The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-12-21
THE BARELEGGED DANCERS
Manager Wyatt Insists on Their Caper.
ing Before Cleopatra
The Queen Of Egypt Wants to Leave Them
Out as Too Sensational for
This City

Lillian Lewis and her production of
cleopatra will be seen at the Los Angeles
theatre next week, or will not be seen, and
today will probably decide which it will be.
Miss Lewis has been booked for four
nights and Saturday matinee, commencing
Christmas night, December 25th, and
everything pointed to successful engage
ment, but it is different now.
There are three parties financially inter-
ested in the Cleopatra production: Mr..
Marks, manager of tine company, Mr..
Wyatt, manager of the Los Angeles
theatre, and Mr.. Lawrence Marston, the
husband and representative of Miss Lewis,
and playwright of national reputation, also
the adapter and director of the Lewis
Cleopatra play. Mr. Marston arrived in
the city yesterday and was at once taken
in charge of by Manager Wyatt. 1t has
been more than five years since these gen.
tlemen met and they were naturally glad
to see each other. Mr.. Marston asked for
his mail and then the trouble began.
He received letter from Miss Lewis in
structing him to eliminate the barefoot
ballet from all notices and printing, as she
did not propose to present this sensational
feature further. Mr.. Marston informed
Manager Wyatt of this, and the latter re-
piled that If the barefoot ballet was feat
ure OF Cleopatra, and was presented in
Chicago, Cincinnati, st. Louis, Kansas
City and San Francisco, that he insisted
on having it, and that he knew this to be q
fact, as he had press notices in his posses
sion from the leading papers in each of
the cities named, and in every article spe-
cial mention was given the barefoot ballet,
particularly the beauty and refinement of
it and its great novelty.
Manager Wyatt said, when seen by a
representative of this paper: II don't
want to have any trouble with Miss Lewis
or her manager, but I must insist on my
rights, and this is a case where I will use
force il necessary. l don't understand
Miss Lewis reasons for wanting the bare
foot ballet cut out of the performance, but
I do know this, that Miss Lewis will play
her date here and present the barefoot bal
let, and give the production in it's entirety,
the same as presented in all the large
cities. This is final, and I don't think
there will be any doubt about Miss Lewis
fulfilling her contract to the letter."
Miss Lewis wanted the ballet eliminated.
He said: "You know that Cleopatra is a
difficult character to portray; in fact, the
most difficult character in the whole range
of the drama, and Miss Lewis thinks that
the barefoot ballet, or rather this barefoot
and barelegged dance, has been advertised
so extensively that the people go to the
theater and want to see the dance in the
first act. and as it does not come on until
the third act it makes it very hard for her.
Besides, Miss Lewis thinks the other spec
tacular features are sufficient; for, in Gle
opatra we have in all truth drama, tragedy,
spectacle and opera. Mr.. Marks, the man.
ayr of the company, says that the ballet
draws money. Miss Lewis don't want it,
Manager Wyatt insists on having 1t and
the town is billed and l am in hot water"
DR.. Prices Baking Powder keeps per-
fectlv in anv climate