St. Paul daily globe., 1891-04-14
MINNEAPOLIS EVENTS
The New Bijou Theater is
Auspiciously Opened to
the Public.
Richards, the Tribune Neero-
maneer, Returns and
Again Vanishes.
The Single Tax Leagues
Wrestle With the Silver
Question.
The New Water Tower Tested
"A Board Of Health
Squabble.

On Dec. 2S, 1890, all that remained of
the Bijou opera house were four black
ened walls enclosing a mass Of ashes.
charred timbers, tattered draperies,
desolation. "Resurgam" was written
upon the water-soaked mass. That
promise has been fulfilled; nay, more
than fulfilled. Not ph9nix-like has
the Bijou arisen from its ashes.
The phoenix was burned, but
when he "winked his other eye"
at the priest of the temple
the next morning. he was the same old
phoenix. Not so the BijOu opera house.
No one who attended the opening last
night would have fancied that he sat
IN the Bijou. so much handsOmer IS the
new house than the old. If it be true
that "a thing of beauty is joy forever" ;"
unlimited Joy will be drawn from the
resurrected, regenerated BijOu.
As soon as the old house was burned,
last December, Manager Jacob Lit
hurried to Minneapolis. Plans for a
new house were forming in his mind
even as he tossed in feveriSh Slumber in
a vesubuled sleeping car EN- route
hither. Minneapolis was good show
town." 1t would never do to let the
big Four" circuit be broken by a
fire. With characteristic energy he ap-
piled himself to the task OF supplying
the people of Minneapolis with
more than they had lost, In
this undertaking he found an
able cOadjuCor in Lambert Hays,
the owner Of the burned playhouse. 1t
took these two gentlemen but a few
minutes to decide that the BijOu must
be rebuilt. Before the lengths of hose
that had shOWered water upon the
flames Of the burning theater had dried
Mr.. Havs had men at work preparing
for the erection of the new house. The
contract for putting up the structure
was let within the week to John Gilman,
builder of the ruined building. From
that day until last night incessant work
has been the shibbOleth OF everybody
connected with the new house. No eX-
penSe was spared. ''The house must be
rebuilt and rebuilt quickly" said Mr..
Hays. His instructions were carried
out to the letter. Under the watchful
eye Of TheO l.. Hays, manager of the
Old theater and now manager of the
new, everything moved on wheels
smoothed by the oil of enterprise, at
tentiOn to detail and desire TO excel. To
these three gentlemen is due the credit
for the beautiful house that was opened
last night.
The plan of the house, the general
scheme and the detail OF interior deco
ration have been spoken Of before. Par
ticulariZatiOn would be both useless and
out of place in speaking OF the opening
of the house last night. 1t was picture
imposing, yet beautiful as a whole, full
Of new surprises as to detail. Crowded
from floor to roof it looked like the
BijOu of old, yet unlike in its added
beauty. Everything had been prepared.
There was no blemiSh, not flaw i'll the
first presentation of the house to the
people. When the hundreds of mean
descent lamps cast their soft radiance
over the auditorium just before the rise
of the curtain, burst Of applause. vast
In volume, spontaneous in sincerity,
spoke elOquently of how well the
owner, the lessee and the manager had
done their work.
HAYS introduced Mayor z. B. Winston.
The mayor spoke briefly Of the history
of the house, paying g deserved tribute
to the men who have made 1t what it
Is. Then the play began.
Manager Lift did not cast about for
some high-priced attraction to open his
house. The opening was at the same
old scale of prices and utterly devoid of
ostentatiOn, as if the house had never
been closed. Katie Emmett, in The
Waits of New York. was the play.
Miss Emmett's rendition of this well
known piece has been seen here before.
1t suffices to say that the production is
even better than before.
Among those who occupied boxes
were Mayor Winston, wife and son, and
George Stevens; Mrs. ID. c. Avery, E..
L. Rains, Mrs. |. Lift and Miss Gross
man, Milwaukee; Miss Nemma,
E. F. Nordholm, ". B. Chamber
lain, NJ. j. Check and wife
Sol Lift, business manager Bijou, Mil
waukee; George II. Reed. manager
Standard, Chicago; Archie Dingwald,
Milwaukee Sentinel; MIR. and Mrs. W.
Z. Sawyer, Mr.. and Mrs. c. G. Root,
NJ. S. B. Buchorn, c. A. Proctor. Mrs.
Mayall and party, st. Paul; Lambert
Hays and family.