The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-13

| was going to conduct. He mas had 6S
nights to study mp that gag. The follow
ing day hs'tells ell. bis friends the clever
little thing he said last night just on the
spur of the moment.
There IL enc great friend that the
| comedian always has 1.-The acrobat of the
orchestra. who is known as the drum
mer. No fall is complete unless the
comedian is assisted by the drum. 1
| knew Of q dreadful case onco where the
comedian and drummer were both In love
| with the came chorus girl. The drummer
| asked the comedian to desist In his at
| tentions,to which the comedian objected.
| What was the result? The comedian
would fall, the drummer would pause a
| second, strike his drum, and the drum
mer got the laugh instead OF the come
dian. The abrasions on the comedians
| anatomy went for nAught. Comedians
know this in comic opera, and that is
why they are good to the drummer.
| There is q chance for the censor. And
| also, Mr.. Censor on you are ever to come),
why should these gags, which are still
adhered to because they once were
duknSu ave Dut uIo hON bpoPWohhf shot
have travelled In every cline known to
comic opera. and are thoroughly inocu-
| lated with the microbe OF senility-why,
| 1 cay, should the public have to pay full
| prices for these travel-stained and time
worn articles? Let us have the gag that
smells OF new ness and varnish.
was engaged at one time for certain
stock company in San Francisco, the stage
manager OF which was one Of the PALM
lest OF palmy day chaps. There were two
| New York actors besides myself, and we
were locked on a. pirates. he made 1t
very hard for us at rehearssis, answering
our every objection with the reply, "Ira-
dition teaches" &c.
! had an opportunity very shortly to
discover that behind the veil OF tradition
which this man possessed there lurked an
Ignorance that was astonishing. The
discovery came about in this way. A
young man whom had met in New YORK
was stranded in San Francisco and applied
to the management for position; they,
needing Q juvenile man, engaged him,
subject to the approval of Mr.. Palmer, day
stage manager. The poor chap was very
nervous when he spoke 60 me stage man.
sger, who blurted cut In stentorian tones,
"Did you ever play juvenile psrts?"
The poor fellow in his confusion couldn't
reply. and was dismissed by the stage
manager. l met him as he came out and
told him not to give up, to go back and
assure the stage manager that be had
played that line of work, which he did.
lie climbed up the stairs to the stage
managers Office and assured him that he
had Once played a Juvenile part with
Hoyt. The stage manager said, "Never
heard of Hoyt. What part did you plsy?"
"Brooklyn Bridge" said the espirant.
That was enough; jumping from his
seat the stage manager, thinking the
young man Faction, kicked him down
the stairs. Now, Mr.. Censor, If you ever
come, here IL q case for you. Here II
man wh, never heard of that iovesble
character Brooklyn Bridge, the Juvenile
part in A tin soldier" The palmy day
acto-rmanager makes me feel wicked. i
will treat him as he treated my friend.
He is dismissed.
think that today the "public
demand" in the light musical line OF en-
tertsiument Is for the French vaudeville
form, Of which Miss Helyett, IL that shy
young person Will allow me, was the
mother she is old enough to be married
anyhow. Look at the success Of "rhe
Gaiety Girl" tie "Geisha." and the
"Girl from Paris" These plays ore witt
ten with some sem blance of plot, and an
honest attempt at Characterization on the
part of the sutbor; and look at The
people they have brought out.
Mr.. Fred ksye had ve9y small part in
''The Gaiety Girl" but his work was
such a convincing csricaturo III 1 may
use the expression) that it made him
famous here. This style of work calls for
more serious attention on the part of the
artist than comic opera usually does.
Look at Mr.. Nanns' work in the "Girl
From Paris" His part, which WAS origin
ally a bit, he has rounded out into one OF
the principal factors in the success of
the musical comedy. And MIR. BIgelow,
who has always been identified as one of
our foremost comedians in bu:lesque.
lie plays his part with an intensity that
!. worthy OF high claes comedy. Now
these efforts would be wasted in the aver
age comic opera. The same way with
MIR. Dickson. What would n beritone do
with his part? 1t requires an aotor,
comedian and dancer, snd,I almost forgot
to add, acrobat. (Note his head over
heels in the "Merry Continong,") There
are gifts for you. Then That little queen
OF archness, Clara Iipman. They say
she can't sing. Show me the prima
donna who can take her plsce.
Tnis style of entertainment gives an op-
portuniiy for iDdivuality ard character
izstion that comic opera does not present.
That is why the ubIic demands 1t. BY
the way, MIR. Censor, hands of the
author. lie is the Wandering Jew OF the
mimic world. No one VIII take him in,
and every oae takes him in. III his piece
ia a success the actors MADE it. IL IL is q