The Washington times., 1894-06-24
Gallery, PHI
and Greenr00nn.

excellent an organization ne mad until SeVert
weeks of the season were over l believe tn
reason of this good work was almost entirel
Y due to the stock company idea. which tn
, members all had firmly liked in their mind
and which they apparently liked. The ide
0 of the stock company is that every membe
shall play first and most toward the making
OF a perfect whole production. and. seconds
rily of course toward making his own par
ticular part a hit.
= 1t was in this way that Mr.. Bond and Mr.
Coote and Mr.. Fjndlay and the others woraeC
last year. They pulled together admirably
if YOU will let me use the phrase. Weused tt
. comment on their individual excellencies o
course, and could see them just as surely. bu
3 the thing which induced us to witness thei.
{ productions again and again WIS the perfect
, harmony of the company work Now the pro
ductions this year are good. too. The men,
bers of the organization are all capable peo
pie, and each one makes his part interesting
| and acceptable every week. but we haven't
quite the enthusiasm. nor have there been the
overflowing audiences for the last week or SO
I that there were during the corresponding
part of last season. And the reason unques-
tionabiy seems to AN outsider to be disposi-
tion on the part of some of the members to
| give up the stock company method.
With one exception, perhaps. Mr.. Bond Is
unquestonably the best man in the company.
But Mr.. Bond ought to be satisfied with the
|
! exert his abilities to the advancement OF his
company. There is strong room for suspicion
however. that he wishes to play star part
now because lie IS to do so in a company next
year or the year after There are others of
the organization who. either for the same
reason or because they don't like Mr. Bonds
methods. are playing at cross purposes too.
Mr.. Coote seems to be an exception. His
admirable werll is always harmonious. and
always adds 10 the general impression as
we'll rs TO the impression OF his own clever
ness. | was in 10 sre him yesterday alter
noon while he made up for his well-conreiyed
and exceptionally funny part in Uncle" l
spoke of this slight disappointment TINT the
| company is giving. and, in order 10 make
him feei good. of course. commented on his
own apparent lack OF desire TO star 10 the
! disadvantage of anyone else.
"Oh. throw my work in with that Of the
! boys" be acquiesced. Its easicr and pleas
anter The weather is too warm to fight any
! one, especially when intelligent critics. like
Yourself and here ne smiled winninely
| in his appreciate the other thing
more
|
Mr.. Coote told some stories the while he
I put on his background and then painted in
the landscape OF pink cheeks aad black eye
! brows on his face. 1t was warm in his dress
/ ing room. and he hadn't much to speak OF.
except the paint and Il pair OF shoes with
| white spots. He Was smoking one OF Find
/ laws cigarettes
! | asked him principally about himself
Seems strange, dosen't It, in reference to
| his part of Tom Blinker in the 'tProdi:al
| Daughters" ''but played the first cockney
role ever attempted in London. l WAS with
| Wilson Barrett's company then. and the man
| who had been east for the cockney IN the
! Lights OF London was taken sick, or for
...ff, hnl I
it and played that style of thing with him for
seven yeais. | did the first corketi in '''rhe
! Silver King. which means, although Mr..
Coote did not say it, that he created one of
the cleverest character sketches that we have.
am goin, TO tell some of Mr.. Coote's
stories some day. Also when the time comes
| am going to talk about his future engage
ments, which are rosy.
The bill to be given this week. the fifth of
the comedy seas,n. will be iarcical comedy
entitled "A Kiss in the Dark presented Mr.
Coote. Charles Alackay Miss Frances Stevens,
and Miss Agnes Findiay. TO be followed by T.
". Robertson's comedy drama Home" the
characters being taken 10y Frederick Bond,
Charles Mackay. John Find,Ry. Joseph Vince
lock. jr-. Miss Alberta Gallatin. Miss Mary
Sanders. and Miss Frances Stevens. The
presentation of Home will serve to carry
out the policy outlined by Managers Rapley
ment offered. as the play. while filed with
funny situation and bright dialogue. is on the
serious plane. and will call for able dramatic
WORK at the hands Of the company.
Another thing that Home will do is allow
the company TO work together If they wish TO
and have the best production this year.
Miss Stevens takes pari in both bills She
is Il bright and Il pretty little woman and
deserves prominent roles.
Smith met Fitzhogan. who PLAYS in THE
Bunch Of Blbies." Fiuhogan looked rather
blue.
Hello. Fi.zey me boy Why so de-
pressedz'
You know Miss Crenshaw, the ailerman's
daughterl''
YES"
I've proposed to her"
''Wrll woa't she have you?''
''Sh- loves me- but she says her father vii!
never cons, ut to her marrying an actor"
Has Inc nothing else against you hut that?''
Nothing
''Then II fix it for you with the old man.
How
''Ill take him to the theater and let him see
you play. '-Texas Si.tiGgs.
lie philosophical DO you approve of
going to the theater.
She practical j. Oh thank you; any night
you like. Boston Home Journal.
At the recent banquet OF the General The |
atrical Fund in London NJ. Irving snid
in some quarters lately have noticed so |
much despondenry about the stage aud all its |
works that ii were a man OF naturally |
gloomy east of MIND | should appeal TO you /
on behalf OF the theatrical fund on the ground /
that we shall all OF us be quartered on il be- /
lore long. am not sure that, in the interest
of the fund. j. would not be an astutc stroke
of policy 10 draw an awful picture OF the
drama. left. like Mrs. Gummiige. n lone-lorn
crittur. and bound to go up TO the house.
II have accurately understood II recent
expression OF opinion the LuEdon managers
or most OF them. inaint:iin precarous exist
ence for the yreater part of the year. aud we
are only comiorted by the arrival of Holy
Week. when shutting their tbeaters assumes
the misleading aspect of religious rite.
Well. gentlemen. ii this be so. il is quite clear
that we cannot live much longer on that
aspect. We may be compelled to betake our
selves to some other procession.
OF course. Mr.. Irviny's remarks were
humorous He was not playing the specier
at the banquet But Mr. Clement Scott
lesson to young actors and actresses advis-
ing them to lee forebanded. for the star of
to-day may be begcar tomorrow.
There is ii very serious side to this question
too. Statistics about the theater-yon:. public
are always hard to get. People talk slibly
about the public taste. but what is the public?
Where is it! In this country there has never
been an attempt to learn who support the
theaters. The Westminster Gazette has been
making, some shrewl guesses about the Eng
lish theater going public and trying 10 show
why the high-priced theaters do not pay as
well as they ought while the music halls
thrive. twenty years ago 5000 persons de-
pended for support on the theatrical calling.
Now the theatrical profession, SO called. num-
bers 1000 persons.