Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-05-21

mer success in New York. Dixey and
Amelia Summerville are in the cast
At one time Dixey received $500 a
week. "Adonis' ran for eighteen
months and public reception was Civ
en- to its star at the Metropolitan Opera
House
Victorien Sardou has turned his at
tention to libretto writing. The piece
is 10 be fairy comic opera and will
also be On the order of The Grand
Duchess" He is collaborating with
Gille and Planquette in the work 1t
will be played next season at the Var
ietes.
Wagner's ''Lohengrin" without the
SECOND act, will be performed at Wind
sor Castle on the Queens birthday,
with cast including Jean and Elouard
de Reszke, Nine. Nordica, Nine. Schu-
mann-Heink and David Bispham. The
conductor will be Signor Mancinelli.
Mile. Louise Nikita, the American
singer, who is now in New York, is
much better known in parts Of Eu-
rdope than in her own country. Mile.
Nikita is known as Mary Murray in
private life. and lives now in Berlin.
She will make no professional appear
ances here, but will return in a short
time to Europe.
Il paid" says Charles Frohman,
Bronson Howard $4,000 in cash for
a play that was to be written-not had
been written. The money was paid
whether the piece was accepted or not.
Probably this was the largest amount
paid any living writer for an untried
Or unwritten play. By the way, l did
I'm + has
never been produced.
With this week the serious work of
preparing the dramatization of General
Lew Wallace's famous novel, Ben
Hur," will begin. The treatment Of the
story will be dignifed and conserva-
tive. The romantic features of the
story will be relied upon to form the
groundwork of the play, and the spec
tacular features, such as the chariot
race, will be utilized only in so far as
they can be consistently used.
AS a money-maker few plays or OPP
eras rival the record of time-tried Err
MIME" which is again as lively as ever
at the New York Casino. The receipts
for the five weeks season at the same
playhouse last year were $4,000, al
though the general patronage of New
York theatres was smaller than usual.
The entire gross receipts of the opera
in this country shows the remarkable
total of S6,541,9
"You-uns of New York" says the
sun, fought to see 'Wee-uns of Ten
nessess" if for no other reason than
simply because Mr.. Lee Arthur, its au-
thor, Is the first playwright to avail
himself in a rational maner of the sit
uations which were created by last sum-
mers war This is no Cuban war
drama with Spanish villains; the scene
of the play is Chickamauga Camp, not
the trenches before Santiago. The
second act which is laid in the camp
at Chickamauga, on the very spot
where Bre1nan's Brigade was station
ed in that bloody battle of the civil
war, two cid men, brothers, the one a
Tennessee farmer, the other the sur
geon of the Twelfth New York Volun
teers, meet for the first time since the
battle and are reconciled.
At last Saturdays matinee in Mans
field, O., a middle-aged gentlemen of
fine appearance purchased seats for
himself and small boy to see the opera
produced by the Waite Opera Comany.
seat behind one of the iron posts
supporting the balcony. At the end Of
the first act a sympathetic and polite
usher approached the gentleman and
said: II an afraid you cannot see
from beh..ld that post, and if you like
you may occupy the next seat, as it is
not likely to be sold" Il am all
right replied the old gentleman, 'tne
least, and l am enjoying the perform
ance very much. You see I am blind
and only came to hear Louise Moore
(the prima d0nna) sing
when I left public life ten years
ago." says Mary Anderson Nevarro,
left it permanently. l find sufficient
opportunities to make use of my voice
in entertaining my husband and
friends. Once only | sang in public
at a benefit given in London. | am
very fond OF my vocal studies. The
opera is my greatest weakness. We
often run up to London for it during
the season. Theatres? Yes, | like
them, but not SO we'll. After my mar
riage there was a period of nearly
seven years when l Gid not go to q
single play. | don't know that it was
because | tired of the play through my
own experience, but felt no inclination
to go" She is as handsome now as
she was in the days that her beauty
first conquered England, and her figure
is still as graceful and slender as ever
In the days Of "Our Mary beauty
was an element, if not an essential, OF
success on the stage. When they knock
ed on the door of applause it was open
ed by the beauty of Ada Rehan and
Fanny Davenport. Lillian Russell ow-
ed her early prosperity to her looks as
much as her larynx. George Cayvan
was handsome girl, and her conlliness
won instant approval for her talent
If Edith Kingdom had been homely she
might have remained to this day d
minor member of Days. 1t was the
physical beauty of Adelaide Nelson,
Mary Anderson, Margaret Mather. Hell
ena Modjeska, Julia Marlowe and Mrs.
Potter which attracted interest to their
outlets, and in some instances tina
ineres was deepened from admiration
into applause by their union of the
graces of art with the charms of ma
ture. A dozen years ago an actresses
face was her fortune, and a noteworthy
example of that fact was Mrs. Langtry.
In these better days mere beauty is OF
little aid in winning the esteem of au-
diencps Marie Dressler Louie Frear