The Irish standard., 1900-02-17
OKLAHoMA,s DRAMA.
Not What 1t Was When the Audi.
ence Was Expected to Particle
pate In the Shooting.

pate In the Shooting.
The honkatonk is one of the few in.
stitutons of Oklahoma which remain
to satisfy the 1enderfoot visitor in
search of the wild west scenes he has
read about. And it isn't so very live
ly. In the times that were the COW
pnncher was expected to perforate the
gaudy curtain when the performance
Jagged. or shoot glimpse of daylight
through the star performers SOM
brero if his Interpretation of his part
lacked animation. AT the climax,
when the wild-eyed heroine, in boots
and spurs, rushed madly upon the
stage and fred the shot which put
her lovers pursuer's out Of the way
and saved him from all awful death,
the audience was not alone permitted,
but expected, to rise as man and
accompany the fatal shot with q volley
that Jared the RI ters. There is not
even this byplay to stir the easterner's
nerves nowadays.
Ordinarily, the honkatonk opens
about nine o'clock, and continues in
full blast until one, or Whereabouts,
as long as its patrons will patronize
the bar. There are no reserved seats
and the visitor may have his choice Of
floors. The higher he goes the more
it will cost him. Fifteen cents is the
regular parquet price. 1t will cost
him dime extra if he prefers bal
cony or box seat where he may con-
verse with the actresses after they
have done their turn. Down on the
first floor you can get drinks cat bar
prices, gents" as the hustler from the
saloon annex announces at frequent
intervals. Wherever the visitor sits, it
is unnecessary at any time to abandon
his cigar, and whatever the part Of
the house, he is expected to be lib
eral in his expenditure for liquid re-
freshments. Along about II o'clock
the stage manager advances to the
front and announces an intermission
of ten minutes "to give you all time,
ample and sufficient, for to refresh
yourselves" and then you pay for
more drinks.
The programme is made up largely
of spccialties. Whatever the feeling
OF a long-suffcring public, the honka-
tonli yccalists never will permit
"Ssveet Rosie O'Grady" and "Just One
Girl to perish from the earth, and
coon songs are sung as May Irwin
never did and never will sing them.
Always at least one drama is pre-
sented, the entire company, vocalists,
dancers and all, participating. Among
the most popular plays are "The Del
ton Toys" and Mildred, the She
Devil of the Palms." for the old tra-
dilions still are respected to certain
extent, though the participation of
the audience is no longer solicited.
The performers do not travel by
companies. Every star hustlec for
himself regardless of all the others,
and remains in community as long
as the management will pay him his
price, or, if in case of an actress, as
long as she is success at winning
checks by inducing her admirers to
buy beer. At what age the performer
usually enters his career is question:
able. but the Gerry society would
hardly find the honkatonk stage sue
cessful field for operation, even when
Little Eva or Jack the Boy Scout
makes her or his appearance
The stage manager is an interesting
individual. If he is the valuable man
the proprietor expects him to be, he
can beat the drum in the street band;
sell tickets when the doors are
opened; "leg" for the bartender dur
ing intermission. play the heavy vii
lain in the tragedy act, and do turn
as clog dancer all in one evening.
Long hair and Il soiled frock coat are
the marks which distinguish him from
his fellows on the stage. Every after
noon he gathers the people of the cast
at the theater and puts them through
a rehearsal of the piece to be put on
that evening.
There is no defined circuit of honk-
atonks. but the performers swing
around circle of half dozen thea
tiers which dot Texas and the two ter
rltories. The once popular institution
is dying off. There is one in Guthrie,
one in Apimore, one in Fort Worth,
and few others further south.
Weatherford had honkutonl5. which
the stars say was one of the best-pay-
ing OF all, hut when the city authori-
ties cut down the corn in the streets
and Weatherford was declared to be a
city of the first class it was crowded
out.
Every child of the range can tell
what honkatonk means and where It
came from. Away, away back in the
very early days, so the story goes, n
party of COW punchers rode out from
camp at shutdown in search of recrc.
alton after a day of toll. They head
ed for place of amusement, but lost
the trail. From far out in the dis
lance there finally came to their ears
"honk "a : tonk -tonk a -tonl1-a :"
which they mistooll for the bass viol.
They turned toward the sound, to find
alas! flock of wild geese. So honk-
atonk was named.-N. Y. Sun.
How To Cook OYSTERS.