The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-08-07
Remarkably Good Fortune
Follows Singers.
Dorothy Morton After Lillian
RuSSell'S LaurelS.
Actresses and Marriage-Some In
teresting Cases in Point

Although remarkable good fortune has
followed few of the singers lately, 1t is
gratifying TO know that the conductors
and impresarii continue In uncommon
prosperity. Maurice Grau has done so
well in the management Of Covent Gar
den, London, this summer that no Is 10
be the director of that historic stage next
year also. This compliment TO the con-
troller OF the Metropolitan Opera House.
New York. is more remarkable when we
consider the disadvantages under which
ne sat in the chair OF Sir Augustus
Harris. Covent Garden is the whim OF
Lady de Grey and other favOrites OF the
Prince OF Wales. and its opera Is run like
Sorosis dinner or pink tea. MIR. Grau
was engaged at a moderate salary. for,
notwithstanding the hard work or this
manager, he never earns much money.
But while our impresario's income was
small his labors were large. and he found
that the Covent Garden people practically
wanted him to make operatic bricks
without lyric straws. Great artists are
engaged at Coyent Garden only on oooas-
ions, and the general quality of the Lon
don performances may DO known by the
fact that the Ravogli sisters and Susan
Strong are high favorites. Albani Ia still
considered prima donna, Manoinellt Is
believed TO be better Wagnerian than
Seidl, and Marie Engle is held in extraor-
dinary applause. Lady de Gray and her
companion direct tors exalt fashion above
art. They pay small salaries and canvass
the Marlborough House circles for sub
soriptions. Worse opera and higher priced
opera than Sir Augustus Harris used 10
give would be hard to find. Grau stepped
into Harris shoes and they would not fit
him. He kicked them of contemptuously
and went barefoot into the magnificent
system he had practiced In New York.
Melba wanted high salary. Lady dc
Grey said she should not have IL. Mau-
rice Grau said she should. The oper a
finances were in "a disastrous state. and
our manager decided to cure them by the
application Of an. boroio remedy. Ho in
sisted that Melba must be engaged, no
matter what the cost, and carried his
point.
The result proved his Judgment. Busi-
ness which, naturally enough. had been
bad while Susan Strong was the prima
DONNA became prosperous when I he Aus
tralian diva held the centre OF the stage.
BY his vigorous policy Maurice Grau res.
cued Covent Garden from disaster and
established IL, for the first time in many
year, on self-supportinR basis. The
English admire courageous man as
much as they esteem successful one. So
our manager has passed through his cru
cial test, won his spurs pravely and has
been elected to office for second term.
Dorothy Morton is now engaged In u
heroic effort to carry off the laurels long
worn by Lillian Russell. The result of
this ambitious purpose must be interest
ing. Many are called, but few chosen, to
overthrow the golden diva For nearly
two decades she has held the center of the
comic opera stage, assaulted on all sides
by pretentious rivals. but still triumphant.
Her downfall has been predicted on num-
tAnc httff hn I'M hnf
seem to argue her defeat were adroitly
employed as elements of progress. The
important events of Miss Russell's life,
following her debut in New York at
Pastors and into matrimony were the
Braham divorce, the Solomon marriage,
her discovery that that worthy was al
ready married and her prompt action in
getting rid of him, her engagement as
star of the Duff Opera Company, her
sensational departure from that Orgapiza-
tion, the action for damages brought by
Mr.. Duff, the jury's verdict against her.
her engagement as star OF the Casino and
afterward of the 4. Henry French Com
pany. when she inaugurated the obnox-
ious system of charging ~ for orchestra
chairs, her engagements by Canary
81 Lederer, her marriage to and separa-
tion from Perugini, the breaking of her
contract with the Casino. her disastrous
season with Abbey, SchOeffel & Grau, and
Angels. Curiously enough, almost all
these chapters in Miss Russell's history
increased her fame and fortune and added
to the vehemence with which wiseacres
propbesied the speedy eclipse OF her
popularity. But the fair singer still
contrived to pluck the flower Safety out
of the nett.e Danger and changed misfor-
tune into prosperity. The Braham
divorce left her free for the Solomon en-
tanglement. Under that composer 8
tuition she advanced materially in art,
and before she discharged him from con-
nubial duties Solomon had made Lillian
Russells position secure in light opera.
Her professional and legal dispute with
Duff raised her salary from $500 to $500 q
week and exohsnRed her irksome tours to
the center of the Casino stage. In leaving
Aronson for French she advanced her
income to $500 week, and during their
courtship, II not their honeymoon, she
derived much benefit In technique from
Perugini. The Abbey engagement estab-
lished her triumphantly In public renown
as the most distinguished and highest
salaried of comic opera prima donnas.
Thus, each incident In her eventful his
tory proved directly or indirectly bene-
fetal to Lillian Russell, and her prosper
ity knew no decadeDoe until the sooth-
sayers abandoned prophecy as n bad job
and accepted the diva's luck as Inevitable.
There swims no goose so gray. says
Alexander Pope, but soon or late IL finds
an honest Rander for mate. However.
the poet did not refer TO the stage which
holds many q duck without hope of
drake. It is Indeed true that at various
periods In their history our actresses,
singers and dancers are reported to have
yielded their trusting sensibilties to the
allurements of matrimony-which in
genious device has lately SUPERSEDED the
logs of diamonds as an advertisement; !;
but The News never. believes In an
actress marriage until we dance at the
wedding and dream on the cake. For
fifteen years or more 10 was regularly an
nounced that Sarah Bernhardt was about
to get married. yet the tragedienno re-
mains q widow. In that state also dwells
Eleonora Duse. although gossip mas
started her for the altar on various occa-
sions. Many time we have been cast
into melancholy by the announcement
that Aua Rehan intended To elope with
an English peer, but she Is still in maiden
meditation and. so far rs the world knows,
fancy free Until the time Of her de-
parture from the Lyceum, gossip held its
breath In excitement over the union Of
. III