The Washington times., 1901-11-03


| somewha; similar part to the one l. m
playing in Mans Enemy only in the
! former piece the woman has the, sympa-
/ thy of the audience because all the mean
| things she does are for a good end
Next season l shall resume my star
| ring tour. and until then expect TO con
tinue to shock the good people as the poiu'
bad lady in Mans Enemy:
Miss Herndon's husband. Albert a. An
druss. plays the leading role. that OF
Harry Stanton. who inherits the love oi
drink and SO falls into the clutches of
the adventures, his wife
The saddest news that has been fur
nished to the theatrical world for many a
day comes from Baltimore, where one
day last week May Irwin confded to q
newspaper interviewer that she contem-
plates retiring from the stage at the end
Of her present season.
May Irwin retire? Never: not so long
as the great American public evidences
the slightest fondness for the style of
coon song that has brought wealth and
fame to the Irwin name.
Perhaps on account of her failure to get
a suitable play during the past two sea-
sons, the gentle. sylph-like May is a bit
discouraged. She should not be, however,
so long as the crop of coon ditties
shows signs Of encouEtering a blight
ing frost. and at the present writing there
happening
Miss Irwin has been more or less in the
public eye ever since when. a little tot,
she shyly appeared before Buffalo audi
ence, holding the hand of sister Flo, and
displayed for the first time the incipient
abllity that later won for her enviable
place in the esteem Of native theatre
goers. Now she naiVely says she has
worked hard al her life, and thinks it
is about time she had rest and threat
ems to leave the stage at the end of her
present iG han
to state. includes Washington. so local
amusement lovers will have another
chance, anyway, to laugh with the ever
happy Miss irwin, and listen to her latest
songs about "coons," ''raZzers" chickens
and other things that are invariably men
toned in the sort Of selections Miss Irwin
sings.
But after all. the notice Of the i'm
pending retirement may be joke. Miss
Irwin is rare Jester, even when off the
stage, and who knows but that she has
fcen lndulging in her favorite sport.
Or perhaps she has been reading the
memoirs OF Madame Patti. and has be-
come inbued with the idea that fare
well tour is about the right thing for her.
In Ottawa "Wednesday night. KyrIe
Bellew, with the assistance of Eleanor
Robson and an exceptionally capable
company. under the Liebler management
presented for the first time on any stage
Harriet Ford's dramatic version of STAN
y
France"
[ All the newspaper reports from the Ca
madam town speak in the highest praise
OF beth the play and players, and it ap-
pears that the temperance of Mr. Bel
lew under such favorable auspices was
unusually successful.
During the season "A Gentleman of
France viii be seen in Washington
Since the recent success of Dolly Var
dem Messrs. Stanislaus STANCE and Julian
Edwards have received a number of over
lures to write comic operas, the latest be-
ing commission from Francis Wilson.
While Mr.. Wilson was playing in THE
Strollers" at the Amphion Theatre in
Brooklyn two weeks ago the contract
with STANCE and Edwards was signed.
These gentlemen agree to write a comic
opera for Mr.. Wilson and to have it ready
to be put in rehearsal by the first of June
next.
\ name has not been announced for the
new opera yet. and the only condition
that Mr.. Wilson makes is that # shall be
modern and up to date. He says he would
prefer an American theme. Mr.. Wilson
evidently wants to get away from the
comedy monarch idea, which it seems al
most impossible for some comic opera
stars to dispense with.
The new opera will have been Messrs.
In eminence and in the number of their
works in this field, they now stand next
to Gilbert and Sullivan. The following
operas are the result of their collabora-
ton:
Friend Fritz" for John Mason and
Marion Manola: Madeline. or the Magic
Kiss" for the Camille D'Aryille Opera
Company; THE Goddess of Truth" for
Lillian Russell; Brian Boru." for the F.
c. Whitney Opera Company; The We'd
ding Day for the Russell, Fox and De
Angels Opera Company, and Dolly
Warden, for the Lulu Chaser Opera Com
pany. Last year Messrs. STANCE and Ed
wards cola borated for Mr.. f. c. Whitney
on Quo Nadis' and The Wooing of
Priscilla" Mr.. STANCE writing the plays
and Mr.. Edwards the incidental music.
The revival of The Wife" by the Bel
lows stock company at the Lafayette this
week serves to bring once more to public
attention the pathe tic ending Of the
career of an actress who had much to
do with the plays great success when
produced at the Lyceum Theatre, New
York.
Among the women whose lives have
been an honor TO the stage, even as their
talent has contributed to its brilliancy,
Georgia Cayvan. who is now slowly dying
in a Long Island retreat, will long be
remembered for her womanly qualities, |
as wei as for her artistic genius.
The role of Helen Truman in The |
Wife" was always a favorite one with |
Miss Cayvan. aud perhaps more than /
any other, brought to public notice those /
splendid powers which II ade her strong /
though net obtrusive personality IN the !
theatrical profession during her bright |
The. Wife" was produced in the very
heyday of her prosps rity, and viii al /
WAYS be recalled as the brightest star in !
the galaxy of brilliant successes which
made that bijou-like theatre, the Lyceum,
the most exclusive in all New York. As |
its leadint, lady, Miss Cayvan enjoyed the |
admiration and friendship Of such dis |
tiuguished men as Mark Twain, William
Dean Howells, Robert G. iEgersoll and
a host of others. She had not outlivod |
the period Of possibility for greater |
achievement. when misfortune befeH her |
and brought to an end the story of her |
success.
Many persons enter so thoroughly into |
the spirit Of a play and the life beyond
the footiights," says Charles Dalton, who
is to star in a dramatiZation of Bertha
RunkIe's The Helmet OF Navarro" that |
when an actor has been associated for |
some years with certain play they at
tribute to the man the individuality of |
the fictitious character he interprets.
This is shown in a very crude but en-
phatic manner in the blood and thunder
melodrama when the players come be- |
fore the curtain and the hero is greeted |
with the widest evidences of approval |
while the villain receives an equally en-
phatic yolley of hisses The same thing
is true to a great extent, among a more
intelligent class of theatregOers. Take
nv own case for instance. For the last
five years / have been known only Hs
Marcus Superbus. a noble pagan, who,
through the beauty of character and un-
swervinE faith Of lowly Christian girl
is led to embrace her religion, renounces
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