Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-25
STAGE SCRAPS.

THE music of the Passion Play at ober-
ammergau is supplied by on orchestra of S5
members and choir of "A, sopranos, altos.
habitants of the village; the orchestra is placed
underground; the singers learn their parts
entirely by rote; the execution 10 accurate and
colored, a fact which 1t is easy to account for
when it is known that SO full rehearsals were
held under the directisn OF Schoolmaster
Gruher. who is the conductor of the music.
Mr.. Gustav Hinrichs' summer season as
Philadelphia with his American Opera Com
pany has passed through IL weeks of great sue
cess, which is likely to continue for the remain
ing i've weeks. Besides new opera of the
lighter order by Mr.. Hinrlchs himself, entitled
"Onti-Ora." "Ernaul." "Rigolette," !" Masked
Ball, "Mignon," Daughter Of the Regiment"
martha, "Huguenots' and other standard
operas have been given. Carmen" and
Hinrichs betakes himself to New York as con-
ductor for Mr.. Hammerstein's promising enter
prise OF giving permanent opera in English to
the metropolis.
For a period covering 20 years Louis James
has held prominent place in the history of
the American stage, and during that time he
has, as leading man, supported such prominent
stars as Clara Morris, Charlotte Cushman,
Fanny Davenport Edwin Forrest, Lawrence
Barrett and many Others For the past seven
years Mr.. James has been engaged in portray
ing as star the leading characters in our best
tragedies. He has long since overcome the
natural opposition to all new exponents OF
classic roles and the admirers of his originality
and vgor have grown from hundreds TO thou
sands in every important city in America. Mr..
James repertQry this season consists OF
.othello. " u Hamlet" Julius CBsar," Mae.
beShn "Riichslisu;" ic "Yirgippius "ingomaI
ment commences Monday night, September l,
at the Grand Opera House and continues one
week. The opening bill Will probably be
"Othello," which is one of Mr. James strongest
characters.
A NEW YORK comic opera manager says:
While the Rialto and the agencies can, with an
hours notice, supply actors and actresses
enough to fill score of dramatic troupes, there
is an amazing scarcity of chorus people for
opera companies. The wages run from $40 to
$40 week, with transportation paid and cos
TUNES provided. A dozen managers of opera
troupes are in town searching for choristers,
and most of them were in despair. 1t has gen.
orally been their custom TO engage only expert
enced singers, but with the present lack of ma
With eood Voices 3Snk s Of
troupes organizing now or already organized
the Francis Wilson, McCaull Hammerstein's,
Hopper's Minnie Paimer's. Conreid's. Dufs,
Cartons Oorinne's, Marie Greenwood,s, Ben
nett and Moulton's and a dozen others could
name. These troupes employ from Is to 40 per-
sons each in the chorus. Besides the farce,
ally hiring the cleverest of the choristers for
small solo parts, and even in the spectacula.-
productions use is now made of singers. Prob
ably there are LOCO persons who make a living
my satisfaction.
FRANCIS WILSON appears to have scored the
greatest success known since ''The Mikado,'
by the admirable performance given of his new
opera. 1.-The Merry Monarch at the Broadway
Theater, New York, last Monday night. With
out single exception. the New York papers
have credited the opera with being the best and
most laughable work Of the kind seen in this
country in many years, and IN consequence the
Broadway Theater is crowded to the doors
nightly. The hit appears to be. even
greater than that scored by "Erminie," for
that opera made no such impression on
the opening night as "The Merry Monarch" Is
reported to have made. Beside being intensely
funny, possessing fine dramatic story and ex-
upon the stage II an elaborate manner, border
ing on extravaganza Hoyts scenery is said to
be magnificent and Hawthorne's and Dazian's
derson, OF London, are described as the hand
soonest dresses ever shown in a comic opera
production. Unfortunately the opera cannot
remain in New York this fall longer than
seven weeks, when it will 60 on tour. but
Manager Sanger has already booked time for it
for his Broadway Theater covering nearly all Of
next year. beginning early in the fall of 1901
DANCERS are more in demand nowadays
than they have been In years. Pre mleres Cor
nalba, Qualitz and Paris command something
like $50 week. Carmencita, who is the met
ropolitan hit at Roster q Biaps. weekly takes
in 800 simoleon' :. Dancers like Ida Heath, Kate
Seymour. Lillian Ramsden. Emily Vivian have
salaries ranging from S75 to 500 a week. STAG
clone, the skirt dancer, who will trip around
The Hustler" this season. passes the hundred
limit. Good speciality dancers are very scarce.
Barney Fagin, one of the best authorities on
the subject, says that most women have apti-
tude for dancing but are lazy. Tote Du Crow,
another authority, says that women confine
themselves co one Dance and never learn a new
dance more than once in fve years Jennie
Williams, who according to report, is to wed
Lord Petre. notoriously danced one dance and
that let her out. The advent last year of Syl.
via Grey and Lefty Lind among us. and their
terpsichorean success, was productive of
shoal of imitators. Florence Miller, Violette
Mascatte and Marie Cahill are among these
ilnitatory skirt dancers. The prevalence of
black skirt daroing has given rise to a lot of
male parody skirtdancing. Martinetti and
Collier, John Kernel and Max Arnold. Don
nelly and Girard, Evans aud Hoey are adopts
in the burlesque of this style of female skirt
dancing.