Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-05-30

: STORIES AND GOSSIP
8 OF THE STAGE.
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In an interview in the Mirror, lille. Bon
fanti, the once favorite danseuse, tells the
following: An amusing incident occurred
on a Sunday night in Chicago, when We
were playing 10 a crowded house that su-
| perb spectacular melOdrama, 'Foyagers in
Southern Seas. or The children OF Captain
Grant which was presented originally at
Boston and had a memorable run at Booths
theater in this city about sixteen years ago.
There was a small boy in the play and one
of the villains had to threaten to kill him.
When this particular scene came along, and
the suspense was at its highest pitch, a
clamor arose in the house. We heard the
uprOar and peered from the wings in time
TO see a stalwart man climbing down from
the gallery by way Of the proscenium
boxes. Leaping upon the stage he seized
the villain and, dragging him away from
his astOnished victim, cried: You shall not
kill that boy while l am here TO hold you!
This unexpected interlude made a great hit
and, after matters were explained to the
eAClteu Cluzeh' the ehtefptIsiilS manager
persuaded him TO be photographed in his
act of heroism, and a tremendous advertise
ment resulted.
DeWOlf Hopper and the members of his
famous comic opera company will, at the
close of the present season, conclude one
Of the largest tours in point of mileage ard
territory trayersed, ever recorded in the
annals of the stage. Mr.. Hopper's season
opened in "El Captain" John Philip Sou
sa's successful opera, at the Academy Of
l4ACAN. AloAiIEdl. Ndldudr last StDAtttibEI.
and after a series of brilliant engagements
in all the large cities, a start was made
for the Pacific coast. The journey was
mSde by easy stages, as stops were made
In principal cities en- route. which literally
made the trip from ocean TO ocean.
After the comedians San Francisco en-
gagement, "El Captain" was presented in
the leading cities in California, after which
the ompany played in Salt Lake City,
Denver and other principal points in the
Central West and on the long trip home
ward the opera VIII be seen in Pueblo.
Colorado Springs. st. Joseph and Kansas
City.
All of this travelling. which will amount
in round numbers to 10000 miles, will be
made in about thirty weeks and the OK
gaEiZatiOn will conclude its memorable cir
cunt and after a brief rest the midsummer
season will open at the splendid theater
at Manhattan Beach, where Ell Captain"
will be the great attraction for six weeks.
The presentation of the opera here will
occur at the Coates opera house on Friday
evening. June IL. Eel Captain will be
given in this city in its entirety, as the
original cast Of principals and chorus of
fifty voices, as well as all of the scenic ef-
feCts. costumes and many novel and ex-
pensive accessories will be utilized.
Clara Morris. who has made a successful
entree into vaudeville, with a play called
by Kenneth Lee, has not met with special
favor in Boston. Tine Herald says of her:
MI Lees sketch is by no means a
great work, but Ii gives Miss Morris eX-
actly the opportunity that she needs, and
in stepping into the theater of the con-
tinuous performance the greatest emotion
al actress of this age has not altered her
style, nor departed from her disniied pO-
SitiOn. She has paid the public the compli-
ment of considering that no concession
need be made to the vaudeville audience.
1T is some years since Miss Morris has
lOoked as well as she does this year. She
plays with the same power, the same COM
pelling emotion that she Away did, and in
which she has had in this generation no
rival"
Mr.. William II. Crane, having completed,
with the aid of his manager Mr.. Joseph
Brooks. the arrangements for his tour
whence his yacht, the Senator, will take
him to his summer home, at Cohasset,
Mass.
Principal among the women engaged TO
support Mr.. Crane next season are Miss
Percy Haswell, who will be remembered
for her long connection with Mr.. Days
company; Miss Annie Irish, who came TO
this country with the kendal and who
made decided hits with Mr.. Drew in "A
Squire of Danes" and with Mrs Fiske I'm
Tess Miss Una Abel and Miss Kate
Lester. Among the men will be Messrs.
Theodore Babcock, Boyd Putnam, Percy
Brooke, William Boag, Vincent S%errano,
Charles L. Gotthoid, W. T.. Butterfield
and George F. De We're. The latter will
continue as stage manager of the organ
ization.
The plays on Mr.. Cranes list for next
season are n comedy Of the ways and
manners which were in vogue during the
early part of the century in Virginia, en-
titled "a Virginia COurtship," written by
the well known stage director, Mr.. Eu-
gene PreSbrey: n comedy by Mr.. Louis n.
Parker, a comedy by Messrs. Clyde Fitch
and Leo Deitrichtstein. and n comedy from
the pens of two well known authors.
whose names are not to be divulged until
1t comes time to produce their work.