Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-05

pied the attention of theater-goers this
week "A Marriage of Convenience"
prince Rudolph and "A Paris Model
In the first John Drew and an excellent
company have been making the most out
of an attenuated story; in the second Otis
Skinner has been doing some good romantic
work, and in the third the author has been
carefully over her work to see what
changes she must make in the excellent
material she has in order to make the piece
a real go
Next week there will be legitimate at
the Lafayette, interpreted by Thomas w.
keene. who is today the best representa-
tive of that school of actors who gained
their practical experience in the stock COM
panies, and by Charles Hanford. the rising
young Washington actor. At the National
Sol Smith Russell, that sterling comedian,
will be seen IN variety of characters,
some of which are new to Washington,
and at the Columbia there will be a double
attraction-the intensely dramatic Chinese
play, called The Cat and the Cherub"
and that brightest of women since the
days OF Aimee. Anna Held. The Academy
will present Sydney Grundy's Sowing the
Wind" and at the Grand there will be a
new farce comedy, entitled THE Hired
Girl"
Charles B. Hanford, the talented young
Washington actor, who Is this year sup
porting and managing Thomas w. ;1eene,
mas some interesting recoliections of Incl
cents which have occurred to him during.
Els career. Twelve years ago he was with
MI. keene, whom he is now supporting
and to the training he received while With
the trasedian he ascribes much of the sue
cess " mich has come to him in late wears
MIR. Hanford has played with Booth and
Jarrett, and afterward starred as Marc
AntonJ with the same outfit that those
actors use0 in Julius Caesar AN
actor. said Mr. Hanford. who essays
Shakespearean characters has much more
olff1culty to win rerown than in other lines;
the great actors who have gone before him
have created a standard by which the peo-
pie judge the beginners work. and il is only
AFTER years OF earnest effort that he can
hope to succeed in gaining public favor.
An actor in other lines creates a character
and the people think it good, but with the
legitimate actor it is different. Such char
acterS as Edwin Forests King Lear John
IMeCulioughs Virginius and Edwin Booths
Hamlet are looked upon by the people as
standards, and people do not take kindly
to having their cherished ideas changed l
have heard Edwin Booth say that in his
early days he thought he would never be-
come a great actor, because of the fame
OF his father, yet after he had won renown
MS fathers greatness was forgotten" Mr.
danford tells story of lis first meeting
with John Mccullough which is interesting
when first decided to go on the STAGE
said he, Il went to Mr.. Mccullough. One
OF my letters of Introduction was from Cen
Sherman Mr.. Mccullough received me
very kindly, but my efforts to get in his
company did not meet with success Said
he: You have good voice and coed fig
ure, but you lack experience, and 1 cannot
experiment with men. have with me
two young nen v no are new. and whom l
took on at the request of friends"
Thos. W. Keene was met by an old friend
In New York last summer, who exclaimed:
why, Tom, 1 never saw you with a mus
tache before / always thought tragedians
were smooth faced" The tragedian laugh
ed and said: Il wear this disguise. /
have been continually taken for President
Mckinley. Mr.. Bryan and Senator Daniel
of Virginia, that 1 was afraid that /
might lose my identity, and concluded to
lei my mustache grow During a run Of
Julius Caesar at the California Theater
some years age Tom Keene is said to have
received no less than twenty curtain calls
at the closing of Marc Antonys Grafton.
Una and the lion was a mythological
faV orite; Guy of Warwick and his lion
figured in medieval romance; but Anna
Held and her lion have the current call.
Ihe charming little cantatrice handles her
feline pet without gloves which is saying
considerable for her courage considering
the strength of his jaws ard the length of
his claws. She named her lion Mckinley
long before the national election as she
considered him her advance agent for
prosperity. Her first care after getting
into new city was to see that Mckinley
was well provided for at the theater. The
shaggy beast was Eluzzled and secured in
some nice warm place under the stage: ut
hrst the stage hands were inclined to poke
Iun at the cub, but he eagerly displayed a
capacity In the noble art of seif-defense
that enSendered respect, and the frolic-
some neddlers began to let him alone. One
night Manager Ziegfeld took down dudish
friend, who desired a seance with McKin-
ley, claiming that he had peculiar mag
LING aoiy,a OLE
few passes at Mckinley, but the lion. in
stead of going into a trance, fixed his claws
so securely in the cloth Of his trousers that
one leg was considerably shorter than the
other as a result of the magnetic expert
ment- Miss Held has no fear of the ami
mai, and it plays with her like kitten and
Is as obedient to command as her pet dogs
Since she came into possession of her first
pet, the lion, she has accumulated unite q
string OF live stock, and her manager is
seriously thinking of chartering a small
ARK Tor the purpose of conveying her ag-
gregationS back to Europe. She has quite
a bench show ACCOMPANYING her en- route
First comes Mckinley, the lion; then San
dow, great Dane. weighing EOS pounds:
TWO italian greyhounds, Fam and Nellie;
q DUH terrier, Tiger. that she AYERS can
lick his weight in wildcats; and lastly, but
not least, sixteen-pound canine called
Chico few weeks ago Miss Held con-
cluded to give variety to her collection by
Incorporating in it the thoroughbred saddle
horse Kentucky. This beautiful animal is
young and speedy, and has been admirably
trained Her manager and maid are now
in fear and trembling lest she take fancy
to a pair of Ringling's herd of elephants
and try to secure them for a tandem team
An unusual number Of encores had made
1t late when the curtain fell on the last act
OF The Idols Eye" in Harlem the other
night To catch the last train for Rive
Frank Daniels had to make a quick change
TO his street clothes. When he entered the
car he was warm with his rapid walk and
he placed his hat on the seat beside him
A stranger looked at him and crossing the
aisle, said: Pardon me. you are Mr.. Dam
ieis. are you not?' Daniels nodded. ~
thought So, the stranger continued ~
was at your performance tonight and
enjoyed 1t immensely. / see Mr. Daniels
that you are quite bald, and I want to
present you, with my compliments bot
tie Of my patent hair restorer. I have used
II myself with much success and am sure
you will find 1t efficacious." Saying which
the stranger put bottle in Daniels hand
returned to his seat and went to sleep
Daniels. surprised that any one should
think him bald. put his hand to his head
and found that In his haste to catch the
train he had forgotten to remove his wig.
He took it off and thrust 1t in his pocket.
revealing his own excellent crop Of hair