Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-01
HUSiC AND DRAMA.
HOW LILLIAN RUSSELL BECAME A
COMIC OPERA QUEEN.
Francis Wilson was AIinstrel-Jefferson
and Florence Were Burlesque Ac-
tors-Stage Notes.

Francis Wilson was Minstrel-Jeferson
and Florence Were Burlesque Ae-
tors-Stage Notes.
Edmund Kean was harlequin in the
pantomime. Edwin Forrest was originally
a clown in the circus. 1t is the same story
over again of the big oak from the little
acorn. Cornelius Vanderbilt laid the
foundation of his fortune in the rowboat
that he used to pull between New York
and Staten Island. The large fortune of
Jay Gould was commenced in the ped
ding of rat-traps. The founder in this
country of the wealthy Astor family was a
dealer in peltS. The claims of long de-
scent don't amount to so very much when
you come to analyze them, and the only
original Mr.. and Mrs Jacobs, I" the proud
old gardener and his wife" are quite en-
titled to look down on these same claims.
Just now, when there is sort of inter
regnum in theptrical affairs, so lar as the
public Is concerned, little theatrical
genealogy may not be uninterestiug Go
ing back into dramatic genealogy you will
find that while kean rose from the role of
harlequin to being the greatest actor of
the English stage, and chat Forrest meta
phorically leaped from the sawdust of the
circus to a similar position in America,
many of the stars of the present day made
their first success in variety or burleSque
performances. Some of them, fraternaly.
are not willing to admit this, but a few
others are.
Lillian Russell, for instance, snugIy
tucked up in large armchair in her
dainty pink and gold fiat in the upper
part of the city, was quite willing to re-
cite her experiences in both the variety
and operate professions
81 began my stage career she said, "at
the old Tony Pastors Theater, on Broad
way, opposite Niblo's Garden, my engage
ment calling for the nightly singing of
ballads, and after that my work was done
1t was customary for all the artists APP
pearing in the olio to afterward take part
in the afterpiece or farce to close the en-
tertainment, but, owing to my extreme
youth and inexperience at the time, ] was
excused from this part of the entertain
ment, for which, believe me, / was very
thankful. Mr.. Pastor first heard me sing
at friends house, and suggested to me
the idea of appearing in public. At first |
| was carried away with the idea of tread
ing the boards, but my heart began to fail
me as soon as l thought of standing all
alone and hundreds of people looking at
me.
"Finally, after considerable persuasion
on the part of Mr.. Pastor, ! gave my con-
sent, and the following Monday evening
found me in the theater, waiting for my
turn to go on. | was very cool and col
lected up to the time | heard the first note
of the orchestra, and from that moment
until finished my third song | think you
could have filed me as full of pins as
| pincushion and l would not have felt it,
| | was practically dead to the world
was told afterward that | did splenddly,
but to this day cannot tell what occurred
after ] went on the stage until | reached
my dressing-room and dOnned my street
| clothes. After the first night | recovered
my senses and continued to do splendidly.
! / continued with Mr.. Pastor for some time
and then jumped into comic opera, appear
ing first in the Biiou Theater, Boston, then
in condensed version of Patience at
| Tony Pastors Fourteenth street house, and
then in The Snake Charmer' at the pres
! ent Bijou Opera House, then under the
| management of Colonel McCaull. Mean
while [ had been having experience in Z
| concert company, which made tour of
the watering places and large cities, and
then went to the Casino, where had my
first real opportunity. After appearing in
a number of roles | went to England, where
| remained two seasons, appearing in sew
eral operas written especially for me. Upon
my return to this country | Joined Mr..
Duff's company, and continued under his
management until | make my reappear-
ance at the Casino last winter 1t was
like entering an old home once more to
pass within the stage door of the Casino.
Everything had such a look of welcome
about it, and everything seemed so full of
success and comfort that wanted 10 visit
ali parts of the building and shake hands
with the scenery and curtains
As you know, | am playing Florella,
in The BrigandS really one Of the best
parts | ever played-5ut | don't have to
work half as hard as did to sing those
three ballads at Tony Pastors few years
ago. The step from variety ballads to
prima donna roles seems elephantine but,
really, it is very easy when you get such
encouragement as | did from all the people
1 met in the variety profession. If you
have any merit they will soon discover it,
and make you take advantage of it.
Nothing is sweeter or dearer to my mem
ory than the recollections of my early days
in Tony Pastors little old theater down in
Broadway"
Here was brave talk from a bright
woman, who is the acknowledged queen o.
comic opera, and who was not ashamed to
admit that she had graduated from the
variety stage. 1t impressed me so much
that | was led to have talk with Francis
Wilson, who is masculinely what Lillian
Russell is femininely to comic opera. /
found him in his apartments at the Ken
more, dressed in a red-and-blue blazer"
light vest and trowsers, russet shoes and.a
genial smile. He had been looking at
some property at Yonkers, which he thinks
of purchasing, and his mind was more on
real estate than interviewing. But this is
what he said:
81 graduated from the minstrel, not the
variety stage"
"And where is the diference?" | ven
luTeu ~ luuulTe.
"Well, Just this. Out West only men
go to variety performances, but gentlemen
and ladies go to hear the minstrels When
l was mere lad in Philadelphia, where
l was born, l once went to S. s. Sanford, at
that tmei the head of one ct the greatest
minstrel organization in the world, and,
while he whistled, sung and danced the
Essence of Old Virginny." He engaged
me; but none of my family knew that l
! was play actor By and by they began
to wonder why the sheets on my bed were
so black-it was the unwashed lampblack
from my face and hands that discolored
them-and then | was followed, and, to
their great horror, they discovered that l
was niger MINSTREL Well, they made
the best of it; and afterward | travelled
West as minstrel, was at one time in the
company with Birch, Wambold and
Backus, and subsequently played at the
Chestnut Street Theater. Perhaps you
wouldn't think it, but have played heroic
parts, studied workmanship for Richard
ILL., and at one time sincerely contem-
plated graphing with Hamlet After
this joined William Gill in the produe-
ton of 'Goblins' and while we were in