The record-union., 1896-05-24
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is one of the numerous ln1IdlloiS VI
Wagner which are becoming t1resofne.
These imitators should study the WORKS
of Paderewski and MacDowell. which
show that one can be quite mouern
without copying Wagner.
Duncan B. Harrison, the manager OF
A Midnight Bell Company, tells the
following story of Colonel Edwin B.
Hay of Washington, to which he was an
eyewitness:
"a great many stories have been &C
credited to Colonel Hay, more or less
authentic. One of the clevereSt repiles,
in my opinion, that he ever made to a
rather personal Interrogation, occurred
during the grand reception accorded hlm
by the Lodge of Portland (Or) Elks on
the occasion of which Colonel Hay was
their esteemed and honored guest, ana
at which the entire population or the
city of Portland turned out to welcome
him in a procession of over 1O,OOO peo-
pie. At subsequent reception in the
Marquam Grand Opera House in the
city of Portland, Colonel Hay occupied
the central figure, receiving and being
introduced to the various guests.
"One of the onlookers on the occasion
was General Mckay, the Past Exalted
Ruler of Portland Lodge. General Nc
Kay is a celebrity in the city of Port
| land being a man of immense stature,
six feet four inches in hight, tremen-
dous frame, and rather celebrated as
wit He is immensely wealthy, and the
largest dealer in lumber in the Puget
Sound country. On account of his
enormous size, General Mckay is
termed Babe Mckay by his intimates.
General Mckay is also celebrated for
the quantity of liquor which he con-
sumes daily, and in consequence thereof
has very flushed face.
Colonel Hay, who never drinks any
| intoXicants, is also blessed with a very
rubicund visage. The Babe observ-
ing the natural flush of Colonel Hays
face, remarked to one of his friends:
The Grand Exalted Ruler, I guess, can
| punish as much rum as I do To which
| his friend replied, informing him that
| Colonel Hay never drank anything.
This information was repudiated by
| Babe Mckay, who finally determined
| to interrogate the Colonel on the sub
! ject, and approaching him, said: Colo
mel Hay, it has just been announced to
me that you never drink anything. Now,
| as L drink anything and everything
that comes my way, and my face is al
/ ways like boiled beet, I should like to
know how it comes that you, who never
| drink anything, have a face about the
same color?'
| Colonel Hay replied: Brother Nc
Kay, the reason is I blush for you"
American comic opera, says the Wash
| ington POST seems to be on trial if
not finally weighed in the balance and
| found wanting. Emphasis is laid on
! the word American because it differs en-
tirely from the opera comique of France
and Italy, or the roast beef and plum
pudding operetta of old England Ac-
cordng to the concensus of critical opin-
| ion, our so-called comic opera has de-
generated into nothing more than op-
cratic burlesque at the best, and usually
1t is only vaudeville performance
strung together on a thread of a plot
| and divided into three acts. Frank
| Daniels, however, takes exception to the
| Boston classification Of his piece, "The
! Wizard of the Nile" in this category.
| but his reasons will scarcely stand the
test Daniels is essentially a burlesquer,
but he is a good one, and, therefore, as
long as he pleases the public, has moth
ing to be ashamed of
The question under consideration is
! comic opera per Sc, and beyond the pro-
ductions of De Koven and Smith,
STANCE and Edwards, and one or two
others, 1t cannot be said to exist in this
country. THE Isle of Champagne" one
of the best of its class, produced in re-
cent years, was essentially operate bur
lesque, and only differing in standard,
not in style from Excelsior, Jr," and
| others of that ilk. Meanwhile Robin
Hood" Rob Roy" Madeline" and
such weakly attempts as princess Bon
ME-" remain as the principal examples
of comic opera pure and simple on the
American stage. All the rest require
| the assistance of speciality performers
to carry them.
Again the Bostonians, Camille d'Ar-
ville's and c. F. Whitney's companies
are the principal organizations on the
road playing pure comic opera. De Wolf
Hopper. Francis Wilson, Della Fox,
end Frank Daniels travel on their per-
Sonal popularity rather than any partic-
ular operate vehicle, while the reper-
|
woods. From the back country dis
tricts come periodic reports Of the or
ganization Of comic opera snaps, usually
| followed a week or so later by the an
nouncement that they have been
stranded far from home.
Meanwhile the opera singers who are
worth anything are taking to the vau-
| deville or straight comedy stage Proc
tor, Keith and Hammerstein have
prima donnas galore and operatic ten
| ors to spare. Lily Post, Catherine
Lewis, Marion Manola and John Ma
son, Herbert Holcomb and a host OF
| others more or less well known in
opera have taken to vaudeville, as
| being less laboriOus and more profta-
BILE. Perhaps the only real repertoire
company in the country which has
scored big success in light opera this
season has been the Castle Square
| Stock Company of Boston.
Thomas @. Seabrooke put two sue
! cessful and one fairly good season OF
| lyric endeavor behind him in order to
return to straight comedy and a chance
Of making interest at least on his in
vestment, while Digby Bell is the latest
notable example of a reformed comic
opera comedian.
The late John Stetson in the Bruins
wick Hotel cafe (New York; one night
met Mr.. Abbey, Mr.. Gilmore, Mr.. Hav-
erly and other New York theater di-
rectors. Just then Niblo's was called
Haverly's Niblo's Garden, although
Mr.. Gilmore, il was well known, was
the moneyed man of the concern. The
gentlemen forming the Brunswick par
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