The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-13
IN VAUDEVILLE.
NOTES OF ACTORS AND AUDIENCES
IN THREE MUSIC HALLS.

Aes N@-sS
HaewiedEe OF the Sokcrs-A study or liar-
nons AssembiaGeu-Ni-. Atherton's SONG ana
Nr. Dockstader'a Collection OF Negro Heads.
Weber & Fields's audiences know their IA.
vorttes SO well that what tho actors say of
themselves Is likely to make Just as much
amusement as tho lines which the author Of the
hurlesque puts into their parts. When Charles
Hose, for Instance. remarks that his ances.
trial halls are situated near Ross-Fenton Alb
boy In Scotland. the hearers are quito as
much entertained MS though he had voiced
something witty. In the same trevesty of
Tho Little Minister Mabel Fcnton says to
the minister that enc is his wife. ''ot course
you arc" answers MIR. Ross. "Everybody's
been on to that for a long time" The audi.
tor who did not know that Miss Fenton was
In reality Mrs. Ross would have some difficulty
In discovering whore tho fun Of that speech
came In. But Weber & Ficlds's supporters
know all those interesting little details about
the performers they like so well. and they
laugh immoderately. This reveals the proud
fact that they arc members. of the regular
clientele Of that theatre. 1t is q reputation
they would all hate to lose.
"Pousse CafS' shows how far current events
IN the Life Of the theatre can DO burlesquod be-
tore audiences supposed to know nothing about
them and yet furnish capital fun. Maybe
the particular way In which Charles Rosa.
Samuel Bernard, Louis Fields. Joseph Weber,
and Peter DALEY burlesque the episodes would
mako anything amusing. But 1t Is certain
that people laugh as II they were entirely
familiar with these facts Of theatrical bust
nscsi There Is not much Of sustained burlesQpe
erodueed IN the opening incident Is kept up
STSSn n1 t. ,SSy , nnd rs s''pe e 4 A. The final scene:
commences with . reference to the guarantee
q q four nights' run at the Olympia, and
g Sni lie 'f IN sasi i who s cePss's sne a tSs doll %Ref comes mes
% sca ssTha is VIZ J1Sn persuaded So her to go to Amer.
sSs .ay ya'y and ,slo he S sad I sa,n Sn tS @s shsr sSs
wa. the SntOrtlnate etPeriences Of anu 2ad qen's
appreciate the point Of such witticisms, but
they show how fortunate the actors et the
{ play to such a sympathetic and intimate public.
Many musical faroes chock-full OF stage slang
and stage humor have failed completely. But
There the spectators seem to know stage mat.
terg as well as the actors do.
There 10 always one danger in the use of tray.
thing Of the past. There seems little popular
made TO furnish it. The burlesque that has
developed Is a much rougher article that must
at ell, on q knowledge Of tho original subject.
nav sp eniay r.. w WsS are not q E fsmiii sI with plays
though tie q isr0 measure ree Of tR Sehie fSn Il DE- Se.
IoSe OF the D'Urbervilles. for instance. might
ing imitation ahsatE 70 Of '4 MIS-. + Fir Mso but t sbes Mer rm ess.
tain to DO tickled by the antics Of the rest Of
IN The 1fsefs Wee sa %inist se@nS Would snG make nis s asy i,SIs
Laugh W .yfS had never heard Of J. N. Barrie,
his play might be quite unknown to audiences
Snat could roar over the comicalities Of the
9uTiesaue that closes "Ponsse Cafe. But the
9 Ross furnishes would be lost to that audience
and some Of the clever. speeches that ridicule
remain fun enough even then. The necessary
amount Of the original piece as well as the out.
the Weber & Fields buriesqucs supplied in the
exact proportions necessary to create the de-
Harlem is taking up its new music hall much
as.the city Itself Endorsed Roster & Balls at tho
time Of Its transfer from West Twenty-third
street. Then respectable folk skunk to the
Thirty fourth street resort, sure that they were
very naughty, found acquaintance there and
were disappointed at seeing familiar faces
where they had hoped for only strangers Of at.
tractive disrepute. 1t was but a short time
before polite folks learned that the music halls
offered good diversion. and then trips to them
Host their first glamour of giddiness. At Hurtig
d Seamon's in Harlem every audience gives
evidence of unfamiliarity with such entertain.
mont. and not a few members appear e~xultant
over their own daring in being there. Between
specialties these visitors discuss the harmless.
ness of such recreation taken In just the man.
ner they are taking it, as If they were first
voioers Of new and profound thoughts. While
o turn" is on the man who once went to Ham.
merstein's or Roster d. Balls almost boastfully
confesses that ract to his companions, and Is
, nature OF the coming inning. OF course. suc6
4 xolks are q minority on the lower floor and In tho
aiied with the he st ERNEST c rSaes Of of es ttsmheEei bI Is
there are enough of them to repay attention.
Women can be seen to demand Of their escorts
explanation OF every joke that Is so slanR.laden
as to be beyond their comprehension They're
there, and are bound to go the whole show. so
he is SO hungry that his stomach thinks his
throat Y cut. or a sketch player who doesn't
Know whether. he's married or not because the
jury is still out, the neophyte is bound to know
just what 1t all means.
In the programmes there is no sign of an at
There is nothing shocking in the
and the specialists are well selected. but they
Their behavior and language are as far away
4" from the lyceums as they well could be. One Of
in The Ivy Leaf" From a hero Of that long.
expected. but bis SS jokes wers e eiabora mlGh1 m be-
..kisnst" signined fate" and later inform her
ciuded a womnn's funeral and ak palIbearers
over the coffin, its occsp ansF r.a,i tsRe out ah 10 tips re.
cover and live three years more. Then comes a
second funeral, with the same pallbearers and
obstruction, and the husband trotting along be-
side warning them to look out for the fence.
The gods are disdainful of such sallies, though
some easy laughers rally to the speaker. but
Sheyre a bit strange to the beginners. It's a
~ hard on the escort, too, to have his compan-
Ion turn to him for an explanation of such witt.
cisms. But the newness Of the hearers ia best
proven by the responses to time worn Jokes.
At the Harlem a Joker even dares to be q man
who has been married three times, and who in
July. will celebrate the fourth. though this
squib went months ago unmourned to the Pot
tors Field of jokes.
Lew Dockstader writes: 81 saw in The Sun
an advertisement OF a novelty ~ entitled The
Music Sheet and a warning by
Anna Held and her manager, Mr.. Zieg6eld. to
tho eject that 1t had been copyrighted. de-
sire to state that 1t is not a novelty. pro-
duoed 1t for the first time on any stage in 1887
at Dockstader's, now the Jonah Theatre. IL
was performed by my minstrels under the
title OF The Musical Blizzard II remained
q feature OF the pCrfDrtnnnce al That soosoo