cultivated counterpart,
the combination troupes of the legiti-
mate stage, have grown to immense
favor in the United States since the war.
This may be a vitiated taste, but it exists
in full force, because it is more amusing
and the world is becoming more philo-
sophical, and prefers to laugh rather
than to cry.
MORE REFLECTIONS AND FACTS.
In the old Greek days two philoso-
pliers viewed the remains OF a deceased
friend. One laughed the other cried,
aud for the same reason. One cried to
see the ultimate result Of greatness, and
the other laughed to see worldly great
ness become silent dust. There was
death, both in tragedy and comedy. One
was a philosopher Of the aristocratic,
legitimate, dramatic school; the, other Of
the plebeiAn, variety school, and both
were the prototypes Of popular tastes Of
the present day. At the close of the
war the legitimate drama, as it was
amusingly yet correctly called, came
into fashion and introduced. the famous
French Csn-Can of the Jardin Mabille,
made grotesque by American surround.
ings. This no doubt pandered to a viii
ated taste, but it swept from one side Of
the continent to the other. Interspersed
with negro comicalities Of the ante-war
minstrels, and specially performances Of
the song and dance, as well as light
ming change order, the variety stage be-
came popularized among men Of all
classes Of society, until at present it has
its development in every city Of any size
in both Europe and America.
The variety performer is a curious
anomaly in the dramatic business.
THE VARIETY MAN.
This individual, who generally retains
his original name on the stage, is a
curious compound. He may be a mig
ger performer" Of the song aud dance
class, a specially msu, or a grotesque
low comedian, possessing little or con-
adorable talent as the cease may be, yet
he is indispensable in the variety bust.
ness. In the opening part he sits on
either end, and, minstrel-like, with black,
ened face, he plays either the bones OF
the tambOrine, or sits in the middle and
acts as interlocutor, while the ladies T"
sit ssndwiched between, dressed in short
dresses aud tights. He gets of old and
new jests, which " catch the ears Of the
g%roundlings and bring forth uproariout
applause. During the performance he
appears at intervals in specially, or song
, and dance business. He is often mar
. ried to one Of the ladies" who, to the
world, is known as a single person, gen
orally admired both on aud off the stage
!, by the habitues of the vari ties theater
he is often worthless in a social point o
view, and jealous Of his wife and hel
admirers, which fact often leads to do
nestle unpiessantness, and still as Otter
he takes a more practical and philosophi,
: view Of matters and acts sensibly, from
! q business standpoint. When both un
derstand each other they do we'll and
make a respectable living, bots drgVinS
> salaries,
FHR ARIETY WOMAN.
= She is q curiosity in her way, even +
8 the initiated of the outside world. Sh
5 is hardly ever known by her maidel
= or married name, and generally select
. as her cognomen some e~uphonious nam
n attractive to the ear. Sally Smith ma.
!, be La Belle Helene or Louisa Belfonl
d just as fancy dictates. II clever i
stage business, pretty in appearance
: and attractive in manner, she become
an immense fayorite, not only on tn
stage when che dapees and sings, bu
| also in the
WINE ROOM.