The times., 1899-05-28
ACTORS SPEEDING
ACROSS THE SEA
Prominent Professionals Seek
Rest in the British Capital.
Some Early Experiences of Sis
Hopkins" the Vaudeyillian.
Chutty Discourse From the SIctropo-
lis Regarding Performers known
and Admired in Washington.

New York, May 27.--when Joseph Jeffer-
bon interpolated that line for the second
act Of rip Van winkle" about a fellow
being able to go home when everywhere
else was shut up, he hardly anticipated
that this remark might be applied 10 his
own profession ere his lifes curtain should
be finally rung down. Yet this is the case
just now, save and except that Europe
might be substituted for the hovel of the
Catskill Dutchman. The European exodus
is on in all its glory. and each outgoing
steamer carries scores of the prominent
professionals who have saved their mite
for the rainy day. and a little over. a
good many playNrights who have struck
it rich within the recent seasons are also
going over to gather inspiration for future
efforts ! am myself inclined to doubt the
wisdom of this European exodus, especial
ly for writer's. Every once in n while q
critic declares stage impersonation over
drawn, and upon investigation he confesses
that he has never been in the locality rep
resented and knows practically nothing OF
the community in question. I'll lay a
wager that ;hree-f -fourths OF the reviewers
and playwrights of this city have never
spent fortnight in the South or a similar
period in New England. excepting. of
course, the fashionable summer resorts.
where they see more metropolitan polish
than on Broadway or in Central Park. OF
course. this may sound like sour grapes,
since the writer is compelled to eemain
Il NIL chou mo
TO be more than half right
There are at least two good new Amerl-
can productions being put on in London TO
interest our representatives over there.
These are Nat Goodwin's new play, The
Lady and the Cowboy" and Annie Rus
sells old comedy. THE Mysterious Mr..
Bugle." Neither Of them has received the
American endorsement and il may be a
good business scheme 10 spring them on
this side with a full quota of London COM
mendation. That has made several of the
successes of the decade and may again.
You know more about The Mysterious Mr..
Bugle" down in Washington that We do
here. II was first presented there if ] am
not mistaken. Miss Russell says she likes
the comedy part given her in it and Mr..
Frchman intends to impress the London
ers with the fact that his American Duse"
is not only clever but versatile. Her com
pany viii be as good as money can obtain
and there are thousands of Gothamites who
will wish the young woman the success
she deserves. We know still less about
Mats new piece. but he says ii is good
one with great part for Mrs. Goodwin
and he ought 10 know. There is one ad-
vantage of springing Western play in
London; they think 1t is purely typical of
ri.vf1fzaffnn aud rush n what
their cousins really are like in their wilds.
We 'Uns of Tennessee" closes at the
American and Will be brushed up ready for
a tour on the road next season In some
respects this is q commendable effort, es-
pecially since ii has been judiciously prun-
= ed and revised. The scene where the RI
walls fight with bayonets is intensely in
teresting, reminding. one decidedly OF a
similar duel in Robert Louis Stevenson s
story of English captivity. st Ives"-in
fact, young Arthur confesses that he re-
ceiyed his idea from that source. Olga
Nethersole opened away up in Harlem
with The Profiigate," which / think she
gave Washington about the holidays and Is
doing an excellent business. While artis-
tic in the extreme, the English actress i:
tedious and her "Frou-Frou' alone lack:
this demerit. She has partially announced
her intention of securing American citizen
sup anu DNGA ChA IA Alis
provinces" which means anywhere beyond
the city of New York. Miss Nethersole is
a prime favorite and has been reasonably
successful here. The Man in the Moon
continues to fill the rechristened New Yorl
theatre and is really first class.
His Excellency, the Governor" with
the best OF Frohman's unemployed people
has been moved over TO the Empire from
the Lyceum and is doing nicely. Ermi-
with Lillian Russell, Tom Seabrooke. ana
other lesser lights in support. is doing
maryelously al the Casino. but Wilson has
increased his reputation for "tightn5ss'
by cutting expenses down TO the minimum
He is not favorite with the profession al
any time, but now has fewer friends thaG
the stage doorkeeper. ''Zaza," An Ara
bian Girl and The Charlatan' continue
with good prospects, as does The Great
Ruby and THE King Of the Opium
Ring" Shenandoah" closes tonight.
The most talked about woman in tow
today is Rose Melville. who has set th'
vaudevillians agog with her uncOnven-
tional impersonation of Sis Hopkins" i
must be said that Miss Melville has ar
rived" in great shape. and her manager
win not have the least difficulty in book.
ing her specially solid for next season a
a salary equaled by but few people ever
in this well-paid branch of the business
Sis has had rather unique career ant
deserves the success attained. Ii has no
been many years since she was a countr!
girl with several sisters in Vincennes. Ind.
the most deity deserted stretch of grounC
il has ever been my hard lot 10 travel over
2 The Melville girls, through amateur en-
tertainments, were gradually brought int,
some local prominence, and finally thel
started out with a popular priced week.
stand attraction. There is a disposition
among people here to sneer at the ten
twenty, and thirty" companies. but man,
of our clever people came from this trivia
beginning. One Of the Melville girls mar
ried Sam Young, the proprietor OF a II.
T., T." company, and the others travele'
with her. Twelve different performance
a week are inclined TO make a performe
sweat. but this was the experience of tn
Meivilles through the smaller towns o
Ohio and Indiana and Pennsylvania. o.
Monday night Rose Melville might be seel
in Camille" and run the gamut Of ex
cellence until Saturday night saw her do
ing 'Rickety Ann" in piratioei version o
The Old Homestead" II there is merit il
a woman. this experience ought to bring |
out Rose had merit, and in a little Will
was doing a specially with her sister in
metropolitan production. II was hard work
for city bred actresses resented the intru
sion OF these country bumfins but roda,
all OF their former rivals would like. lif
from Rose Melville. Then she decided Il
20 into vaudeville and did so with mediocr
success. Dunno and Ryley needed som
one to piece out their lunatie comedy .B,
the Sad Sea Waves and paid Miss Mel
VILE pretty well 10 come on to fill in.
While a trife exaggerated her perform
ance was the hit of the piece. and whei
the comedy reached here Sis" completed.
oyershadowed the alleged stars. Matthew
and Bulger. clever though they were in
way. After securing all the advertising