Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-07

BIJoU THEATER.. Lotta.
DUQUEsNE THEATER. .............The Bostonians
GRAND OPERA HOUSE. -. =. Cleveland's Minstrels.
HARRY WILLIAMS ACADEMY. -. Reilly q w ood.
HARRIS THEATER ........... "Peck's Bad Boy"
DAVIS FIFTH Av. MUSEUM. .... .Curiosities Etc.
The above are the theatrical attractions
for this week.
The opening of the Duquesne Theater was
naturally the great theatrical event Of the
week just ended. and the popular verdict
seems to be Just what THE DISPATCH pre-
dicted, namely, that Pittsburg and Manager
Henderson are to be congratulated on pos
sessing beautiful and convenient place of
amusement. The theater is In good shape
now, although there are many little addi-
tions to be made to its furniture still.
:. 1T will be excuse for genuine rejoicing If
"Robin Hood" the new comic opera by
Reginald De Koven and Harry Smith,
proves to be as good as it is claimed to be.
The rubbishy conglomerate of stolen music
and stupid lines which "Castles in the Air,
''The Sea King" and other recent comic
operas have offered US is getting tiresome.
The public have evidently had enough of
spoken of in the same breath with 'Pinafore"
by sober critics at least looks promising.
Lotta's temperance here will delight great
battalion of thearergoers. She Is the most
charming Of all American soubrettes.
~
Negro minstrelsy in It's modern dress is again
to the fore at the Grand Opera House. Cleve-
lands Minstrels have high reputation.
1t is curious how often an actor Is forced by
accident in his early days to adopt a line Of
characters that he does not like himself, but in
which the public likes him. Mr.. Willard, the
English actor who is the reigning favorite in
New York just now. relates his experience of a
fate that made him popular as a villain and
| all his life. He has escaped into pleasanter
| roles now, but he says: Il had the fortune. or
| misfortune, to make my first appearance in
London as villain, cold-blooded. cigar,
| villain. l awoke the next morning to find
| myself not so much famous, as infamous
| and from that moment London determined that
should play nothing else but the villain. And
| apparently the English playvrights determined
| that should always be the same villain. The
| London manager determined that no piece
| unless played the villain in it Competition
| for my services-as a villain-only as villain
was tremendous Every post brought me let
| ters from gentlemen who had written plays-I
believe every man in the world has written q
| play-the leading part in which was specially
| suited to me-; that leading part, need scarcely
tell you, was villain. The professional papers,
production. gave up altogether denominat-
| ing the wicked man of the piece
the villain. but called i the Willard part"
Minnie Maddern-Mrs. Fiske Is her name
now-hagellates the dear public with scorpions
in the Mirror this week. She is disgusted with
representative fashionable audience that
| gathered to witness the first performance of
"a Pair of Spectacles." because it laughed
loudest and applauded most when Mr.. Stoddart
| sat down on large key and got up again be-
| cause it hurt him. For this deplorable lack of
| taste and discrimination Mrs. Fiske rates the
average audience roundly, and she is right,
| too.
A. p. Dunlop writes of New York stage news:
| A dainty little play called at Was a Dream
| done by the Kendals in triple bill at the Fifth
| Avenue is the only novelty of the week, and no
| other Is in sight before the new year, except
| Margaret Mather's produ stion of Joan OF
Arc" which follows the Kendals. The two OF
three weeks before Christmas are very much
"off" financially, and managers prefer to glide
over the dull period with old and trusty ma
terial. The present is the last week of the
| Kendals who have done what the advance
agents call phenomenal business" and the
numerous crisp greenbacks that for brief mo-
! ment huttered through Mr.. Miners box office
| have gone abroad, never to return
| Their success has been thoroughly deserved
| While these good people have been over
puffed, they have certainly been e1cellently
| managed and English actors coming to Amer
| lea cannot be too particular to whom they en-.
| trust their business while here. One who will
suffer greatly for lack of good work In thii
direction is Mr.. Willard. an excellent actor,
who with shrewd management. should make
a fortune with "The Middleman." That he
will not do so is due TO his manager. who has
failed to put gilt-edged boom on him. While
the Kendals have been overworked, Mr.. Viii.
lard has been left to fight Alone and the artistic
success he has undoubtedly made Is due solely
to his talent.
In a hurried answer to a correspondent In this
column last week it was said that Lawrence
Barrett usually played Anthony in Julius
Caesar" which Is not so, of course. Barrett'i
part is Cdsstus, which he is playing to Booths
BrutlIs this season. He has played Brutt,
also but Cdssit5 is the character with which
Barrett has always identified himself.
BY the way, Hanpibai Q. Williams, the well
known Shakespearean reader, is going to read
the play of Julius Caesar" at Old City Hall Oh
Thursday, December II. and very excellent
The Programme.
LoTTA, easily the best of all actresses Of hel
bright and vivacious class. will be the attrac
tion at the Bijou Theater the coming weeI
under circumstances which render it one oi