Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-26
Both Theaters Remain Dark
This Week.
The Need for a Comfortable
Cheap Theater.
Some Notes About the Same Thing
Over Again.
Spectacles Change No More Than Ballet
Girls News Notes and Gossip
About Theatrical Matters
and People.

Both theaters are dark this week. The
opera house will not open until August
10th. Then after week it will close for
quite while, when many repairs and
improvements will be made.
The business done by the Twelve
Temptations company last week. while
not tremendous, was enough to show
that even in very warm weather the
people will 60 to the theater.
These long periods Of darkness indi-
cate state of things which the HERALD
has before mentioned-the need of
comfortable theater where a good per-
formance can be enjoyed at small
price, Every other city in the union,
of the size of Los Angeles, has such
place, and often two; that none exists
here is true, and pity 'tis, tits true, but
there can be no doubt but that by next
summer such resort will be in opera
ton, and that the man who starts it
will make money.
THE SAME THING OVER AGAIN.
It's the Same Thing Over Again." as
slim, shapely, Mamie Conway sang last
in the Twelve Temptations.
So it is. The same girls go through
the same evolutions and the same trans
formation scenes, and Harlequin whacks
poor Pantaloon with some cleaning
magic sword, and makes love to the
same Columbine with the same SYM
vvuntrioo1 fxr,in Elinn 1ouo nd hA
enticing smile that you used to
see, ten, fifteen, twenty; how
many years ago is it, anyway?
Well, we won't insist on you telling
when it was that you saw your first
pantomine or your first spectacle. The
former was probably Humpty Dumpty
with poor old George /. Fox, as Gown,
at Niblo's gardens, and the latter may
have been Ixion at Woods museum,
with Lydia Thompson, in the days when
people knew as little about British
hlunder as they do now about "Heddar
Gabler" or ghosts. y H s..ss-.
But while one naturally, after reach
ing certain age, and thoroughly appre-
ciating the value of an extensive expe-
rience, gets a little difficult, and is
more apt to see angles than curves, still
there are few men, women and children
but what. enjoy performance such as
the Twelve Temptations with all its
faults.
The children like such affairs because
they are suggestive of fairy stories; men
like them for the display of girls and
their persons, women like them because
well, of course, just because that is
sufficient reason for woman's like of
anything. At any rate the spectacle
has it's place in the dramatic business
and there it will remain. Critics may
shudder at the vapid dialogue, ,and every
body knows the glitter is but brass and
the gold but tinsel, and the fairies but
everyday Pollys and Marys, with per-
haps liking for beer and cigarettes and
silly rich youths but the spectacle, like
the ballet girl herself, is always alive;
and in truth, always welcome, no matter
If it is, as first said above, "the same
thing over again."
NOTES.
Marcus Mayer will bring the London
Gaiety girls to this country again next
season.
Denman Thompson will play The Old
Homestead at the Boston theater, all of
next season.
1t is reported that Louis James will
be member of Fred Warde's company
next season.
The chief of the hired applauders at
the Vienna opera has been re-engaged
at his former salary of 10000 florins
year.
The County Fair is the biggest success
ever known. In Sydney people were
N od ot norforpo ~ for
four weeks.
Sarah Bernhardt has just paid $4,000
American dollars for a tract of land near
Paris, where she means to build sum-
mer residence.
The Lyceum company's engagement
has been extended to five weeks at the
Baldwin. This will not interfere with
their engagement here.
Chas. E.. Benton, who was here as
manager of Adelaide Moore last Decem-
ber, is now filling like position with
the Twelve Temptations company.
Chicago is to have an outdoor per-
formance of AS You Like 1t, July 2Sth.
Louis James, Marie Prescott and Patti
Rosa are among those who will appear.
There have been quite number of re-
tirements from the High Roller COM
pany, which Barney Pagan was to head
next season, and it is doubtful if itever
starts out at all.
David Belasco is in New York rehears-
ing the Frohman company in Jane, at
the Madison Square. 1t is one of Chas.
Frohman's latest, and it is to be at the
Grand in November.
Russell's comedians opened their sea-
son at Pueblo last Wednesday. The City
Directory will have grand interpreta-
tion, and is the only farce-comedy that
can boast Of an intelligent plot.
The standing room only" sign dis
played 1876 times and orchestra placed
under the stage SO times in As weeks, is
the record of Hoaley's theater, Chicago.
Our theaters have not done quite 80 we'll.
Carmencita, who will begin her pro-
vincial tour in a short time, is said to
have saved $4,000 out of her wages.