Evening star., 1901-04-20
DRAMA


Kangaroo whisting the tunes alternate
ly. They sadly lacked Il leader, however,
but were not discouraged. Their efforts
were not so greatly appreciated by the au-
dlence in general. The boys noticed this.
but We're not to be discouraged. They sup
piled the missing applause themselves and
then generously responded to an encore.
Their whistling continued until the mo-
ment the curtain rose for the third act.
Then their fancy was caught by the crash
ing war song sung by Miron. They had
new theme on which to work.
Tim Murphy has often been asked why,
in adopting Il dramatic career. he did not
change his name. Whether Mr.. Murphy
has any regrets for his patronymic is not
known, but he certainly has interesting
knowledge of players and their names,
which constitutes an interesting foot note
to dramatic history.
'It seems said Mr. Murphy that the
era when the public was impressed by
names was confined to a peculiarly short
space of time. 1t came in early in the
second third of this century, and seems to
have died out already. Nearly every one
eminent or, indeed, prominent in the dra-
matte world at this time is using his or
her own family name, though the old GUS
tom seems still to prevail somewhat among
operate artists. name is not an 'ex-
preston of genius. Heights to which l
can only look with awe and aspiration have
been scaled by actors whose names had
less poetry than an open switch and as
much of the commonplace as my own. But,
to begin near home. there was an eminent
actor by the name of Murphy who wrote
superb plays for the greatest actors Of
the Garrick period Listen to this direc-
tory of genius: Macklin Spranger Barry,
Lizzie Barry, Lacy Ryan. Dick Ryan, Jim
Quin, o. Brien, Griffin. O'Neil. Mclaughlin
Terry. Toole and Kelley. They We're bea-
con lights of the stage. every one. Eliza
beth Barry was one of the greatest actress
es Of the English stage, and her name is
lovingly associated with a series Of red-let-
ter events. She spoke the epilogue at Bet
tertons last benefit the year before he died.
The two Ryans. Dick and Lacy, were con-
temporaries, though unrelated. Richard was
the son Of a wealthy Irish tailor. He made
his first appearance with the English Ros-
c1us when boy and became secure among
notable II not great players and was enOr-
mously popular. Lacy Ryan was even more
celebrated. Both Ryans acted Richard III
superbly, and Garrick acknowledged his in
debtedness to both of them in framing his
own creation. Royalty honored both of
them. and Quin played Falstaff annually
for Dick Ryan's benefit till he grew so old
and feeble that the last time he was asked
to emerge from his retirement on this gra-
cious errand he wrote: My Dear Friend
There is no man earth whom l would
sooner serve than Ryan. but, by gracious,
! will whistle Falstaff for no man We
have become so accustomed to finding such
names as the foregoing and Barry in
the firm name of knockabout comedians
and variety teams that it seems impossi-
bic to realize that one of the beau ideals
Of stage heroism was Barry, the great
Spranger Barry, who had license to change
his name, il anybody had. Macklin was
another giant whose fame eclipsed the
quality of his name. OF his Shylock Pope
wrote the celebrated couplet. This Is the
Jew that Shakespeare drew. Then there
neI tI.,r,,
Ben Griffin, who created Iovegold and
wrote plays that drew all England La
dies with conventional Irish names We're
Miss O'Neill, whom. you remember Lord
Byron would not see because he did not
wish to disturb his recollection of Mrs
Siddons. who afterward became Lady
Beecher, and Fannie Kelley. who became
great In spite OF her name and the fact
that she didn't please Tom Moore In our
own time there are two pre-eminent Eng
lsh players having unromantic Irish
names-Toole and Terry-but both gained
and hold their popularity and their posi-
tions with no concessions to suppostitfous
prejudice. For all that, there is some
thing in Artemus Wards call upon us to
imagine for a moment Napoleon to have
borne the name of Jenkins or Washington
to have sustained the appelation of John
Smith and the old exhortation to god
fathers not to Nicodemus a man into moth
ing"
In view of the success of Mime Ruttar-
fly David Belasco has already agreed to
write every season one more plays of
this class, and they will be given original
New York productions with all the prestige
accompanying premiere of a drama in one
of the legitimate houses there. 1t has been
found that while the regular vaudeville
patronage is most appreciatfve of this
idyllic Japanese play, there has also been
drawn to the theater d distinctiveIy new
element. the patrons of the legitimate
theaters who seldom attend vaudeville but
who find every inducement for attending
the BelascO production. Madame Rutter-
fly IS presented in two parts, the first be-
ing series of panorama tableauX Of
beautiful and mystic character Wonder
FULLY lighted. these pictures slowly grow
before the eyes of the audience and then
fade from view, giving glimpses of Fuji-
wanna, with its snow-clad peak, lighted by
tne last CLEANS OF the setting sun, then
sinking into golden twilight and later the
blush darkness of moonlight and total
darkness. After come pictures of a Japan
ese harbor. with Its fleet of lateen-rigged
boats and the same changes from light to
night, and concluding with an exquisite
picture of bit Of Japanese Landscape with
a brilliantly lighted tea house and a TOAD
winding up among the hills with it's VOWS Of
tiny lights. When the temple curtains are
finally drawn. and little Chocho-San ia
seen within the little box of a Japanese
house. in which the scene is laid, a com
pleteC impression mas been secured
Madame Butterfly" is the one charac actar In
the play. Hers is practically a monologue
and the other characters introduced simplv
accentuate her story.
There are managers In the field of bur-
lesque who have organized shows, to use
one OF their idioms Ion a shoe string" and
there are others who would not be identi-
fled with an organization that lacked am
pie capital 1t is certain that NOWADAYS
when elaborate equipment and artistic
printing are demanded, capital is essential
to the formation of the ideal burlesoue
show. but that it supplies the place Of ex-
periepce. shrewdness. perseverance and
grit, The success Of men who carried their
capital under their hats disproves. Not q
season comes but what at least one or two
shows, which lacked nothing in the shane
of capital. either go under or meet with
prolonged failure. Not few of the lead
ing burlesque managers entered the field
with small. If any, capital, and many who
began with some resources encountered
vicissitudes long before they enjoyed pros
perity. 1t has been but four or five wears
ago that show, which prOved a nCvolt,,