The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-01-10
THE Matinee GIRL.
Mildred Irving Has Discovered Her in
These Plantations.
Continuous Performances Have Developed
This Type Of Theatregoer.


is-in the bigger cities; but until this
winter she seems 10 have been in en-
bryo hereabouts. / don't know what
there may be about the continuous
performance idea that should develop
the type here; but. just the same. she
| IS certainly in evidence, and almost
! daily becoming more SO. since Mr.
| Keith opened his beautiful new play
house. Certainly, though there are
J some occasional exceptions, vaudeville
! isn't productive OF the matinee idol,
! which Is popularity supposed 10 be the
| raison d'ctre Of the matinee girl" to
any such extent rs the "legitimate;"
| but equally certain IL IN that you can
| find her any AFTERNOON. in all the null
! tifarious gradations OF her develop
| ment. at keith's.
( Probably it's because the "continu-
! Gus performance" has become q fash
/ ionable rad here. Thank heayen. how
| ever, she is a very different creature
! from the average OF her u pc as seen in
| New York, for instance. There, in her
! foolishness and too often I'm the
/ thoughtless way In which she APP
/ proaches the danger line. she suggests
! more the wisdom Of a good spanking
! than any thing else. Here, despite her
/ frequent disposition To air her famil-
] iarity with the stage and it's folk and
4
/ that her first cousin once talked with
! Joe Hart or sat next 90 Marie Jansen
| in street car, she is. as a rule, a
/ rather interesting person, modest and
! quietly. though elegantly. dressed: and
1 she does not think that her fondness
\ for the theatre necessitates any relax
| alton from her natural refinement and
| good breeding.
You never studied her? Well, Just
/ look the over audience with me. You
| see thai gifI over there next TO the
! aisle with the handsome ostrich pluInes
I In her picture hat?" See how languidly
she raises her iorgnette and studies
Aubrey Boucicault. She passes part of
every winter season i'm New York; and
she would have you understand that
she is so familiar with everything the
stage has produced of late years that
IL takes more than the son of a famous
dramatist To excite her interest, TN Jugh
she Will condescend TO criticise as only
woman can the methods and the
dressing of Miss Brandon Douglass
whom she calls simply Douglass" ana
whom she tells her companion she last
saw i'm New York in "rhe Man in the
Iron Mask" i'm which she says. the ac-
tress was infinitely better than I'm this
condensation OF Sardou's masterpiece
which she condescends, TO admit is
fairly good You won't hear her say
anything good Of an actress, whatever
she may say of an actor-not she! You
don't see this type here very often,
though. to the credit of Providence be
il, said, but you'll see this same young
woman here again next week, and she'll
go through the same inane perform
ance.
There's a bright grl-Tve seen here
every week since the house opened, the
one with the gray-haired matron who
presume IS her mother and who is al
ways with her. You noticed how she
applauded Levy with her tiny gloved
hands; ana just see how heartily she
laughs at Ed Favor's fun making. The
red on her cheeks wont wash off-it
isn't that kind. She comes to the the
atre because she is OF a CHEEKY. sunny
disposition and loves to be amused. She
is the kind who makes everybody
around her happy the kind who dis
seminates the sunshine of truly Iowa
bic nature through the world She may
b. somewhat easily pleased: but she
does the hearts of the performers good,
for she is ger erous with her approba-
tion and there is that i'm her sweet face
and laughing eyes that makes them
feel that her good will is worth appeal
ing 10. The performers all say Would
that there were more of her"
That stately young woman I'm the
lower right box YOU see here every
week. too. She was graduated from
Wellesley last summer; and you would
know il. She has some of the true Bos-
ton mannerisms and assumption of
superiority; but you will notice that
her smile for she never laughs out
right. is evidently sincere. and the ac-
tor or actress who wins il values II,
for il is evident that she is discriminate
ing and bestows her faVors Culy upon
real merit of the higher order. The Bi-
ograph seems especially To interest her
and particularly the war pictures.
though you must have noticed that she
seemed to unbend a good deal and very
nearly laugh outright when the Mid
gleys were on.
See that fair-haired young girl over
near the side? I've only seen her twice;
but fancy she is to be a regular mat
inee girl She is fresh from convent
school Notice how her big, awestruck
eyes glue themselves with impartial adj
miration upon every performer in the
whole .ong program from Aubrey
Bodcicau!t down. and rot omitting the
props boy VINO sweeps the stage
apron after the sand dance. To her
the stage II simply the faiTyland OF her
dreams brought into an absolute and
Immediate reality. Occasionally she
smiles Just "A little: but 10 her the
theatre is almost a temple. the dream
religion and the actors and actresses
it's priesthood.
That girl chewing gum over there?
OH yes. she's here regularly; and they
tell me she's FROM the PawtuXet val
ley a splendid specimen OF the healthy.
womanly, wholesome country girl.
Chewing candy? Oh. T thought Il was
gum Welt I'm glad her young man.
who .s always with her. thinks enough
ot her 90 buy 10 for her; and her pure.
honest face looks as ~ she deserves all
the sweets of life. she doesn't seem 20
be very enthusiastic over the uuictcr
acts but just See how she enjoys the
comedy acts, ana see how she admires
the skill Of the Maginlcys and the
cleyerUess Of the Avolos. TN warrant
there isn't another person IA this bic
audience who more thoroughly enjoys
the performance. and vou'll notice that
sho remains uptN Shoe seen lt an and
perhaps "lupr-I over oae or two nets
She doesn't come 60 be fashionable or
60 show of her latest hat. She comes
tu enjoy herself 90 the utmost and she
uat~ her moneys WOTtE-ur her young
mans moneys worth every time.
must eav. I don't just like his looks.
bI' 'ha's none of my business. Perhaps
I might upt make "a choice that would
-uIf at her UUbpls. either.