Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-08

been staunch friends of Miss Coghlan. are going
over in body to Miss Hill This is because
Miss Hill is more English than Miss Coghlan
Rose came over with Lydia Thompson's bur
lesqu' troupe good many years ago and she
has been Identified with Walack's theater so
long that people forget that She is not of Ameri-
can birth. Miss Hill is freshly vigorously and
aggressvely English In everything that she does
ana says. 1t is the fashion to worship things
that are English now, and hence the enthusiasm
for Caroline Hill.
THE CRICKET OUTLOOK.
The outlook for cricketing this year Is not half
80 encouraging as it has been for the last two
or three seasons. 1t is said that the Australian
eleven will come again in the spring. and that
Lord Harris English cricketers will arrive here
at the same time If that Is the case the Aus
traiians and the Englishmen will have to fight it
OUT between Them because there is no eleven In
Amerlca tnat can compete with either one of
them 1t would be possible perhaps to make I'D a
iar scratch team by choosing the best players from
the various American elevens which would give
LORD Harris men rub. but none of the existing
elevens can meet them. Crcketing is little too
slow for Americans and will never be as popular
as base ball.
ANOTHER NEW THEATER
The Bjou theater has finally been opened
Inc most Interesting things about the tNeater
30 lar are the costumes Of the girls on the stage
and the series of suits among the managers and
owners owners OF the theater. In the first place Mr..
Edwin E. Rice, W the manager of the troupe
OF players. sues Me,srs. Myers & Barton the
iessees Of the theater, and they in turn sue the
owner OF the property. who has in his turn en-
tered suit against his son. The result will
probably be bankruptcy for all hands concerned
1t would be much cheaper. to turn the place
over to the lawyers at once. Mr.. Rice sues the
iessees because they promised to have the build
ing ready for his company on September oath
lhey we're DOT ready until December In the
meanwhile Mr. Rice was Obliged to paw his
salaries Just as though his troupe were perform
ing Miles Barton sue the owner because he
made them put up SS0.0OO for repairs where
ne had formerly promised to ask for only $50 900,
ana they also sue him for delaying the COM
pletlon Ofthe building. The owner whose name
is Frederick James. anticipating trouble of this
sort. passed his property over into the hands of
his son some time ago and now wants il back
again. The son rather enjoys holding the prop
erty and won't give t back to the old mau and
is secretly egging on the managers who have in
stituted the other suits. Thetheater was opened
with performance for the frs. time in English
OF Otfenbach's ''Orpheus." 1t has beer translated
with an entire disregard for the original mean
ing OF the opera. and the result is bewildering
creation of lurid puns, antique Jokes CHEST
nuts" and slang.
NEW YEARS DAY IN NEW YORK
There is no doubt that New Year Day calling
Is thing Of the past. There will be practically
none of it done this year. except among a few
of the enthusiasts who stick to traditions The
custom grew to be such an appalling nuisance
that people in selt-defense were forced to abolish
II Everybody called on everybody else that
they mad known or heard of on New Year
Day. The result was that people who kept
hosptable house were over-run by a miscel-
laneOus crowd of young men, half of whom
RI HON, 10
the way in New York when a fashion once be-
comes fairly started it Is run into the ground
and then forever abandoned. Calling on New
Year day. If kept within limits. would be an
agreeable and unooiectiOnable custom but run
to excess it is nuisance.
OLD COMEDIES.
Mr.. Wallack, whenever he is undecided con-
corning the policy of his theater resorts to what
are called old comedies One of these. the
Road to Ruin" was produced on Monday
night. The house was filled with people who
would no more think of missing one Of these
"Revvals' than they would think of missing a
charity ball. They are the same people who
turn out for the ''Sc"ool for Scand,:, )" 'She
Stoops to Conquer IN, too La, to Mend"
and the other stilted pla, OF the same sort,
which are brought up regularly by Mr.. Wallack
1t Is noticeable that the first night of these
plays Is always success. but the succeeding
performances are presented to house that Is
rarely more imam nall niled. mat Is simply be-
cause the mass of theater-gOers do not care a
snap for the old comedies The Road to
Ruin for instance. is to the pIav-goer of 1888
stlted, unnatural and wearing play as it is
possible to conceive. Beside it our modern
melodramas and comedies are works Of genius.
EXIT THE MINSTRELs.
The San Francisco Minstrels have moved ont
bag and baggage from New York. The death
OF Backus took the strongest element of popu-
larity away from this famous troupe of mi nstrels,
and though Birch. the remaining partner
worked hard to keep up the standard and excel
lence of the organization the attendance grad
ually sunk away until it was necessary to take
the troupe out on the road. The little hall on
Broadway which has for so many years been a
favorte amusement place to thousands of New
Workers, goes into the hands of Others and our
favorite minstrel troupe is gone forever. 1t is a
sadder thing than it may at first appear to the
casual reader.