Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-12-07
SOCK AND BUSKIN.'
A NUMBER OF TRAVELLING COMPANIES STRAND
Ed BY POOR BUSINESS.
Souvenir Nights at Three New York Theatrss-SOms
Ventures Tha! are Making II Pay-The
Only Man Who Could Sing Sally
in Our Alley" With
Effect, Dead.

/
Herrmann's credit is unimpaircd, though
his vaudevilles have sorely disappointed
him this season. They will cease to
travel after January 3. This is the
turkey season" for actors, and the sea-
son, too, for disasters ION the road
In far away Montreal the French pam
tomime party, genuine imported
troupe, is in dire distress. The com
pany contains a score of pantomimists
brought over from Paris by Arthur
Z. Miller, manager well known in
town. He had counted upon the Par
isian hit of The Prodigal Som to
repeat itself here, but he was grievous-
ly disappointed, it appears. The COM
pany started in New England and got
as far as Montreal by degrees, only to
stop short there. Now they have rented
hall, and will give performance out
of which they hope to clear money
enough TO take them back to Paris. The
significance of this failure is in the fact
that Augustin DAILY has among his sea-
sons novelties this same French panto-
mime, and, the invasion of Miller's
Parisians so stirred him up at first
that he issued warning TO country
managers notifying them of his rights.
Katie Putnam, the soubrette. will cease
TO travel after next Saturday night. She
played at city theatre not long ago,
and was warmly greeted as an old favor
tie; but audiences elsewhere have not
been kind to her, and she will make dis
erection the better part of valor. 1t is
now definitely settled that NJ. Il. Curtis
will not go out again this season. The
Shatchen's" recent engagement at the
Peoples was discouraging to Harry Mi
ner, who had virtually assumed the
financial responsibility of managing the
company. 1t had been arranged TO have
the tour directed by Randall a. Dickson
and Curtis wife. Albina De Mer came
from California TO join the company, but
the Peoples week was so discouraging
that the firm decided not to undertake
the business. From the Northwest and
from Kansas have recently. come com
plants of sad lack of public interest
in the stage. The best and biggest of
the stars travelling in those sections
have met with reverses that have Sc
verely tested their finances.
Chief of the sufferers have been Col.
Fosters Boston Ideals, an opera troupe
with an old established reputation. Its
tribulations have been many, but they
came TO climax at Duluth. The Ideals
were to have sung four times in that
city. They opened in "Fauvette," and
at the end Of the second act the curtain
went down for good and the audience
was dismissed. This was the result of
dispute between the Ideals manager
and the local manager, the latter assert
ing that the company had been weak
ened by the withdrawal Of the best
singers. Col Foster, however, got the
troupe TO Minneapolis and St. Paul.
where they are now singing. The
disaster developed one good feature in
Minneapolis, for there Col. Foster made
a discovery that may prove OF impor-
lance to the American operate stage.
He was in urgent need OF a prima donna
and in the emergency gladly accepted
the offer of Minneapolis girl. Olive
Fremstcad. to sing the principal role in
.'Fauvette Miss FremStead is said 10
have made surprising triumph. She
had never witnessed Il performance OF
"Fauvette" until the Ideals sang it on
Monday night. On Tuesday the score
was handed to her. On Wednesday
evening she sang the chief role wonder
fully well, according to her critics. She
| is described as a handsome woman with
good figure. Her voice is full, rich
mezzo-soprano of long range, and her
acting indicates dramatic power. Foster
at once proposed to engage her for the
! Ideals, but she declined the offer, as
she is destined for grand opera.
/ The week has had souvenir nights at
three theatres, concentrating the III
tieth performance of Men and Wo-
men" at Proctor'S, and Poor Jonathan"
nj the Casino. and the commencement
of The County'S Fairs" third year at
tie Union Square. The celebration at
the Casino has already been described.
/ An extra horse on the race course at
the Union Square is the only change in
1.-The County Fair" But Men and
/ Women" as observed on its iiftieth rep
resentation. showed that Il process Of
evolution had brought it into a better
condition than it had shown on It's llrSt
night. The only trouble at the outset
arose from supcrabundance of good
matter and good actors. BelaSco
and De Mile had put into the
drama sufficient ideas for three
or four ordinary pieces, and, al
though they had contrived to pack it very
artfully in the space of three hours,
there were evidences of overcoming.
Charles Frohman had seemingly aimed,
i'm the establishment OF a new stock
company, at employing the greatest
feasible number OF iirStrate players.
The consequence was that Men and
Women" had over twenty important
roles assigned to an equal number OF
competent performers. The improve
ment made during the forty-nine cnSu-
ing repetitionS of the piece had sacrl-
feed none Of the dramatists or com
pany's work, but had disposed OF ii diff
ferently, COMPRISING here and extend
ing there, until the general result
achieved was in all ways brilliant. There
is no longer any doubt that this second
Frohman company is permanency IN
our amusements, and that Men and
Women will employ this admirable or
panization. here and elsewhere, for a
long period.
L ne singer WIN nlS0 maui ''"i'J ."
our Alley" a household ballad, and more
than any other man, helped To give 1t
long life and popularity, Is dead. He
was a minstrel. Thomas b. Dixon: but
in his prime, twenty years ago, his
tenor voice was delight and charm,
and it was never so effective as when it
sang that there was none like Sally.
The ballad made Dixon famous. For a
quarter of a century he put on and
washed off burnt cork, and there never
was time when his services were not
in demand by minstrel managers. They
hired him solely for Sallys sake. lie
was known in every city in the country
as the original minstrel singer of that
still charming song, and so nightly
he warbled it, though time
cracked his voice little and
the old-time tenderness went