The times., 1899-06-11

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/ interesting. While the programme fails to
! SO enilghten the reader, the playlet is Mr..
/ Monroes own work. Like nearly everyone
! the actor wrote farce and believed it a
good one until the managers read it. Then
| his belief vanished as each succeeding
manager gave the preceding verdict Re-
ally, 1t was an excellent property, the plot
being novel and popular and the story
clean and well told So after a while Mon
roe concluded there were too many farces
anyhow, and that the days of their popu-
larity were past. So he did the sensible
thlng; went into the manuscript and after
| few days work with paste pot and blue
pencil evolved twenty minute sketch
from the material originally scattered over
three hours. AS result, there as many
laughs in the twenty minutes as in most
evenings at the theatre. "One Wife Too
Many" should be good for a trip across the
Continent in the first-class vaudeville
houses.
Charming Pollock, who went to London
to rest, and with the public promise to
esciIew the theatre entirely writes a friend
that he has seen Irving in "Robespierre, 5"
Charles Wyndham in The Tyranny of
Tears, Nat Goodwin in The Cowboy and
the Lady, and several lesser productions.
Like other habits, that of going to the the
atre is hard one to break Mr.. Pollock
thinks the British capital quite place and
says: Life here is a constant strain The
hurrying crowd, the thousand odd sights,
even the dangers of the streets keeping
one ever on the alert, make a scene inn
possible to describe with cramped pen at
this hour of the night. London is yerita-
bly, big city and should prove an excel
lent antidote for the big heads of New
fork, whose burg is a village in compari-
There tn into
matically here, and I have learned great
deal in the few days already consumed
ana nave more in contemplation before 1
shall return to Washington"
A young man with a good operatic fu-
ture in store for him If he will temper his
talent with judgment Is Jack Flood. who
mas been singing at the Bijou this season
Ihe young man has a pleasing personality.
mas iost much OF the shyness and awkard-
ness so prominent earlier in the season has
strengthened his voice by continuous prar-
tice, and improved generally The only
trouble with Flood is that he appears con-
tented IN his present sphere, and shows no
desire Tor better things. Now, John Grieyes
is able to give fellow a good start. but
can't lift him very high in the professional
race. All the friends OF Flood unite I'm the
nope that streak OF ambition will show
up soon. and that he will seek pastures
new for his future professional grazing.
1t has definitely been decided that De-
Won Hopper is TO go 10 London aud open
at the Lyric Theatre on July 10 with SOU
sas "El CAPTAIN" This attack upon the
British capital has been long considered
and upon his last visit here. Mr.. Hopper
confided to the writer and several other
reviewers his desire to astonish the Brit
ishers with his lengthy neither extremities
and rich baritone. The English love a
singing comedian" he said. land If I
can't do anything else 1 can sing. | ought
to be able to do SO for / have been at il
for nearly twenty years. and sixteen years
ago was making hundred dollars a week
In New York solely on account of my vocal
powers"
At the time of this conversation "The
Charletan" was Mr.. Hopper's especial
favorite, probably on account of the fact
that he was doing good deal over 81, 200
performance in Washington after being
literally starved out of New York. How
ever, it is best for all concerned that be
stick to his greatest success for his Euro
pean invasion. There is a dash and go
about "El Captain" which is seldom found
in comic operas and the lyrics are above
the average. A little undermining OF the
dialogue will make it the superior of any
sent to us from London. While 1t is a
good deal OF lottery, good odds can be
given that Hopper will make a great go
of it in London. Frank Wilstach is already
over there and that means that the alti-
tudinous comedian will not lack for :.dver-
tising
Considerable interest is taken in the
company which will accompany Hopper
As far as practical, 1t will be the same as
y1b ha Ias tod ~,
York. Alfred Klein is now en- route to
England, Edna Wallace Hopper is sojourn-
ing somewhere on the islands, and the
others are obtainable, especially the re-
Gently divorced Nella Bergen. The chorus
ladies will all be taken over, and promise
to be a revelation as far as geometrical
beauty is concerned. The visit of Hopper
means as much to Sousa as it does to the
star himself and the opening will be
watched with more than ordinary interest
Aside from his individual abilities, De-
Wolf has one characteristic which has
seldom been properly recognized. This
is the power of producing winning SOU
brettes. Della Fox was his first find and
from a cheap unknown chorus girl she
became a star, of dubious briIliancy to be
sure, but one with d following OF
considerable magnitude. Then Edna
Wallace received the prestige OF con-
trast with her husband. and has since
remained a well-paid and paying artistic
despite her manifest dearth of intelligence
and adaptability. Alice Judson, a little
local woman, whom the verdict of her
friends themselves had condemned to a
career of mediocrity, sprung into pOpu-
larity while working with the baritone in
part of little merit Since then, Jessie
Mackey, seen here in the role OF the
Scotch boy in The Little Minister" has
donned the abbreviated skirts and the blue
tights and been warmly received by New
York, being declared the superior of many
of the best soubrettes. Two years ago
Minnie Ashley was a member of Hoppers s
chorus and today is being groomed for
his soubrette next year. This was the lit
tie woman who came into Washington
in gum shoes" with an inferior produc-
tion of The Geisha' and THE Circus
Girl" The Capitals critics were not slow
to note her remarkable talent, and while
she could not sing much, she possessed
that essential commodity known as charm
and was received as the coming rival of
Virginia Earle. Since then her engage
ments have been little short of triumphant
and now she is to be installed as the
chief in the school OF Hopper soubrettes.
There could be worse choices made than
taking her to London with Ell CAPTAIN"
The few who defied the DEGREES of the
weather and visited Kernans last week
were considerably delighted to find on the
bill "A Soldiers Sweetheart" by the Gra-
hams, and later In the olio illustrated
songs by the Madisons. Not many of this
few were aware of the fact that the persons
in each turn were one and the same. Each
had its merits and considering this ex-
cellence, no one could blame the manage
ment for saving cool hundred by having