The age-herald., 1898-03-13
HOME AND FOREIGN
 STAGE GOSSIP

The state department in Washington has
 granted the application of George A. Blu
 menthal for space fin the American section
 at the Paris exposition of 1900 for the erec-
 tion of an American theater. The plan Is
 understood to have been conceived by MT. Blumenthal and Alexander Lichtenstein,
 the manager of the Harlem opera house
 The press dispatches state that Mir. Lich- tenstein and Mr. Blumenthal will sail for
 Havre on the French line steamer Bour-
 gogne, Saturday, May ', to attend the | meeting of the directors of the exposition, to be held in Paris, where final details
 are to be arranged. The theater is to be erected by Mir. Llchtenstein, the govern- l ment agreeing to furnish the necessary
 light and heat. The building is to cost in
 the neighborhood of $2500O0 and is to con- taln, besides a theater accommodating 2750
 peorsons, music hall and roof garden
 which is to accommodate 2,100 The build Ing is to be built of steel frame work, with
 pressed brick and limestone trimmings it
 Is to have a frontage of 75 feet and a depth
 of 15O feet Now listen to the eagle. It is
 to be built of American material by Amer ican workmen. It is likewise to be equipped throughout with American appliances. There are to be fourtiers of procenium
 boxes, four boxes to the tier, on either side of the stage. The scenery and draperies
 are to be made in this country. Richard Mansfield, Nat Goodwin and Lillian Russell are among those who are now negotiating | for engagements. The theater is to be open daily from in the morning until midnight. Opera drama and comedy are | to be produced afternoons and evenings. During the forenoon there are to be vaude- Vile performances in the music hall. Pa triotism is to be great feature. The ushers, box office officials and doorme will all be Americans and one of the feat lures of the affair will be an exchange in the lobby of the theater where French money will be exchanged for American free of charge. The finest touch of all is that nothing but American money will be received at the box office.
 Sir Squire Bancroft, the once famous London actor-manager, has recently been in New York coming down from Montreal, where he had been giving a series of read ings for charity. He was largely responsi- ble for the movement many years ago that led to the brilliant era of modern English comedy in London. He has been for years
 identified with all that is best in the art
 of comedy acting. He is conspicuous for
 having brought forward a number of stage
 celebrities. His own talents were great
 and he was quick in discovering the talents
 of others He has been a foremost figure
 in. eevating the comic stage. At his the
 ater, "The Prince of Wales" in London, at
 the time when John Hare's name was com
 paratively unknown and Tom Robertson.
 (the brother of Mrs. KendalD was a strug- glng playwright MT. Bancroft was at the
 head of brilliant company of players,
 whose efforts to give a performance to
 clasic comedy did more for the London
 public than has probably been done at any
 other period. During his brief stay such
 time as he could find between lunches, dn-
 ners and suppers given in his honor by
 Americans who had known him abroad
 he passed at the theaters or in seeking out old landmarks that he remembered from
 his last visit to America thirty-nine years ago. Then he had visited among other theaters, Laura Keenes, where Jefferson, Sothern, Banicault and other actors were clinhug the ladder of fame and had not yet reached the higher rungs, and he proba-
 bly looked out among the tall office build
 ings of today for some of the old theaters
 that were no more. Had he looked for
 those who were then to the fore In things
 theatrical he would have had to see many
 of them now in the quiet resting place to
 which they have been carried.
 Mir. Willard, who has recently included
 David Garrick in his repertoire says "the
 elder Sothern, the original David Garrick,
 was one of my best friends When I was
 new to the stage I played MT. Brown with
 him on tour in England. You remember