Evening star., 1901-09-21
MUSIC


| Monday night next, in spite of the fact
| that number of houses remained open
| during the present week The Columbia
Theater and the Lafayette had no attrac-
tions booked, and Chase's Theater volun-
tarily remained dark for the entire week.
IT am aware" said Manager Rapley, yes
| terday; that the theaters which opened
their doors Monday night have been
subjected to some criticism. Without at
| tempting to discuss what ought TO be done
| in so delicate a situation, L feel that the
| exact facts should be known. The engage
ment was matter of contract, in which a
number of interests were involved. 1t could
| not be called off at a moments notice by
| the command of any one individual The
! diScontinuance of the performance at the
| expense of the people employed would have
| been Pecksniffian assumption OF superior
| virtue in which we did not care to indulge.
| 1t was a foregone conclusion that the en-
gagement would not be one of Importance,
| so far receipts were concerned. We
| knew in advance that it would be a saving
| il we had Cancelled the week at the eX-
pense of those dependent on salaries. We
| decided to pursue the plain course publicly
suggested for all citizens, to scrupulously
| observe the occasion set aside for public
| HOufluIS ana not TO TlSk any exceptional
demonstration which might lay us even re-
| motely liable to a suspicion of trying to
utilize nations calamity for PURPOSES Of
| advertisement or self glorihcaton.'
The local theatrical season is still so
young that interest may be said to center
| to some extent in New York. A number of
productions are being tried there, and some
| of them promise to stand the test and
come under survey later in the season as
road enterprises. There are, however. two
| attractions which Washington is not likely
to see. One is the Weber and Fields series
| of burlesques. This enterprisng firm has
paid Washington only one visit since it's
| elevation to great Importance. The enter
tainment it gave on that occasion was su-
perior to that which it now offers in New
! York. The most impressive thing about
| the show is as to the cast of characters
| 1t is impossible to think of the pay roll
| without feeling strong admiration for the
| plucky little team of performers who used
| to be such strong favortes when they were
| headllners in the variety theaters. Fay
| Tempieton, Lillian Russell, De Wolf Hop
| per, Sam Bernard and others have shown
| with overwhelming effulgence in other con-
| stellations, but they somehow become sat
| elites here. There is not the slightest eff
fort to subordinate anybody Even the au-
thors name is mentioned two or three
times in the course of the burlesuues. De
| Wolf Hopper is not at home without an
| abundance of comic makeup, and Lillian
| Russell does little more than to share with
number Of chorus ladies the distinction
| of being remarkably fine-looking woman
| Ihe sklt Holty-To1ty is a jolly and clever
bit of extravaganza. but the satires on pop
llrla lrn
phrases. Fay Templetons version of Mad
anne Butterfly" with Fritz Williams "a
great favorte there), is an exquisite bit of
orientalism. The native pathos of the story
asserts itself so strongly that the efforts
to invest the scene with humorous quality
because wholly inconsequential The town
| is, as usual. in raptures over the produce
ton. The local population goes to Weber
| and Fields as a ceremonial duty The
stranger within the citys gates is told that
| he must not miss it. If he ventures the
opinion that he has seen it surpassed in
some points by travelling organizations he
| Is set down as hopeless hayseed who
must have come in from Sacramento or
Jersey City or some other remote and
semi-barbarous locality. Last Saturday
night the entire Weber and Fields COM
pany agreed to close. Although the trib-
ute of respect was voluntary on the part
of all the performers, the management did
not deduct penny of salary
The visitor to New York may find that he
Wearies of the burlesque which blossoms
along Broadway, and that he would eniov
| something In the way of legitimate drama
not mere melodrama or distortions of Soma
| poets biography into a lackadaisicaI ro-
nance, but real literary earnestness. with
the dignity of recognized genius behind If.
| Where shall he turn? Oddly enough tn the
| BoWery. ihere are several theaters along
that famous and much maligned thorough
fare which are devoted to an East Side
clientele. The plays are in "Yiddish." a
word which may have been popularity
evolved from judaism" The language IS
based largely on the German vocabulary
and grammar. combined with Hebrew. The
philologist would possibly cavil at the
word Hebrew In this connection, and
point out that the language which has
been amalgamated with German to make
"Ylddish' Is known to scholars as ARA
maic." Semitic dialect which superseded
the original Hebrew and was the Iansuapa
Of the characters in our New Testament.
But neither the East Side nor 9TH avenue
cares much about this. "Yiddish" suffices
as language for community which lives
its own life and which has it's own news
papers. it's own theaters and it's own ideas.
The Peoples Theater has been devoted to
actors who appeal to the East Side
| audiences in their own tongue. The cost
Of seats ranges from 81 so down to 25 cents.
for prosperity and thrift vary here as much
as elsewhere. 1t is at this immediate day
the only theater in the United States which
lays serious claims to acting which ap-
proaches that Of the elder Salvini In trag-
edy. The only man who has played "King
Lear in many day IN this country is
Jakob A6Ier, principal tragedian at the
Peoples" He is q man of massive
build. the possessor of a melodious
voice and magnetic eyes. He has the
subtle quality which commands His
Lear" Is net an exact reproduction of
the Shakespeare play. Like other theater.
goers, these audiences love to see the mir
ror held up to scenes with which they are
familiar. The character assumed by Adler
is that OF a rich Russian, who divides his
estate among his children. He IS warned
that his faith may be that OF 'Konig Lear. -
Of whom wilhelm Shakespeare wrote