Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-06
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 4 liIII 1NNI IllllhlApFp

B1JoU THEATER..... Spider and the Fly,
GRAND OPERA HoUsE......."Faus Up to Date,
HARRIS THEATER. ........... ''Irue Irish Hearts,
ACADEMY OF Music. ............. Irwin Bros Co
hoRLD'S MUSEUM. Curiosties, Etc
The above are the theatrical attractions for
this week.
The city of Pittsburg is we'll provided with
theaters now, in definite prospect if not in the
present. Mr.. Henderson intends to build a
theater on the Jackman property that will CON-
pare with the best theaters in the country. He
can be depended upon to give Pittsburg a
theater Of which she may be proud.
There is less detniteness about Alvin Joslin
Davis project. He has bought a capital site
for theater, and he says he intends building
house of a gorgeous sort. There is no reason
to doubt that Mr. Davis is in earnest. He has
the money and he has the site. 1t is to be pre-
sumed that 1t Will be popular price theater.
sxs
There is no ignoring the fact that Messrs.
Gulick Co. and MIR. Harris are both too
strongly lntrenched in the affections of the
theater-gong public to think of giving up the
hight in Pittsburg because two or three new
theaters come into the field. 1t can be taken
Tor granted that Mr.. Harris will build a new
theater somewhere when he is forced to leave
his present quarters, and it is also certain as
anything can be that Messrs Gulick & Co. will
d
renewal of their lease on the Library Hall prop
erty. The Biiou Theater is a fixture in this city
Tor good many years to come.
There is strong probability then that Pitts
burg Will have no old theaters within a few
years: -Four or fve new structures may be
confidently looked for. 1t will be just as
well, too.
Miss Florence st. John ten years ago was the
particularly bright star of . great comic opera
company which held for some years the little
handbook of place called the Strand Theater,
London. 1t was there in Madame Farazt"
with M. Marius Miss Violet Cameron and
others well known, that l remember seeing
Miss St. John. She was a clever actress and a
very sweet singer then, and they say she has
improved greatly. Those who go to the Grand
Opera House this week may expect to see a
typical English burlesque. 1t is not a dra-
matte plant that grows well in American soil.
but IL has charms, and in this case they are
mostly feminine, believe.
In answer to an inquiry as to how she came
to go on the stage Miss ST. John writes: How
did come to 20 on the stage7 That's funny
question Why, to earn my living, l suppose.
the same as other people do. When I first
made my appearance 1t was at the age of
years, as child pianist. l was never intended
for the stage however. until I was about 10
years of age. when they discovered 1 had a
voice. Then accepted small engagements. l
really commenced in the profession when was
about IA years of age; that was my first profess
sional engagement. l opened at the city of
exeter, IN DeVonsnlre, at dlorama, and sang
in that. did not act in that for about two
years, and then went in for small operettas:
sort of sketchy things they we're.
II RI gradually got on so that could go into
gran opera, in which line I played for TWO
years l studied and played 80 operas, but
finding that the money was not large enough
although did not object to the hard work.
gave my preference to comic opera with parIic-
ular pleasure, as a manager offered me three
times the amount of money 1 had been re-
ceiy1ng. l have played the principal parts for
ten years in London. 1 read in one of the
newspapers here that am the Miss st. John
that came over to this country some little time
ago and made such failure and went back to
England. This is not true. never have been |
here before and it is my first visit"
+S*
For Easter week spectacular piece like |
Spider and the fly is well chosen. 1t ought |
TO draw great crowds to the Bijou Theater this |
week. HEPBURN JOHNS.