The herald., 1898-01-23


fhe great popularity of the vaudeville
FORM of entertainment has been largely
strengthened of late by the incorpora-
tion into 1t of sketches, farces and con-
densed comedies, supplemented even
by condensed versions of plays of Sc
rious kind. The fact is that the ordinary
vaudeville artist so-caled, is not an In
ventive person, and q success once
achieved in particular song or mono
logue is supposed to be sufficient excuse
for going on in that class of songs or
that kind of monologue, like the bab-
bling brook that runs on forever. No Won
der that an audience gets little tired of
this monotony, even though the per-
sons may be changed and their stay
vaudeville houses have accepted the
new conditions, and the farce, or con-
densed play, is now looked upon as a
regular feature Of the entertainment,
without which the bill would not be
complete. A glance over the record Of
such attractions now playing shows that
the drama has invaded the vaudeville
stage in instances like the following:
A one-act adaptation of Ansteys
novel, "a Tinted Venus" is being
played by Estelle Clayton and support
at the Pleasure Palace, and at the same
place the opera of Carmen" boiled
down to twenty-five minutes, is being
presented by such artists as Tagiape-
tra Jay C. Taylor, George de Winter,
Angelo -Ricci and Mile. Arlini, supported
by good-sized chorus. Annie Yeaman,
Johnny Wild and Dan Cxsilier are play
ing at Proctor's in version of "Chimmie
Fadden," arranged by the author. Nc
Kee Rankin and Nance O'Neil are the
stars presenting a condensed version of
Camille" at one house, apd at another
have been playing the church yard scene
from Leah the Forsaken." The report
of the latter interlude says that "the
interest centered in Miss ONeil's work,
and respectful attention was given her
as she poured out the torrent of angry
words at her faithless lover. This" says
the reporter. 'is about the most serious
bit OF work so far seen in vaudeville, and
it made a hit, but" he adds, this fact
need not encourage every legitimate
star to try to do something similar; the
vaudevilleloving public likes its trage-
dy in homeopathic doses" Mr. and Mrs. |
r. ]. Dustan and others have been play
n n of 70
Mans Married" which has been given
at Keith's with much success A traves-
ty on "The Lady of Lyons" by Mr.. and |
Mrs. Augustin Neuville, is also spoken of |
In terms of praise. Francesca Redding
and Frederick Backus have appeared |
in comic comedletta entitled "A For
gotten Combination"
In fact, there appears to be no end |
to the efforts of dramatists and per-
formers TO work into the vaudeville
line. This form of attraction would
have been sent here earlier, but the cir
cult managers came to the conclusion
that San Francisco audiences would
not receive the innovation with favor.
The recent engagement of Patrice in a
one-act play, entitled "a New Years
Dream" which has been given at the
Orpheum in San Francisco with great
success, has, however. changed their
view, and 1t seems probable that if Pa
trice Is received here this week with as
much favor as was bestowed upon her
in San Francisco, further engagements
of similar kind, to vary the regular bill
of vaudeville fare, will be furnished
\ y
Charles Kent, well known in this city,
as elsewhere, will shortly make his de-
but as vaudeville star at Proctor's the
ater where, in conjunction with Agnes
Proctor, he will present sketch called
"Taming a Husband" The Mirror an
nounces that the famous violin virtuoso,
Edouard Remenyi, has at last signed for
q debut at Keths Union square the
ater, thus making the latest accession
from the list of professionals to the
vaudeville ranks.
V SO much Of the drama of the day is
either openly adapted or surreptitiously
taken from French sources that, prac-
tfcally, the superiority Of the French
inventive powers is acknowledged on all
sides In addition to an originality in
the production of high-class and prob
lem plays, as they are called, the French
have also always exceled in melodram-
attic productions appealing to the popular
taste that admires the conventional vii
lain and is easily worked into svm-
pathy with virtue in distress, when it is
clad in white muslin and adorned with
pearly tears. Georges Jubin, described
as a French melodramatist, supposedly
Of experience, has formulated some rules
for the guidance of playwrights who
may be desirous of achieving success in
writing down to the level, of bourgeois
public. There is nothing original In Mr..
Jubin's rules. but they are eminently
practical. Here they are:
1.-The popular drama must be directed
rather TO the sensibility of the public than
to Its intelligence; it must seek to stir the
audience and not to teach 1t. The public
goes to theater to listen to play, not a