The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-14
"oN THE BowERY."

Hand me the collection OF "Hully
Gee's!" and the choice lot OF tobacco
wads that gathered at the Fourteenth
Street Theatre last night. for l would
be king OF the toughE, mother, / would
be king OF the toughs. Steve Brodie
was the star. and "On the Bowery"
was the more or less play. and the
atmosphere OF both star and play was
deliCiOuslY. rapturously tough oh !!
that lad left my coat at home and
sat there in my pure white shlrt-sleeves.
oh! that l could have enjoyed a tobacco
chewing revel. As II was, I had "a feel
ing at first OF being out OF 1t. though
before the evening was over | had
mastered the art OF crying "IIully geer
with the rasping vehemcnce OF sincerity.
Avaunt. Mime. Janauschek and ye
writer's Of grievance letters, who pro
test against the invasion Of the stage by
Steve Brodie ana his ilk. BY protesting
too much. me friends, you arouse the
sympathies OF many for the invaders.
You don't want to do that. Give them
their Innings They won't hurt you.
They can't act and the don't try to do
so. All they want is a chance to pose
as freaks in theatrical setting "a
shade higher, perhaps, than Jo-Jo. the
dog faced boy. or the fat yet three
legged girl. To be sure you can see
these last attractions for very little
money, but you don't care about lucre
For, listen to this Cand permit me to
say "Hully gee" in brackets, the crazy
folks who are silly enough to pay n
dollar or fifty cents to see Mr.. Brodie
at the Fourteenth Street Theatre could
have had the privilege for five cents
on the Bowery n few weeks ago. The
five cents, besides admitting one to a
glance at Mr.. Brodie, included n glass
of froth, yclept beer, and a free lunch
Yet Mr.. Brodies saloon, l believe, has
never been uncomfortnbly mobbed
Folks wait until he becomes col
league of Henry Irving and Sarah Bern
hardt-to say nothing of James j. Cor
bett and John Lawrence Sullivan--be-
fore they feel that they must see him
or die. DO you wonder, me friends
that there are speculative managers
ready to star Anything, when theatri-
cal frame is all that Is necessary to
pinnacle the most preposterous un-
worthiness. It's all your fault, hully
gee!-and not the fault of the man
ayers
DO not let us fret at Steve. however
Those who see him will never fret
again. That shining, polished face,
that blue-black chin, those piercing
eyes, that remind one so tenderly of
the plums In a cake-it IL impossible to
forget them. Mr.. Brodie does not act.
He simply stands behind the bar, his
| own coy, unique. admirable, fin de
steele rdge-iumping and money-win-
ming self. To see him is not to hate
him. How many OF our leading men
could tend n bar as Brodie does? How
many. l say. could do 1t with such
Duse-like ease? Could John Drew, or
Herbert Kelley, or Il. II. Sothcrh, or
Henry Miller succeed? l think, me
friends. that you will all agree with
me, and answer no-three times no.
Pardon me for forgetting con tho
Bowery." On second consideration, doa't
pardon me. simply rejoice, for 1t IL
worthy of sweet forgetfulness. All that
can remember. a few hours after hav-
| ing seen II, Is the fat, fat villain. who
rolled on the stage like a balloon, and
did ineffably villainous things, beginning
| with the robbery of safe, and then
planning the death Of n most estimable
young feminine person. The second act,
however is the best, for that gives you
the feeling OF toughness. of hully-gec-
ism, OF shlrt-sleeved luxury, and OF
tobacco chewing comfort. The odor of
decayed sawdust tickles your olfactory
nerves. and you experience the exquisite
freedom of the Shmmy one, to cry out
in glad heart stirring tones: "Oh, come
where the booze Is cheaper" l have
rarely felt so kecnly joyous. Nothing
shall induce me to repine at the Four
! teenth Street Theatre attraction. 1t
fires my ambition, 1t makes another
man OF me, for / would he king of the
toughs. mother, l would be king OF the
toughs. ALAN DALE.