Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-02-06

| he quit acting in the
middle of season that had been enormously
profitable last winter, but for the singular nature
of the proposition Madam De Barrios lives il
a big and gorgeous 5th avenue mansion. She
determined upon giving two entertainments
that should, for costliness. novelty and intrinsic
worth eclipse all former effulgence in that E2e.
Now, that was an ambitious undertaking, for
respondent and magnificent indeed had been
some OF the social occasions at the houses of
the Astors. Varrlerbilts and others Of our
moneyed clique.
THE LADY's PLAN
was to give. in her own private theater, a per-
formance of Faust by members of the Grand
Opera Company now employed at the Metro
politan. and representation of Hamlet"
with Edwin Booth in his most famous charac-
ter She was willing to curtail these represen-
titlons TO one act OF the opera and one of the
tragedy, but these acts were to be given as well
IN every respect of acting. costumes and
scenery as though it happened in a public
theater. Money will work wonders. In this
case it will enable Madam De Barrios to realize
ner scheme 80 far as Faust Is concerned. for
the performance is announced for the last Sat
urday evening in this month under the man
agement OF the redOubtabie Col Mapleson and
with fine cast. 1t is said that the expense in
volved will be not less than $1,000 for the stage
Show. quite aside from the expenses of the re-
prise which contemplated an act of Hamlet"
with Dooth in it, has failed utterly.
A hustllng theatrical agent, who had been
connected at one time in business wav with
Mr.; Booth, was employed as the negotiator to
make the proposition. Mr.. Booth lives nova
| days in the upper half of the Players Club and
| Is great zeal OF recluse, meeting only few
| intimate friends. and even with them MAIN
tanning more than his former habitital tacitur-
| nlty. MIR. Booth is a man OF few words After
| listening the cautinusly W Ial off Of
engagement to play one night before a small
audlence or society people, III a private the
alter. he stopped the speaker short at the point
where the question OF remuneration was going
| to be raised.
There is no use mentioning figures" he in
terrupted. That house wouldn't sell for
enough money to hire me to act in it,
BOOTHS INTERESTING VISIT.
The other thing that Mr. Booth did was to
go down to the Grand Central upon reading of
the sudden closure of that biggest hotel in New
! ok, to look over the spot where he had made
| his first great success i'll Hamlet" 1t was
| OILY by careful survey of the property in its
present condition, aided by his own recoilec-
| tons, that he could locate the long-Gestroyed
| stage. The memories awakened in the trace
| dian mind can only be guessed at for lie did
not give voice to them. and it is doubtful if.
even to Brander Matthews and Laurence Hut
| ton, ms companions, he talked very freely on
Club. When the almost forgotten Lefarye Ho-
| TEL afterWard enlarged into the Grand Central
| provided a frontage and entrance for the Win
| ter Garden. that theater was under the
management OF William Stuart, a bril-
| liant and versatile man, who died a few wears
ago IL AFFECT poverty. Stuart had been a dra-
| matte writer for the Herald, and thus a studious
observer OF the actors of the day. He thought
that he discovered in young Edwin Booth, who
had not yet distinguished himself possibility
IN h.ae L
engagement as a star and introduced him as
| such In Hamlet at the Winter Garden The
success oil Booth was immediate and from that
time forward-or at least after the death of
orrest-he was without rivalry as the repre-
sentative American tragedan. The Winter
Garden was subsequently burned and its site
was then given over to hotel purposes.
THE OLD PARK THEATER
William Stuart made a considerable fortune
through his discovery of Booth, but he lost it
| In later theatrical ventures, the last of these
being that particular Park Theater which
stood at broadway and 22d street and which
was burned an hour before Lille Langtry was
| TO have made her American debut in it, The
| LanStry venture nigh. have raised his for
| tunes, which had fallen very low An inci.
dent comically illustrating the utter disregard
or New Workers for a show that they don't care
| about happened only week or two before this
nfe. Inc current performances at the Park
|
| morning the manager found that the
previous evenings receipts had been S13
| In grim and desperate humor he had a
Placard lettered Tickets for this evening
gwen away free of charge at the box Office
| He made wager with casual caller the
stake being good dinner at Dclmouico's tina.
| In one hour after this offer was posted not a
person would take advantage Of it, He won
| the bet Perhaps the passers-by thought it
was Il joke, or regarded it as an enigma which
tn snlx l,,t,
that no inquiry was made at the box Office
window.
ABOUT BOOTH.
Ere this Booth had lost all his fortune and
| sunk himself heavily into debt by building
handsomely and managing literally Booths
| lhcater, another paSt-and-gone play house.
| Booth present health is bad. That is undis-
| puted. The nature of his malady is not so
clear, but 1t does not permit him to think Of a
| return TO the stage. Upon his retirement. Just
| about year ago, he said in few words of
\ farewell in Brook YIN theater that he hoped to
| be rccuperated by summer of rest and that
| he meant to face the footights again in the
autumn. But he could not do SO. everybody
| knows. and he has made no preparations to re-
| commence again next season. That we have
said farewell to our great tragedian is all but a
certainty.
| THE ACTOR JONAH.
II make VOW now and for all time" said
john Stetson, the theatrical manager. a few
days ago, that 1 will never again hire that
actor or engage any company with which he is
associated. Hos a Jonah-a dead sure hoodoo
| and he queers me every time zee him ~ Mr.
Stetson has only one good eye, but half q sight
OF any disliked object is enough for him He
| IS superstitious in the extreme Every theatre
cal manager is. for that matter. There are
Thirteen Clubs all over the country. but no
theatrical manager dares to Join them. II
| would be tempting a fato that bears especially
hard upon the theatrical fraternity, with which
that dread thing tine hoodoo, is now more
potent than ever before. The highest and the
humblest OF actors, tho handsomest and the
plainest OF actresses, the richest and the
| OF managers, all unite in common cause against
| the hoodoo. When company Is in distress
| and the receipts fall far short of the expendi-
| lures all minds become imbued as did the
sailors with the original Jonah, with the idea
that some one OF the party is the cause Of their
bad luck. There is hoodoo somewhere A
Jonah is aboard their craft and he must be
ousted. But who is he she? 1t cannot be
bad acting or poor management that is the
| cause OF non-success. Oh, no. There's q hoo
doc with them. The past history OF all is can
vassed. At last they find that John Brown.
who is doing" a small part, has been with Sow
eral companies and not one Of them but what
went to pieces. this company is now going.
They don't draw straws, but he is set down in
their minds the Jonah and pressure Is
brought to bear for his dismissal He ia
| fhrn,pp over and hies him elf hact bou,a Tp,o