The sun., 1900-07-08
THEMES FROM STAGELAND.
REAsONs FOR GRATITUDE IN SOhE
VAUDEVILLE PERHORMERS.

AItneush They DO the Best They Can. the
Inpslss % shoot Might Overcome . suf-
fsgins Audisnce-A Managers Views OF
The vslus Of Religious Drama = Actors
Church Alliauce-News Of the Foreign stage
In that border town where Q placard IN q
dance hall requested visitors not 10 shoot ths
pianist a. he was doing the best he could.
scaroity Of Psderewskis mAds forbearance
rsssousbls. But there 10 no such rsason why
the homicidal MANN Is kept In restraint 10
some Of the summar vaudeville shows hero
IN New York. lhst performer Is not slain
Soes In while may bs due to o regard Tor ths
Dscaloguss command. Thou shalt not Kill.
q 10 the fsot that men do not usually go hseied
% shoot on impulse In this town. In any case.
about half the performers on our stage last
week had good reason to be grateful Tor the
tolerant disposition OF our audiences. Inc
very best OF vaudeville and the very worst
arc with US this summer. NO better VarleV!
shovs have ever beon given In this city than
than thoso now drawing crowds to two OF inc
roof gardens, Tho short plays at the con-
tipuous' houses are often good material aniy
treated, and some Of the specialues at the
wsll-ordsred places are excellent. Curreh'
with these 1rstrate and seasonable diver
sions is an abundance OF intolerable ullhes'
In taking account Of vaudeville ful allow
ancs for differences Of taste should be made
The we'll r aimed voice Of singer In classical
selections may delight the man whom INC
slsp-stck of clown In scrobatic pantomime
disgusts. But n the clown Is really iunny
fellow the sssthstic should try to laugh at
him with ths majority. That II the only way
70 have q good time with vaudeville bus
tbsre Is no possible kind of demand IN any
resort Of intelligent people for the utter WORTH
lessness Of much that is now on our stage In
tho seasonable absence Of drama and the pres
encs Of only two or three musical pieces, many
persons in quest OF diversion turn TO the va
rtety shows. There they get great deal OF
GOOD entertainment and fully as much OF al-
most unbsarable stuff. One sits and wonders
how. where and, especially why managers seek
out performers lacking the fa!ntest traces of
talent. Economy Is partial explanation.
Of course, but that does not quite account
for the astounding badness Of much that bores
us ON the July stage What renders the Ina
bility Of these offenders the more obnoxious
"a thar uporiRinality. They are far-away
lp,itators OF familiar entertainers. There have
been few comic uanps and now uhere are
many who are doleful. Several clever jugglero
are followed by a lot OF clumsy ones. The
humorous German. Irish and Hebrew dialogue
,men have given rise to hundreds at whom no.
body laughs. The characteristic negro songs
Of unctious vocalists have set horde OF no
voiced and bad-voiced men aud women to
singing witless mah-baby doggsrel. On the
heels OF the really funny cakewalkors mob
Of bea y-footed people are treading clumsily
Some Of these various buffers, moreover, have
the cheek TO chjde the audience for not laughing
or applaudina To endure them IN silenos
IA hard enoukh But when some witless lout
reproyes you Across the footlights for your
mercif,Il quietude. you feel glad that the anti
murder commandment is in your mind and no
pistol In your pocket.
Once In q while medocrity Is lifted into ac-
ceptance by a stroke Of originality Nothing
IN vaudeville Is ordinarily more tiresome than
the music by pairs. trios and Quartsttes OF
players on q familiar variety OF Instruments.
Yet q set OF these chaps may be cited out Of
last weeks shows to show how ready audiences
are to be amused by an Infusion Of novelty in
otherwise stale material The airs that the three
Gussandos play are old. and the fact that ths
Instruments are oonosaled in the furnishings
Of dinner table is more ingenious than divert
Ion,io bits OF pantomime. They are seated
az table pretending TO be eating and
drinking One raises a fork to his lips
and blows the reed in its end. Another
lifts a CUP to his mouth and sets loose
the next note OF tho tune The third pours
from bottle and with il contributes his tone.
When ones note is needed again. hs accom-
panies II by precisely tho same gesture used at
frst When not making sounds he throws in mo-
tlOn OF head or arm that are meant TO carry out
tbe pretence Of dining, There are quite six Of
these gestures and each Is as graceful as the
dim his look OF intense sef-consoousness BY
casting withering gianc.s at the pianist. whom
he THINKS Is playing bit too fast. without maxi
Next, two Of the man sit on chairs whose Gus b:
Ions are bellows foot thick. While the third
man plays an air. thy produce an afcompani-
snt BY !taS on aaS ts nom ae to S1on
hard Meanwhile they discuss after dinner
topics in pant ornins, The observer who doesn't
enjoy the music surely will b, diverted by the
down hard and keeping the and fac, gesture :
suited 70 small talk Is dramatic art. One OF
thu three Is in female attire. Those who won
der how a man can bring himself to dressing
and behaving like a woman can get away from
that thought by considering the, deepness OF
the pink on this chaps cheeks and by surmises
S .ys Sad Ths Y:Ss S@' aaS 81
great account. but they do prove that new
oddly will render even a small amount Of crude
talent amusing.
A writer In the G nturp speaks Of such an
epidemic OF stage ndecency as that with which
we have recently been afflicted. There has
been no such thing Doubtless he has been
misled by the ado made last season because
four noted actresses, Mrs Carter in -Zaza.
Mru TAputrv n "Tha Deuannrafa Nirs