The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-07
Notes off tI,c Stnge.

Cissy Fitzgerald is coming back 20 Indian
apoIis soon in The Founding"
Walker whitesdes leading man, Charles
D. Herman. is one of the best shaksperean
actors of the present day.
Kathryn Kidder. who has won much fame
in ''Mme. Sans Gene has written one-act
play entitled Loves at War"
Della Fox comes here with her company
from st. Louis. arriving this afternoon.
They had a good week in st; Louis and the
little artist was pronounced in fine condi-
ton by the newspapers.
John Queen is well-known artist. He
made a great reputation for himself an
interpreter of negro character parts in the
big burlesques put on by Haverly. Primrose
& West and other minstrel organizations.
This season he has made departure into
farce-comedy and his portrayal of the part
Of .Cinch. the funny negro in Town Top
les" has eclipSed all of his former efforts.
Mr.. Queen is one Of the best buck dane
ers before the public, and has all the little
funny sayings and doings' of the Southern
negro down pat.
George Backus who is playing the prin-
cipal role in "Too Much Johnson" this
season, and who is we'll remembered here
was recently elected a member of the Ohio
Society Of Sons of the American Revolution.
Mr.. Backus is great-grandson of John
King, who was captain in the continental
line of Massachusetts and served at Rox-
bury and Dorchester Heights. The COM
parry was maintained by Captain King s
father at his own expense. Mr.. Backus has
been invited to attend the dinner by the
New York Society of Sons of the American
Revolution at DelmOnico's on Feb. 6. Mr..
Backus is the only actor who has ever been
thus honored, as no other Thespian is priv
ileged to wear the lapel button Of this dis
tinguished order.
1T has always seemed singular thing
to me-" said Nat Goodwin, recently. that
so many of my critical friends have in
sisted that such success as have attained
was directly the work of my Creator-that
it was no particular credit to me that
made them or less intelligent beings laugh
CIR cry. but that my personality. or some
other mysterious thing about me- for which
no effort or labor of mine was responsible.
did the trick for me. BY the eternal L wish
it had been so. would gladly plead guilty
to the charge if il meant no more rehear-
sails: no getting back tired out from the
theater to take w a. new part and study
ii till daylight came: no uneasy Slumbers
after that; no awakening to rush over to
an early rehearsal at the theater; no alb
sorbing exhausting combat with an obsti-
nate character to which ones own nature
was naturally foreign; no bother about the
other actors in the play: no managerial
again at night. with, perhaps the same
sharp-sighted observers in front to inform
me the next morning. that / might thank
heaven for having given me the ability to
act"
In one of the tricks In this seasons "Su-
perba" the Hanon Brothers great crea-
ton, cat is used, live. practical and
everyday cat and although it is not on the
property plot. still. the first query on ar
irving at the theater that the master of
properties puts to the house administrator
Is, "can YOU get me a good. tame cat?''
On arriving in Baltimore recently, the usual
query was made and the property man OF
the house stated that they had one that
| belonged on the stage which would save the
necessity of their looking outside for the
| desired feline On Monday night Miss
| Tabby was easily found and placed IN the
box, and when the clown released her from
her unfortunate confinement sshe scampered
| away TO her usual retreat. but Tuesday
| night ii was a different story. The cat
| trick had to be cut out and for the rest
| of the week. strange cats had to be hunted
| up each day in order that the trick might
| be executed, as Miss Tabby at Ford
! Opera House, showed by her absence from
| the theater for the rest Of the week that
| she declined an enforced stage career. Or
! Monday morning after "Superba' had
| closed its engagement Tabby came in or
| the stage looking very sheepish, but de.
clined TO show by word. look or innuendC
| the N her ah