The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-21
PLAY BILLS THIS WEEK
DOWNING OFFERS $4,000 FOR A
pLAY GOOD AS sTHE GLADIATOR,
EngIish'S, Park and Empire OFFER At
tractive Entertainments for
knights of Pythias Visitors.


ST will give $4,000 cash for another play
YES, I'll give $4,000 for one that will aver
age up as well as The Gladiator" said
Robert Downing, who has been here ar
ranging for his engagement at English's
this week under the auspices Of the Knights
of Pythias
Mr.. Downing seemed to be in his right
mind when he made the offer for a new
play and any ambitious Hoosier playwright
who feels that Charles Frohman, A. NJ.
Palmer and Augustine Daily has not held
out sufficient encouragement for domestic
authors can find a ready market for his
work with Downing. If a purse of SIS 900
will not bring out a new play equal to THE
Gladiator nothing will. 1.-The Gladiator
was a French production and it may be ap-
propriated bodily by any actor who believes
that the public will pay to see him in the
heroic role of Nero. Mr.. Downing uses the
Salvini version and while the acting rights
to the piece are free, Downing undoubted-
ly holds the physical rights in this country
and has 10 fear Of losing his weIl-earned
laurels.
II have made 100000 out Of The Gladia-
tor " he continued "and it promises to be
good for $4,000 more with the vaudeville
version have made. The packed vaudeville
houses took to The Gladiator as they
would to a new song. never had more at
tentive audiences. From pit to gallery they
leaned forward and watched the combat in
the arena scene with as much interest as
they would smuggling match between Kid
Mccoy and Jim Corbett.
Mr.. Downing says he has boiled down
1.-THE Gladiator to one act of seventeen
minutes, for his vaudeville production, CIV
ing the complete story and all the necessary
action for a perfect understanding of the
famous play. 81 carry six people and my
own scenery and never played with more
satisfaction to myself than since accepting
vaudeville engagement" he says.
Downing had a number of amusing ex-
pereiences when he first went into vaude-
vile until he became used to the ways of
the variety performers. He found them
mostly a big-hearted class and always en-
tertaining If they found the star did not
hold himself better than the rest of. them.
while 1 was playing at Keith's, in New
York." said Mr.. Downing. "a funny look
ing little man entered my dressing room one
day and introduced himself as a member of
the black face team taking part in the show,
speaking something like this:
Say, Mr.. Dawning, youse amt like desc
utter guys wot gets dere noimes in big let
tiers. You speaks to US guys when you
comes in, like youse glad to see US, and
wese proud to be on de bill widjuh. wantta
tell you we t'ink youse is all right. But
say, speakin' of hard luck stories, I gotta
beut- My noirnes Williamson, see? an me
an me pardner thinks We'll get foxy, see
in as wese on de some bill wild youse, an
we goes in fer little bluff, see? / tells
Walker we gotta good ting SOS to get more
money. We orders big bundle of de bills
wild your noime on, cause Williamson and
Walker is on de soirne bill, see? an we gets
ready to send 'em out SOS de utter man
ayers would see wese on de bill wild Robert
Dawning and we'd strike EN- fer more stuff,
see? Well, wotjuh tink; if it amt tough
luck, I'm lobster. Wen de bills comes.
us. Dere's me noime Williams-Williams
and Walker-an' de bills all paid fer. Now,
wudn't dat rot your teeth? Me noime's Will
hanson, see? not Williams, and here we
fixes UP a foxy scheme SOS to make more
stuff f'om being on de bill wild youse Amt
1t tough? Now, wot's de reason? S'pose me
noime's johnson, wud dey make it John, or
Jameson, or Wilson, wud it come out James
or VIII? Now, dere's Williams wot's a
Williamson. an if send out de t,e bills nH' wild
Williamss noime along wild Robert Dawn
Ing; de managerial say: "Wots dis guy
Is a coon. Wudn't dat make yer fergit yer
lines? Well. I guess
Mr.. Downing has brought his entire COM
pany here as it has been for several years
and after his engagement this week at Eng
lish's it will disband and those who do not
go with Mr.. Downing in vaudeville will be
found in other companies this season. Mr..
Downing will open his engagement with
1.-THE Gladiator with all his great spec
tacular arena scene. and repeat his famous
play at Wednesdays matinee. Performances
Of ''DaIhon and Pythias'' will be given
TuesdaySand Wednesday nights and this
play will probably have the greatest attrac-
tion for the visiting Knights. There will
be special production of 'Othello" for
Thursday night and the beautiful romantic
play of ''Ingomar. the Barbarian" will be
given Friday night and Saturday matinee.
The engagement will close Saturday night
with big production of "Virginius.'' in
which Mr., Downing will play the title role.
Among those best known in Mr. Downing's
company are Eugene Moore Edward N.
Hoyt. Joseph Williams, w. 3. Downing
Robert Lesis. Bouic Clarke. Fred Eduards
Clarence Bellaire. Lee Fl. Baker, Clarence
Golden. Leon Millsand. Antonio Giovetta,
Coraline Mclean, Maud Atkinson and Fan
ME Hoyt.