The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-17

was In 1871 at new 10TH original
Broadway Theatre, on Broadway, be-
tween Pearl and Broom streets, as Sir
Charles Coldstream in used Up" He
appeared on the program as Mr.. Les
ter" a name he retained until 1861.
Leaving the Broadway, he appeared
successfully at the Bowery, at BurJon's,
in Chambers street, and at Niblo's
Garden. When his father opened the
first Wallacks Theatre, at Broadway
and Broome street, on September 8,
1852, Lester was the stage manager.
Nine years later the theatre as Broad
way and Thirteenth street was opened.
When the elder Wallack died, in 1864,
his son succeeded to the management.
The present Wallack's Theatre, third of
the name, was opened January 4, 1852,
with THE School for Scandal" The
second Wallack's was demolished this
summer, and the Thirtieth street house
is the only one left of the seven in
which Lester Wallack played. The
Thalia stands on the site of the old
Bowery Theatre, but it is not the same
building.
Great Cast.
The heyday of Wallack's prosperity
was in the second of the three theatres
bearing his name. The last of the trio
was scarcely five years old when it
came under the management of Henry
E. Abbey. The final performances OF
the Wallack stock were given in
brief spring season at Days, when
THE Romance of a Poor Young Man"
was the chief play. Lester Wallack's
fortune had dwindled in trying to stem
the tide of competition, and on May
81 1858, a great testimonial perform
ance was given him at the Metropolitan
Opera House. Hamlet" was the play,
and this was a case where the phrase
star cast" now almost a term of
derision, really meant what the words
implied. The Hamlet was Edwin
Booth; the Ghost, Lawrence Barrett;
the King, Frank Mayo; Polonius, John
Gilbert; Laertes, Eben Plympton;
Horatio, John A. Lane; First Gravedig-
ger, Joseph jefferson; Second Grave
digger, w. j. Florence; Bernardo, Her
bert Kelley; Francisco, Frank Mord-
aunt Ophelia, Modjeska; Queen,
Gertrude Kellogg; Player Queen, Rose
Coghlan.
Mr.. Wallack, who had been afflicted
with rheumatism and had been forced
to quit the boards, died at Stamford,
Conn, on September 6, within six
months after this demonstration of the
esteem in which he was held by his
fellows and the public. Six years after
the Wallack benefit one was given in
| the same place to Henry e. Abbey, who
had succeeded him as the manager OF
Wallacks Theatre.
Rice's Ups and Downs.
Another manager whose needs made
him the subject of a benefit at the
Metropolitan Opera House is Edward
| e. Rice, who has swung upon the see
saw of fortune to a greater extent,
| probably, than any other man either
| in or out of the profession. Although
| he never controlled a theatre he has
owned productions which have coined
money for month after month.
Rice is a Yankee with an ear for
music, but his first ambition was to
| become an actor. He went out to
| Chicago with letter of introduction to
| a manager there and succeeded in get
| ting himself cast for the leading part
| in "Hamlet"-that is, the part that
| leads all the others in the order of
| appearance on the stage, for 1T is Fran
| cisco who walks on first when the
| curtain rises. But he did not remain
| an actor long. With his marriage he
quilted the boards and became pub
| Usher of the National Chronicle, of
Boston, devoted to theatrical and sport
| ing affairs, and from this passed to
post with the Cunard Steamship Com
pany.
He was living in Cambridge at this
time and became acquainted with J.
Cheever Goodwin, then in his last year
| at Harvard. AS Rice put it himself,
Goodwin could make a pen breathe,
| and I-pardon the vanity-could make
a piano talk" They went one night to
| see Lydia Thompson and Rice declared
| to Goodwin that they two could get
up a better burlesque than the one they
had witnessed. They set to work and
| the result was "Evangeline." The
thing was tried piece meal on the
Papyrus Club, of which both young
men were members, but no manager
would touch it until the Thornes, faith
er and son, of Niblo's Garden, agreed
to give it trial if Rice would pay
the salary of William H. Crane, who
was to play lie Blanc, the notary.
The piece was brought out in July,
1874. 1t made a great hit and so much
money that Rice resigned from his
steamship position and devoted him
self entirely to the amusement bust
ness In connection with "Evangeline"
1t may be recorded that it was not on
ly Crane who was launched on public
favor through its medium, but also
Henry L. Dixey, Nat Goodwin, Willie
Edoun, George X. Fortesque, Laura
Joyce, Sadie Martinez, Pauline Hall,
Amelia Summerville and the late Alice
Atherton.
Dixey in "Adonis."
After "Evangeline" Rice made an
other strike with Dixey in "Adonis,"
which had nearly 1000 performances in
New York alone. Then came "Cinder-
ella at School," with Nat Goodwin
"Hiawatha," with Geo. S. Knight and
William A. Mestayer, husband of
Theresa Vaughn. who has lately gone
insane, and Horrors" with Willie
Edouin and wife. Alice Atherton. IL
was after this that Rice went broke
He packed up and sailed for Australia
hoping to retrieve his fortunes there:
but Rice and a frightful financial panic
struck the country at the same time
and he made all haste back to New
York again, where he landed with ten
cents in his pockets. In a newspaper
he read about a burlesque the Boston
Cadets had just produced in an am
a. Of ft.fA