The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-08
ON VAUDEVILLES STAGE.
PA MARKHAM REAPPEARS
BEFORE THE I'll BOYS.


Pauline Markham is at Pastors, and 80 at
each OF her performances is n group OF men in
tho front row of seats, every man Jack of EN-
marked for maturity by width of person or
scantincss Of hair. These mon go to see what
was famous In the early days of their theatre.
going, and arc tantalizcd by what seems for
ten minutes "A likely chance Of disappointment.
Miss Markham and her companion enter attircd
In conventional summer suits of crash and play
ut being stranded burcsqucrs. Their sketch Is
far more divertinR than many that hold place
in vaudeville. being replete with rather sharp
hits at the life Of stage folk, and with slang as
new as 1t Is expressive. But tho group about
the piano player doesn't SEQ as great shakes in
this as do tho more youthful and remote lis
toners, and no hope Of a change of costume is
held out. Ono comes soon, however. but again
the old-time Sta'actu is skirtcd. But after de-
batting how to mako a livelihood Off the stage,
tho women decide upon u shy at vaudeville.
A sketch is settled on as the right medium, and
when plots OF various sorts have been discard
ed, something after the style Of "The Black
Crook" Is settled on. A hustle is at once mado
toward u screen, the stage darkcns, and tho
front-row eyes and smooth patcs glisten.
When the lights again flash up. Miss Markham
Is again In view, and tho old timers sit up and
take notice that skirts have given way to flesh.
ings, and, sword in hand. the woman marches
about after the manner Of one leading a march
Of Amazons in a spectacle. Not a solitary he'll
melted private is in her train, nary banner waves
nor trumpet toots; II Is n very ghost of q grand
ontry. yet the baldheads are satisfied. There's
no ghostliness about the present form of what
they so well recalled. There they are, two Of
'cm, to be seen from all sides as She leads her
phantom cohorts through their PAGES. Shiny
heads touch each other as is passed the query
as to whether it was the right or left that was
broken by a bad pavement in Louisville, but
whichever 1t was that was damaged, no trace
faithfully revealed. Yet the middle-aged crit
les vote her verdict for damages for that in
jury, a light one, while indorsing her enlistment
in tho continuous shows. The last the rest OF
tho audience does, too.
Vesta Tilley Is a moro artistic performer
than when she first sang The Majah' and
Sad sea Waves" Mt Pastors. She proves this
at Weber g. Fields's by creating IA much amuse-
ment as she formerly did, but without II song
that quite equals either Of the mentioned dit
ties. After the manner of Chevalier, she is
continually busy with byplay, though where
with him tho face had the big share, with her
tho legs and arms do the major part OF tho
work. When dressed as an Elton boy and sing.
ing about showing a maiden aunt about the
town, exultation is expressed by jig steps and
general joyousness sends her skipping all over
the stage. These motions arc not character
lLtu u IL DOuIIt VI II NOtdl Slb,
but is gracefully lively, ana altogether pleasant
to look at. In the garb Of an English militia
man. more of the expression is left to the sing
er's features, and hero a lighted cigar gives a
deal Of assistance. In the smirk with which
the amateur soldier Strengthens up and blows
out q mouthful of smoke there Is about as
complete q look OF self satisfaction as could he
managed by any means. But the trousered
legs tell their part OF the story, too. by awk-
ward steps In the militiaman's moments OF for
he feels himself = soldier. in'"PiccadiIly John.
ny which is a story Of a London dude with "a
large acquaintance among the ladies Of the
mites as plainly as need be the sort OF perform:
or that IL meant. And here comes mimicry of
the English swell that seems almost TO have been
taken from the imitators OF American farce
which this performer carries of masculine attire
is hard to excel. Behind ii all is u tailor who Is
a master, and behind the scenes are pressing
irons, or the spick and span appearance is de-
%ceptive,. Then the singer Is 20 daintily at
home in manly toys that no trace OF a~ffcrta-
hands seek her trousers pockets and linger in
them might serve as an object lesson to some OF
our dangerous leading men,
By n change OF plan at the Lyccum Mr..
Sothcrn's revival OF THE Lady OF Lyons was
not made at yesterdays matinee. but it will
be ready for next Monday night, when 1t will
take the place OF Change Alley
new biograph view ut Keith's was taken
with a camera pointed straight ahead from a
moving locomotive. The place was near tho
Hayerstraw tunnel. At first the picture shows
double railroad tracks with the mouth of tho
tunnel In tho distance. AS tho engine grad.
uaIly rounds a curve the mouth Of the tunnel
becomes palmer and blacker, ana once inside
nothing relieves the darkness but tiny flccks of
light that have an effect not unlike Il snow
storm. After a few seconds of this darkness
q bit Of tho tunnels other opening appears
away at the left OF the picture, coming there
because the track in the tunnel curves. Soon
the whole mouth OF the tunnel is in view, and
later the train dashes out on the embankment
Il is said OF two newer theatrical enterprises
that one has lost $iO,oO0f for its promoters, while
tho other shows II deficit OF SI7. 900. There
have already been several collapscs, but mono
OF IL frst-clnss organization. After an open
ing OF the season that was not especially prom
Richard Mansteld's old production. The
\. Parker, its author; under the name of "A
'VagGhond King" and will be tried in London
somo hand in rcmodciling the piece. Mr.. Car.
son has written, IL c9llIbormtion. with, Max
Beerbohm, who is bccrhohm Trees brother, u
Rudyard Kipling is at work on his first com
position for the stage: and it will be II comedy
Fitch is writing, with the author of "The Belle
of Cairo" a musical farce for London.
Ellen Rowland, tho ambitious girl who paid
n great deal Of money to act POrtia at the
knickerbockGr last spring, Is now an actress
"The Wizard OF the Nile" which had Sue
ceeded in Germany and Austria, failed badly
in London.
Jessie Bartlett Davis aspires to be a star.
She has tried TO arrange with Fanny Daven-
port for the rights to a musical version of La
TOsca," for which she would have an Ameri-
can composer write music. An opera on the
same subject by Samara will soon be sung in
Italy.
The first OF the new stock companies 10 go to
pieces was that at the Schiller Theatre in Chi
cago. and 1t was about tho most ambitious
among them. The failure Of two new plays
brought the enterprise to bankruptcy;
Mrs. James Brown Potter and Kyrle Bellcw
have not Jared we'll with their performance of
"Francillon' In London. and some OF the critics
find that Mrs. Potter has not improved. while
Mr.. Bellows acting is said to have lost much
of it's delicacy. Mrs. Potter shocked London.
just az she did New York, with a low -neckcd
Supernatural power. 1t Ind no visible means
of support.
Charles Coghlan is going TO write a Chinese
play to catch the passing whims for that style
OF drama. Hc will not go back to London for
Becrbohm Trees production OF Julius Caesar, -