The Philipsburg mail., 1899-05-26
THEATRICAL TOPICS.
SOME SAYINGS AND DOINCS
IN STACELAND.
Comic Opera Still Flourishes in the
Eastern Metropolls-JefF de Angels
In the Jolly Musketeer"-Camilied de
Arviile in the Highwaymen.
New York Correspondence.l

New York Correspondence
Comic opera still f1ourishes. and one
of it's star fiOurishers this season is
Jefferson de Angels, whose tour in
The jolly Musketeer" is continuing
auspiciously in the leading theatrical
centers of our frivolity-loving country.
Two seasons ago Mr.. De Angels at
tempted a starring tour with disas-
trous results, but last season he was
received with such favor as the comic
pivot of the Lillian Russell-Della Fox
Jefferson de Angels combination that
he felt justified in attempting again to
paddle his own canoe. And this time
he has succeeded
Many theater-goers may be surprised
to learn Mr.. de Angels is an old stager
of almost thirty years standing. He
has done his share of work in almost
every style of theatrical entertainment.
He was born to the stage, for his father
was burnt-cork comedian out in the
California of gold-digging days. J6,
as he is invariably called by his intim-
ates and others who merely know him
by constant acquaintance across the
fOotlights, was born in San Francisco
or thereabouts, and while in his teens
used to make the round of the mining
camps with his sister Sally, doing
songs and dances and giving comic
recitations in exchange for miners
gold. La Petite Sally, as his sister
became known, starred with Jeff
around the world in a juvenile Pima
fore" company, of which their father
was manager, and she appeared with
him in half-hour sketches on the varie
i stage until 1880, and after that in
play called "One Word" until her
death in 1882. Notwithstanding his
popularity in the west, Jeff yearned for
New York and the East, and finally
reaching the metropolis, spent several
years doing German songs and dances
and other variety work in the cheap
theaters on the Bowery and elsewhere.
1887 he was fortunate enough to
secure a position in the McCaull opera
company and thereafter took part in
all the doughty coonel's successes for
three or four seasons, finally drifting
into the Casino company as successor
to Francis Wilson and James T. Pow
ers. Two seasons as leading comedian
with Della Fox, the disastrous attempt
to star in THE Caliph," already re-
ferred to, preceded his triple-star sue
cess with Lillian Russell and Della
Fox.
The thought of comic opera come
dians naturally turns attention towards
the center of the stage where the
prima donna so frequently bathes her.
self in the lime-light glare. Sometimes
she is prima donna only in name; she
may be first lady in the company, but
she is not always able to entrance the
audience with a voice as sweet and
charming as her presence. On the
American stage there are really very
few prima donnas in comic opera who
can sing, and one of that few is Miss
Camille D'Arville, who has spent over
ten years on our stage at the head of
prominent companies. Strange to say,
dllHOuSu lily NlollS 70 Ile lHedIef III
that period have been more than or
dinarily numerous, l have never
chanced to see Miss D'Arville and must
rely for judgment of her work upon
the opinion of theirs. She is now
singing the leading part in "The High
wayman,' the comic opera built by
Reginald de Koven and Harry B. Smith
as a successor to the perennially pop
ular robin Hood" Miss D'Arville is
of Dutch parentage and birth and spent
the first fifteen years of her existence
among the dikes and bitches of quaint
old Holland, where she discovered
soul of music within her and voice
whereWith to express it, and accord
ingly set out for Vienna to study the