The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-03-29

N-L - 49, EAR
The week was quiet one at the Los An
geles theater until his satanic majesty ar
rived on Thursday evening with Faust. In
the production of Goethe's great tragedy
usually there is a danger of the acting been
made subordinate to the spectacular ef-
fects; but while these are finely developed
and their brilliance enhanced by electric
contrivances, the acting OF Morrison's
company is, on the whole. increasing
throughout. The weakness of several OF
the principals lies in their very distressing
ranting. Mr.. Roberts, as Mephisto, pro-
vides, however, an excellent example of
effective elocution.
The Carleton Opera company bade lis
farewell this evening at the Burbank, and
their fortniyht's engagement has proved
popular and pleasing in every way. The
revival of Sir Julius Benedicts Lily OF
Killarney and the production of The
Charity Girls were particularly interesting
features of last weeks performances:
A remarkable variety of vaudeville has
delighted the Orpheum patrons during the
week. the best character singing from
New York, the cleverest horizontal gym
nasts that have been seen here for many a
long day; French dancing of a unique
kind; an inimitable couple of coons, and
the agile Athos family with the little tot
"Tommy," who is really a progidy, have
supplied the pleasantest interest and
amusement.
Large audiences have been nightly listen
Ing to the sweet voice and watching the
natural impersOnation of the Bowery Boy
1T the Orpheum during the last week.
Charley Ward is not only very success-
ful singer and song writer but he is very
ehrewd, energetic and successful man OF
business and is manager of the New York
Music company. In an interesting chat
with him the other day he 6ndeavored to
depict the idea of the true Bowery Boy.
who by the way is to form the central fig
are and supply the title of Wards play,
which is to be produced under W. A.
.Brady's auspices next August in Brooklyn.
s'The Bowery boy may be tough. l admit,
but even If his buds are bit ragged, he is
very particular about his appearance and
he is clean. My idea is to show the better
aide of him; his love for his mother, his
honor of his sweetheart and his faithful
ness to his friends; and in my play, A
Bowery Boy, have tried to trace his evo-
luton and think it is a new and clean
type and none the less true.'' Mr.. Ward
went on to discuss the popular songs of
pointed out that tho best known songs,
those that enjoy popularity at the theaters
and at the beach and are on the tongue or
Hips of every boy. are not written by any
poet of renown or composed by any IA
NOUS musician. With the exception of
Eugene Field and Cy Warman, no we'll
known man of letters has ever con.
descended GU to the public appetite. NO"
said the Bowery Boy, "they come
from one of the crowd: they arc in the
main the product of the people themselves.
The most successful writer of popular
songs is the man who can catch and reflect
the sentiment or the foible of the public.
As for grammar or style, they don't count.
Now, here Is an instance in point. sug-
gested and arranged the New York Worlds
competition of popular songs. The best
known writer's on both sides of the Attain
tic sent their contributions. The winner
proved to be James Thornton, with, 1t
Don't Seem Like the Same Old Smile. OBJ
section in some quarters was taken to the
title, and Not the Same Old Smile was SUBJ
stituted. The amendment in grammar
means loss in the natural sense which
audiences was another point that the au.
thor of The Band Played On spoke of. ut
Just makes all the difference in the world
whether the audience are in sympathy
with tine performer or the performer has
to get in sympathy with the audience.
What mean is this: If l know there is a
tough element in the gallery-and know
- It before am half way across the stage
perforce must to certain extent bring
myself down to their level, and my Bow.
cry boy becomes tough, the relic of the
red shirt and the wat tells; but
my chief object is to develop the fineness
of the blending of the pathos and the
humor of hisscharacter." In reference to
the theft or at all events the palpable
plagiarism of the work of two local men,
by which the humble Dora Dean was trans.
formed to the popular Ma Angelina, Ward
explained how exceedingly difficult it is to
preserve a composers right. 'You can
not even copyright a title. | can copy
right The Bowery Boy, by Charles B.
Ward but that doesn't stop a hundred
other Bowery Boys by other authors. AS
far as the music is concerned, the com
poser is only protected to the limit of four
bars. That Is to say. man may steal
three bars and half wita impunity." The
Bowery Boy gave an Interesting account of
the upheaval in New York newspaper cir
cles that the coups of w. r. Hearst, whom
he regards as the Napoleon of modern jour-
,nalism, occasioned. Ward sings here for
another week and then goes straight back
10 New York, sailing for England to fulfill
IN engagement at the Alhambra in Lon
y don next June.
The success of Charles H. Hoyt as a
writer of stage pieces of a certain order, is
one of the phenomena of the hour. Hoyt
picked up his characters in the streets. in
everyday life of everyday men and, occa-
sionally, women. 1t is obvious to the close
observer of theatricals that Americans are
tired of seeing peasants celebrating the
coming Of age of the heir to lordly estate
ered of men III green small clothes
and scarlet waistcoats, and sick
Of the baron who fiirts with the song-and-
dance waiting maid, and of all kinds of
foreign ladies who die to slow music.
These conventionalities served their pur-
pose for time when the traditions of the
old world exerted an influence on the ma
Ition; but Americans began to look for men
and women on the stage with whom they
could boast nodding acquaintance. They
wanted to hear something they could really
understand. The American playwright
plucked up the heart of grace and tried a
few Yankee heiresses, and a New York
comedy or two came into being. Still, the
body of theatergoers looked and longed,
and one day, so to say, there came into
view new kind of playa queer tumble
Of commonplace situations and unmistak-
ably funny incidents-plays with conun-
drums hidden in the lines. Everybody
knew Grimesey; the bounding gas-meter
and the bursting water pipe appealed to
overy householder, and the author, Charles
lHoyt, became famous in day. His A Trip
TO Chinatown has the proud distinction of
holding the record for the longest run in
the history of the stage-7OO times at
Madison Square theater.
His latest work bears the unique title,
a Milk White Flag, which is satire on
IOur national guard. 1t is, by far, the most
lpretentious effort of this clever playwright.
Vine COmDanV rpuIIired tn tho r,iooo