Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-19
kUsIG AND The DRAMA.
MATTERS THEATRICAL IN THE GREAT
AMERICAN METROPOLIS.
Attractions Now Before the Gothamites
Henry E. Dixey's Visit to Sacra-
mento--Stage Notes.

Rosalind May, the regular New York
correspondent of the SUNDAY UNION,
writes as follows about theatrical matters
in that city:
1.-THE Old Homestead is at home again,
and the welcome given 1t on last Monday
| the opening night, was the warm greeting
of genuine affection. Every segt-was
| taken and advance sales show that pre-.
vious run of three seasons, in place OF
WEAKNESS, has but laid stronger the founda-
tions of a phenomenal popularity. The
| principal actors are the same as formerly
| but the scenery is embellished by changes
A strong addition in musical way is a
| boy choir of twenty-four voices, and there
is an introduction during the last scene Of
a typical New England snow storm, which
occupies half the stage, and is in fine con
| trast with the warm and hospitable
kiteaen drama that completes the double
picture.
"This during the week, while for Sunday
evenings the management advertise Tai
mage. Just here word is timely as tc
the class whom he attracts, the more so as
the impression going abroad that New
Workers or Brooklyuites follow him, is q
| chief source of revenue and serves TO fill
gaping pockets on lecture tours. Outsider,
do not always remember that the term
| New Yorker is comprehensive and
embraces people Of many kinds. No better
evidence can be given of the kind who
! compose the Talmage followers than the
| fact that the property holders in the neigh.
| borhood of his new church met to discuss
the feasibility of preventing an anticipated
onrush of 'rabble.' Intelligent listeners
such as were wont to frequent Plymouth
| Church in Beecher's time, are conspicuous
by their absence and in their place collect
an assemblage intent on cheap show
| Lung power furnishes an entertainment
which ignorance construes as the outcome
of brains, and on goes the profitable work
But that Talmage, in the usually accepted
sense of the term, is New York success
is the reverse of true. The return o
MR.. DALY's COMPANY,
On Tuesday, is second notable event and
the announcement was, Of course, sufficient
to crowd the always popular house. The
new play is called New Lamps for DID,
"Helen Dauvray, at the Standard Thea
ter, has found that temporary absence
| from the stage has but enhanced her pop
ularitv, and in her character of strong.
minded, but handsome and elegantly
attired heroine, she appears to much ad
vantage in a good deal of piquant dia
! logue and situations calculated to call out
| her special talents. The support is very
| good and 'Whirlwind,' however inappro
priately named, affords an agreeable enter
| tainment.
1.-The Red Hussar,' at Palmer's, II
which charming little Marie Tempest has
scored such a success, both among the
dudes and New Workers in general, gives
way next week to the Jefferson-F Florence
company and such a combination will, O
course, serve to bring out the best class O
city play-goer and strangers as well, who
willlbe anxious to embrace the rare oppor
tunity. The initial performance will be
The Heir at Law and subsequently 'Th,
Rivals will be produced, when Mrs. Johr
Drew will again present her matchless i'm
| personation of Mrs. Malaprop.
soTHERN,
In the Master of Woodbarrow,' Is having
an extremely successful engagement at the
Lyceum. Like all Mr.. Frohman's pre-
sentations, it is we'll put on the stage anc
will occupy the time until the return o
the regular company.
"At the Casino, preparations are being
made for production next week of 'Pool
Jonathan which will replace Nine. An
got and, like all performances at that place
! of amusement, it is anticipated with inter
| est.
''The Eden Musee is thronged by sight
seers, who watch delightedly the dancing
of Otero, the Spanish beauty, between
whom and Carmancita there is a mos
spirited rivalry, and one which is beginning
to influence dancing in fashionable society
and costumes of society dancers as WELL
"ApoNIsn DIxEY's VISIT.
Henry E. Dixey and his company wer'
in Sacramento during the week. This i
not his first visit here. He was the Robin
son Crusoe in Rice's Surprise Party" wher
that famous organization played here il
1879. Mr.. Dixey and his company hav,
spent the past six weeks on the coast, ant
that this well-known comedian is pleased
| with his experiences goes without saying.
"With each succeeding VISIT" said he
81 am the most pleased with my recep
tions. | find that the people here are very
broad -guage IN their ideas, very intelli
gent, and splendid patrons of good shows
| Fortunately the expenses to cover the Pa
cifc coast circuit are sufficiently large tt
keep poor attractions off the road. With the
growth of communities come modern thea
tiers, and there are few places that L have
visited in the extreme West that are mo-
admirably supplied in this direction
"What about the growth of the dramatic
art, Mr.. Dixey?' ?'
"If you mean in the manner of stage ap
pliances, can say they have been marvel
Gus. They have been wonderful even during
the past decade. Everything which goe:
to complete perfect stage situations Is noT
at hand, and can hardly suggest where
further improvements could be made. The
electric light has been an important factor
in all this, and it is through its aid that
many great stage effects are produced. L
Shakespeare himself could see my produc
| ton in two hours and half of the famou:
soliloquy he put in the mouth of Jaque,
in AS You Like It, he would stand
aghast in silent admiration of the wonder
full progress made in scenic and stage
mechanism. Yet, with all this, it is 9
question whether the stage has increased
in power. The wonderful plays of Addi
sou, Goldsmith and Shakespeare probably
go no closer to the hearts of the people ir
their interpretations at present than they
did when mechanical effects were crude
! The music of Beethoven and Mozart pos.
sibly sounds no sweeter now when rendered
by the splendid bands of the world in halls
with perfect acoustic properties, than il
did when it was played on the harpsi
chord OF our grandmother. The soul Of
the music was present then as it is now
and SO it is with the grand plays written
| by those whose names | have mentioned.
E"On the other hand, the plays of the
modern class have made improvements
such as would be impossible to make With
the standard plays. No one could i'm
prove Hamlet's soliloquy nor Jaques
| soliloquy on the seven ages of man. To
do so would be to gild refined gold or paint
| the beams of California sun. Where
marked improvements are noticeable is IN
burlesque, and concerning this branch Of
the dramatic art think am capable Of
speaking, having been connected with ii
for the past twenty-five years. Even the
best burlesques presented during the past
twenty-five years would hardly stand
muster with 'Adonis' or The Seven Ages
The central ideas in the burlesques prior