Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-15
MUSIC AND DRAMA.
JEFFERsON's DESCRIPTION OF BARN
sTORMING IN MISSISSIPPI.
Wilson Barrett's Treatment of the Family
of His Old Friend-Teasing the
Gov'ner-Stage Notes.


Gov'ner-Stage Notes.
There is quite large family party il
Wilson Barretts company, which is nov
playing at the Fifth Avenue Theater. L
consists of mother, two sons, two daugh
tiers and son-in-law, all youngsters saw
the mother, and all of them rather clever
George Belmore, an excellent actor of ;
few years ago, was a warm friend of vii
son Barrett long before he became the ex
ponent of melodrama in London. They
played together in the provinces in tht
days when a few crowns was as large sun
to either one of them as the same number
of guineas was in later years. At length
George Belmore came to America. A gooC
many theater-goers will remember that hi
played at Wallack's in ''The Flying Scud'
ten or twelve years ago. But he wa.
stricken with consumption, and died il
this country. His family was nearly des
titute.
Wilson Barrett had already become the
lessee and manager of the Princess Thea
ter, and he quietly took the whole of hi;
old friends family into his company, gave
the widow, who is known as Alice Cooke
on the stage, a line of small parts, and put
the young people into training. Paul and
Lionel, the two sons, are now clever char
acter actors, although neither is yet q
years old. Paul is perfect blonde, with
very light hair, perfectly straight, and
Lionel is as pronounced a brunette, with
black hair, which curls closely to his head
In the 'Silver King" they play the two
little character parts of Binks and Brown.
son, the tradesmen, in the second act, and
in their clever way of making up they ap.
pear to be at least so, instead of less than
half as old
Alice, the elder daughter, is the wife Of
Cooper Cliffe, the Spider of the "Silver
Kings" cast. She is an actress of consid-
cradle ability, and she usually plays sec
ond or third parts. The younger daughter
Lille, or Tommy" as she is familiarly
called by Mr.. Barrett, as well as by all the
company, has inherited a large share ol
her fathers ability. She is a handsome
young woman, of the distinctively English
type, as full of life and mischief as fawn
She is the soubrette of the company, and
theater-goers who have seen "Ben Ny
Chrea," or ''The Silver King" will recog-
nize her as Mona Mylrea's maid in the
former and as Susy, the waitress, at "The
Checkers" in the latter
"Tommy" Belmore is not at all afraid
to play pranks upon the "Gov'nor" upon
occasion. Wilson Barrett delivered lee.
ture before the Anthropological Society in
New York city few days ago, and at its
close held sort of impromptu reception
during which great many people were
presented to and exchanged compliments
with him. Before it was ended Mr.. Bar.
rett became rather tired, and it was evi-
dent that he was going through the form
of introduction with scarcely glance al
the faces of those who passed by him in
line.
At length some one said, "Mr. Barrett
I have listened to your lecture with q
great deal of pleasure. | have seen YOU al
the Fifth Avenue Theater at least fifteen
or twenty times during the last three
weeks, and l think you are Just too nice
for anything"
At the first sentence Z took which said
"that voice has a familiar sound" passed
over Barretts face, and by the time the
little speech was ended he had raised his
eyes until they met the speakers, and he
saw that it was Miss Belmore. She had
been "ehafing" him, and at least dozen
people were enjoying it. "Why, Tommy
you roguew he exclaimed, shaking the
young woman by the shoulder, "can't you
tease the Gov'nor enough on the stage?"
transforming IN MISSISSIPPI.
Joseph Jefferson thus describes, in the
December Century, curious incident o.
his early career: "We now entered upon
a course of the most primitive acting, go
ing from town to town, and giving enter
tainments in the dining-rooms of the
hotels. AS there were no papers published
in these small villages, there we're no
printing Offices, consequently no bills; SC
flaming announcements of our arrival in a
bold handwriting were displayed in three
important points of the town, viz: the
hotel, the postoffice, and the barber-shop
1t fell to my duty, being an adept with the
brush, to write, or rather paint these adj
vertisements. The plays were acted in
costume, but without scenery or curtain.
The nightly receipts were small-!Iust
about enough to get us from place to place.
"Our objective point was the town Of
Liberty, Mississippi; but there was some
difficulty in getting there, as the distance
was greater than we could accomplish in a
day. A farmer who had been to the thea
ter the night before for the first time in
his life was so struck by the performance
that he proposed to have his teams brougLt
in and take us to his farmhouse, about
twenty-five miles distant. According tc
his suggestion we we're to rest for day,
give an entertainment in his barn, and SC
go on to Liberty.
s'But' sail my brother, you tell me
there is no other house there but your
own. What shall we do for an audience p
"'Well,' said the former, 'all my family
will come, to begin with, and there is dozen
or more on 'em; then there s eight or ten
farm-houses close by, and if one of your
men will drive there with my son and
blow the horn they'll come, for there
amt one of 'em ever seen play before
I'll insure you full barn.
$50 the matter was settled, and we
actually played in barn, the house that
we staid in being the only one in sight
1t seemed in vain to look for an audience
in such a lonely place, but the farmer was
right. Soon after the sun had gone down
the full harvest moon rose, and by its dim
light we could family see family groups OF
people, two and sometimes three on horse,
coming from all directions over the hill
now a wagon with great load. Some Of
them walked, but all looked serious, and
apparently wondering what they were go
ing to see.
'Those who have travelled through the
Southern States will perhaps remember
the kind of barn we acted in; there were
two log houses joined together, with an
opening between, which was foored and
covered in. The seats were arranged out
side in the open air-benches, chairs and
logs. The double barn on each side was
used for dressing-rooms and for making
entrances and exits, while the opening was
devoted TO the stage The open air was
well filled, containing an audience of about
sixty persons Our enthusiastic friend, the
farmer, collected the admission fee, dol
lar being charged and freely given. The
plays were The Lady of Lyons and The
Specter Bridegroom The farmer had
supplied us literally with candles, so that
the early part of the entertainment was