The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-09
FRIENDS OF LAST WEEK.

There were real tears and lots of them
| in the eyes and upon the cheeks of Phoebe
Davies Thursday evening after the third
act OF WAY Down East" In which the
unfortunate Anna Moore is driven out
/ into the binding snowstorm by the re-
lentless but we'll meaning Odell Williams.
A Times man met Miss Davies as she was
| entering her dressing room. and the lach-
rymal evidence OF her actual grief was
still present. Upon this being remarked
| the actress said:
| Yes. with me 1 must really feel the
| grief to make others feel it. This is abb
solutely essential to my success in the
| role CT Anna. OF course some evenings
| when do not enter into the spirit of the
role. it is most difficult and the audience
| either knows it by my work or intui-
| lively understands it and consequently Is
unresponsive. / presume no play in re-
| cent years is greeted with as strange au-
| diences this. Many persons who see
! it have never been to the theatre before
and feel as IL in church, with desire to
applaud and still a little afraid to do so.
! 1 have been noticing the criticisms of
| Baltimore divine who has been attending
| all the attractions in that city this sea-
Way Down East" for Is he finds any
| thing wrong with it morally he will be
| the first in over four seasons experience
Tell me something about your new
| play, Miss Dayies?" interjected The Times
man.
We'll, there Is very little to tell Just
yet. 1t ought to seem strange to you, as
it does to me. that the story Of Betsy
Ross has never been made the theme of
drc fpr in Ind . 10 ~ M.
foremost in American history. Think of
it, the girl who made the first American
flag neglected dramatically, while all the
ether personageS connected with the Rev.
olutionary war have been worked over
and again. The part is a sweet one, al
most an ingenue. Your paper told me
something about the play because of the
reception accorded its announcement.
Everyone with feeling OF patriotism will
be interested in the play, of course, and
we will all be disappointed if it does
not make quite hit. You know of the
movement to purchase the old Ross house
in Philadelphia and preserve it from the
relic hunters and from slow decay b.
reason Of disuse? Well, have interested
myself in the plan to some extent and
there is every reason for believing that
the place will be preserved
Curtains up. Miss Davies" yelled the
call boy at the dressing room door, and,
with few finishing touches to her hair,
the clever woman fled from the inter-
viewers presence and was soon in the
sugar camp of the last act. indulging in
the family reconciliation SO prettily done.
'Kernan's is the only burlesque theatre
in the country in which my company ap-
pears" said Pat Reilly. the popular Irish
comedian and car.oonist, in his dressing
room the other night in response 20 the
enquiry of Times man. Il have been
coming to Washington for so many years
that it wouldn't seem natural for me to
play in any other house, and then, too.
there is a friendship existing between
Manager Herman and myself that is over
twenty years old, and one cannot forget
such friendships. you know"
The audiences at the Lyceum during tho
past week have been more than delighted
with the Reilly C Wood show, and at
every performance the house has been
crowded. While the entertainment is .
strictly vaudeville one, and incidentally 10
might be added that It Is great deal bet
ter than is offered by the majority OF
travelling vaudeville combinations the
patrons Of an amusement place that is de-
voted principally to burlesQue took to 10
with great avidity. Speaking OF this point
Mr.. Reilly remarked: The same thing
prevails wherever We appear. Last week
we played at the Monumental Theatre
Baltimore; next week we will be at the
Duquesne Theatre. Pittsburg. so you will
see that within three weeks We show in .
trio OF houses catering to distinctly dif-
ferent clientele and yet We will please
their audiences fully as much as We seem
to be doing here"
"How do your audiences take the car
toons of prominent statesmen-with whom
do you have the greatest SUGGEST"
Bryan is the great popular favor!te
wherever I play. with the solitary ex-
ception of Washington, and I suppose ths
reason for this is the fact that there are
so many officeholders dependent upon the
Administration that they are more in
clined to whoop things up when draw
the face of the President. Bryan does
not seem to have suffered in popularity
with the masses since his recent defeat;
on the contrary. the audiences rather ap-
plaud more now than they did during ths
excitement Of the campaign. Then. too,
the average Bryan man is enthusiastic,
and is rot bit afraid to express his
feelings while his Republican neighbor
may have the same devotion to party. but
does not express his real emotions and
is content to let his Democratic friends
do the most OF the cheering
What particular characteristics DO you
observe in drawing the faces of Mr..
Bryan and Mr.. Mckinley"
'Bryan's hair serves to help me out
great deal. Here, let me show you what
1 mean" and the clever eartoonist picked
up a piece Of charcoal and in 4 half
minute had drawn the rear of the familiar
Bryan head. He continued: Then, there
is the thin lip SO characteristic OF tie
Democratic leader. Now, Mckinley. On
the other hand. has the protruding upper
lip and the Roman nose, which are the
prominent points that I accentuate.
Richard Croker is good model for the
cartoonist while one of the best I ever
had was tie late Roscoe Conkling."
young man came up to the comedian
and the newspaper man at this moment
and said that Mr.. Bryan, the manager Of
the company. vas looking everywhere for
Mr.. Reilly.
Il know what he wants." remarked thu
genial actor. This is salary night. and
it is the only time in the entire weak that
draw the real thing. You'll excuse me-
while do my greatest artistic work"
The Times man said Certainly" and as
he passed out Of the door q moment later
the comedian was carefully tucking away
a large roll Of bills In his pocket.