Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-07
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others have retired and the balance OF us
are still striving to amuse the public Of to-
day. Mr.. Frothingham. MIR. Macdonald and
Mr.. Studley. our conductor, and myself are
all OF tho old guard that remain with the
present Bostoniaus. Tom Karl has retired
and is teaching music In New York, Whit
noy is in Boston and sings in the churches
there now and then. Mary Beebe, who was
our first soprano. has retired. Marie stone
is the wife Of MIR. Macdonald and is satisfied
70 travel with her husband and watch the
performances from the front. Geraldine
Timer is still singing and making a great
hit In London, 50 l hear. Fanny Rice IT,,
of course, you know, the burlesque queen
now. \. +. Nichols is dead and the others
are scattered to the four winds.
This program" said MIR. Barnabee, pick
ing up one OF them, reminds me that The
Marriage of Figaro which in my mind Is
the most classical opera the Bostonians ever
attempted, was given its first Omaha produc-
ton by our company and scored a big hit. 1t
was afterward included in our repertoire
and wherever we played it always proved
a %favorite.
II am frank in saying continued Mr..
Barnabee, that the Bostonians have de-
! N'lultl anu brought 10 lSnI mDIe AllbI-
lean talent than 'any other organization
in the country. Just glance over some of
our old programs, read the names and think
where the majority of the people are to-
day. We discovered Eugene Cowles some
years ago. He was working in a bank in
Chicago and singing in a church choir.
Today he is Americas leading basso. Alice
Nielsen, Zellie De LussIn, Jessie Bartlett
Davis, Camille d'Arville and others too
numerous to mention started with us,
! many in the chorus and others only in
small parts, and where are they today?
All holding leading positions in operate or
CARNATIONS and some even stars of the
first magnitude. But l don't believe the
people give us credit for the missionary
work we are doing in developing Ameri-
can vocalists. They are looking for some
thing new in the amusement line, but lit
tie do they care how or where it comes
from, just so they get it."
And so much for one story of reminis-
cence the old programs have served. There
are countless others among them and from
time TO time rare bits from them will be
published in this department. In looking
over the names included in the various
casts published in the hundred or odd
more WHICH lnt TUT was IhdhS Wy VI ~
is really surprising to read the different
ones opposite small parts that are now
leading lights in the dramatic world.
The range from the romantic to light COM
edy is quite a lengthy one, and an actor who
can play the gamut and play it well Is a
most versatile and pliable one. In this
] connection it is noted that this season Otis
Skinner il playing the role in The Liars,
that cold. matter of fact. clever John Drew
handled last season. The writer saw John
Drew in the role and is anxious to see Mr.
SINNERS Interpretation of it.. He is an ad-
mirer OF Mr.. skinner and believes there is
nothing impossible with this clever fellow.
Here is a letter received by The Bee from
an Omaha theater- goer who evidently at
tended the last amateur night at the local
vaudeville playhouse and failed to find in it
that degree Of satisfaction which would war
rant him in putting up the price OF admis-
sion for the entertainment:
OMAHA, Jan. 3.-To the Dramatic Editor
of The Bee: 1t may be newspaper ethics
to pass over the faults Of amateur theatrical
performers and try to find something pleas
ing to say about them, as you have done in
your report of last Fridays amateur night
at the Orpheum, but l think you owe 1t to
the public to show up this performance in
its true light.
No one could have sat through 1t without
coming to the conclusion that no possible
excuse exists for such an infection upon the
public, which can be characterized only as
cruelty to the performers or the audience,
and in most cases to both. The theatrical
manager may be justified in encouraging
persons who have some talent or reasonable
assurance of success TO try their hand upon
the stage, but to open the door indiscrimi-
nately to every one who imagines he can
do a turn, irrespective of ability or vulgar
ity. is an imposition upon his patrons.
At last Fridays performance not more
than two Of the amateur numbers would
have boon tolerated in the cheapest variety
hall in the country. On the contrary most
of them would have been barred out as
indecent or vulgar. Several OF the alleged
performers came on the stage in a condi-
ton of half dress, exposing themselves in
most suggestive and disgusting manners.
one of the so-called performers who had
been widely advertised and billed is eX-
Cused by his friends on the charitable
ground that he is weak in his mind, yet
the management of this theater has led
him on to make a debasing exhibition of
himself by telling him that he has the
making OF an actor when he is incapable
of the work Of even a passable clown. l
have since been informed that this man,
who has a family to support, has been in
weighed into throwing up a paying position
with the idea that he has a future before
him on the stage. II this is so it is little
short of criminal on the part of those
who have misled him into taking such a
step.
Amateur night is a success in only one
particular, and that is thar it brings curl
osity seeking people into the showhouse
and money into The box office. But even