The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-23
BOWERY MELODRAMA NOW
THE VILLAIN PURSUES THE MAIDEN
" IS FOILED STILL.

DINO MuAeumS tn0 homo II tnO 1nrlll1nE
Old-Fashioned Play Since the Yiddish
Drama Captured It's Former Theatres-
a Performance by an All-star Cast.
Melodrama has not disappeared altogether
from the Bowery. 1t is true that its first his
toric home 10 given over to an alien tongue
and that Yiddish is heard in place OF the Wig
orous English which used to express the woes
and joys OF the old Bowery's plays. The
Thalia became German and then Yiddish in
accordance with the usual process OF trans
formation that all these theatres have under
gone. The Windsor has for several years
divided with the Thalia the patronage Of the
lower east sides Yiddish population. 1t began
az a German theatre. the stadt. and varied
the usual course by which the English the
aires In that part Of the town have passed over
to the use Of the Hebrew actors. The charac-
teristic Bowery drama had lost another the
atre to the Yiddish plays before It was driven
as far uptown as the Peoples. The National.
which has housed many curious nationalities.
first lapsed from the vernacular to the Hebrew
plays. 1t subsequently sheltered a Roumanian
opera company and later became the nome of
a troupe OF Italians that sang L Traviata"
one night and gave one OF Giacometti's his
torical tragedies on the next. The theatre
took fire after this and its stage was burned.
Whether its managers felt that its honors were
sufficient or dreaded further international
complications nobody knew. 1t ended its
career as a theatre. however. in a blaze. Now
the Peoples is to pass over to the Yiddish
actors next summer and the last theatre de-
voted to dramatic performances in English will
disappear from the Bowery. Itinerant troupes
with such names as The Gay Morning
Glories.' THE Bon Ton Widows" and the
twentieth Century Girls" still stop for their
weeks stay at the two theatres devoted to such
performances. They are given in English of a
kind quite peculiar to them. but still our Ian
guage. They could not be called dramatic in
any sense Of the word.
Melodrama has not entirely left the Bowery.
even if the theatres have gone over to other
uses. 1t is housed there in very modest fash
ion. Its present quarters are significant Of it's
decline from the time when its real home was
the really impressive interior OF the old
Bowery. 1t is in the dime museum that this
earlier dramatic ~favorite OF the region survives.
not as a curio. indeed. but as an adjunct Of tho
other amusements that the place provides. In
retaining melodrama the museums have
gone back to the brand popular at the be.
ginning Of the seventies. All the inter-
vening period during which the supply Of
melodrama came from London has been over
looked. Possibly this Is due to the fact that
log cabins, flannel shirts and other details Of
that period are best suited to the resources Of
Bill used to devastate the country with plays Of
scouts. and later oliver Doud Byron began, to
y!sSSrk the same rich Mins: Meek Me- fer Neck"
plays popular then in the Bowery theatres:
The pieces acted now are lineal descendants OF
times taken bodily from them, From. hearing
one OF the plays given last week nobody would
have haze b 6el' sysd b that ex any td51 Fart Of tS Msi SrdiGtnal
is a regular Offering at this one OF the museums.
Every week sees a new specimen OF it. At one
nfhn nln4n- - III / hA fhnnfrn
ment, Cqmranies in imitation Of those ct the
fBSt'StS "Perisiann widowSsD.S or Something eIfnG
OF the kind, occupy that part of the museum
The permanent home Of melodrama is UNI
ostentatious. 1t occupies the first floor OF a
eTdnpSi t fne' F1SSi9 9e f fRea PPST Ssd mec 2SGEespS WS S1e
ders. On either side OF a small stage at the
rear are two tlimsy pagodas supplied with lace
other, attempt is made at decoration, The
slightly inclined floor is covered with theatre
seats which probably did more honorable SER
vice in the past. The stage, is not more than ten
feet wide and seemingly little deeper. An indus
tri9us pianist plays during, the Intermissions
phasize the more moving nassages ofthe drama.
Of an the Saif. costs 90 s" an ex SH4tf fv wG cents oG SO tRe mo IS
always M appreCiatiye row OF youths standing
behind the rail by the entrance. 4 stretch q
from the stage. as the demand for the play is
never strong enough to Ill all the chairs. In
the museums attractions. Any freak finds
himself or itself on the posters and c0nspicu;
attention to the actors. Inside tho theatre
they get one side q the programme and all the
I Wcas !Thc aeTf %6iPRn Av Sasy S'T Was ask tse p aast
Our Palace Theatre " were the words used
about the dark and dusty hal, while the actors
were called = the all-star stock company"
Six times a day this performance is given.
The first is as early as / o'clock. and the last
closes the theatre at IL. One night last week
about twenty persons gathered to witness the
efforts of the a~ll-star stock ompan In border
melodrama. The pron' OF he programme