Omaha daily bee., 1899-08-20

VIE Tt$ * eN ~ TSf ~ ff ~ ~ 81 u u
Despite the extremely hot weather and the
strong counter attractions offered at the ex-
position grounds, the attendance at the local
theaters continued to be good during the last
week and both the Woodward Stock company
and the Trocadero Opera company played to
well filled houses nightly. The former COM
pany offered two plays during the week,
%"Incog," a farce comedy, and East Lynne
a comedy drama. Both were included in
their last seasons repertoire of successes,
and while they are almost ancient enough
TO be shelved forever, they seemed to please
those who witnessed them and 1t Is to this
end that the management OF the company
Is striving. They were produced In the
same careful way that characterizes all OF
the productions given by this splendid or
ganization, the individual members Of which
have, during the last two seasons. each en-
deared themselves to the theater-going public
OF this city and 1t Is with a great deal Of
regret that the announcement Is made that
they are to close their engagement here on
FRIDAY, September 1, after which they go to
Kansas City to open the winter season at
the Auditorium theater there. Dur
ing the six weeks they have been
in Omaha they have produced a
line OF plays much above the average given
Wy pOpuldlI III lttu blDGh companies II dll VI
them have been staged with an attention
TO detail that reflects not only credit upon
the stage director, Wilson Enos, under whose
personal supervision each production has
been given, but to everybody connected in
any way with the company from the lead
ing principals down to the stage hands, who
have all helped to make them effective.
The new Trocadero Opera company closed
The second week of It's indefinite engage
ment at the Trocadero theater last night
and during that time has easily sung itself
dnto the popular favor OF the music lovers
of Omaha who have been fortunate enough
to hear 1t. In Auber's Fra Diavolo," which
was sung last week, she members OF the
company had a much better opportunity to
display their talents than in Said Pasha,'
their first production, which, when con-
sidered from a musical standpoint, amounts
to but little in comparison to "Diavolo,'
with its odd ensembles and beautiful solos.
One OF the most pleasing features of the
performance of this piece, as given by the
Trocadero company, was that the sextette
from Lucia de Lammermoor" was substi-
tuted for the original six-eight allegro move
ment In e which usually closes the second
act Of the opera. The ~sextette Is one of the
most brilliant pieces Of music ever written
and when properly rendered Is alone worth
the price of admission charged by this COM
pany. Messrs. Davies, Fox, Hatch, Jackson
and Misses Mortimer and James sang 1t in
an especially praiseworthy manner and they
were compelled to sing 1t several times
each evening, 30 enthusiastic was the dem
onstration of the audience.
The fact that Jessie Bartlett Davis, who
tas been with the Bostonians so long.
has concluded to sever her connection with
this we'll known organization, which was
made known last week, has given rise to a
crop of guesses and misstatements that, &C
cording to Mrs. Davis, are exceedingly an
noying to her, and she has written to a
Chicago paper stating that recent statements
as to her business relations with the Boston,
ians, quarrels, armistices, ETC., were fctional
and not printed from any Information de-
rived from her. She denies that she has de-
cided to either rest for a year or so or re-
tire from the stage. Jessie Bartlett Davis is
now said to be in the very best of health
and is in the zenith Of her power. Why
size should retire is a mystery to her friends.
She claims to have parted with Messrs.
Barnabee and Mcdonald as the best OF
friends and has regarded the change as an
artistic advantage. Mrs. Davis is the high
est salaried and best known contralto in the
country. She has refused many fiattering
offers to leave the Bostonians, with whom
she had come to be considered a fixture by
theater-goers generally, and there is no
doubt that the proprietors of that popular
organization will regret her departure as
kcenly as will the public.
The tendency Shakespeareward Is plainly
showing itself by the announcements made
by managers OF next seasons plans. Julia
Arthur is to give a production of Hamlet
and thereby not allow Bernhard the field
TO herself. The James-Kidder-Hanford COM
pany has added THE Winters Tales" to
dts repertoire, while Ellen Terry will play
Twelfth Nigk.," 'Much Ado About Moth
ing" and possibly Lady Macbeth" Mrs.
Leslie Carter may also play Lady Macbeth
and presumably Maud Adams will end her
next season with another Shakespearean pro-
duction. Besides these, Frederick Ward
will use nothing but Shakespearean plays
and doubtless Ada Rehan Will find herself
in the usual annual revival of the bard's
drama, and John Drew and Isabelle Irving
In the "Taming of the Shrew" Is also a
possibility. How many Of these people viii
get us far west as Omaha is hard to say, but
that is not worrying local heater-goers as
they are not passionately fond of the
classics, as was shown by the lack of patron
age accorded the good productions given here
during the past season by capable people.
Coming Events.