Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-25
THE PUBLIC CRAZE.
VAUDEVILLE Is ALL THE RAGE.
AND OLD "LEolrs, SIGH.
ROSTER { BlAL'S SHOW TO- MORROW.
The Greatest Vaudeville Perform
auce Ever Seen Here wtu Ne
Given Christmas aud tho Day Fol-
Observation-Disclosures Artists.

where win Il all end" sigh tho ok
'1egits." who strut the Rialto with IN,
same dignity as OF old. but with the pros,
pee; Of an engagement so dubious that
they wrap their long nantes more close
~ about them, give the dingy silk I'll,
that covers their struggling locks a jerl
that brings the hat well over their fore,
heads. and In q hushed stage voice cal
vron the gods to explain why this should
b.
These are the days when the vaude-
Williams wear a continuous performance
smile upon their faces, while the reader
Of Shakespeare's lines is forever mutter.
ing Hamlets s~ohloquy as he brings
forth the last quarter from his trousers
pocket. and make his way TO the near
est lunch-room.
The plays the thing no more, and the
eIeat American public has gone vaude-
yilo wild. Many Of the best OF our
actors, men who some years ago would
have been insulted IL any one had even
mentioned the word specially" in their
presence. ave accommodated themselves
O. the new condition of things. and are
now down Tor a turn at those pleasure
palaces where vaudeville rejgns supreme.
Tcs, 70 IS a sad thing to contemplate per-
Eaps, hut IL is true. nevertheless. The
public nowadays wishes 70 laugh, and TO
b relieved Of the mental strain neces-
slry 20 some TO follow a plot. Hence IL
s. that those who herald the approach Of
some Of the lighter stage productions
dwell particularly upon the fact, and en-
phnsze IL, that their attractions have al
most absolutely nc plot. And when the
performance Is given the audience some
times discovers that the enterprising ad-
vance nan failed to state that rot only
did his attraction possess no plot" but
THAT IL also lacked all Of those other
qualities which were 10 make up for the
loss OF the story.
a straight vaudeville performance is
lar preferable TO n OF those musical
comedies in which are presented perhaps
% few good specialties. that by them
selves would run" about thirty minutes.
while the audience IL kept the remaining
TWO hours listening 20 a dialogue that
viii not cause even the most %unsophisti-
Gated theatre-goer to smile.
So great is the public demand for
vaudeville entertainment that many Of
tho repertoire companies. which make
week stands and present the legitimate
drama at popular prices introduce spe-
ClGlties between the acts. The writer
once picked UP a small bill known as a
"to-nighter." IN which IL was announced
that East Lyme" would be- the attrac-
tion at tho opera-house that evening. and
that new songs and dances would be in
trnduCcd between the acts. Imagine, after
the curtain falls on the death OF little
Willie. when every woman in the house
IS hopping hor eyes with a handkerchief.
some one coming out and singing Il Don't
Liz 40 Cheap Man." or some other
coon ditty written in rag-time.
Richmond amusement-lovers on Christ
mas Go-mOrrow) matinee and night. and
Tuesday evening will be given the OPP
T0rtunity Of witnessing a vaudeville per-
fOrmance, the like Of which is never seen
outside Of the houses included in the big
circuits. II will be a straight vaude-
Vile show" and the artists who will give
Il are nearly every one "head-liners,"
and each draws a salary that would al
most Goat some of the small road COM
panics. Roster x Bial are responsible
for the Organization that will appear here
tomorrow and the following day, and
their names are a sufficient guarantee
that the performances viii be up to the
very highest standard. However. the
public needs only TO read the names OF
those who make up the bill in order 20
themselves in regard 10 the merit
If the attraction.
ST the head of this superb company is
Mason Mitchell, actor manager, and
ROUGH Rider. who gives a correct and
concise Illustrated account of the bat
Of Las Guasimas and San Juan Hill.
n which he participated as a member
OF Roosevelt's Rough Riders.
Mason Mitchell is not altogether a
stranger here. though probably there are
few who recognize in him the leading