The times., 1899-03-12

| and a handsome interior. Then We played
| two weeks in Gotham and lost everything
we had cleared up elsewhere. / tell you
the West is the place for farce. There you
can fill houses at dollar a head and coin
small fortunes every week.
'One of the things a Western critic said
about Anna made me laugh interjected
Katherine Osterman with feminine giggle.
In commenting on her wearing a bicycle
suit, he remarked that she had two OF the
best looking and most substantial reasons
for adopting the costume ever seen out of
| comic opera"
"Oh, Cad, you be quiet interrupted the
brunettish Miss Belmont, with a really
| fetching blush. You make me ashamed
| of you. Let's change the subject. Did
| you ever appear with Sol Smith Russell S
Company, Mr. Dickson?"
No, answered the capable man ad-
dressed. My work has been confined
! largely to ether lines. For several years
l did not leave New York, being connected
with the Frohman forces. Do you know
what makes a Frohman production a sue
cess nine times out of ten? Well, it is
| the fact that both Charles and Daniel fill
| in all the little parts with the very best
| people securable. I've acted bits for them
| that were only worth forty per week, and
still drawn salary equal to that of those
doing leading business. Sol Smith Russell
| Is great entertainer, yet the man who
makes me feel like kneeling down and
worshipping him is James A. Herne.'
"A funny thing happened once when 1
was with Mr.. Russell" said Miss Belmont
as Mr.. Dickson paused reflectively. I'VE
were making jump after good night S
business in small Eastern town. The star
was approached by a stranger who engaged
him IN conversation. Il saw you at the
| theatre yester-evening in Peaceful VAL
| ley. said the traveller. who was evidently
an Englishman. 'Yes? replied Mr. Rus
sell. interrogatively. Yes the gentleman
repeated, 1 saw you and liked you very
much. l don't know whether you will
consider il a compliment or not but, do
you know, think you could play comedy
Really, answered the actor, i thank you
for your good opinion. Some day | hope
to be a comedian "
Its wonderful what an influence asso-
citation with great player has on one"
said Miss Osterman, as the laugh subsided.
You know Stuart Robson never gets done
with talking about his experience with
Booth and Barrett When l was with the
only and original BERTHE | saw bets made
regarding the number of minutes he would
converse before he referred to one of them
as an authority on some point
Yes" rejoined Mr.. Dickson, these
really notable actors live today and their
/
once Crane and Robson had an exceeding
ly funny piece called Champagne and
Oysters When it was given a first per-
formance old Joe Jefferson was sitting in a
box. The audience howled through the
evening, yet Mr.. jefferson never cracked a
smile. As the curtain was rung down he
stepped back, and when asked his opinion
of the piece said: Boys, it's too damned
funny to last. You don't give your audi
nr1na 1rnt~ 10 do hi ,,,s
it wears them out You must let your
house 90 little acting, you know. or the
farce viii never go ! think he must have
been right. for the Offering never was
great financial success"
Your 'Incog' brought out a lot of good
people, didn't it?" asked Miss Osterman, as
Mr.. Dickson paused.
Indeed it did" was the reply THAT
was one of the remarkable things about
the production. When We opened not one
of the people we employed was known to
the theatrical world. AS l look over the
field now / find that some of them have
become pretty prominent There was Louis
Mann and Clara Lipman, Robert Edison,
who is now leading man for Maude Adams;
Ellen Berg, Harry Davenport, of the Belle
Of New York Company; Alice Sheppard,
Lillian Burkhart, my dear little wife: Hans
Ottomayer, now the leading character ac-
tor of Germany; poor Maud Haslam, who
has just been called home. and Tom Wise,
who was SO well received by New York in
The Last Chapter So you see nearly all
have made progress. The old fe'iOWs in the
business are passing away very rapidly and
new ones are crowding Us for our laurels.
But ripe experience, after all, is the great
est evidence of success"
Well, good-by," said Jake Rosenthal.
as he rose. Il have 10 start for Providence
in order to get Brown into town next
week. You won't see US here again. as
Brown will receive exclusively in the West
next year. So long"