The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-12
AFFAIRS OF THE THEATRE.
ENTERTAINMENT IN THE moor
GARDENS MAKES 4 GOOD STIRT.

Aho NhuOeV1IIC IN the Omen Air Far
with That Given Indoors-Ada Rchan's
Stage Career Thought to lie Nearly over
-AuEnstin Days Methods Of Rehearsal.
Entertainment In the roof gardens is max
lag good start. Last summer there was
only one In which u really lrst-class show was
given. The two that are thus far open this
season are Offering acceptable performances
and the announcements OF others are prom
Using. At Roster Balls acts OF exactly the
same grade that were given in the music hail
are now ON the roof. Changes are made
from time 10 time. OF course. but these are
merely for variety. tho specialists being all Of
about the same rank. The show that opened
on the Casino roof on Saturday night was an
uneven one. II ranged from very bad to very
good. md made an adequate average. Do
rothy Morton. an advertised feature Of the
vaudeville bill. did not appear. The part Of
the bill Oh which greatest reliance had been
placed was that which a negro comic opera
company provided. These singers gave q con-
dsnsed version OF "A Trip to Coontown.' with
which Comedians Cole and johnson had been
on tour during the past season. 1t suffers
by comparison with The Origin OF the Cake.
walk" which was on the Casino roof last sum-
msr. The one,ls so obviously an imitation Of
the other that 1t Is bound to be Judged 10y con-
trast However,. the Cole and johnson real
COO ." are a more talented lot than their
pred Nessors. Their lack is originality in the
matter given"to them to interpret Tho mu-
sic OF last years piece was original. charac-
teristic and popular. while the present one
makes. use OF songs that are year old. and
sometimes more. II the director will hustle
around and get fresh material these Cole.
johnson people will mako an excellent show
Ing. "A Trip to Coontown" has deep plot
In fact. 1t Is negro version Of "Erminie"
sarn ~.
man In appearance and the other tramp.
These you recognize RdrpnneS and Ca
dedur In crude imitation. The villains con
spire to separate a retired soldier from his
pension. They proceed to y II bv tricks funny
and unfunny. or plot and underplot there is
enough for a Drury Lane melodrama. MIR.
Cole and Mr.. johnson. the principals were SC
busy on Saturday night seeing to 1t that their
COMPANIONS worked faithfully that they al
most escared being amusing themselves.
Their care was unnecessary. as more spirited
negroes never got on stage In this CITY, Tom
B RtS h9ysd STse BY PLAYING
tic. He Is quadroon.:or light mulatto. and he
ccontrived to look as we'll as act the roles. r.
acted with proper expression the man who
was fooled. These. and other members OF
the company were worthy OF better piece.
1t is believed by Ada Rehans friends in this
city that her career rs an actress will not con-
tinue long. as she has been for the past few
years In poor health Her appearance on
many occasions was in DESPITE OF the most adj
verse circumstances. Now that she is de-
prived OF Mr.. Days assistance and association
It is not thought probable that she will care to
continue a profession out Of: which she has
made. II is thought. enough TO withdraw with
dignity il she cares to. 1t is said that sho will
spend the summer in England. I'll her con-
tracts with the Drury Lane Theatre and then
retire from the stage.
There were many mistaken ideas as to the
Governors method of rehearsing his actors"
said Ill old member Of the company 10 Sun
reporter. land l have frequently teen amused
TO hear persons speak of the way in which he
process was quite the reverse. l never saw a
stage manager Of anything like his reputation
who made so little eifort to drill his actors into
doing a certain thing In an exact fashion. 1t
was all suggestion with him. Then the actor
have known stage directors to make an actor
10 through certain set OF gestures over and
aeee he stage Wae FIAT Is
notably the method of ono other DISTINGUISHED
tosuch EXPLICIT instruction from the Governor
He would see the deficiency of u certain quail
Ity in the actors manner; let NE have a
little more OF this he would say to him indi-
latine by gesture whether 1t was to DO scorn.
pride anger Or any emoton which The 'taa
Let me have it next time. not to-day was al
ways his Injunction. and the actor was ex-
This was the usual extent Of his .teac ling to
h the Of an ths H sSd all Fl
do what ideas they were to express. But the
precise manner of their doing it was something
he left 10 them. lie was patient and nearly
always kind to the actors who understood him
stupidity he could not bear, and he felt more
stand what he wanted than at the one who
gould not do It. Another thing that offended
hend Wa any eds as of are
proachinG him. The rule that Complaints
80 MANY Of them always. that small matters.
such as the ventilation ana size Of dressing
able enough and wanted them to say what they
Governor in spirit OF fear OF apology was
M IL h .s He
willing TO take back Into his employ an actor
who had left hin because he say chance OF
lief take him back as not, provided that he had
gene ,wav under PToper cIrGumstanSss
actors, His: suggestions were frequent and
dd always sssy h at
rehearsal she went along smoothly enough.
who raud give her nss m a. to the
way Of expressing an idea That was the eT;
tent or his teaching In every case. Ne told
the actors exactly What to do. but he never
attempted to train them in the manner they
should do It.
Augustn Daly's fcndness for musical per-
formances did not show itself first with The
Gayety Girl" although the Youngest play
Roers may think so. There were many 9TH
ers long before the London musical farce Of the
day was thought Of. THE ROYAL Mildly an
exampls of Viennese operetta pure and sim
pie. adapted from GenGe's Der Seekadet,"
was the earliest work OF the kind given in the
theatre at present known as Dalv's. Catherine
Lewis was the prima donna of the company,
and with her we're Laura Joyce and Nav Field
ing. both singers rather than actresses. and
unknown previously on the dramatic stage.
Like most of the other performers that Mr.
DAILY took from the field Of comic opera and
burlesque. Miss Joyce returned to it after her
connection with his theatre was concluded.
Dlghy Bell was in the company at the same
time. Ada Rehan cannot be recalled as a
singer In any Of the DAILY productions. unless
her share in the phOruse6 of '(iDlArAla Mt