Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-25

Wn0e the Leading Characters arc
nssn.s a." x. they Effect E M:
Small and Uncritf6al COmnlunities.
From the philadelphka Tiu,cs
Twenty or twenty-five years ago the actors
now classified as variety performers were COM
parati ely scarce, and the gymnasts, tumblers
wire-walkers and contortionists had to content
themselves with appearances under canvas, for
In no regular theater would their performances
be allowed. Now, according to the best informa-
ton attainable from old and experienced drama
tic agencies, there are over five thousand variety
actors In the United States, and they have thea
tiers to play in where the legitimate drama is
utterly ignored, and where naught but feats of
strength and agility can be seen and naught
out gay ana popular songs and music heard.
The Office of the Amusement Exchange and
Dramatic Variety and Minstrel Agency, of this
city, where large numbers of amusement makers
live is one of the busiest places in the city in
this abnormally dull season that can be con-
ceiyed. The corps of clerks are at work day and
| nlent. anO az all hours the managers are in con-
ference with managers and performers. both
| male and female. as to the making I'D of the
play bills everywhere for the coming season.
VIII =: Hariapd, of the managers, is an old min
| KNOWS more variety people than any man in
America. He Classics them as Irish. Dutch.
Negro and Chinese song and dance men
and women as musical mOkes, sketch artists,
gymnasts. athletes, equilibrists. pole-balanccrs,
mesmerists. trick artists, serio-cOmics balladists
song and dance ladies. first-part ladies (who
have nothing to do but to look pretty and draw
| their saiaries), ballet dancers, Jig dancers,
trapeze performers, skatorial artists (who per.
form on Parlor skates). tight-rope walkers,
character change artists (whO assume different
guises with lfghtning-like rapidity), topical
vOcallsts (who compose their own songs and hit
the follles OF the day., Indian-club swngers rife
| shots, and so on without limit. If there is any
thing that has not been utilized as a variety act
1t may be safely asserted that it will soon be
seized and brought before the public by some
enterprisfng performer
~, Said Mr. Magee: owe deal only with the
higher grade of variety artists-men and women
| who can ordinarily be depended upon-and we
charge commission of five per cent for our ser.
vices on all salaries below 900 a week and
| tanned"
| RANGE OF SALARIES.
| 'How do variety salaries range p
! That's according to grade and reputation,
Neat Irish comedians, lie the Murphys paddy
and Ella and Frank and Clara Mara and Dan
McCsrty and Kitty Coleman, John and Maggie
Fielding, John E. Kline and Sadie McGill, can
command from s125 to $50 per week pc,
-'9ple: Out of this they have to pay their hote
l
| these as Inch as .,ossible. We must have an
eye on mem sll the time, and we have a wide.
spreading system that reaches all places where
they play:
Andy Collins. Gus French and E. NJ
Hall, of New York, Joe Rickett and Frank
GOsha, of Philadelphia and Jim BOhee, the
only real colored banioist, of New York,
receive from sixty to tseventy-fve dollars q
in the south and west Ordinary banjoists
are thrown In at about thirty or thirty five
dollars week. The banjoist has the hardest
work of the show, for he must make new local
gags every day or revamp old ones. and his pro.
| lesslon calls Tor brain. wit and originality.
Those who possess good share of these and q
little power of facial contortion can never fail
OF success Among the good, rough Irish teams
as we call them,-the people that come out In
| broad burlesque Of Irish peculiarties-are Fer
guson and Mack, Kelly and OBren, Needham
and Kelly and the Four Shamrocks (Mat Daily,
John DAILY Mike Thompson and Jack Conroy)
who DO funny sketch called the Working
mems Strikes; Murphy, Miles, Kelly, Ryan, Don
| nelly and Drew and Harrison and Mullen are
the most popular, and therefore get the best
pay. They make from one hundred and fifty to
| TWO hundred pair q week and are worth the
money.
| POPULAR DIALECTITIANS.
"a good niger like McAndrews is worth
from $50 to 900 week." continued Mr. Magee,
''but good Niger accent is somewhat rare
They can all dress the part, but majority ove--
do the lingo. Bonnie Runnells is good The
Dutch comedians get good salaries. Joe En-
NETT, before he became star. got $3.50 q week:
Oofty GoOft (Gus Phillips) earns salary of $3.50
when he plays. and Charley Gardner, Henry
| Watson, Charles 7. Ellis and Charley Loder also
get good incomes and have plenty of work The
best OF the musical blokes who carry q line of
| comedy into their singing, are Wood, Beasly,
| the Weston brothers, Shields and Hansom San
| ford and Wilson, Bryant and Saville, BRYANT,
| Hoey and Evans, and they make from $40 to s75
q week each. Prof. John Theur, who is the
only tight-rOpe walker who can stand on his
! head on the wire and juggle and eat and drink,
commands 500 week and is good country
week, according to beauty, ability (and ward
| robe. sometimes, for that enters into the val
uatiOn,) and ballet dancers range all the
| way from go to $500 week. The higher
class premieres are rarely employed in variety
| shows. but sometimes it pays to get sumner,
and then $3.50 or $500 a week is not grudeed to
| such pirouette as Mile. de Rosa. Trapeze and
athletic performers earn from $50 to S7b and up
to $l25 or $3.50 each couple per week, and are
always In demand. They are not always in
making full seasons. The pyramid men, Hulmrs,
OrVlile and Nation, make big money, and al
ways keep their engagements, and Barney
Judge and Rob Hanson do beautiful ground
anu iOlty tunOllng-aimOst lost art In this
country. Frst-part ladies in variety shows get
e1O or e15 week, and skatorial experts, such
| as Oscar Steele, Ackley and Hess Landen
Brothers and Powers Brothers, draw salaries
that range from $50 to $125 each pair. The
bicycle Is turning up as great show piece, but
no very extraordinary performer is yet in the
market. When he comes he can demand his
own terms. The pugilistic element is fockinq
largely to the variety stage lately. and Jem
Mace as yet has the lead. He ia going to do q
club act and a sparring act, and no doubt the
local celebrities everywhere will be brought out
to show their science. All these things betoken
lively season.
New Thing for q Guess.
From the Hartford Courant.
1t used to be the correct thing to guess on
the weight Of q hog at the agricultural show.
and on the cake at the church fair, and later.
folks have named their futures or the numbe
| of beans or pills in glass jar, generally at q
quarter guess, with about milionth chance
of winning sewlng-machine or a cook-stove.
Now the smart young man takes out q $40 gold
piece, and asks his friends how many dollar blIs
Will balance it in the scales, and offers to treat
any one who will guess within one hundred of