The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-08
BEGAN ACTING IN TOPEKA.
Vivian Patee of the 'sMerry World"
PLAYED in Local Entertainments

With but few features that were new.
but with old ones as enjoyable as when
produced here last year, the Merry
World was presented to a fair audi
ence at the Grand Opera House last
night. AS stated on the programmes
the Merry World'' contains little of
everything except plot, and is wholly
intended to amuse.
BY far the most pleasing parts of the
performance were the burlesqueS on
Nine. SanS-Gene'' and ''Trilby" The
casts of these iourlesques have been
greatly strengthened this year and the
principal parts are much better taken
than when seen last season.
Probably few persons in the. audi
ence last night recognized the hand
some woman who took the leading part
in both burlesques, the young lady who
appeared in G. A r. and other home
talent entertainments in this city some
twelve years ago. Mrs. Clair NJ. Patee
then Miss Vivian Allen, made her first
appearance on the stage in an enter
tainment got up by Lincoln post G.
A. r., of this city in 1884. Three years
later she entered dramatic work and
since that time has played important
roles in a number of the dramatic and
operate successes of the American
stage.
As a girl Mrs. Patee had but little
idea of ever going on the stage. She
started out to learn type setting in
Lawrence, then her home, and served
her apprenticeship on the Lawrence
Journal. In 1882 she came to Topeka
and secured. employment on the Topeka
Journal, and later accepted a position
on the Topeka Commonwealth. While
working on The Commonwealth she
married Clair M. Patee, then the man
ager of a repertoire company, but for
a year after her marriage still retained
her position on the paper. In 1887 she
was induced by her husband to join his
company, and in that year made her
formal debut on the stage.
For three years Mrs Patee continued
to travel with her husband, playing
the leading parts in his repertoire pro-
auctions, but in 1890 the company was
burned out in a fire at st. Joseph. By
that time Mrs. Patee had acquired an
intense liking for the stage, and de-
cided to follow the profession, securing
the next year a place with the Corinne
Opera company. After touring a sea-
son with opera, she accepted the part
of leading lady in Roland Reeds farce
comedy Cheek but after playing one
season with that company went back
to Corinne. In 1894 Mrs. Patee entered
straight dramatic work, taking the
part of understudy as Queen of Naples
to Katherine Kidder in Nine. Sans
Gene" The next year saw her in the
leading role of William a. Brady's
Cotton King" ana this year she APP
pears for the first time in the Merry
World Clair M. Patee has an interest
in this production and is managing it
this season.
"a Mrs. Patee much prefers the straight
dramatic work to burlesque. when
1 was with Katherine Kidder in Nine.
Sans-Gene,' " said she last night Il
little thought that I would ever play
the burlesQue- I like the straight dra-
matte much better In the burlesque
a person is so very liable to lapse into
bad faults, because everything has to
be made broad
In the character of Nine. Sans-Gene'
Mrs. Patee's work very much resem bleS
that of Katherine Kidder, and in the
second burlesque she makes an ideal
''Trilby."
The Merry World will be produced
at Lawrence tonight, and Mrs. Patee
will appear for the first time in several
years in her home town. Her parents
still reside in Lawrence and she in
variably spends the summers with
them.