Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-25

the fun of it. go to one of the book stores
and see." Mr.. Andreas Immediately dis
patched himself and within an hour brought
back little hand book on THE Art of
Corresponding" Miss Irwin glanced over
it and found the very letter. She picked
up pen. dipped it and across the bottom
of the letter wrote: For answer see first
top, second column, page 214, change names,
am busy, May Irwin
When Shakespeare's friends. after hear
ing him read his beautiful pastoral comedy,
asked him by what name he intended to
call it, his answer was: "As you like 1t,
which, in the vernacuar of today, would
read, amy old thing" We're he alive to-
day, dependent for subsistence on the
tastes and caprices of the theater-g going
public, he would soon learn that amy old
name" will not do, but that the title of a
play must, in a measure suggest It's char-
acter, If not tell its story. Mrs. Frances
Hodgson Burnett might have called her lat
est play by ANY old name" and drawn
ANY old kind of an audience, entirely out
of sympathy with the refinement of her
Hurst Gentleman" Joe Hurst'-doesn' t
the name at once suggest a man of loWly
origin. one of the common people?-and the
author has made a gentleman OF MN. IA;
ha! Don't laugh. Go and see Digby Bell
and then acknowledge that poor wax
works Snowman may realize the hishest
ideal of manhood. and that Joe hurst Is
indeed a gentleman.
Mr.. Joseph NJ. Sparks stage career has
been long. but not varied. Since 1872 %
Mr.. Sparks has played Irish character
parts principally. He made his professional
debut with the Mafiitt and Bartholomew
pantomime company. Opening in New York
city the following year he and his partner,
under the name of Sparks Brothers. played
the principal variety theaters of the east
and west. appearing in Irish sketches. This
combination held together for eight sea-
sons: then the Sparks Brothers signed with
Tony Deniers pantomime company, play
ing season. In 1882 the firm signed
with Harrigan & Hart. They were as
signed parts which ultimately brought
about dissolution. After three years with
Harrgan & Hart they sent Mr. Joseph
Sparks q starring tour under their di-
rection. During this season Mr.. Sparks
headed Dams Tribulaton'' and ''Squatter
Sovereignty At the expiration of that
season he returned to New FORK and re-
ented the Harrigan e Hart company APP
pearng at the Harrfgan {; Hart Theater
on Broadway below Grace Church, the
present site of the old London streets,
which was recently converted into an ath-
letic club. During the latter part of that
season the Harrigan & Hart Theater was
destroyed by fire. and the company came
up town, played three years at the present
site of the Herald Square Theater and after
a Harrigans Garrick. Mr.. Sparks was as
ISOLATED with Mr.. Hsrrigan fourteen sea-
sons. This is his fourth season with Miss
Irwin. With Miss Irwin he has played in
The Widow Jones' "Courted Into Court"
THE Swell Miss kitZwcll.' and is now ap
pearing in Kate Kip, Buyer"
The highest salaried woman in the cast
of Kate Kin May Irwin's new play,
which will hold forth at the National Thea
ter next week, is rot at any time during
the action of the farce seen on the stage.
She is Mile. Alexa. who portrays the role
of Wilhelm Coogans first wfe-a German
prima donna, from the wings. The ordeal
Of making up, the trials of dressing and the
worry of graceful appearance do not
bother Mile. Alexa in the least The first
possessing a rare soprano voice, and Kate
Kip, believing her to be dead, pretends to
be her daughter. In the second act Mrs.
Ccogan, the first, shows up. In an adjoin-
Ing room she tries all her top notes, giving
the inimitable Miss Irwin plenty of bait for
side-splitting lines.