The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-21
FRIENDS OF LAST WEEK.

''If were a young man again I would
| not go into the show business" So said
James Hyde, better known as Jim" Hyde
as he sat in the box office at Chase's one
night last week and watched the great
main lobby thronged with crowds passing
| in to applaud his comedians.
Il have been twenty-five years In the
theatrical business" he continued, nearly
all my life as a man. To travel, with me
| is to be at home. 1t Is second nature for
me to go from town to town. I don't
know what I would do with myself IL
could not, in the course. of year. circle
the whole country and renew the friend
ships that have lasted ever since started
in the business. And such different
business as it is these days! Why, when
first became a manager some of the
best companies never cost over $500 or
5000 week; but now am obliged to
pay two and three. and sometimes four
times as much to give the people what
they expect. Yes, they-that is. the the
atrical people-say that I have always
had about the best in the business in my
companies.
What is the secret of my success? you
ask. Well. l will tell you. In a show
mans way try to make my audiences
laugh; l try to send them home with
smiles on their faces: / try to give them
something that will make a deep i'm
preston upon their understanding
that will make them say as they come out
of the theatre on their way home, Wasn't
SO and SO goodg Perhaps you have been
in crowded theatre and heard just such
remarks. To cause that kind Of COM
ment, indicating the keenest enjoyment Of
the good things set before them, has been
my aim.
Years ago I used to give at the end
of my programme farce in which most
Of the company participated 1t was such
farces in those days that made my repu-
tation, and 1 should oe pardoned for
adding that it has made the fame CT
good many others. Take Johnny Ray. for
instance. For three years he appeared
with me and was the principal comedian
in the after-piece or farce. We put on
two of those old-time English farcss.
One of them, remember, had the name
of Mistaken Identity" the other was
called Buffalo BILL and it was in play
ing them that Ray got his experience as
a comedian. After three years. in ac-
cordance with my policy. / let him go.
Before doing SO he came to me and asked
PERMISSION to take the two farces. I
let him have them; he put the two to-
gather, provided some specialtics be-
tween the action, called it "A Hot Old
Time. and cleared $37, 0C0 his first season.
But, coming back to Impressions upon
an audience. AS l said before, / first
amused audiences with farces.
Now. in addition to Miss Mora. I am
compelled by the demand upon me to add
Miss Coghlen to my company. 1 must
say that I have become such slave to
the public that II they wanted royalty
1 should have to hustle my foreign agents
around considerably and eEdsav.r to n
gage some of these titled people " u hear
SO much about in the society journals.
by tho way, Miss Mora has a novelty
in store that will eclipse in favor her
singing of The Holy City but that's an
other story. 1 will tell you about it
when / come back this way
1.-THE gantlet of criticism one doing
bits has to run is enough to discourage
anyone from entering the theatrical pro-
fes5ion." said Ninette Thullen to a Times
man the other afternoon just as the cur
tain came down on the final act Of "On
the Quiet" Miss Thullen is one of the
music hall girls in Mr.. Thomas latest
comedy effort and is cast in tiny part.
which puts her on the stage Just eight
minutes by the watch.
Continuing sh. said: Take this little
part of mine. I am compelled to exag-
gerate it terribly and make the woman
a rough sort of soubrette, such as no
one ever sees in America. First, the au-
thor has his ideals to live UP to. then
the stage director, and after him the
manager. and finally the star. To suit
all of these is the hardest task I have
undertaken and INDUCED in four years
hard labor on differential calculus and
similar mathematics at Oberlin Univer-
sity too. You may not know that l am
really a bachelor girl, having the art de-
gree But that is personal and not pro-
fessional AS said before, we are COM
PEELED to exaggerate these bits to make
them stand out, and SO they are carica-
lures rather than representations. The
critic never takes cognizance OF these
things and we are ignored or criticised
and our artistic advancement is hindered.
The real blame belongs to the stage di-
rector. Only the stars can use their own
business, and really they are the only
ones to get credit for originality. OPP
pcrtunity is everything in dramatics. and
some time my day will come. see il 1t
Doesn't
And. with a naughty toss Of her pretty
head, Miss Thullen darted away to her
dressing room. leaving the reviewer some-
what impressed with her ideas and re-
solving to watch the progress Of young
woman with such determination and
smcldering fire of ambition.
A Times representative met Bessie
Borehill-who. by the way, In private lie
is Mrs. William r. Seeley, of Seeley and
West-during her engagement at Hashims
Academy last week, and although the &C
tress was not wearing dress suit and
curly wig, she nevertheless retained all OF
her charm and attractive English accent.
Miss Bonehill had an experience last
year in connection with the Boer war OF
which she Is very proud, but she admits,
with ready frankness. that she would
rather not go through it again. In speak
ing of it Miss Bonehill said:
I'm September. Mr.. Seeley, Mr.. West,
and l sailed for South Africa to fulfill an
eight weeks engagement at the Empire
Theatre johannesburg. Our friends re-
minded us CT the impending war. ana
counseled us not to go. but We went, ana
arrived in the city just as everybody was
leaving War had not been declared. but
1t was in the air. and it seemed the one
ambition of those in the city was to get
out of it. and that as quickly as possible
I'm the face Of these conditions We
opened that night. but so positive was
every one that war was imminent that We |
only unpacked the things that were abb
solutely necessary, and after each perform
ance the trunks were repacked just as II
we were to leave early the next day. |
After eight days Of the most uncomfort-
able uncertainty every minute OF which |
the awful cry was expected, the manager !
called the company together and told US !