The herald., 1893-02-26
COMEDIANS PAST AND PRESENT,
An Old PlaygOer's Memories Of
the American Stage.
The Alleged Comic Opera and Its
Attendant Horse.Play.
"Reminiscences of Burton, John Owens
and Charles Burke-Georgs Marsh,
the Lilliputian Liston-Poor
"Little Sue Robinson"


see an actor who belongs to the rigid
school of past generation-a comedian
who can do something else besides "play
horse" on the stage. Such an actor is
the veteran comedian, John Dillon,
whose Model OF Husband has kept the
patrons of the Los Angeles theater in q
roar for the last two nights. There i,
something about him that calls back to
my mind Charles Burke, the half.
brother of Joe Jefferson. Burke never
resorted to any artifce to gain gallery
laugh. William E. Burton, who was
the greatest low comedian of the Amer
ican stage beyond any cavil or doubt,
had different view of the matter, and
being likewise manager, wanted every
laugh and every eixpence that was ia
sight. He used to have the seat of his
trowsers padded without stint, and in
playing John Bull parts, like Toodlee
and Old Rapid, he would gather up his
coattails and go up the stage, exposing
his exaggerated finale to the audience.
Burke never would have done that if he
never got laugh.
x*x
It is in this respect that Dillon recalls
Burke and John Sleeper Clarke. Burke's
best parts were John Strong in Wilful
Murder; Diggory in the Specter Bride
groom and Billy Lackadsy in the Lottery
Ticket, in which l thought him i'm
measurably ahead of Burton. The lat
ter's greatness was never perceptible un-
til he got into some part that required
homely pathos. There are few of the
old guard of theatcr-goers left who recall
the wonderful feeling that he threw into
Captain Cutie when, with choking
throat and apparently streaming eyes,
he declared that "Wally is drownded. "
Sleeper Clarke's drollery found vent in a
higher line of humor. His Major
Wellington De Boots in Every body's
Friend and his Bagshot in A Bull in a
China Shop, will never be forgotten by
those who witnessed those charming
impersonations. The eubdued humor,
the deity handled repartees of those
two parts, required something more
than the mere presence of an actor in
search of gallery laugh.
Nv
Real comedians are scarce, especially
among those who play the parts of al
l use the word ''modern" advisedly, to
tations of our day from the operas of the
French school known as opera comique,
in which are properly to be included
such sparkling gems as Donizetti's File
du Regiment and L'Elisir d. Amore !;
Auber's Crown Diamonds and Flotow'a
Martha, and last, and greatest of them
all, Roesini's Barber OF Seville. was a
boy less than Is years old when first
went to Havana. Every night that l
could raise four bits saw me in the gal
lery of the Tacon theater, listening to
that "bIg four" of half century ago
Grisi, Mario, Collstti and Lablache.
The latter wan az large man in size as
President Cleveland, and in the Suomi
la Tromba duet from Puritani with Col
letti, his immense organ fairly shook
the house. Outside of Patti, Del Puente
and Schalci. there are no such singers
nowadays; and no such comedians in
English as Ronconi and Sanquirico. The
latter was the comedian OF Nine. Gsz-
zaniga's troupe in New York in 1857,
and his Don Pasquale" was one.of the
greatest bits of high comedy acting I
can remember. Then aek man who
has such recollections in his memory to
20 and look at buffoona like Harry
Brown, Louis de Lange or Digby Bell.
Bah!
So was greatly taken with Mr.. Dill
Ions acting, because it was go quiet and
bordered so little on the exaggerative.
The solemn and lugubfioua manner in
which he says to his wife, Madam, you
are talking through your suspenders," ("
brought down the house. 1t 10 seldom
that one sees quieter or more impress
sive actor. The play is crude in some
respects, but the cast was we'll distrib.
uted, and more charming widow than
Mrs. Raymond could not well be imag-
ined. One ceased to wonder at the elder
Weller's caution to Samivel.
x*.
Speaking of comedians, reminds me
to speak of woman OF whom had lost
sight altogether Arnot, of the
Ole Olsen troupe. Thirty years ago she
was the best 'lead" in the world, of her
age. She was the leading actress Of R.
g. Marsh's company of juvenile come
dians, of whom | can now Only recall
George Marsh, Louis Aldrich and poor
Lizzie Ingles, who went through here
with wretched "scratch pack" of barn.
stormers about six weeks ago. The
Marsh children were known in every
CLINE where where the English Ian.
guage was spoken. After delighting
California audiences for year, they
sailed for Hong Kong in 1862, whence
they went to Australia, where they re-
msined, and did great business fol
two years and fairly coined money.
They would have gone from there to
India, but the little folks were home
sick, and wanted to get back to Amer
ica, 30 back they came. A year or two
later they had grown out of all SEM
blance to childhood, and the troupe dis.
persed. George Marsh was a born
actor, creator Of parte. His rendition
of the Seneschal in the Naiad Queen,
upon which W allace founded his opera OF
Lurline, was greatest little part ever
saw. His Toodles was an imitation oi
Burton, who was go much taken with il
that he gave George a gold watch
Louise Arnot is out of her place in the
part she has, although she gets no end
of fun out of it. l should like to see
her as Mrs. Beverly or in that almost
forgotten character, the Widow Del
maine.
x*x
The Last time that I saw her WIS in
Sacramento in burlsfque company
with Lefingwell, who was a greai
mimic, though not great actor, at its
head. The play was travesty upon
Fra Diavolo and the cast was as follows
Fra Diavolo. olo..................M Miss Sue Robinsor
Beppo Observation-Disclosures. Mr. Leffingwell
Zerlina. ..... ............. Miss Lou Arno