Omaha daily bee., 1899-01-29
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pearance was certainly a most successful
one. and instead of suffering from stage
fright, as would seem most natural for chill
dren OF their tender years at a first appear
ance before a large audience, these little
girls were perfectly at home. stage fright
seemingly being their last thought. They
gave several pleasing specialties in the way
OF songs, a fancy dance and n cake walk,
and well merited the tremendous applause
that was bestowed upon them by the un-
usually critical audience. Both seem to be
naturally talented and have sung and danced
before their friends ever since they were old
enough to take steps. A number of the
vaudeville stars who were performing at the
Orpheum last week, including Mr.. and Mrs.
sydney Drew, watched the little girls per-
formance from the wings of the stage, and
all of them expressed much surprise and
were most lavish in their praise of the little
artists work. At their second appearance
Saturday afternoon they showed a marked
improvement in their work, and with a little
more experience upon the professional stage
will be the equals of any of the children now
travelling.
why did I forsake the legitimate stage
for vaudeville? Well, I will tell you" said
Sidney Drew in his dressing room after he
came off the stage at the Creighton Orpheum
yesterday afternoon. After the all-star
company in which my mother, Mrs. John
Drew, Milton Lackaye, McKee-Rankin, my
self and several other actors Of more or less
prominence Upon the American stage, dis
banded l began specializing on Wall street
and lost about all OF the money | had. I
was in need Of an engagement and went to
Charles Frohman, who offered to send me
out at the head of one of his companies, and
my wife, who was a Rankin before our mar
rlage, at the head of another. and allow us
each a large salary. AS Mrs. Drew and I
had never been separated during our ten
years of married life, l asked him to put
us in the same company. but this he refused
to do. and likewise we refused to negotiate
with him further. I was at a loss to know
just what to do when I met a representa-
tive from keith's vaudeville circuit. who
asked me If | was averse to doing a sketch
upon the vaudeville stage and offered my
wife and myself an engagement for six
weeks at a salary even larger than Frohman
had offered us. l told him that 1t would
surely be like getting money under false
pretenses, as we could do nothing in vaude-
VILE to earn this amount, but as he seemed
Wiling to pay 1t, l asked n couple of days
TO consider the matter. My wife and I
talked 1t over and we decided to see what
we could do. l went to a book store, bought
up all of the 15-cent yellow back one-act
that l could find and from among
them we selected one called Husband in
Clover We rewrote it, bringing it up to
date and called it I'm Clover rehearsed it
and two weeks later opened at Keith's
Boston theater. At the first performance
1t was we'll received, which encouraged liz
so much that We Immediately put into re-
hearsal other comediettas. Well, we played
nearly three months in the east and were
so successful that we decided to 20 to Lon
don and try the music halls, which corre-
spond with the American vaudeville houses.
where, as you know, we have been playing
for two years and only returned to America
this last summer. So you see we went into
vaudeville. not because we liked it or
thought 1t would help us in an artistic
way, but merely because circumstances ne
cessitated 1t. and we are correspondence
happy. What are my impressions of vaude-
vile? Well, l don't know as | should like
TO be a vaudeville performer during the bal
ance or my career. but l like it fairly we'll
and VIII continue in it as long as the people
VIII tolerate us. Vaudeville is bound to
live merely because the people get a variety
OF amusement In 1t. and they are not called
upon 10 tax Their mental capacities. but
can go 10 a vaudeville theater and be amused
without any effort upon their own part.
BY this | do not mean to say that the people
VINO so to these places are not capable of
mental EFFORT. but that they do not want
to be compelled to listen to an actors every
line and follow every facial expression in
order to appreciate his work. but like to be
able to see with their eyes rather than their
minds. Another thing about vaudeville Is
that mediocre attractions are not tolerated.
while upon the legitimate stage they are.
AS you know. there are today countless
numbers OF this class of attractions travel
Ing about the country and seem to be doing
a thriving business. Not so with a Door act
In vaudeville. for it only lasts a very short
time. There are many things to be said
and in favor OF each class Of amuse-
ment. and 1t is for the people to decide
which they want. II one wants to see really
artistic work l would say go to the legiti-
mate %theater, but il on the other hand
simply amusement is desired. a vaudeville
theater lis the place for 1t.