Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-11-06
NOTES OF THE OPERA.
TWO OF sTAUNTON's FAyORITE TROUPES
PRESSED TO THE WALL.

- -
PRESSED TO THE WALL.
Two more opera troupes composed of
performers who have many admirers in
Staunton, went to the wall last week. The
Lizzie Annandale opera troupe was strand
ed in Cincinnati last Sunday. When it was
in StauntOn some weeks ago as the AMMAN
dale-H Hamilton troupe, it gave symptoms OF
being in financial stress. Mr.. Rolleston,
the husband of Miss Annandale, was anx-
ious to borrow money from Manager w.
L. Olivier of the Opera House to take the
troupe away, and Mr.. Hamilton, who was
then with the troupe, left two diamond
rings at the Virginia Hotel to satisfy the
board bill Of the members Of the troupe
there. After the troupe left here however,
it raised money to make the long jump
from Lynchburg to Detroit, and later the
diamond rings were redeemed, from which
it was inferred they had struck good audi
ences somewhere. But it was not so; they
have been playing to bad houses eyer since
they went on the road. MI. Hamilton left
the troupe and f. M. Higbee took his place
as one of the managers and put in $500 cap
ital Broderick, the basso, left and went
to New Y ork on account of his salary get
ting behind. He was only gotten back to
play in Cincinnati last Friday night by
their paying his back salary. In Cincinna-
ii the business was poor and Sunday, Hig-
bee giving up all hope went to Chicago,
leaving the troupe in the lurch and without
money topay their hotel board. The Gin
cilnati Enquirer Of Monday tells the story
thus
The people are all in the city without a
cent, and unless some one comes to their re-
lief their baggage will be held for their board.
Several of the principals are at the Burnet,
notably, Annandale, Miss Cummings. Niche
lena and Broderick. There are three OF four
members of the troupe at the Palace, and
quite a number of the chorus are located at
the cheap hotels on Walnut street.
When told last night that Higbee had skip
ped the town Mr.. Rolleston said: 81 heard
as much. That has
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COMPANY.
| He is not and never has been the manager.
lie put little money into the enterprise and
took him along to help out, but he really
lutely nothing about the business, and was
continually making promises which he could
not fulfill
| MI. Rolleston acknowledged that the COM
pany was in hard lines, but mad nothing to
| say about its future.
| Miss Cummings the leading soprano of the
company is sick in bed with a bad cold. She
| is very much discouraged and distressed over
| the situation of affairs. She talked freely
about the matter.
| 81 don't blame Mr.. Higbee at all,'' she de-
clared with some warmth. tRolleston IS the
one who is responsible. He owes me $780,
and haven't cent to pay my board bill at
! this expensive hotel" Several other men,
| bers of the company who were at her bedside
/ re-echoed her sentiments. She told sad tale
| about the distress to which they had been sub
| jected. Annandale owed Michelena 81, 200,
and no one had been paid cent of salary for
! five weeks. Two of the chorus girls who were
present at the conversation, declared that
I they hadn't one cent and did not know how
| they were going to pay their board. Some of
them talked very bitterly against Annandale,
while one or two took her part, claiming that
she had done all she could to keep out Of the
! diamonds to raise mouey to continue the trip.
1t was said that Broderick. the basso, had
been paid what was due him, that being the
condition under which he returned from New
| York
| MI. Dodd the stage manager of the compa-
| ny, said that it.
WOULD BE REORGANIZED
at once under different management. They
| had found man who would furnish the nee
essary money to start them out again and all
the principals had given their consent to go
out under the new management This was
denied by Miss Cummings. who declared that
| she wanted no more of it, and only wanted to
| get back to New York. There are about thir-
ty people in the company including the cho-
rus, and they are certainly in very distress
ing condition financially. When Higbee left
the Palace he also owed for the bills of Miss
| z. c. Darling and Miss Mackey two men,
bers of the company. About o'clock yester-
day afternoon, he called at the desk and
asked for the account. He did not wait to get
it but promised to call later. That was the
last seen of him. The friends Of Higbee III
this city insist that it is his intention to make
matters all right. He is a we'll known tele-
graph operator and has many friends among
| the craft here.
| ANNANDALE AND HER HUSBAND
Are completely broke and will not be able to
get their people out of town. Miss Cummings
complains bitterly of what she terms the in
science of Rolleston. When she asked him
for money he told her to telegraph to some OF
her rich relatives and get it. When she re
piled that she could not, he told her to gel
away from the city the best way she could
Higbee was relating his troubles to an init
mate friend at Heuck's the other night. He
said that he blamed Annandale for all the
trouble. He wanted to call the troupe the
Columbia Opera Company, but Annandale
would not consent to it, insisting that il
should be called after her. This, in his opin
ion, was a mistake, as the public did not
| know her except as connected with the Alb
bolt Company, and that name would not draw
no matter how good the company might be
prise, and that bad luck seemed to pursue
them everywhere.
The Emma Juch Opera Company is in
straitened circumstances in Indiana. A
bill of sale on all scenery and costumes was
given an Indianapolis attorney to satisfy a
claim upon Manager Chas. E. Locke fol
81 900 and the railroad refused to carry the
concern to Evansville unless paid in adj
vance. The Evansville theatre manager
advanced railroad fares and the singers got
a way.