The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-10

rem, when she has employed her lower reg
lister tones in travestying passion which
for the moment seemed real?
In the same way Charles Godfrey reveals
nashes OF power and subtlety which COM
PEI the thought that had his life been or
dered differently ne might have achieved
equal fame in the higher walks of the dra-
matte art. Although in his decadence,
godfrey IS still the king of music hall
singers. He IS an artist 10 his finger tips:
indeed, there are times when one is tempt
ed 70 apply to him the sacred word genius.
Ills greatest triumphs were IN the days OF
patriotic Jingoism already alluded to, when
his On Guard''-a heroic musical mono
logue. in which he impersonated a British
sentry under FIRE at the Crimea-was the
talk of London.
But that kind of work, coupled with ex-
cesses, is bad for the voice and the constl-
tuition generally, and today Charles God
Trey is sad wreck of his former self.
he still sings in first-class halls at first
class pay. but Godfrey is merely name
TO the new generation, and he can no
longer command the terms that were his
Z. Tor the asking ten years ago. Neverthe-
less, with husky remnant of voice
which rendered his articulation almost
unlnteItiglbie. except in the front of the
house, he last year electrified London with
bacchanalian song which must take
rank with the finest of his creations, and
the melody of which has since become
more popular than any air for years past.
In "Hi-tiddIy-hi-ti-hi-t !" he described
the experience of a man still suffering
from the effects of protracted spree, and
TO whom the events of the previous week
were a grotesque phantasmagoria. The
solemn imbeciiity of his pantomlme and
the startling realism of his hiceoughing
."'sh'cuse me-, eliminating in the mad
dance and the frenZied reinteration of the
meaningless Hi tiddiy- hi-ti-hi-ti-hip'
ranged all the way from the comic to the
terrible, and were calculated TO produce a
more salutary moral effect than the most
powerful and persuasive temperance lee
ture ever delivered.
Among his many past successes "The
Washer King" was probably his best comic
effort, while "Cabby Knows His Fare" al
forded the greatest scope for his dramatic
powers. Godfrey is short and sturdy, in
clined to be stout, yet graceful in his move
ments, and has strong, good-humored
and attractive face.
4 brief reference to even one or two
music hall stars would be incomplete were
no mention made of Bessie Bellwood. Miss
Elizabeth Bellwood-orVicoun Mande-
vile, as she is nicknamed in allusion TO
the friendly interest taken in her by that
delightful scion of nobility who was until
recently Viscount Mandeville--is stout,
strong, sturdy and energetic, with pierre
ing black eyes, a resonant voice, a mus
cular arm, a great fund of humor, a taste
for personalities, a hot temper, wonder
full vocabulary, ready wit and consider
able talent.
She can thrash a cabman, and drink a
bottle of brandy without showing it. In
an interchange of compliments she would
excite the envy of Thames bargee. Hers
is nature of singular frankness, SIM
plicity and directness, withal intense, inn
pulsive and generous. Above all, she
hates shams. She sings topical and comic
songs with an air of defiant recklessness
which carries off illusions that few others
would dare TO make. Her cockney and
coster girl representations are excellent.
and "W'ot Oh 'er, Riahl" may be ranked
among music hall classics. Her peculiari-
ties are so well known that she is in
variably chaffed by the audience-a dis
tinction which she rightly regards in the
light of delicate compliment, to be re-
turned with interest.
Occasionally an exuberant individual in
the audience will make himself offensive
to her. upon which she will mercilessly
annihilate him with stroke of coarse but
bright cockney wit. She is source of
great trouble and anxiety to managers,
owing to her habit of breaking contracts
and disappointing audiences, and she
caused sensation short time ago by GO
ing to Jail for week for contempt of court,
owing to her obstinacy in refusing to pay
a debt of 500, for which judgment had been
obtained against her. Despite her faults
and they are not few-Londoners love and
are proud OF their Bessie
But the bright particular star of the
music hall armament is Albert Chevalier.
He has not yet trodden the variety boards
a year, but he leaped into fame at bound
and now occupies unique position in the
affections OF amusement seekers. Before
his first appearance on the stage of the
Pavilion Chevalier was known in the the
atrical profession as low comedian of
fair promise and writer of comic songs
of such unusual merit that they obtained
little public recognition, but were much
admired as sung by their composer at the
Savage Club and similar Bohemian re-
sorts.
His abandonment of the theater for the
music hall was risky experiment advo-
Gated by some of his friends and deplored
by others. who prophesied that the public
would never understand him or his songs.
But the public, after little gasp of sur
prise, caught on" and is now at a loss
how more fully, freely and loudly to ex-
press its deep and unqualified admiration.
1t was something new. Here was no lion
comique," with his well-known airs, his
threadbare jokes and his stereotyped
antics. 1t was merely a quiet little blue
eyed man, in cloth cap and ''pearlies"
But the little man was a costermonger-
no old gags" and no touch of exaggera-
ton, but a real costermonger! Here was
art brought home TO them in such way
that thew could not fail to accept it. They
did more. They howled with delight.
The little man sang a song the like of
which they had never heard before. The
melody somehow seemed like real music
and there was minor strain running
through it that made it quite pathetic.
The singer seemed TO he unaware of the
presence of an audience. He was serenad-
ing his love--his "'Arriet" His eyes
were fixed upon piece of moulding be-
tween two of the boxes on the o. Z. side of
the house: his legs and feet never moved:
his gestures were rare but spontaneous
and in character: his facial expression evil
denced complete self-forgetfulness. He
was little coster very much in love as he
sang:
You aint forgotten 'ow we drove that daily:
Down TO the Welsh ARP, in me donkey shay;
Folks with chi-ike shouted, "Aint they
smartl'
You looked queen-me every inch bart
Later, with pardonable pride. he re-
minds her:
Me in my pearlies looked a toff, that day,
Down at the Welsh Arp, witch is 'Endon way.
Then:
oh, 'Arriet, I'm wa-itin'-wa-itin' for you
you, my dear
Was full of romantic intensity. Then
came the soulful declaration:
Wen that moon shall cease to shoine,
Fawse viii be this cart Of moline.
I II bound TO go on loviu' yer
My dear
D'y'ear2
And then the confidential coster's whis-
tie. full Of strange significance. It was
absolutely startling Mhiterhannl and