Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-10-12
JOSEPH JEFFERSON
Indulges in Pleasant Chat About
Players and Their Characters.
scrip Van WfnkIess., View. Or Hur.
lcsque-.Thc Effect Of Playing
One Part Night amer
Night.
PHILADELPHIA Tinnes.l

I
of bis beautiful residence at Hohokns, ". j.,
recently. and expressed his views Of thea
tres, things theatrical and various ether mat
| tiers.
@Con:edy,n said he, 'is very pleasant line
Of business Audiences like TO laugh. and it
is generally very easy to make them do so.
In fact. a commedians greatest annoyance is
that his auditors viii persist in thinking that
everything he says or does is funny end in
laughing at it just as society used TO laugh
when the late Sydney Smith asked some one
TO pass the mustard.
"In that scene OF Rip Van Winkle' in
which poor Rip, after returning from his long
sleep, reveals himself to his daughter Meenie,
which, to my thinking, is indescribably pa
thetic, haze heard people laugh as though
it were the funniest thing in the whole play
l am convinced thar this ill-tinied nirth is
not due TO any insensibility to the patlios of
the situation. but 10 the fact that the people
who give vent TO if, having come to see a
comedian think that his every word and
action must necessarily he funny, and that
if they do not laugh Others around them will
do So while they will be thought ignorant
and stupid 10 reason Of their silence
.Of all modern hiunor | think that Of
Charles Dickens the best and most lasting
1t viii never lose its charm Like Stakes
peare, he wrote for all time The ofteaer
you read him the funner he seems lie grows
upon you. That last phrase, by tie way. re-
minds me Of capital thing heari once al a
dinner party in London 1t was during a
rage for false hair amohg the ladies and uno
gentleman was speaking TO another OF the
hair of n female friend she has the most
exquisite hair. Tut beautiful rs it seems
when Yen first see it, it erows upon yon' All
said the other. but does it grow upon herr
REAL BURLEsQ QUE DEAD.
"Cne Of the most humorous burlesques
ever saw was one produced in london. called
Broken Heart and Cracked Heads The
heroine of the piece was in love with the
town pump and when she inlplorcd it tc
wear one of her rings rs pledge Of afscc-
ton the pump replied Put it up the spout
For broadly humorous writers there is Ger
tainly no better field than burlesque, vet il is
Il form Of ont artaiiDnent which IN this coun-
try seems entirely dead. The kind Of
burlesque which | mean-that which
really does lfrlesquc some sarlous pro-
ductiou-has been dead for a number Of
years, but what old theatre-goer does not re-
member Stuart Robsons capital hurlcgaue If
Hamlet: or, The Wearing of the Black, and
his equally funny 'Binck- Eyed Susan; or,
The Little Bll That Got Taken Upc This
admirable style % burlesque died cut, how
ever and was succeeded 10y meaningless ex.
travaganzas builesquing nothing and serving
merely TO introduce pretty girls in handsome
costumes, and songs ana dances. together
with any nonsensical dialogue or ridiculous,
grotesQue actions that NIGH: suggest them
selves to thu performers. This style of
burlesque was FIRST made popular in
this country Icy Lydia Thompson and for n
long time il seemed rs though American
theatre-g oers world never the Of il: hut at
length they did. and It nov seems 10 have
lost all attraction fni thrlr 4 striking roof
of this is afforded iy the fact that during the
past theatrical season there was rot ore such
burlesque company III existence here Doubt
less one reason If this is that The perform
ance of the less objectionable French comic
operas which has become 80 general of late
years, has taken the place of burlesque 1t
has all The features that made the latter at
tractive- beautiful women broad fun, rapid
action and rich, picturesque costumes, while
the infinitely better quality of its music
draws "a class of patrons who found nothing
to interest itcm in hurlesque. II is not a
, 'iio ' ioi iesi'' 'h"' ''iS N'''cr A'Vie "i
''ui nsiue j. eN'iiic'
hffhci "f fLAfiA" OH PART.
Il nave "ften been asked what effect the
constant repetition OF one paTt has upon an
actor. There Is one curious effect that it has
and that is that after playing one part fer a
great length OF time an actor is apt TO forget
his lines and take up wiong cues. \ story is !
told of an English actor. who. after playing !