, 1890-11-27
CHARMING AS EVER
Emma Abbott Sings the Praises
of Spokane Falls-On
the Bridge.
Delighted with Her Audiences
Here-What She Thinks of the
Auditorium.
She Entertains a Review Man at
the Rate of ESQ Words
Per Minute.


Opera Company was n symphony Of
day Saturday. In the forenoon q
number of the ladies of Spokane
Falls entertained her very pleasant
ly. The party drove over the route
of the principal points Of interest In
the neighborhood of the city.
When she was piloted over the falls,
by way of tho Post street bridge,
and the carriage stopped to give the
visitors an opportunity to enjoy tho
inspiring scene, there was burst OF
rapture from the throat that made
"The Last Rose of Summer" so
famous. She was pleased by every
thing she saw ana everyone she met,
and made no effort to conceal her
pleasurablc emotions.
Miss Abbott has lost none of the
| old-time grace that characterized her
movements or the stage. She Is
the same Emma Abbott that has
taken forty-one different roles In IA
many different operas during the
past few years. Some OF the ladies
thought to ask her the secret of her
! remarkable sell-preservatlon, but the
answer was drowned in the roaring
of the cataract below the bridge, and
in all probability will never be re-
suscltated. Two hundred and fifty
words minute was the rate at
which she described her feeling of
rapture over the new opera.house.
~ can count on the fingers of one
hand the opera-houses in the United
states that can compete with this
one" she said last evening. "I
can't express my delight at finding
such beautiful building where |
least expected IL. The acoustic
properties are just perfect, the fur
nlshing superb, and the stage ap-
pointments are as good M any L
ever saw. We never have been
where there were better DRESSING
rooms. just think of having n full
length mirror on two sides of n per-
son, and four electric lights In each
room, and everything that anyone
could possibly desire to assist the
company In putting play on tho
stage. It's just grand.
"Then there's another thing that
pleases me very much. The audi
ence has been so sympathetic, and
people seem to appreciate my work.
They are not quite as demonstrativo
"a theatergOers In Cincinnati and
Pittsburg are, but / know In an In
slant after L have begun to sing
whether people are really interested
or not, even II they don't make so
much noise with their hands and
-
I've ever had have been almost
tive, but l knew by IA single glance
preciated the play, and | tried
more aud more to please
them. A theater-goer can hardly
appreciate the little troubles that
an actress meets, and the vast
amount OF good 1t does to meet
people who are not indifferent.
When / am tired and dispirited,
the sight OF II throng of people that
loves me rests me and inspires ME to
do better work. Singing In opera
never will be 80 familiar to me that
II Will become purely u mechanical
task. | am bufletted back and forth
by storms of approval or indifier-
ence, and IL makes great deal of
difference. Matinee audiences arc
never quite rs enthusiastic as those
in the evening. It's because they
are generally half ladies, thought
"Why Is ii that ladies, who are
generally thought of as being ever
so much more gushing than their
husbands, don't applaud an actress
as much as the men do?" asked tho
REVIEWS young man. "It couldn't
be because they're just the least bit
jealous?"
"Oh! nov' chimed in chorus
girl, with form like n modern
version of Venus de Milo and a
voice as sweet It's caramels. ats
because they don't want to split
their kid gloves"
"What is my favorite opera?r the
prima donna went on, repeating
the question before she answered it.
"Im sure | don't know. Some
people like to hear me better when
| play tragic opera, aud Norma
has been very dear to me. ] have
no especial iavorite. | always like
best Whatever the audience will re-
ceive the most warmly. l have
sung in over forty solos, and all of
them are favorites with some peo-
pie. | still play Martha It's old,
1 know, but 1T takes in some places
as well as 1t ever did. 1t was in
Martha that | began to sing the
Last Rose of summer and l sup
pose that II good many people like 1t
because that il their iavorite selec-
ton. The ladies of this city have
given me SO many last roses of sum
mer' that the dressing-room' will
hardly hold them all.
a Studebaker wagon load of
flowers was there to bear mute
testimony to the truth of her words.
"The reason that | wore the
prettiest costumes | have,n she con-
tinued, "was that the stage Is SO
orderly and clear of rubbish. The
costumes | wear in Fra Diavolo'
and the Rose of CASTLE are the
finest l have in my wardrobe. The
train of my dress In the last act of
the Rose OF Castillo is an exact
copy of one that Worth made for
the Queen of Portugal. 1t IL one of
the prettiest, and 1t is my favorite."
The bell rang for the last act of
the play. The last few words that
hoated back from the wing as she
vanished TO her place were, "It's
such u beautiful opera-house, and
such n handsome manager"
Charles ; Pratt, the prlna dom
.1s.tI A..