Evening star., 1901-04-13
DRAMA |

his attention to the subject of writing his
own operas simply because he was tired of
paying royalties for other lfbrettists' lines.
lie is further quoted:
There be divers kinds of comic operas
and they differ much in the manner of crea-
ton and construction. l must be allowed
to prefix the explanation of my method by
saying that [ haven't one, nor can 1 con-
ceive. however methodical man may be,
procedure on any given rule for the mix
ture of popular operate cocktail. Ex-
peTience in this class of work is, in my
opinion, better than genius.
There is an unwritten law that assigns
and fancy. A comic opera, in my opinion,
should first of all have pictorial value. 1t
must appeal to the eye as well as to the
ear That is> why comic opera requires
romantic theme. Modern themes seldom
adapt themselves to comic opera treatment.
They seem tame and prosaic and do not
lend themselves to picturesqueness in Co.'S
tunes and scenery.
Cloches de Cornevilie' will live forever,
while the mushroom musical comedies of
the George Edwardes school Will have pass
ed into oblivion. The most successful writer
of comic opera libretti is, 1 think w. s.
Gilbert, and he has never made use of
modern dress in any of his comic operas
except in Patience. and then only in the
male OF the last act. Even here it is only
done for the sake of humorous contrast"
Mr.. La Shelle continues by telling how he
came to select the characters of 1.-The Prin-
cess Chic, around which the whole story
of the opera reYolyes OF course the role
OF the princess is a creation of his own
but the parts of Louis XI and Charles the
Bold. Duke of Burgundy. are historical
characters which are famous in book and
play. He goes on: Il had the idea rattliug
around in my head some fifteen years, ever
since L saw Henry Irving play Louis XII
on his first visit to this country You re-
member when the envoy from the Duke of
Burgundy and his clanking guard march
into Louis presence The
has mailed gauntlet and shouts, That is
the answer of Charles the Boldn or words
TO that effect. l said to myself, Here's
chance for Charles the Bold So [ started
in on the second act of what is now "The
Princess Chic and wrote backward and
forward
John Drew's support in Richard CarveI'
is somewhat prolific in second genera
tions' of noted stage favorites, from the
fact that Dodson Mitchell is Maggie Mitch
ell s nephew; Arthur Byron is Oliver Doud
Byrons son; Carolyn White is Isadore
Rushs daughter; while George Mendum
Is the niece of the star The cast is equally
rich IN the earlier generation of PLAYERS
the list embracing Frank Losee, Mrs. w
T. Jones, Harry Harwood, Francis Powers
Lewis Baker. Herbert Carr, Frank E. Lamb
and others.
Virginia Johnson. who is well known
mere, will reach this city soon, when she
expects to spend several weeks prior to
her departure for her summer home at the
highlands. New Jersey. Miss johnson IS
aoout TO close her season as leading lady
OF OF the stock company of F. M. McCloy Of
the Grand Opera House. Pittsb,1rg where
sne ..3, mas been playing important rarts in
Camille" Friends" 'Esmeralda and
other stock plays. She met with .uch snc-
cess cess tnat "hen change of leading women
was made at the Grand Opera Housa In
Plttsburg an offer was made her but Man
ager McCloy would not release her
A friend of Otis Harlan, standing in front
OF the New Grand the other night. gave
away a hitherto unknown pec1liaritv NJ
the rotund little comedian.
Il have known Otis Harlan since be uas
little fellow said the bystander. HE
was born in Rockville, Ohio along the line
or the Baltimore and Ohio, but lived most
OF his youth in GAINESVILLE His father was
major of the 18th Ohio Volunteers in the
civil war, and after it he was post master
or GAINESVILLE, and then became receiver for
a defunct bank there. Now he is in WASH
lngton state. Otis Is the only one of
the family that has gone on the stage. It's
1,arad Iuahy y @ 1hing, too. that he has never
played IN GAINESVILLE. It's what you call
one-nig ght-stand town. and there is hardly
a touring company in the United States
that mas not at some time or other STONED
tnere. tn. put Otis has never been seen by his
townspeople. and what's more he told me
last night that he never would be, I nre-
sumo he'd lay off before he'd play in the
place l don't know why he feels 30. but
II S one of his peculiarities"
1t might prove interesting II It could he
determined whether race prejudice is at
the bottom of the waning popularity Of the
colored organization. 1t is more than proh.
able that this prejudice had become DOR
mant when these organizations were an
innovation, but as the novelty wore ofr
1t was awakened and asserted itself. The
sable artist can hardly be said to have de-
Perforated when comparison shows that
his work today Is superior to that which
was tolerated decade ago. and in prog
ress, development of talent, he has set a
pace that has surprised the white artist.
But the fact remains that gradually man.
ayers of theaters, especially of the houses
constituting the burlesque circuit, which
at one time played half a dozen such at
fractions season, some Of them twice.
nave weeded sable organizations out of
their bookings, and their proprietors have
mad to scratch for time accept dates In
houses that do not pay play night stands.
or hit upon some new idea. At no time
has the local manager cause to COMPLAIN
OF the profits accruing from the engage
more
than one house. when SO many were booked.
could trace to them the lions share of the
seasons profits. 1t Is hardly possible that
shcwmen permit sentiment, much less
prejudice, to sway them when the question
involves dollars and cents, and the ap-
parent antipathy to these organizations
springs rather from the displeasure of
white patrons, who in some cities found
their accustomed seats, in fact, the entire
auditoriums monopolized for the time be-
Ing by sable patrons This, to the local
manager who recognizes the fact that the
theater Is a luxury and that the tastes
ana wishes of the permanent patrons should
be respected, would appear to be vital
objection against the repetition of such at
fractions, but in some cities the sable
population Is small and the percentage of
theater-goers is not large enough to cause
the monopoly of the auditorium by the col
ored patron, while in other cities the col
ored contingent, no matter how numerous
1t may be, Is compelled to take seats in
the section of the house set aside for the
race, and yet the local managers in these
cities have been as much opposed to book
ing such organizations as local managers
elsewhere. In one case the local man
ager limited the sable patrons to the last
two rows In the balcony, and though they
were not filled any night during the week,
his aversion to the attraction was even
stronger at the close of the engagement