The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-24

agreement also contenplstes The produc-
tion In London by Messrs. Edwardss and
Frohman of American successes.
80
At one New YORK theater q French
singer delivers songs illustrated with
movements OF the BODY and limbs and
leering looks from the eyes that make
their meaning as plain as IL the ballads
were In the verpacular, and, not content
with this she is rapidly learning English,
in order that our audiences may under
stand her words az easily as they compre-
bend her gestures. At another theater
young. woman who has failed In ell the
enterprises OF honest theatric effort now
earns fame and fortune by stripping her,
self publicly. At third house i've girls,
none Of them much beyond childhood,
give a wholly indecent exhibition and
supplement II by singing doggerel
rhymes whose argument Is shameless.
These performers, having no dramatic or
lyric talent, and relying entirely on their
ability to tempt the lowest appetites,
draw large audiences to the theaters and
are tacitly approved In their open sensu-
ality by the newspapers that publish ex-
tended comment on their exhibitions.
-.
Manager Abbey had q fatalistic belief
thing that he attempted. AT one time he
undertook TO establish a comedy COM
pany in Palmer's to eclipse the prestige
CT Daly's. He paid enormous salaries and
engaged the lest comedians available.
Everyone except Abbey knew that failure
waited on the enterprise. But II was not
until he had sunk an argosy that he final
ly abandoned a field for which hs was
fitted by neither taste nor training. He
spent ftr.une on Mrs. Langtry, another
on Mrs. Potter, and another on Frencn
actors, confident in each instance that
he could carry these periormersinto the
applause of the people, as he bad carried
Bernhard and Irving. The Coqulein-Had-
ing engagement was unsuccessful, the
Rejane engagement was un successful, and
S40, coo were lost in the Mounet-Sully en-
gagement. The German Opera season at
the Metropolitan was a expensive ven-
ture. There was something magnificent
about Abbey. He paid unheard OF sails
ries. He assent bled famous artists to-
gether in one organization. wholly re-
gardless of expense. Nothing was to
too complete for an enterprise bearing
his name. He spent $4,000 in produc-
ing "Antony and Cleopatra" for Mrs.
Potter and Kyrl Bellew. He formulated
a plan to give comic opera on scale COM
mensurate with his productions OF grand
opera. He paid $500 a week to Lillian
Russell and engaged the Lyceum
Theater, London, for her debut. There
was the little rift within the Lutte that by
and by made all its music mute. and,
ever widening, slowly silenced all. In
his production of "The Queen of Bril-
liants," Abbey lost $50, 600, ana il was
said that between this opera and "The
Tzigane" the Lillian Russell company
cost him s1to,000. The figures are inored-
ible. But even, if the venture was only
half so expensive as IL was stated to be,
there is no doubt that this specu-
lation was the one blow from which
our impresario could not recover. 1t was
the beginning OF the end. However, 1t
came about, Lillian Russell not only
toppled over the proud structure OF the
Metropolitan Opera Company, but
brought its manager to irretrievablo dis
aster. With the failure Of that enterprise
Abbey was changed man. His head,
once held erect. began to drop, his face
became pale and pinched, his step lost its
elasticity, his eyes lost their luster. He
went to Bermuda to restore his health,
returned apparently well, but drooped
again. Last winter he walked slowly
through the Metropolitan lobbies, a sick
man, almost a dead man. With his
health he could have recovered his estate;
without il he wandered into sbadowland.