Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-04

Bilou Theater. Margaret Nather
DuquesRe TheAter.... Crystal Slipper
Grand Opera House. Hands Across the Sea
Williams Academy ............ Weber & Fields Co
Harry Davis Museum .............. Curiosites etc
WORLDS Museum. ..CuriOsites etc
Harris Theater. Hardie and Won Leer
The above are the theatrical attractions Tor
this week.
Now Cleopatra" Davenport will have
plenty of time to look about her and make
mp her mind whether IT is worth while TO re-
vive play which New York at all events
has treated coldly. The burning of her cos
tunes and properties at the Fifth Avenue
Theater may give her a graceful exit from a
losing venture. don't think the country
at large is dying to see an elderly and some
what corpulent Cleopatra to any great ex-
tent.
The burning of the Fifth Avenue Theater
is an unmixed misfortune to Manager
Miner, and it is a singular fact that New
Workers have often remarked that the Fifth
Avenue always has brought ill-luck to its
managers. The first accounts of the fire ex-
aggerated the damage to Hermanu's new
theater, which seems not to have been mate
rally injured. How fortunate it is that most
theaters are consumed in the absence of the
audiencei
On the opening night of Joan of Arc" in
New York, Miss Margaret MaJher said she was
in mortal terror lest when she knelt in her
armOr the links would catch at the knee and
she would be unable to get up again. This
accident had happened at dress rehearsal. it
seems, and it was quite seme time, and then
only with the help of one or two ladies in the
cast that she managed to get the links
on with her lines Miss Mather
declares with truth that it is one of the most
difficult things in the world to walk gracefully
in heavy suit of armor. This armor which
she wears in Joan of Arc" is even more COM
plete than that worn by Bernhardt in the same
play. 1t is composed of steel for the second
and third acrs, and in the fourth is made en-
t1rely oil gold 1t is combined with white kid
to form the waist, fastened by gold chains at
the side. With it Joan carries a gorgeous flag
of white silk edged with gold fringe and the
heur de lis of France elaborately embroidered
on il in gold. These two suits of armor it is
understood, cost s., 900 and the play itself put
on as ii was at the Fifth Avenue Theater, cost
$4,000 1t is considered to be historically cor
rect and an exact reproduction of the Porte st,
Martin version as played by Sara Bernhardt.
The divine Sara, by the way, is said to have
grown quite stout so we shall not see the slim,
ethereal-looking Bernhardt of old when she
comes over in February to play Cleopatra. The
Egyptian Queen. We have always understood,
was supposed to be small and delicate-looking
So the buxom Fanny Davenport, who is now
is hardly the ideal Cleopatra, either.
The first night of Davenport in Cleopatra was
marked by provoking incident in the death
scene. When the real asp is just beginning TO
get in his deadly work the prompter, by stupid
biunder. rang down the curtain. The people in
the audience looked inQuirlngly at each other
as much as to saw, Can this be the end?'' While
they were still wondering. however the curtain
was rung up, and the sorceress then proceeded
with her dying speech
E. D. Price, who used to manage Richard
Mansfield in q ferocious fashion, is up to his
neck in hot water as manager for Mrs Leslie
Carter. In spite of Mrs. Carriers artistic sue
cess, The Ugly Ducklng" has proven a failure
and to save money Mr.. Price has been dis
charging the high-Driced members of the COM
pany without regard to contracts. Arthur
Dacre, thus discharged, threatens terrible
things, and it is to be hoped will collect heavy
damages from the entirely too fresh Manager
Price.
1t would appear that Manager ]. NJ. Hill is
losing bis keenness OF vision in things
theatrical. The failure Of his enterprises this
season has been simply astonishing "The
Clemenceau Case" even under his auspices has
been frost, like BARRYMORE and everything in
Clemcnceau" companies are going in Just as it
is announced that Mr.. Hill has purchased the
dire operetta ship AhoX" and after it's
present season at the Standard, New York, the
limit of which has not yet been liked, will send
3 competent company on the road for its pro-
ductiOn. Mr. Hill has also signed a contract
with HOyt and Thomas, under which "a Trip
TO China Town" will be presented at the
Standard next November for q six months
run. What does Mr. Hill want with two such
loads of WEAKNESS as Hoyt's worst and the
opera?
49,
One of the most certain and Yet most attract
i've ways of losing money is as all theatrical
people know, backing comic opera companies.
In England a systematic plan has been con-
coc1ed TO corral the fools who think the
glamour of the footlights and the supposed
delights of converse with comic opera artists
can be purchased with so many hundreds or
thousands of dollars The prospectus of new
theatrical venture known as The English Light
Opera Company, limited. has just been issued
in London. The capital proposed is of s2 QUO in
81 shares. The directors named at present are
f. Stanislaus and Edgar Ward, and the pro.
gramme the prOduc tion of high-class comic
opera as distinct from burlesque preference
being given to works by British composers
The old game will no doubt be more costly than
ever under the stock company dodge.
The Bijou Theater.