Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-25
Personal GOssip.

Minna Gale, who has been indulging in
matrimony and a long vacation, begins an
expeI mental season in the legitimate this
week in New York. She will be managed by
Abbey Schoeffel and Grau, and we shall see
what enterprisng business manage
able actress. 1t is understood that
the question of her remaining upon
the stage depends upon her success now.
Her husband, who is wealthy insurance
man, is willing to risk enough money to give
her a good opportunity, and If the returns
are not salts .actOry she will retire from the
stage. She will play Romeo and Juliet"
ana other classics in which she has starred
before / still think she is the greatest
Shakespearean actress in the heavier roles
America has to-day.
Talking OF Shakespearesn actresses, Julia
Marlowe Is finding taVor wherever she gUes.
The San Francisco papers, 1 see, have
accepted her as the most promising OF the
grand condolences and she bids iair to
blossom into a most delightful interpreter
OF Shakespeare.
Nj. Willard said to me a few weeks ago,
after the performance of "a FOOLS Para
disc" something from which inferred that
he cared less for triumphs as a comedian
than as a serious actor But it looks as il
his greatest success in America Will prove
to be his assumption OF a comedy role in
"The Professors Love Story" whicn is al
most a Iarce. The versatility OF this actor
| is really wonderfuland the more so when
| the tendency of the age is to confine a man
| to one department OF the stage anu often 10
| one line of characters in thai department
! Wilson Barrett has been criticised tor
| some remarks he made recently about
| Americas actors. He explains away all o.
tense i'll a letter to the New York Herald, in
| the course OF which he says: 81 admire
American acting immensely: in number
| your comedians and charac. eractors lar ex-
ceed ours, although we too have great COM
| edians and character actors. But here in
America the general trend OF your theatri-
| cAi entertainments is so strong toward COM
| edy and eccentric character acting, that
your coined ans have more opportunity for
| qualifying themselves in that direction than
ours have, but, until the last few years, we
| have paid much more attention to tragedy
and the poetical and romantic drama than
you, and, as natural consequence,
| l think we have more actors OF this
class than you have" 1 think most
| OF US will admit, as did Louis James, Fred
| Warde and James O'Neill in Pittsburg re-
Gently when Nj. Barrett said much the same
| thing, that this is a true description OF the
! general condition of American dramatic art
IL is true probably of actors everywhere
| that in response to the popular demand q
large majority of them are following com
| edy, and that romantic and tragic acting il
| steadily declining.
The Yale Glee Club might profitably be
studied by comic opera composers, by the
| men who sing i'll them, and by the managers
| who make money out of such enterprises, ol
| lose money, as the case may be. Probably
| it would be too much to expect the intelli
|
vocal ability pure and simple. in the aver
| age comic opera chorus, which lies behind
/ the excellent effects achieved by the Yale
singers. But great deal could be learned
IN part singing by any fairly intelligent
! chorister from the college clubs. What eX
ecution a chorus recruited from the college
clubs could do in Gilbert and Sullivan't
operas, tor example
The use of emphasis in singing, especially
for comic effect, never heard better dem
onstI ated than in the chorus to Mr.. Swayne's
song at the Yale concert, wherein the result
| o. the Oale-Princeton footDalf match wa;
described in the line: I'VE played, they
| played, but il was FOOTBALL that tOe played.
| Perhaps the Princeton boys when tnev give
US their version OF the battle their con
cert on Tuesday, January 3, will be able tc
show by vocal emphasis some other feel
! ings.
That n clever writer of novels is n OF neces
! sariy a success as playwright has beer
I once more shown in the first prod .ction a
the New Theater of Art and Letters in New
| YORK.. MARY Maberly," the play in ques
ton, was from the pea of Frederick j. Stim
| son, who as ~. S. OF Dale" has fame enough
as u litterateur. The play was fiat, stale anC
Improbable, though SO good ACTORS inter
preted it.
mir. Dixey is talking about a revival o
"Adonis." 1t does seem pity that afte
achieving lame and fortune in that pc
culiar, but distinctly original and attractive
creation, this clever comedian should have
had such rough butfeting. The theatrica
profession is lrignJtul lottery, the star o
u splendid to-day is too often the sport o
an ugly TO morrow. An amiable and ad
mira bic trait in Mr.. Dixey's makeup is hi
affection Tor his boy, a fine little fellow, VIII,
is always with him when he is not in th
theater. Here's a happy New Year as wei
as merry christmas To you, MI Dixey!
Christmas means extra work, often with
out extra pay to the actur, but there is n,
one on earth who joys the season more o.
celebrates it in kinder fashion than the mel
or women of the stage. They are almost al
OF them generous to a fault, and they know
more about the true meaning of the wort
charity than most of those who eonfount
all stagedom i'll comprehensive curse. No
only are they prone to help each other, bu
where is the charity they have not assiste,
gladly in at the mere asking? If you cam
reach their stockings, let the actors have
full share of your good wishes at this sea
son. HEPBURN JOHNS.