The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-25


The summer season of vaudeville was
auspiciously inaugurated at the Grand
last week. The attendance through
out the week was such as to indicate
that Manager Lifts departure was met
with the support Of the local theater-
goers. The daily matinees were more
literally patroniZed than many antici-
pated. An enjoyable feature attending
these performances was the promen-
Rde concert by the enlarged orchestra,
which preceded the rise Of the curtain.
For the second week. beginning to-
night, another attractive programme
is offered. The list Of entertainers is
headed by Wood and Shepard, the well
known black face comedians and must
cal mOkes, whose act is the funniest
Of its kind on the vaudeville stage.
A feature of the bill that will prove
especially pleasing to the children will
be Macart's Dog and Monkey Circus,
the most amusing and novel exhibition
Of trained animals before the public.
Mr.. Macart claims that his dogs and
monkeys are superior to all other per
formers of their species before the
public. They will interpret an es-
pecially elaborate programme at the
matinees.
The second weeks bill will also pre-
sent for the first time in this city, Mont
gOmeTy and Stone, genteel black-face
comedians. The bill will further in
clUde the Leigh sisters, who were last
seen here with The Passing Show"
They do an umbrella dance and present
bther unique terpsichorean features.
Miss Gertrude Haynes, will contribute
b musical act said to be new, and viii
Introduce her grand concert orchestral
organ, built at a cost Of 81, 800. Ava,
a mysterious and grOtesque juggler,
will present some novel and original
features. and Ida Howell, a seriO-cOmic,
will sing a number Of up-tO-date songs.
The Bison City quartette, which has
met with appreciation elsewhere, will
likewise contribute to the musical ele-
ment Of the programme.
The augmented orchestra under the
direction of c. NJ. Selling, will continue
to give a concert programme, including
popular overtures, waltzes and operate
selections.
Sol Smith Russell is nearing the end
Of his tour in "A Bachelors Romance"
which has turned out to be the best
play that he has ever had. He is now
filling an engagement at the fremont
theater in Boston, where he closes his
tour Saturday May 1. Mr.. RusselPs
next season begins Sept. 20 at the
Garden theater in New York where re
is booked for an eight weeks engage
ment.
Jessie Bartlett Davis was talking to
8 bevy Of young girls about the loneli-
ness of stage life. says an exchange.
Every often women who ought to know
better" she said, 'trave to me about
the jolly cOmpanionship of the stage
Of the immense fun and the reverend
Ing excitement that como to those who
take up acting as q profession. They
do not know of the loneliness of 1t all
of the narrow, encOnpassing line
that imprisons us and makes US be-
Ings apart from the great body Of men
and women as far as enjoyment and
friendly cOmpanionship are concerned.
The fOotlights flicker, burn low, burn
high yet We and our world stay OF
one side and the easy going
theater-loving folks on the other. No
Brahmin-like code Of caste is more
rigorous than are those little lights
that fringe the stage. They speak their
edict to US, and tell US that while there
is another world beyond our make-bs-
1ieve one with its powder and paint.
silks and rags, we must not relax our
efforts to enjoy it even temporarily or
our work will suffer. Jolly, is it? JOl-
1y to sit alone in ones dressing room,
when not singing. To go TO ones no.
tel, to sleep, to work, rehearse and
then sing again? oh, yes, 1t is jolly
as Jolly as poor St. Simeon was on the
pillar We have to simulate joy and
sorrow, tears and laughter so often
that we never have time to give our
real emotions full sway. We are often
invited to dances, to teas, TO recep-
TONS which we may not attend, and
vet mimic them-pretend to have them
while the audience that sits in front
says: All. how they seem to enjoy
it all Jolly? Oh, yes; the life Of an
actress is one eternal round of in
toxicating pleasure"
NJ. B. Curtis has a new sketch called
Mulberry Bend which lie is to pre-
sent in the vaudeville theaters.
Ought actors and actresses to marry,
is the interesting question. spiclly dis
cussed by Hillary Bell in the New
York Press. After citing the varied
matrimonial experiences of some we'll
known players, and the influences
thereof upon their professional careers,
Mr.. Bell continues:
Thus the argument goes, pro and
con. and the problem whether the actor
should be a priest or a layman is left
unsettled. Meanwhile, no one has ask
ed the counsel of Lillian Russell, who
is a matrimonial expert with an opinion
worth listening to. The golden diva
has tried maidenhoOd, wifehOod. wild
owhOod and grass WidoWhOOd. She is
an experienced and authoritative wit
ness Let her testimony be taken be
fore nOtarieS.
In her three marriages Miss Russell
studied as many situations Of adVan-
tage for her husbands. Mr. Braham
sat in the conductors chair, Mr.. Solo
mon did likewise, Mr.. Perugini occupied
the stage. The most prosperous time
III our diva's history was that between
the departure of her second husband
and the arrival Of the third. There
fore circumstantial evidence would de-
clare that Miss Russell is in favor of
widOWhoOd as an aid to art and a much
more prosperous theatre condition than
either SpinsteFhOOd or matrim0ny This
argument is we'll considered and in
Genious. 1t is supported by Eleonora
DuSe, who is a widow. As this state
Includes ladies whose husbands are
gone but not forgotten. We may also
make mention of the names of Mines
Media, Langtry, Potter and Carter. The
widow theory is further supported by
Nine NOrdica. who, during the interval
which elapsed between the disappear
ance of her first husband in a balloon
and the arrival of her second husband
IN Indianapolis, won all her fame and
fortune AS a widow Nordica emerged
from nothingness into somethingness,
became a famous Wagnerian prima
donna and was crowned by Jean de
Eeszi1e with the diamond tiara that
was subscribed for by her admiring
cCuntrymen. All went well with the
Wagner widow until she got married
again and then her troubles began to
brew. AS Nine NOrdica she was the