The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-20
SHE STRUCK
A WEATHER
HOODOO"
Mile. Fassi Was in
Despair. /
THE STORM THAT FAILED
LIGHTS, MUSIC, SCENERY, ALL
DROPPED ON HER.
The Famous Russian Fantastic Dam
seuse Suspected She Was the
Victim of a Con-
spiracy.
THE STORM THAT FAILED
LIGHTS, MUSIC, SCENERY, ALL
DROPPED ON HER.

Owing to an inclemency IN the proper
ty" weather and a combination OF cir
cumstances over which no one seems to
have had any control Mile Fassi, the
'unparoled Russian fantastic danseuse,
did not finish her turn" last evening at
the Alhambra Theater.
The failure of stage rain to fall in tor
rents and the non-appearance Of lightning
flashes, accompanied by the conventional
peals of thunder, which in stageland Is
produced by shaking piece of sheet iron.
is attributed to well-digested conspiracy
on the part of the stage hands. Mile. F'as-
81, who speaks remarkably good English
for full-fledged subject of the Car, does
not hesitate TO brand Stage Manager
Mr." Johnny Williams and Stage Car
penter Simmons as the ringleaders of the
plot to deprive her of fame and fortune
here in the far West. Stage Manager
Mr." Johnny Williams and Stage Car
penter Simmons "pooh-pooh, pish-tush'
and ''go TO" the accusation. and with sin
lister stage "ha-has" laugh the charge Of
the Russian maid, TO scorn.
But, nevertheless, the bald fact remains
that Nile. Fassi's turn was consigned to
oblivion, SO far as the Alhambra is con-
cerned, by a combination OF events that
lend weight to her statement.
It happened this way:
Mile Fassi was billed to appear in a
quartet of copyrighted electrical dane
ing creations" The opening number was
entitled 1.-The bicycle dance" During this
creation the stage was to be flooded with
rain and the cloud drop" at the back
of the stage was to reek with thunder and
blaze with lightning. The arrangement
was symbolistic and tended to convey an
impression of a woman cycler overcome In
a great storm.
After the customary musical introduce
ton Mile. Fassi tripped on the stage and
Nr1g. I'LL v1nr f1Nr In 6n
conventional movements of the foreign
danseuse. Suddenly the lights in the or
chestra went out and the music stopped
with jerk. Mile. Fassi ceased her dane
ing a moment afterward and looked anx-
iously toward the wings. Then she ran OH
the stage, only to come back again a
minute later, when the lights and music
also resumed. She had no sooner got well
into the swing OF the dance when the
lights went out second time and the
music ceased.
Turning toward the wings on her right
she said in a rather sharp voice, If you
don't give light how can the orchestra
play?'
dance went merrily on, only to be inter
rupted for third and last time. This
time, however, not by a shutting on OF
drop. which completely. shut off Mile
F'<1ssir end her setting of the armament.
tors. The sound Of whistle preceded
the raising of the drop, and then Mile.
Fassi for a second time Grated. L won't
go on with my act tonight; The electri,
and then with a little bow and the sym
pathy OF the audience she left the stage.
said: Ibid you ever hear of such a
thing? The stage manager, Mr.. VIII
lams, and the stage carpenter, Mr.. Sim
mons. deliberately shut off the lights and
dropped that scene to ruin my act. I'll
sue them all. They are incensed against
me because demanded that they prop
erly arrange the stage for my act. They
would not build a platform for my lights
nor drape the setting in a manner neces-
sary to produce my illusion. 1 COM
planned to the managers and they were
compelled to grant few OF my wishes.
I made such a hit at the rehearsal last
night they got jealous and determined to
ruin my turn. When 1 went on the
to queer the act. Subsequent events
justified my suspicious. Ny turn was
deliberately ruined by them"
Here is Mr.. Williams story: Absurd,
absurd. absurd! 1 don't know how it ali
happened, and as for a conspiracy it's
pure. simple and unauthorized rot.
Everybody knows me and that settles 1T.
I don't know what was the matter with
be to take drink for all know. The
drop scene also fell by mistake
And Mr.; Simmons. the stage carpenter
said: Really Mr.. Williams can explain
st all Surely, you cannot. think that
would do such thing. A conspiracy
some one turned them out and the scene
dropped because some one dropped It
Now how could it be conspiracy?'
Sutherland F. Sutherland, until recent
~ the editor Of the Daily Report, who is
Interested in the electrical effects Of
Fassi's act, was indignant over the en-
tire affair. ''It was outra geous," he ex.
claimed. There is no excuse for the man
ner in which Mile. Fassi and my inven.
lions were treated by these stage people
They deliberately ruined one of the most
beautiful stage effects ever produced"