The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-27

Brothers Shows in advertising dane
er. The matter printed on them is of a
nature totally unfit for publication.
Burlosque authorship Of the class
named above is in itself quite a trade.
While written rather for building up on
the stage than anything else, and gen
orally more remarkable as specimens Of
"cribbing from almanacs and comic pa
pers than real viii. one of the skts is
usually worth from $50 to $500. They may
be written in hall q day, and are only de-
signed 10 last about forty minutes, count
ing the work the comedian inserts, the
songs and dances. The music is always
from The most popular airs of the period,
and the costumes marches. and so on,
are carefully arranged. The piece, as
written, is only skeleton in which the
entertainment may be fitted. Frankly,
the most difficult part of buUlesque OF
that kind is the east Of characters many
of which shoU- real wit as in a program
that narodied the names Of well-known
performers to Maurice Baltimore, Lydie
Tightlace and Lottie Gilly.
As has been said. imitation is the first
idea of such sISt. After spectacular
performances have been out a twelve
month, the more taking turns are stolen
in the most barefaced way and last
year or two-in fact until something bet
-
still told, without the details in many
of these affairs and Walter Jones tramp
turn will be copied for short age yet.
As to Dan DAILY and his methods, it is
difficult to say nov. long they will be used.
man who wrote an original burlesque
might make a fortune, but it is more like
ly that it would be understood neither by
the performers nor the main portion of
the audience.
col
class quite alone. AS a general, almost
invariable rule they are people OF little
intelligence and less education. The
grammar in a burlesque house is always
Of the worst possible kind. Still they
excel in a rough kind of wit and under
stand how to make the veriest nonsense
palatabie. The writer has laughed more
than heartily at the way one of them
has muzZled his comrade. sold him for
Il dog and left him TO the mercies of a
largo chorus. not one Of which was able
to tell the deception. Real wit is by no
means rare and some of the replies made
to Kisses and unkind remarks over the
footIights deserve TO he chronicled
1t was a negro at Kernan's who re-
piled to a volley OF sis" by remarking
that if any of the audience really were
anxious he would send for their isis
terS." and another performer who was
Kissed by negroes in the gallery retorted
that when no heard such sound he al
ways knew 1t came from a black snake.
Last week a mimic initiating the cry of
a cat was surprised to hear his sound
echoed from the gallery. "One of the
kittens" he said as he continued his
turn. Won Tilzer, the comedian, re-
marked upon being initiated in the
house Il see I'm not the only fool
here" and Gilmore said, at a moments
notice, to some one who cried for
taste of the beer he was drinking
You'll find a dog tank at the corner
Leasing. the travesty man, was doing
Richard IiI'' one night and had won
good feeling until he reached the line
My kingdom fer q horse" Wont
jack ass do?" called a wit upstairs, and
Leasing promptly replied. Yes come
down." Some comedian upon being hit
with a cabbage in thu West said Some
one has lost his mead. He can have it
by applying at the box office" and went
on with his work.
But II Is on local hits that most vaude-
vile comedians depend. and perhaps the
statesmen who go to such performances
here do it for the sake of judging popu-
lar sentiment. If a vaudevillian cannot
win applause by his work, a weIl-timed
remark in regard TO the way we whip
ped England or the way we are going 10
thrash Spain will bring him dozen en-
cores a tale of how Sullivan could
have knocked out Corbett and Fitz at
once ten years ago. or a prophecy of
success for Bryan at the polls next cleo
ton. will get him a startling round of
applause.
1t can be seen that with all their faults
and misfortunes the average speciality
actor of today is a much-maligned and
moderated person. Clannish in the ex-
IRENE, one would give his last dollar for
the other, or nurse him through a fit of
Illness. as a matter of course. There are
jealousies. especially among the women,
but they are of minor nature. AS a
class, the people are hard-workers and
devoted to the branch of the ''profesh"
they belong to. Besides his travelling
and one-night stands the vaudevillfan Of
ten has two rehearsals a day, appears in
both burlesques, and does a turn in the
olio. And this man is not the one who
gets $500 a week either Positive her
oism is no rare thing in such a man
Last season the writer saw a perform
er's hand badly torn by an accident in
firing revolver, but the comedian re-
tired 10 the back to bind up the wound
ed member, and then went through the
remaining two hours of the performance
without flinching. though he spent two
weeks in the hospital afterward
Morality! All. there is where you have
struck difficult subject to discuss. Nor
aIIty Is the most elastic term in the world
The man who objects to a kiss NAV steal
his neighbor's wife; one man may think
very wrong what another does, as a mat
ter Of course; what is vice here NAV be
virtue in Mars! We are all rather mar
row on the subject and inclined to think
every enjoyment sinful. In general there
is feeling of good-fellowship in men
and women alike on all the variety stage.
and little liberties are excused because
they are not looked upon as such. There
is very fair per cent Of bad women in
the work, but probably not more than
elsewhere while most Of the wrong-do-
ing is in imagination and erroneous po-
lice reports. The girl who does the
toughest turn may be the most modest.
and in most cases the idea that one may
introduce himself TO a speciality performer
and conduct things as he pleases is usu-
ally mere fallacy At any rate they in
vaudeville are more broad minded. and
! little if any, worse than those out of it..
! Give dog bad name and hang him
Vaudeville IS one art where man is
/ made and not born. A woman on the 9TH
/ er hand is born and not made. for her