Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-15
READY FOR THE RUSH.
Theatrical People Giving Complete
Presentations Of New Plays.
A WEEK OF REHEARSALS.
How the Farce Comedy Pirates Ply Their
Tr.de-Copying Good Points-Trick Smiles
Of ADMINISTRATIONS Donnas Endssvorinx to
Get Rid of the Summer Tan
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

|
New YORK, August Is. 1891.
NEVER IN WEEK BEFORE WERE sc
~ many theatrical performances given in THU
city as have taken place here this week. Not Q
stage has been In dIsuse and most of them have
been occupied forenoons, afternoons and even
inss. But only seven dramatic auditoriumt
have been accessible to the public. The UMPIRE.
cedented great amount Of acting was in the way
OF rehearsals. August is a month of prepare
ton by the players, and year after year the
ventures OF the winter season become more
and more thorough in their readiness
New York is the chief assembling city
and many company whose route is to begin
500 miles away are brought together and re-
hearsed here. The reasons for that are that
the actors generally come here in the summer
to seek new engagements and like to remain
until renewal Of work; that the managers of
travelling concerns find it agreeable and profit
able to stay in close touch with their competit-
ors until ready to start OUT that all the facili-
ties OF celebrating an entertainment are at
command, and by no means least, though last,
here are
THE BEST OPPORTUNITIES OF PLAGIARISM.
| 1hls thievish consideration is strongest with
the variety-farce makers, for their shows are
duetile as to permit Of any sort Of inter-
| Poiatlon. The farcers make free especially with
the several new comic operas that run through
| the summer Not only are the best comedians and
| souorettes OF these opera casts made to serve a.
models for the farcical funmakers to initiate,
but successful episodes are pirated without
| hesitation. Not long ago your correspondent
discovered that at least dozen knock-about
Comedians we're practicing tumbles down q
Preclplce because startling thing of the
kind was being done with hilarious success In
summer opera This week he learns of
the sun more numerous stealing OF a musical
loea. In current newopera Is medley OF
| national asrs-not succession of them, but q
| complete, though harmonious mixture. The
principals and chorus, numbering fifty are
| dressed at the time in gay oriental costumes.
| lhey march III and out and round about, sing
ing the national airs with all their might. Just
| as one heavy basso strides down to the foot
nights the tune Is THE Star Spangled Banner"
and he vocalizes it generously; almost instantly
ne Is displaced in conspicuousness by
baritone who vociferates "God Save
the Queen; then the prima donna comes to the
front with yankee Doodle" upon which the
| chief soubrette asserts herself in comical
rivalry with Dixie" The whole affair is SO
clever, spirited and melodious that it has to be
repeated half dozen times every evening.
lhatls the kind Of material the pirates are
after, and nearly every variety farce that starts
| out this autumn will contain such a medley of
national airs. The original inventor will not
De able to prevent this appropriation and null
tipilcatlon OF his property for his particular ar
ranSement OF the tunes need not be used and the
| AIRS are separately free to anybody's use while
| any competent orchestra leader can arrange
them for the purpose. The writer has heard
the music of these plagiarisms issuing from
half dozen places where rehearsals were 60
| Ing on, and he has been told OF three times as
| many more. Music can't be silently and secretly
rehearsed, as are some of the stolen features,
and 80 the evidence is to be heard that most of
| the variety farces will climax one act with this
oddly entertaining tumble Of patriotic airs.
COMPLETE REHEARsALs
characteristic of the weeks great aggre-
gate Of rehearsals is that they are unprecedent-
| eddy complete. Every par ticipant is required
| to '.act out" and even the principals do so,
| leaving not the smallest thing to come right
| on the first night" In some cases a full dress
rehearsal. with makeup, costumes, scenery,
| lights and all as complete in a public per-
Torrance. is given daily. That is very try
ing to the actors, for. in place Of an encourage
ing and responsive audience, there sit in front
only the coldly Observant manager and several
OF his equally unmoved guests. The latter are
apt to be the representatives of theaters in
| other cities. present for the purpose of de-
termining the merits of the show.
i've got the best farce comedy that'll take
the road-a sure winner" saws the manager
MY houses haven't open time for one in ten
OF the farce comedies offered" replies the
booking agent, land L IN looking for the best
So he goes 20 witness rehearsal. which Is in
all essentials a full performance, and books"
1t or not AS his estimate dictates.
Another usage to become common this sum-
| mer is the trial of actors before engaging them
| irrevocably. Formerly, only the minor play
| ers would submit to such test; or if they did,
the truth was hidden under some pretense in
case OF rejection. comedian of long expert
ence and considerable ability was in a tremen-
| dous hurry when met.
| I'm just through with one rehearsal and
| scooting to another" he exclaimed; and this
was his explanation when encountered at
later and leisurely hour: IF the managers
make 1t rule to compel trial rehearsals before
| hiring me for part IL make the rule work
both ways by takingtwo or more parts on trial.
Therefore m rehearsing two roles this week
III two different companies. Both managers
may conclude that m not the best man avail
able, or one may like me and the other not, or
both may want me. i'll which case I'll 60 to the
| highest bidder"
NEW PAIR OF DANCERS.
The makers OF the dramatized variety shows
say there will be few startling novelties.
Worse than all there is not even a piauant
dancer promised. It's too bad. But let them
moi grow lean on their grief, for your corre-
spondent happens to know that we are to
| have a novelty in the eccentric dance line in
two sisters-English women, small, lean, but of
| surprising suppleness and agility, and so much
alike that 1t Is absolutely impossible to tell one
| from tne otner. 1hey make their entree with
| one bound, the.r limbs, skirts and smiles are of
the same length, they kick the same height at
| the same instant and show to the fractional
part of an inch the same section of colored
hosiery. Their voices melt into one, and
whatever clubInan pays one court must also
| love the other with the same degree of warmth
or he II miss his train. They wear black satin
gowns and huge black Greenaway hats Under
the black satin everything is yellow,
yellow, yellow . yellow shoes. yellow
stockings, yellow skirts, yellow underwear. Two
yellow legs flash into the air at the same in
slant. first in front. then at the back. then to
the right and then to the left, while clouds Of
yellow drapery cling to them. and above and
investing all the black gowns like the inky
| vestments OF n danse macabre. hold you SPELL
| bound. In word, when these sisters arrive
| We shall have two mouths with but a single
beer and four legs with but single kick
| GETTING HER FACE READY
Now comes the time when the fair actress be-
gins to put all sorts of things on her face, and
sleep with all sorts Of things over her hands
and add to her prayer at night, "Oh, Lord,
please take off the tam" She never meant to
allow herself to get brown. She started the
summer outing time wearing wells and gloves.
but partly because she read OF Rose Coghlan hav-
ng "bronZed cheeks and well-tanned hands
she went in for it herself and now the
season is upon her and her face won't match
her neck and her arms make her hands look
| Sights" She spends hours rubbing her
cheeks with q cue lumber pea!ed and cut conn