The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-13

lists may go to London and succeed, but
English artists who come over here
with the idea of reaching KIondil1e by
a short cut usually learn things in
hurry. Without running very far back
in theatrical chronicles, ! might cite
the disastrous experience of the Lon
don company presenting In Town"
Arthur Boucher, Dan Leno and nu-
merous others who speedily returned to
their native shores after experiment.
ing with American humor. The latest
English artist to come over is one Mr..
ChirgWin, a white-eyed Kafiir, who
went on at Roster & Balls last Mon
day night for the first time.
Tuesday morning it was announced
that just before his entrance he had
been notified by cable from London
that his seven months old child was
dying. This was the first intimation
New York received that he was even
married. 1t was explained that his
humOr on the opening night was
marred by the knowledge that his child
was i'll. On Wednesday it was said
that the child was dead Wednesday
afternoon it was stated that Mr., CHR
gwin would sail for Europe on Satur-
day. and by the time this appears in
The Times Mr. Chirgwins future will
have been placed behind him.
This dying child business, it appears
to me, is on a level with the other anti
quated jests Chirgwin tried to tell in
New York. Other actors have had
dying childs," and, strangely enough,
they have died just at the critical
point. One would think they ought at
least TO wait until the success or failure
of the parent had been decided, but
these dying children never show such
consideration. However everyone
agrees that Chirgwin escaped in great
luck, for he circulated the story in all
of the papers, and as il could neither be
verified or denied, most people believed
it.
Chirgwin's success or failure did not
depend upon family troubles, however,
but on himself. Amy man who viii get
off a joke like this and expect Amer
leans to laugh at it, ought to have pink
eyes-instead of one black and one
white.
(Note-This is the Joke)-"I will
prove to you that cycling has been uni
versaI since the Garden of Eden. Adam
sighed for Eve, and in return Eve had
to cling to Adam. Sigh-cling-c
and there you are" On. B.-The Joke
ends here)
ChiTgWin's sole novelty is a diamond
shaped white patch over his left eye.
the rest of his face being made up
black with burnt cork. He explains
that once when he was making up
someone dashed some hot water in his
face and washed off the burnt cork. He
had no time to black his face again,
and went on with this particular white
patch. He should never have escaped
at that time, but he did, and subse-
quently made up as a Whte-eyed KAT
Fir at every performance. But now he
is off for England, and this time both
his eyes are black.
Young Mr.. Walter Jones is the latest
victim of the starring fever, and he is
striking things very hard here in New
York. He is appearing in In Gay New
York the Casino review of two years
ago in which he made quite hit. He
will produce the piece at the Casino
in two weeks, where 1t will replace
THE Telephone Girl" and run until
the fifth annual spring review, by Gus
tave Kerker and Hugh Morton, is pro-
dueed in May. Next season Mr.. Jones
will star in The F'ilibuster," a comic
opera written especially for him, with
the leading character built on the
| tramp lines which Mr.. Jones made so
| famous several years ago in 1872"
The sudden announcement that Mr..
Jones viii come into the Casino will
interrupt, In all probability, the most
audacious scheme ever seriously ad-
| vanced by any theatrical star or man
| ager. / was none other than the Sc
rious proposition of Mr.. Louis Mann
and Miss Clara Lipman to produce
The Merchant Of Venice" at the home
of comic opera, with Miss Lipman as
! Portia and Mr. Mann as Shylock;
| Charles Dickson, as Antonio; Miner
| va Wilson as Nerissa, and Jane
English as the judge. Mr.. Henry
| Bergman was to play Tubal, with a
| fierce accent, and the chorus girls of
| THE Telephone Girl' We're to be cast
| as the mob. 1t was proposed TO put on
| this production at a series Of special
matinees at the Casino and play it
| straight through. New York has not
yet been convinced that Mr.. Mann does
not intend to interpolate Shylock
| song in the elopement scene, while it is
| expected that he and Miss Lipman will
| close the trial with merry duet, the
| chorus joining in, so that the sOmber
| elect Oh lllt Jew ; NOIlitillItlibIl anu
! downfall will be eliminated. But Mr..
Mann seriously says that he will do
nothing Of the kind, but that he will
play Shylock so legitimately that when
he gets through he viii make Sir Henry
Irving feel like taking a back seat.
Mr.. Sam Bernard, the rival Dutch
comedian Of Mr. Mann, who challenged
| Louis to dialect duel at twenty PAGES,
on any stage, before any audience, the
| go u -
nounced that he proposes to put THE
| Merchant of Venice" on at Weber 4
| Fields Music Hall, with Maggie Cline
as Portia and Peter F. Daley as the
merchant who supplies the pound of
! flesh. Mr.. Bernard says that he will
! play the part of Shylock so that Louis
| Mann will feel even worse than Irving
and that he will do it as it should be
| done-With a Hebrew accent.
Miss Jane English, of the Casino, has
been playing the role of the heiress
| during the past week. but her engage
ment ended today. She announced ten
! days ago that an aunt with an unpro-
nounceable name. living in The Hague
Holland, had left her $125,000 Careful
! investigation reveals the fact that Miss
! English's family whose name is Simp-
! son, and who live in New York State
! somewhere near Cohoes, have no rela-
| tives living on the other side, and 1t
| is therefore assumed that Miss English
| has been romancng. Several other
ladies Of the Casino are much offended