Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-12
xUSIC AND The DRAMA.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE DIxEY SCHOOL
OF BURLEsQUE.
John Warmers Practical Joke on Nat.
Goodwin-"Cut Them Out
General stage Notes.

The fame of the very popular comedian
Henry E. Dixey, rests with his audiences
of course, on his nimble agility, his won-
derful versatility and power of mimicry,
but with his critics it rests on more am
bilious plane. Burlesque by right has a
very legitimate place in the English
| drama. The worst faults and the greatest
virtues of acting can be better illustrated
by its methods than by any other. 1t is
the work of the burlesquer to satirize the
trite heroics, and to moderate the extrava-
ganees of dramatic action, by Tightening
its garb Of sickly sentimentality; and the
poor actor himself who sees his pro-
nounced mannerism so correctly measured,
though he rarely sees its humorous side, is
likely to acknowledge its truth, and go his
way and do better. So much for the
faults. But even though it is the province
of the burlesquer to burlesque, yet in or
der that the keenest satire or travesty may
be appreciated, the artist must be duly
capable of its direst opposites-subtle
seriousness.
1t is only by contrast that burlesque
offers any particular entertainment. 1t is
by this application of the term "bur-
lesauen tnat Mr.. Dixey has won his most
solid following. Mr. Dixey is delicate in
everything he does, nothing strained; his
method is his own he borrows from none,
and he has no imitators. Burlesque un-
fortunately is usually looked upon for its
grotesquerie in makeup; its vulgar dis
play of beautiful anatomy, and its
absence of any particular claim to
intelligence or conference OF what
kind soever. The popular burlesques
are not alone devoid of literary recon-
mendation, using as rule the name verse
for their dialogues, but are libels on the
very title under which they are classified.
1t took Mr.. Dixey years to demonstrate
the fact that it was not necessary for the
maintenance of the art to make the central
figure woman dressed in the burlesque
garb of a man, as is illustrated so aptly in
those stupid burlesques such as Monte
Cristo,' 'Evangeline,' etc. Further than
this, he claimed that the events of to-day
offered as many themes for burlesque as in
desecrating the poets. All that was neces-
sary was the frame. Let the burlesquer
stretch his canvas and paint in his own
pictures, and let them be modelled no.
from imagination or chance, but from OBJ
seryation.
1t was with this idea he wrote "Adonis." !"
For year it was kept under his arm.
Managers would read part of it and say,
sob, yes; a. new idea, but throw it away,
my boy. No money in it r' However, he
did not throw it away, but produced it
with greater pronounced result than any
known dramatic production has equalled.
"Adonis," and his still more ambitious
work of the "Seven Ages" has instituted
an entirely new school of burlesque; in
fact it is practically the dawn Of the art
in its proper and legitimate sense. 1t
took this young comedian from Boston to
drag burlesque out of the mire in which
it had been unfortunately conceived, and
has left the conventional nightmare to the
London Gaiety Theater, who claim to
have lit the lamp of burlesque and kept it
burning ever since. Mr.. Dixey promises
to force these Britishers to call their en-
tertainments by another name. He and
his company are to be with US tomorrow
night, when his ideas may be orally ap-
preciated.
JOKE ON GOODWIN.
1t isn't often that Nat Goodwin gets the
smaller end of a practical joke, but the
cleverest sometimes get caught, and this is
how his manager, John Warner, did it.
Mr.. Warner is above all things an exceed
ingly quiet man, apparently without the
faintest suggestion of springing jokes on
anyone, and particularly not upon his star.
at least so thought Mr.. Goodwin until re-
Gently, when Warner intimated to him
that he ought to read play which GER
tain author-a very respectable old gen
tleman-had constructed particularly for
him. For awhile Goodwin kicked, but
Warner kept at him in manner both
childlike and bland, and finally Goodwin
consented to receive the writer and listen
to his play. The appointment was made
for II o'clock on sunshiny morning, and
Goodwin had breakfasted early and was
thinking how pleasant walk would be
when the old gentleman was announced,
and the trio assembled to Mr.. Goodwin's
room. Warner knew that the play was
the most, commonplace rubbish, entirely
unsuited to Goodwin, so he locked the
door, drew comfortable chair before it,
and with the greatest courtesy begged the
gray-haired and rather pompous old man
to begin. During the very first scene
Goodwin began to look first at the author
and then at Warner, but he never moved
a muscle, and then the monotonous reading
went on. During the second and third
scene Goodwin began twitching in his
chair, but Warner soothingly told
him to hold on, and SO the first
act was finished, Goodwin having
Caught on" Before the old gentleman
could begin on act two, Goodwin made
several desperate attempts to get away, but
Warner kept his seat and the author con-
tinued while Goodwin looked daggers at
Warner, whispering cuss-words at him in
an undertone. Then Goodwin, in sheer
despair, went at the reader with all the
chaff at his command, changing the most
sentimental scenes to bowling burlesques,
but still the author kept on reading, War
ner occasionally applauding, perfectly de-
lighted with the play. Goodwin finally
sank into his chair, very disgusted young
man, and as the last word of the second
act was finished whipped his watch out of
his pocket, and told Warner that he had
forgotten an engagement he had made
on "that" very important business, and
that he must hurry away to keep it. War
ner failed to remember, however, and
Goodwin began Waking waking the room like
Gagged lion, when it suddenly struck him
that the author must be dry. On solemn
promise from Goodwin to come back for
the third and awful act, the author per-
suaded Warner to join them, and down
they went. Goodwin took a very long
drink, excused himself for a minute, and
the author hasn't seen him since. 1t took
Warner three weeks to square himself,
and Goodwin says it will take three mill
ions of years before he listens to another
play on Warmers recommendation.
''cUT THEM OUT"
Mrs. John Drew is as efficient as stage
manager as she is eminent as an actress,
and no one in the profession has better
Judgment or can exercise it more quickly
than she. The following very character
istic story is told of her: At Frank
Drew's benefit at the Grand Opera House,
Philadelphia, some months ago, Henry E.
Dixey and Fanny Davenport's company,
which had been announced, failed to put
in an appearance. Mr.. Drew grew ex-