Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-09
Edwin Booth and the Play
Abraham Lincoln.
The Personnel of the Lyceum
Theater Company.
News and Gossip of Home and For
eign Theaters.
Shall the Play of Abraham Lincoln Be
Given?-Repertoire of the Lyceum
Company Foreign Notes.
Gossip and Personals.

The eastern papers have grea
amount to say of late about Mr.. Edwin
Booth and his affairs.
Two matters have caused this state of
things.
The first was the announcement of
play by Mckee Rankin and Archibald
Gordon called Abraham Lincoln, in
which the assassination of the president
was to form feature.
The second incident almost synohron-
GUS with the first, was the announce
ment in the New York Herald of mys-
terious attempt to blackmail Mr.. Booth,
but which is thoroughly explained in
the Dramatic Mirror, of August 1st, by
Leander Richardson. 1t appears that
there are letters in existence, and court
records, showing that Junius Brutus
Booth was married to Marie Christine
Agatha Delanoir, in England, be-
fore he came to this country, and
that he never went to the trouble
of getting a divorce when he assumed
the position of husband to the mother
to the Booths of this generation who
were born in this country. Mr.. Richard
son claims to have verified the story
throughout, and shows that the great
tragedian acted in brutal manner to
his first wife.
AS to the second matter, Mr.. Richard
son in his article, as said above, seems
to establish all his assertions, and
claims that as the matter was broached
in the HERALD, and the baseless asser
tion of blackmail connected with it, he
thinks it best the facts should be
known.
To what good? Supposing that Edwin
and J. Wilkes Booth were born out of
wedlock? The derelictions of Junius
Brutus Booth are too much thing of
the past to have any force now, and the
consequences of them will not be
charged against Mr.. Edwin Booth.
The play of Abraham Lincoln is an
other matter. 1t is question but what
Mr.. Booths wishes in the matter are
worthy of respect by the projectors, hut
if not, there is no way to prevent the
foolish talk about an act of congress
prohibiting the play. That on its face
would be un-American and unconstitu-
tional The play itself will solve the
question best. If the public find it dis
tasteful it will stop from lack OF patron
age.
THE LYCEUM COMPANY.
The opening of this season will be
the appearance OF the Lyceum company
on Tuesday evening at the opera house
in 4 Charity Ball. The announcements
include The Wife, The Idler, and Old
Heads and Young Hearts. The two first
named are Belasco-De Mile construc-
tions, effective scenically, perfectly
played, tense, and modernly photo
graphic in their realism. The Wife is
well known here, and The Charity Ball
is said to be very similar.
In bright contrast will be Boucicault's s
Old Heads and Young Hearts, play OF
yesterday or rather day before yesterday
in it's features, but strong, as was all of
that blackguardly old playwright's work.
The company is well known here and
we'll liked. There have been few
changes in it of late. The following per-
sonal mention will be found of interest I:
Miss Georgia Cayvan, the leading lady
of the company, made her first pro-
fessional appearance as Hebe in the Bos-
ton production of Pinafore. The lady her.
self, however, is inclined to call her Sec
ond appearance the beginning of her
stage life, which was as the tragic queen
Jocastra in George Riddles Boston pro.
duction of the Greek play, Gdipus
Tyrannus, in the original Greek.
Miss Effie Shannon, who plays the
soubrettes, was for some years mem
ber of Augustin Daly's company. She
appears as the romp Kitty Ives in The
Wife; the most staid Bess in The Char
ity Ball, and the piquant, saucy Kate in
The Idler.
Miss Henrietta Crossman was of the
original Madison Square management,
and now plays the opposite parts to Miss
Cayvan. In The Wife she plays the fiery
creole, Lucille Ferrant; in The Charity
Ball the betrothed of the Wall street
speculator, who jilts her to further his
ambition, and in The Idler the comedy
role of fascinating widow trying to
marry again.
Mrs. Charles Walcot plays the society
mothers, and has been associated with
most of the important productions for
years past.
With the Lyceum company Mrs.
Whiffen plays the lovable old mother,
whose sweetness awakens the most
pleasant memories in every auditor.
Herbert Kelcey, who heads the list of
the gentlemen as leading man of the
company, is an Englishman by birth.
His father was for forty years one of her
majesty's judges, and the sons six feet
of British manhood was originally des-
tined for the army. The fathers death
altered Mr.. Kelcey's plans, and he aimed
to shine on change instead This was
financially disastrous, and during a sub
sequent enforced idleness, some profes-
sional friends suggested that he try a
part in one of their plays. More as a
jest, for he had no dramatic training,
and had never expressed desire to go
upon the stage, he accepted the offer.
The result is best told in his own words
"When the play was over" he said, 81
found that liked the stage, and they
told me that the stage liked me. So,
rather than disturb such an admirable
state of affairs, I've been at it ever
SINCE"
William ]. LeMoyne, the comedian Of
the party, is an actor of wonderful range,
and plays his comedy straight from the
A L u ~