Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-09-28
EUsIG AND THE DRGHs.
LAVISH EXPENDITURES III THE PRO-
DUCTToN OF THE SOUDAN..
Success of Miss Gertrude Carly Aud, a
Sacramento Vocalist General
Stage Notes.

than fulfilled. The play was produced
with wealth Of magnificent scenery and
realistic effects that totally overshadowed
anything ever previously attempted in the
way of lavish spectacular display at the
Boston theater during the regime of either
the elder or younger Tompkins, the reck-
lessness of both of whom in expenditure on
first productions in proverbial ''The
Soudan" is a romantic play with strong
"heart" interest. It tells love story
which reveals It's principals at one time in
historical quarters in London, again in
Africa's great desert: . a; esher period in
the heat Of the Soudan campaigns and
finally back to Trafalgar Square, London.
Altogether there are eight scenes, four of
which are revolving effects. All are mar
vels. Nothing so startlingly impressive as
the last act has perhaps ever been staged
in this country, if, indeed, in the world.
Long lines of mounted troops dash across
the stage, while, in the rear Of the stamp
ing cayalcade are military bands of every
description, fife and drum crops, Scottish
pipes, and in the wake Of these regiments
on regiments of soldiery, footsore and war
stained, wounded soldiers aud officers,
Arabian prisoners, dragging heavy pieces
of artillery, herds of cameis, dromedaries,
elephants, ostriches, etc, etc. This scene
pictures the return of the British regi-
ments from their Soudan engagements.
There were nearly fifteen hundred people
on the stage in this scene.
HEAVY EXPENSES.
A singular fact in connection with cur
rent theatricals in New York is that more
than half of the attractions Of the various
theaters are either in themselves purely
vaudeville entertainments or partake
largely of the nature of such exhibitions.
Moreover, this character of performance is
at present highly popular. Seeing the
large audiences which nightly assemble in
theater with an offering of this charac-
ter, the conclusion would be immediate
that the profit must be enormous. Not so.
The expenses of staging high class
vaudeville exhibition are far greater than
generally supposed. The weekly expenses
of such an entertainment foot up bigger
sum than the cost of putting on glitter
ing spectacular extravaganza. Take, for
instance, the Hanlon-Volter and Marti-
netti Pantomime and Novelty Company at
the Academy. Leaving out the cost Of
bringing the entire organization Of fifty
people from Europe with their accessories,
the weekly expenses for salaries alone
would amount to $1,000 each week. This
figure may sound like an exaggeration, but
ha,, - &c l-po,r,, thar ha Honlo,,c
receive in the neighborhood of $500 for
their joint weekly services, the distribu-
tion of the balance among the remaining
forty y-seven members OF the organization
leaves only an average Of trife over $50
for each. Not by any means fancy sal
airy as such things go.
AN AUTHORS SUCCESS.
Jerome K. Jerome, the author of ''The
Master of Woodbarrow," in which young
Sothern fairly parallels the success Of his
father in "David Garrick," is 80 years old.
His connection with the stage began when
he was but Is, but after two years expert
ence of "roughing it" in the English
provinces he came 10 the conclusion that
he had mistaken his vocation, and so flung
off the sock and buskin. The experience
gained has been valuable to him, however,
and he aferward gave an account OF it IN
his little book, ''On the Stage and Of"
Mr.. Jerome then enlarged his insight into
human nature for some few years in vari-
Gus ways He was by turns schoolmaster,
penny-a-liner, reporter, shorthand writer.
and finally settled down to journalism and
literature. His next work was 'Idle
Thoughts of an Idle Fellow" and. soon
after came his dramatic venture, little
one-act play entitled Barbara" produced
at the Globe Theater, London, June 10,
1886, and for which he received the unique
compliment paid to the author of one
act piece of double call" Barbara
was followed by another one-act play
called "Sunset," produced at the Comedy
Theater February 13 1883, and this by
"Fennel," presented at the Novelty March
31st of the same year. On June 18th fol-
lowing, his first three-aet comedy, Wood
barrow Farm" renamed by manager Dan
iel Frohman The Master of Woodbar-
row." was tried at London matinee. 1t
was not presented again after this
trial performance until its production with
Sothern at the Lyceum Theater here.
Mr. Jerome last year published his Stage
landn and "Three Men in Boat" both of
which ran through many editions All
his books have been translated into sew
eral Continental languages, and have had
the usual honor of being printed in
America without his permission. Mr..
Jerome's ne ext serious effort in the dramatic
line is to be a comedy drama for the stock
Company of the Lyceum Theater.
FRAU woLTER.
Rumors that Frau Wolter, the eminent
tragic actress, will visit America on a pro-
fessional tour have been revived, but
groundlessly. Frau Wolter Countess Sui
livan) has a charming summer home
among the upper Austrian mountains,
where she has more than once had the
Empress as a guest. One day the En-
press went thither, attended only by one
Of her maids. After her cali of an hour or
two she started to return home, when she
discovered that she had not her purse with
her, nor had the maid any money, not
even enough to pay the ferryman on the
lake. Thereupon the Empress asked the
actress to lend her form to enable her to
get home. The next day the Emperor
came up to Frau VOTERS villa, and
gravely handed her silver form, saying /:
"a dutiful husband always pays his wife's
debts" The actress has had this coin set
with diamonds, and wears it conspicuously
as brooch.
CHARMING CLARA MORRIS.
A recent writer in the Eastern press, in
long and exhaustive article on the
American theater, awards the palm for
emotional actresses unhesitatingly to Clara
Morris. No woman of ancient or modern
times, according to him, has ever succeeded
in so thoroughly arousing her audiences.
That peculiar gift OF emotional acting is
one rarely found, and it is no great wonder
then that Miss Morris has attained the
position she now occupies. Her tour the
coming season will be one of the most i'm
portant of her career, the entire west
ern portion Of it being under the i'm
mediate direction of Manager Hayman.
She will be supported by magnificent
company and will travel in her own pri-
yate car.
A SACRAMENTO SINGER.
Miss Gertrude Carly Auld, well known
in Sacramento as Miss Gertie Carly, sang
before the Western Addition Literary and
Social Club in San Francisco on the 18th
inst, and made a decided hit. OF her
singing, the Call said miss Gertrude
Auld we'll yindicated her title of the