Evening star., 1898-03-12

largest audiences, Snd next to her was her
sister Flo. The strong and well-acted play
at the Lafayette Square did not draw well,
for its subject was an unpleasant one, and
the vaudeville at the Columbia, even with
Clara Morris at its head, did not do good
business.
Next week there will be quite a variety
in the entertainment offered. "The Ballet
Girl one of E. E. Rice's conceits, will be
at the National; Denman Thompson, in
1.-The Old Homestead" at the Lafayette;
Mime. Janauschek, in What Dreams May
Come" at the Columbia; Fun on the
Pacific MaiP' at the Academy, Eight
Bells at the Grand and John l.. Sullivan
and his company at the Lyceum.
good story is told on the chief of the
Chicago fire department. One evening,
about ten days ago, he strolled into the
Grand Opera House at Chicago, and settled
himself comfortably into an orchestra chalr
to witness the performance. He had not
been seated more than ten seconds when
every light in the house went out, ana the
stage became mass OF lnky backness. "A
few seconds more elapsed, when out OF the
surrounding darkness of the stage came a
sight that caused the fire CHIEFS hair TO
stand on end A living mass of flame
seemed to shoot from the surrounding dark
ness Of the stage high up toward the lilies
of the theater, and in the very center of the
fire could be seen the dim outlines of wo-
mans figure clad in a mist of transparent
gauze, and swaying weirdly to and fro.
For a moment the chief rubbed his eyes and
wondered If he had been hitting the pipe
ir a moment OF forgetfulness. Then col
lecting his startled senses he bounded from
his seat, rushed out of the theater and
around to the stage door. There he was
confronted with the august official who IS
part of every theater, whose duty 1t is to
Keep chappies and Johnnies and other per-
II, . u fnr
ment as if there was going to be a lively
time between the fire chief and the stage
door tender when the latter barred the
way and would not let him in. The door
keeper didn't know him. and, after he made
his identity known, a whispered conversa-
ton was held between the two, the result
of which caused the doorkeeper to let out
laugh that was heard by the audience.
The fire chief looked as if he knew the
joke was on him, and he withdrew as
gracefully as possible. The sight that had
given him such a shock was only the new
fire dance" of Adelaide Hermann, but it
looked SO realistic that the chief came near
turning in an alarm of fire. He has had to
pay for a good many cigars SINCE the joke
leaked out.
Oden Williams, the rotund gentleman who
plays the pious old New Hampshire farmer
in Way Down East, was farm hand
himself in early life. He asserts that the
soil was rich in those days and the vines
grew fast that pumpkins were worn out
before they ripened. by being dragged over
the field Charles V. Seaman. who person.
ates the village constable in w. A Brady's
rustic play, declares that he knows ali
about Williams debut in the show business
1T was away back in the summer of TO-
says Seaman, land / was principal leaper
with crossroads wagon show. When We
got TO Rushv1lle, KY, big Strapping cOun-
try boy came around to my dressing room
and wanted to know if we would give him
free ticket. We set him at work carrying
watec for the elephant, and, after he had
brought forty or nifty buckets, the boss
canvasma1. impressed by his strength and
industry, hired Williams to go with the
show. His duties were to drive the center
pole wagon from town to town. an all night
job, and then work all day helping erect the
canvas and puttering around in the cook
tent Poor Williams scarcely had chance
to close his eyes, and after about two weeks
of this sort of thing, he went to the fore
man and inquired: Il say, boss when do I
sleep?" Sleep said the foreman in amaze
ment, why, you don't get no sleep until
next winter" That discouraged Williams
and he quit the circus business and went in
for drama. Curiously enough, this was far
down south, and the next time / met him
was Way Down East"
Monsieur Edouard Jose, who won instant
success upon his first appearance in this
country as the up-to-date theatrical man
ager, with the Oscar Hammersteinan pro-
pensities, is a nephew of the great 'cellost,
Won Biene, and is conceded TO be the most
versatile and talented artist of his nation
ality that has ever adopted the English
stage Last week Jose appeared before
New York S1Qour hundred at a perform
ance givd the Waldorf-Astoria and
scored such a distinctive success as is sell
dom attained by comparative stranger at
entertainments of that kind. Some men
are queer, while others are queerer Mr.
Jose seems to belong to the latter class
Notwithstanding the fact that he is one of
-Er V.Ta feFg hot b.e ,,..s&a
country. he insists upon being known sim
ply as an actor. He is a splendid tech
nician on the piano. and in the execution
OF the most intricate passages possesses a
1aciiity said by the best New York musical
critics to be second only to Paderewski Jose
however, positively refuses to appear as a
professional pianist. He thinks that as an
actor OF burlesque and musical comedies he
stands much nearer the pinnacle of fame
tnan he ever could as an interpreter of
wagner and List In THE Ballet Girl"
ne enacts the character of NJ. Tarreuelle
manager of the Folles Theater, Paris an
up-to-date, boom-prornoting hustler with
all the peculiarities of the American ad-
vance agent. The characterization is said
to be as artistically funny as anything of
It's KIND that has ever assumed stage shape
NEW NATIONAL THEATER.-Edward
l. Rice's production of the latest musical
comedy. THE Ballet Girl will be seen for
the first time in Washington Monday even
ing at the New National Theater with the
original cast. which has been presenting
the play for the past four months in New
York and Boston. The company comes
here direct from the latter city The theme
used in THE Ballet Girl Is based on COM
plications that have arisen from the love
affairs of an aged earl who wants TO mar
ry fortune; his son, who plans an elope-
ment with a Partisan ballet girl; an artist.
who loves and is loved by the American
heiress. These intrigues are all of such
personal interest to the individuals men
toned that the audience finds an abundant
fund OF bumor constantly developing, as
one after the other of the series of ANUS
ing incidents transpires. The general form
and coioring of The Ballet Girl are said
to be more rounded and vivid than Is no.
uceabie in any of Its predecessors while
the results show more graceful fiIffiness
and blithe daintiness, and at the same line
II tells pretty love story without the
least shadow of suggestiveness. Mr. Rice
is q past master at the establishment and
development of any gay conceft which re
puts forward. but in no instance has he
displayed more energy and inyentiveness
with better results than in his manIpuia-
ton of THE Ballet Girl" The company
comprises seventy-five persons and the cos
tuning is said to be elaborate and the
scenic effects both harmonious and hand
some The principals in the cast are David
Lythgoe. Thomas Ricketts,, Edouard lose
Christopher Bruno, Snitz Edwards Fred