The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-11-12

other comic ditty. with spoken" in
! troduced, to the great delectatiou Of
his hearers, all of whom join with
hearty good will in the chorus. Thi:
joining in the chorus is invariably
done at all the English music halls
as well as at the harmonic meetings,
and is one of the most attractive fea-
lures to the performance. Music hall
audiences sing surprisingly well, and
to hear a miscellaneous assemblage.
ali of whose members are strangers
to each other, sing in correct time and
tune, producing at the same time
very pleasant harmonies, is to an
American as rare an occurrence as il
is pleasing in eff.ct. Some comic
singers have attempted to introduce
this English custom among the aud.
fences of our variety theaters, but
such efforts have always proved sig
nal failures.
No class of men upon the London
stage is better paid or lives more lux
uriously than favOrlte comic singers,
and their society is sought and de-
lighted in by young nOblemen and
gentlemen about town. Doubtless
many of those who saw the late T..
A. Sothern in "The Crushed Trsge-
dian" thought it impossible for a
comic singer to attain such distinction
and atfiuence as that acquired by
Lacy Fitzilismont when he adopted
that line of business upon the muisc
hall stage after bidding farewell to
tragedy and legitimate theatres. His
magnificent apparel, his elegant coupe
and his coachman and tiger in livery
were generally regarded in Anne, lea
as dramatic license results of such
good fortunes as could come to no
comic singer save those created by
the imagination OF novelisls and play
wrights. But they made a mistake.
In the prosperity OF Lacy F.,zilta.
mont, after he became a singer OF
comic songs
IN MUSIC HALLS,
MIR. Byron, the author, and Mr.. Soth-
ern, the actor sought to portray with
out exageration the magnificent man.
ner Of living adopted by the greatest
of all England's comic singers, the
late George Leybourne. This mans
career was a remarkable one. Fully
six feet in height and magnifcieutly
proportional, with handsome manly
face lighted by blue eyes, whose ex.
preston was so irresistibly roguish
and merry that innumerable incarnate
spirits of fun and mischief seemed to
be playing hide-and-seek behind them,
and gifted with a courtly grace and
suavity of manner, he would have
commanded attention and respect in
any assembly.
He began life by singing comic
songs at the harmonic meetings in
London. His success was SO great
that he was soon ENGAGED by music
hall manager, and in short time he
became the rage of the town. His
services were In such demand that he
appeared at five or SIX different music
halls each evening. being taken in a
carriage from one to the other, and
his income Was nearly f100 per week.
He spent every cent oft. He furnish
ed his apartments magnificently. Few
crowned heads could boast richer or
more tasteful wardrobe. His coupe
and horses were among the hand
soonest in London. The livery of his
servants outshone that of many who
served nobility. He drank only the
rarest wines he smoked only the
most expensive cigars. All this was
foolish enough, but his folly did not
stop here. He plunged into everv
sort Of wild and reckless dissipation.
He worked too hard and he rested
TOO little. He burned his life-candle
at both ends and il wasted rapidly.
His voice began to fail. He pre-
sumed upon his popularity with mar
ayers and the pub and disappointed
them. They wearied of this treat
ment and he could not get as many
engagements nor at such a good sal
airy as formerly. He contracted
heavy debts, his health failed and he
finally died in ahject poverty.
Another of LondOn's greatest
comic singers is George IL. McDer-
mott, who starred with success in this
country as a Characterization in the
season of 1875. Since returning
to England he has devoted himself
exclusively to comic singing, because
j; pays incomparably better than le-
gitima te acting.
CHRISTINE.