Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-10-29
WANTED TWENTY POUNDS
For interviewing the coptesse do srsmons-
london's Thsatfes.

LONDON, Oct. 2S.-After q period Oh
wintry weather, London has recently been
ENJOYING a few spring-like days. This
coupled with the fact that people are
nearly all back from the country, has
served to crowd the leading theaters. AT
the Criterion, for instance, it has been I'M
possible to buy seats, except in advance
and the same may be said OF the COMEDY
theater, the Adelphi theater and lew
others. On the other hand, the continued
crusade against granting drinking au-
ditorium" license to the Empire theater
has served to draw the biggest crowds to
that place of entertainment ever gathered
in a theater.
The principal dramatic event OF the
week was Saturday nights premiere OF
"His Excellency" at the Lyric theater,
and it may be added that w. S. Gilbert
has provided plenty of stimulating adver-
tisement for this comic opera which he
has written in conjunction with DIR. Os-
man Carr.
The week opened with Mr.. Gilbert send
ing to the press letter stating that GER
tain Comtesse de Fremont had applied to
-
St. Pauls. He added that he was I'm
willing to put himself at the mercy Of
good taste and discretion of this lady, who
is known to me by repute," and 1 replied
that "My terms for an interview are 20
gulneas."
The comtes5e treating this letter as
specimen of Gilbertian humor, replied:
81 anticipate the pleasure Of
Writing Your Obituary For Nothing"
1t is understood that the Comics Sc de
Fremont halls from Cincinnati, and she
doubtless has good Ohio blood in her
veins, for she has determined apparently
to give Mr. Gilbert a fight in return for
his letter as she has placed it in the hands
of her solicitors with the result, possibly,
that there will soon be plenty of law court
fun to be described.
Mr.. Gilbers's demanding money for an
interview Is not an uncommon thing in
London, where several members Of parlia-
ment, politicians, stock brokers, literati
and others have made themselves motor
ious by their demands for cash in return
for an expression of their opinion upon
various subjects.
The De Fremont incident had hardly
settled before Messrs. Gilbert and Ed
wardes made an application for an in
junction to restrain The Star from con-
tinuing to publish an account of the plot
of His Excellency" which, it appears,
had been given to the newspaper men
toned by an employee of the Lyric theater.
The ground upon which this application
was made was that the publication of the
of the details of the opera would injure
its copyright in the United States. The
court of chancery granted an ad interim
injunction.
The production of "His Excellency" has
been awaited with considerable interest
upon the part of those who are DESTROYS of
knowing how w. S. Gilbert and DR.. Os-
man Carr will work IN double harness.
No one maintains that either Sir Arthur
Sullivan or Mr.. Gilbert has prospered the
atrically, since they agreed to disagree, as
we'll as they did while they were partners.
1t is
A Historical Fact,
however, that their quarrel fixes the date
of the unquestioned decadence of the
Savoy theater and perhaps the production
of ''EIis Excellency" may be Immediately
precedent to reconciliation between Gil
bert and Sullivan. Below the surface
there is much moving in this direction.
The next promised musical prodigy is q
tin worker, John Williams, who has been
discovered by Patti. and who will be
brought out by her at the diva's Novem-
Der concert in Albert hall. Patti says
Williams has a wonderful voice.
When the Queen of the Brilliants'' is
seen at Abbey's Theatcr, New York, il
will practically be a new piece as far as the
lbretto is concerned, and there will be
some new numbers by Jacobowski. When
Mr. Abbey found upon presentation of the
piece here that the book was practically a
fat failure, he commissioned II. j. w.
Dam to rcwrite it.
Mrs. Langtry and her company left fol
New York Saturday, on board the Amer-
cen line steamship Paris. Among the
members of this company are Misses Beat
rice Selwyn, LeClercq and Hall, and
Messrs. w. r. Lowell, Frank Fenton, Ivan
Watson, Oscar Adye, Williamson and
Weatherby. During her American toul
Mrs. Langtry will rely upon society plays
at first, and Sh akcspearean productions.
She hopes to open in New York if it is
possible to get theater there; but her
program is unsettled.
Swindled Pythian Lodges.