The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-11-13
THE VARIETY STAGE.
A New Phase of the Businesh-statfstIcl
of Appreciation.

NEW YORK, Nov. Livery night
from 10 O'Clock until few minutes be-
fore midnight score or more Of Eva
riety people, as vaudeville artists are
called, do their turns before an au-
dience composed exclusively of mem
bers of the Manhattan Athletic club and
their invited guests. They come from
other theaters, where they are tempo
rarily employed, and these club perform
ances mean extra work and extra pay.
It is an English idea, this thing Of
actors and actresses giving two and
sometimes three performances the same
night on different stages. The London
music halls originated the plan, and it
works admirably both for the audiences
and the players. The scheme has be-
come remarkably popular in New York.
as it enables the managers to give very
much better performances than they
otherwise would be able to do with the
money that they have at their disposal.
81 heard that this was the worst
house to play to in the country, but it
isn't That is what the banjo vir-
tuoso' said to me last night while he
was waiting for his time behind the
scenes. And what he said was interest
tistics of appreciation as measured by
popular applause have not been written.
81 had a splendid reception the first
night I was here he continued.
''There were about $50 men in the
house, and is of them applauded. If
there had been a mixed audience of
1900 persons there, do you think that
$50 would have applauded? There
wou1dn It have been SO. One in so is
remarkable average. 1t is nearer in
100, as a rule.
sit makes a wonderful difference
whether you get a hand or not when
you are doing your turn. 1t pays q man
to study his houses so that he will know
how to take them. Now, the freshest
houses in the world are in the roof gar
dens in the summer. It's the same in
the west and east as it is here You see,
people go up there to drink and smoke
and listen. They don't go to applaud,
and it takes a ruling favorite TO get
hand. Last summer on the Madison
Square roof there was packed house
one night. Every chair was taken. One
Of the artists was a comedian who was
filing another mans turn. He had new
er worked on a roof before. He was one
Of the Two Johns, think. He had
very catchy act, and he was proud Of it.
"'I'll warm 'em up, he said before
he went on. III bring down the house
I always do
'tThe rest of us smiled, but We said
nothing. Presently he went on with
slambang rush and a yell, and he was
funny for sure. The act caught On, too,
but there wasn't more than ripple Of
applause It couldn't be heard back of
the stage. The big fellow got through
his act somehow and staggered back Of
the scenes with the white showing
through the paint on his face, he was
that taken back. After he had rested a
few minutes the stage manager told
him to go out for an encore.
"'But there amt no encore, be gasp
ed.
eco on. You've made big hit.
You didn't see any of them get up and
go out, did you? tell you, you've hit
'em hard. Go on and do it again.
eff man doesn t know his house, he
is going to get awfully fooled. It's the
same way with ladies' days at clubs.
You see, the ladies all wear gloves and
they can't applaud, and SO man thinks
AS SONl4bS A1OSU M4lCA liz IJ0J 10
making the greatest hit of his life. -
And this brings up another interest
| ing fact regarding variety people.
| Three of the young women who appear
| ed last evening We're accompanied by
! their mothers. By a singular coinci-
| dence the mother of the young woman
who sang the catchiest song Of ala
merry ditty depicting her love fer a
small hot bird and a small cold bottle
! after the show-had the biggest mother
Of the lot. She was tall, handsome
woman of the New England type, and
| heard her tell another parent that she
had never missed a night taking her
daughter to and from the theater since
she had been in the business and that
was going on four years.
Even the very pretty girl with real
| golden curls who frolicked so friskily
around her partner-a tall man made
up like an old darky 1namrny-was pro-
tected better, if possible, than the 9TH
ers from all the temptations which
story writers are pleased to throw
around the lives Of players. The old
darby is her father. and very able
bodied, athletic, feet father he is,
with a muscular development which
would excite the envy of most of the
gymnasium classes in the club.
you see," says another variety art
list, 81 have been working this lire of
business for 16 years, and tell you
that it is the light stuff that takes Ny
song, "A Boys Best Friend Is His
Mother, knocks 'em silly don care
where I sing it. -
81 have always been in straight opera
until this year." rejoins the other.
tThis is my first variety business -
Drop your opera, old man, and
you'll be all right. There amt nothing
in it. Now get 500 week singing