Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-26
MUSIC And DRAMA.
SOME INTERESTING STORIES OF THE
STAGE.
The Actors and Actresses of Old That
Come Not Back-Dressing- Room
Talk With Rhea.

Talk With Rhea.
One of the most welcome newcomers be-
hind the Museum footlights, says a writer
in the Boston Commonwealth, startled me
the other day by referring to Mr.. Wilson
as one of "the veterans" of the company,
and l suppose l startled her in turn with a
new consciousness of my antiquity by the
exclamation that to me Mr.. Wilson seemed
but boy, just serving his apprenticeship.
The "veterans" of the company Some
of US would almost risk journey across
the Styx, SO we were sure of getting re-
turn ticket to see the veterans" of the
Museum company in one of their old bills.
/, for one, would not ask very famous
play nothing Shakespearean, for instance,
though 1 freely admit that for half a scene
of Warren's Dogberry L would barter all
the glittering productions of the omnipo-
tent modern ''scenic artist" No, nothing
Shakespearean; but perhaps, if may
choose, an evering of "Guy Mannering,n
as it used to be given at the Museum in
the days when there were giants on the
earth. Lift again, o curtain, darker and
denser than any that will rise and fall to-
night and show US the old inn at Ripple
tringan, and the villagers, trolling around
the fire that quaint old song
The winds whistle cold,
And the stars glimmer red.
Let us hail her back among us-for oh,
how natural it is to see her in her old
place-and how credulous were we to fancy
such as she could die-dear, plump, rosy
Mrs. Vincent, as in the landlady'S lowered
chintzes and muslin tucker she laments
with Bailie Mucklethrift the downfall of
the house of Bertram! And see the Bailie
he, too, rejoices our hearts with the as
surance that it was all dream that Uncle
Jimmy Rings merry face is folded away
from us forevermore under the snow and
the springing grasses
Our pulses quicken, our hearts leap at
the knowledge, now these have come back
to us. who will surely and soon follow
Stand ready to thunder him welcome as
he comes somewhat doggedly in, his
scholars coat shiny at every seam, his
mild. sweet, grave old face lit up with that
perpetual wonder at mundane perplexities
which presently will breathe forth in that
inimitable "Prodigiousw Dominic Samp-
son is back again among US for tonight
The secret of his beautiful personality,
with its hold on our laughter and our tears,
went with so many other stately and
noble old-time traditions, into the grave
which opened to receive William Warren.
He alone can bring them back
Bluff McClannin, as Dandie Dinmont,
fights that famous fight upon the heather
And look what frIghtsome figure is that,
gaunt, gray, with the eyes of fire and a
voice to chill the blood, at sight of whom
the house rises in frenzy of welcome
Cushman! Cushman! Back again at the
call of the old friends who have passed
into the shadows with you, and the old
friends whose memory of your queenhood
no shadow can ever dim The one Meg
Merrilies of the English stage. To see
whom but once was to establish forever a
terrible Standard of what tragedy may
be Welcome back to the stage you best
loved To tread, the character you loved
well to Interpret
She will show US again what an actress
can accomplish by sheer force of magnifi-
cent personality, independent of tinsel ac-
cessory. She will, as on one unforgotten
night stand in the sea-washed cave face to
face with Dirk Hatteraick, and fix her
snake-iike eyes on his fascinated ones,
slowly and terribly undulating head and
neck like cobra about to strike; and
there will come the hiss-"I, your rock
ahead? The gallows is your rock ahead p
and the gypsy will madly tear away
his neck-cloth, as if the moose were al
ready in its place, and gasp, choking, as
in its hempen grip. son my souP-the
Dirk Hatteraick of that night told a
fellow actor afterward-"as she looked at
me ! sufocated as / stood, and | had
not breath enough to speak my linesw
"Those times-oh, timesT where are
they now, and where are those who were
indeed the "veterans" of the museum
stage? Where are the SHOWS of yester
year?
The auditorium is full there is a burst
of music Is it because the shadows
have vanished that everything seems
suddenly to have turned a little garrish
and new and chill?
Nevermore Guy Mannering, as in the
old days of the giants. lie roi est mort.
Ibsen now, and instead of Scott's fiery
and splendid prose, spoken by Cushman
and Warren, young Mr.. -, I beg
pardon, may l hear his name again p
interpreting for US the agonies of gen.
tleman whose theories on the proper
method of drainage are not Endorsed by
his fellow townsmen.
A TALK WITH RHEA.
81 shall make them cry very soon now,"
announced the Empress Josephine (Rhea's
Josephine) Just after the close of the sec
ond act on Wednesday night, says the De-
troit Free Press.
The drop curtain had just shut off the
divorce scene from the eyes of the dear
public which crowded the Opera House
that night had just been piloted through
the mysterious labyrinths behind the cur
tain to the star dressing room. On the
way had passed the enigmatical Napo-
leon conversing amiably with Talleyrand
and minus his limp, and divers and sun
dry individuals who seemed on near ac-
quaintance pieces of patchwork colored
red, black and white.
In the dressing room L found Josephine,
her long white satin train wound serpent
wise about her, as she perched on the edge
of cane-bottomed chair. She was talk
Ing glibly in French to her little Russian
maid, who was folding the glories of the
ermine-lined court train previous to plac-
ing it in huge travelling box, which filled
fully third of the dressing-room.
"Rhea-is it madame or mademoiselle ?'
| asked, as l seated myself gingerly upon
chair placed very close to the Empress.
at is mademoiselle," said she, smiling
with her very red lips and very black eyes
Gust now 1t is Josephine, very much in
love with Napoleon. Do you like Napo-
leon? No man in the world could play
that part as Mr. Harris does. fall in
love with him every night"
ado you really feel that you are Joseph
inc u, TT was there tn ask questions