Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-24
ON AND OFF THE STAGE
Some Interesting Notes on Interest
ing Topics From New York.
A STRANGE COMBINATION.
Booth and Sullivan as q Dramatic Team
How Doubles Can Hoodwink Audie ace, =
The Spanish ID sncing Fad-Antiquit . in
the Ballet Corps.


SfouAe4 NOzEespOnIeuco OF Ihe Evening Star.
NEW YORK, Jan. q.
ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY KNOWN
Oof the current farces in which two gro
tesque comedians coupled in the usual
manner as stars has jlst finished week at a
theater in tho Bowery. One member Of the
duo was i'll in a hospital. but the audiences saw
and heard him in the play notwithstanding his
absence. He had ;or several seasons been a
favorite with them, they had enjoyed his per-
formance before in the same role. and how
could they be mistaken as TO his identity? Yet
they were An imitation actor was the substi-
tute and 50 close was the likeness that nobody
doubted that ii was the original. Clever coun-
terfeits OF that sort are frequently passed upon
theatrical audiences. and perhaps it was these
successes OF mimicry that led manager to
make a queer proposition to Talmage.
I've just had an opportunity to duplicate
myself. said the Brooklyn pulpit orator to
your correspondent "a theatrical manager
thinks he has discovered an actor who can look
and speak precisely as / do. The scheme ia to
have me provide this actor beforehand with
the manuscripts OF Sunday morning sermons
and authorize him to deliver them in charac-
ter simultaneously with my utterance of them
here IN Brooklyn. Nv double would be taken
from city to city. halls hired for his use. adj
mission fees charged and half the proceeds
ONtE " tabernacle building fnn1.
Wasn't that a curious idea! II was almost a
lisy 10 saw no."
1t Is only with stars Of the middlinc or minor
grade that the fooling of audiences bv SUBJ
sutu'es can De accomplished, a rule; vet it
mas often been done In the case Of Nat Good
win, whose conyiyiailty has to be insured
against damage. Last season Charles Coote ap-
peared in the guise Of Goodwin so close to New
York as just across the river in Jersey CITY.
while Goodwin himself was iollv OF the stage
m Z. zra l.,f
rest or lmpeiled by urgent business or merely
Eziness will send a substitute through a week
OF "one-night stands. without the really harm
1sss fraud being detected
THE OLD TUNE ALTERED.
One OF the things that are successfully dis
guised in the theaters is an OLD tune The
greater proportion of the catchy airs are
merely alterations OF former favorites. which.
IL would be supposed, could not SO easily es-
cape recognition Gen sherman il an inve.-
crate attendant at dramatic performances in
this eity, and he has q habit of making CON-
Eents IN a loud tone as the performance goes
on stiiI, deep respect for the old warrior
. MAAes even MS interruptions more interesting
than annoying 10 most people. At musical
comedy the other night an actress sang the
popular ballad Down on the Farm - and she
did It very neatly and sweetly; but all through
II sherman slapped one hand OF his knee in
rythm with the melody. and during the chorus
this demonstration became really noisy while
an audible humming OF the air came to a
climax in an explosive exclamation as the song
stress finished. n
Il thought SO" he said, in voA y audible to
half dozen neighbors. .sThaSX oniy a re-
vamp Of Tramp. Tramp"
So il was, Is the reader may bu emonssrate
By playing one tune after the o,hs on piano.
BOOTHS TAcrTURSIrY.S
A few days before Billy OBrien died crazy
he had the most singular interview with Edwin
Booth imaginable. O'B-ien had been in the
show business in a rough and tumble way II was
he who managed several of the six-day pedes-
TRAN races Of some Of the pugilistic events IN
which Sullivan figured and of other exhibitions
OF muscular achievement. His dementia
developed suddenly, and in the first stages of
the mental disease which 30 speedily killed
him NO peculiarly Of manner or speech was