Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-22
sfnQe WhisDerH.


Stage Whispers.
THE Grand Opera House was crowded to the
doors at yesterdays matinee,
Mr.. BENNETT, vf the Bijou Theater, was in
town for a few hours this week. He left again
last night.
ONE of the actors in "The Great Metropolis,
forgot himself at performance last week and
sat down on the lighthouse.
SCORES of newsboys wore a tag bearing the
title ~. s. Mail" yesterday. This was As
sistant Manager Dawson's idea.
FANNY DAVENPORT is having tapestries
painted in Italy to decorate the third and
fourth acts of la Tosca." The production
will be more elaborate than ever next season.
THE largest thcater in New York has at last
secured an attr action which puts its capacity
to a severe test. shenandoah" is said to have
drawn 500 more people to the Star Theater on
Saturday night than could gain admittance.
LIE Chat Noir says: Pauline Hall has lost
flesh, but no diamonds, since she was unfortu-
nate enough to play in "Erminie." The ear
rings that she wears in ''The Drum Major" ate
stupendous and absurd. 1t requires taste as
well as money TO secure beautiful jewels.
THE Booth-Modjeska engagement opens at
the Grand Opera House on September 80. The
following plays will be presented during the
''Rlchelieu," much Ado About Nothing"
"The Fools Revenge" and 1.-THE Divine Di-
ana"
1T it said that A. NJ. Palmer's trunks were
seized in Liverpool on suspicion that they con-
tanned seditious documents. When the man
ager proved that he only had some manu-
scripts Of blood and thunder plays he was
allowed to pass the authorities saying they
were glad to see the manuscripts going out of
the country.
IT is said by LIE Chat Noir that Augustus
DAILY compels all the members of his company
to agree in their contracts not to eat veal, walk
Broadway, wear straw hats or chew gum. Miss
Rehan Is not fond of veal or gum, but the rule
comes down pretty hard on some of the actors.
hear, in fact, that Mr.. Tim Cronin is espe-
clally fond of veal, while Henrietta Crossman
was reared on gum. These two beautiful
young people are looking forward to their
DAILY careers with some dread in consequence,
Il READ quite number of plays" said Man.
ager j. NJ. Palmer to Mirror reporter. land
listened to the reading of many more while
was in London. Playwriting over there seems at
almost as low an ebb as it is here. Only there
manager can find larger number of expe-
rienced professional playwrights to deal with
than he can find here. The trouble with the
writers there, as here, seems to be that they
are poverty-stricken as to subjects. They are
written out, for the time being, apparently"
How about "Shenandoah," the immensely
praised new play written by Mr. Bronson How
ard, an American playwright Mr.. Palmer?
AT the Academy of Music, New York,
where "The Old Homestead" is being played
by Denman Thompson himself, in order to Sc
cure room for the production of the largest
scenes ever given on any stage the two great
walls on the sides of the stage have been re-
moved. This has necessitated as well the de-
struction of four floors of dressing rooms on
both sides of the house. The width of the
stage is now lH feet, and one drop is being
%od hat will lie anti
whole character of the stage setting differs
entirely from that of last season. The last act
is to be a revolving scene showing the Swanson
farm buried in snow
IT is less customary, says the Mirror, now
than in "ye palmy days of the drama" for
members of the audience to have their little
say. Still, that this does occur occasionally,
was proved by an incident that is said to have
happened in Buffalo during the recent pro-
duction of Josephine" The Emperor's sister,
Pduline, had just explained that if girl was
born five guns would be fred, and if it was a
boy, the number of volleys reached 101. BangI
went the first gun, the audience and actors
listening intently. The fifth gun doomed and
the Tng seemed to gF sneered
the sixth gun. "a boyP' cried the actors and
large number of excited auditors. Booml
went the seventh gun. "TwinsF' shouted a
ruguish youth in the gallery, and the curtains
went down amid roars of laughter.
MANY years ago when John Webster was
filling an engagement in Mobile, under the old
stock system, he was given three roles to study
in two days. He learned two of them tolerably
we'll, but had very little time left to devote to
long blank verse part in "Mary Stuart" At
the evening performance, after stumbling
through long description of the palace of
Queen Elizabeth, he stuck at the sentence,
"Oh. it was sublime" He kept repeating the
phrase, getting redder in the face at each repe-
tition, until the only end that suggested itself
was: 'Oh, it was sublime to the ridiculousr'
Mary Gladstone, who was the star, threw a
book at his head for killing her best scene,
Furthermore, she went down to the footlights
and made speech to the audience about the
buffers they had sent from New York to sun
port her in Mobile. Poor Webster, who had
been working hard, scarcely received any
sympathy, but was only too glad that Mari
Stuart had come to an untimely end.
PROBABLY the largest shipment of theatri-
cal scenery ever made across the Atlantic is
that to be made this month by the Cunard
Steamship Company for Wilson Barrett. Mr..
Barrett has repertory for eight plays for his
approaching tour in the United States. and
nearly all of these pieces require original
scenery and properties. The Cunard Companv
offered Mr. Barrett low rates of transportation
and the English actor took advantage of the
offer. The total amount of scenery, properties
and gas and mechanical apparatus to be trans
ported will weigh about $50 tons. This is ex.
elusive of the so large baskets of Costumes
which will weigh about 10000 pounds. The
Cephalonia. which sails on the 18th instant, will
bring over the first shipment, which will be de-
posted at Boston, and the Cythia will follow
on the 26th with the balance. A train of cars
will be required to convey the Barrett COM
pany and convey the scenery on its travels
about the country, and MIR. Barrett expects to
pay considerable money into the Golfers of the
railroads during the season. The Barrett COM
pany will sail on the 18th, and Mr.. Barrett on
October
ALL kinds of dyeing and dry cleaning
done in frst-class style at short notice.
Reasonable prices. AMERICAN STEAM
DYING AND DRY CLEANING Co., 6 Sixth
street. Miss S. E. keyes, Manager.
12O fine all wool stockinette 1ewmarkets.