Evening star., 1901-05-25


only one that will occur in some time.
| comes to a close tonight. This relapse of F
street into summer quietude occurs much
| earlier than usual, but the results did not
| justify a continuance of the expensive pro-
| grams The demand was for the high
| priced seats. The downstairs portion of the
| theater presented an aspect of winter
| gaiety, while the loftier places, upon which
| the greatest dependence had been placed,
| were comparatively neglcc ed. This fact may
be accepted as an evidence that the per-
| formances found critical appreciation, but
| were not popuiarly understood. Mr.. Duff
| claimed at the outset that the regular
| prices ought to be maintained. Certain it
is that more than regular prices have been
demanded and secured for productions
| greatly inferior to those of The Runaway
Girl The Geisha" and The Circus
| Girl The work of putting on these musi-
cal comedies has been enormous and the
fact that The Circus Girl" played only
! half the week with nothing to follow it did
not cause the slightest letting down from
! the artistic standard established.
Il am convinced" said Manager Luck
| EFT, in somewhat Satirical mood, that we
| made the mistake of giving the public too
| much for its money. The patronage We
| have had would more than have made a
| production whose expenses could be kept
down to something like the ordinary level
highly profitable. But the cost of this series
| of musical comedies made it necessary that
| we play to capacity as a rule. When 1
| talked with some of the New York pro-
ducers of musical pieces, they declared it
| was impossible to rehearse and put a per-
formance of this kind on in less than three
weeks. of the
ducers in the country simply threw up his
| hands when | mentioned the scheme to him
| ana declared that 1t was impossible. We
nave shown that the pieces can be done
and done in good style. The last perform
| ance will be good and as complete as
| the frSt; not a man will be found missing
| from the augmented orchestra and the
chorus will be found larger than it was
when the engagement first opened Mr
Dun will preserve the organization practi-
caliy as it stands"
Inc company will go to Manhattan
Beach, whore Mr.. Duff is confident it will
do big business in spite of the fact that
the limited time allowed for a perform
ance there will make the finish that has
characterized the pieces as done here al
most impossible.
do Incline the head slightly to one side.
Now-steady"
If the people who saw the living pictures
at Chases this week had been on the otber
side Of the velvet curtain thew wouId have
heard series Of remarks like these adj
dressed to the models by a man In his
SHIRT sleeves. This parsonage occupied the
center of the stage and with a careful eve
scanned the pictures for defects at the last
moment before the white-costumed page
released the curtains and revealed Dawn
or can't You Talk to the admiring gaze
or the auditorium. Although the pictures
nave been shown so often that the models
KNOW their places instinCtively, each pic
lure IS ScFutihfzed and corrected as to
facial expression and similar details by
the artist under whose direction they are
made Mr.. Harry Brunette He is one of
the busiest Of men. In his hand he carries
bell. One ring. and the curtains are
drawn aside; another and them are closed
Each picture is allowed to remain in view
twenty-five seconds, and Mr. Brunelle ap-
pears to have learned to measure time by
some automatic mental process for he
Will sometimes ring the bell without inter-
rupting a casual conversation or a lesson
in bass drumming to the colored Jove who
ID u y Ai6 ~ ploNIut d accountant
ment of thunder for "Rock of Ages"
While a picture is being shown the stage
behind presents a wilderness of trucks and
paraphernalia through which only Artist
Brunette or Stage Manager Cordle could
trace secure pathway. Three or four
painted scenes are mounted on each truck.
and while one picture is being exhibited
others is being arranged, ready to he
wheeled into place the instant the curtains
are closed. The painted canvas on the tiny
stage Is removed Immediately after the
picture has been moved from the frame
and another background, in waiting be-
hind it, is brought to view These elab-
crate arrangements keep three or four
compositions always under way. In one
portion Of the stage the big Newfoundland
dog in Cant You Talk Is being coaxed
to sit down. In another the calf who an
pears in "Evangeline'' is being persuaded
to stand up. 1t is plain that the calf is not
well. 1t is suffering from depression for
which the sultry weather will not account
One of the stage managers assistants
explained that it's longing for the green
pastures Of springtime had become so in
tense that 1t had eaten the stage grass at
its feet and made itself sick Mr. Br1-
nelle's company has speaking parts in
1t. yet it is selected with the greatest care
anu IIlalHldlNeu DIT an expense which is
evidently considerable. The models are
trained to the work of posing, having been
previously chosen because Of their superior
physical adaptability for the representa-
ton Of classic types. They are provided
with bath robes to be worn going to and
from the picture trucks. This prevents
their taking cold shocking the sensibili-
ties Of the stage hands. Mr.. Brunelle has
perfected a number of details in the exhi-
bition of living pictures. one of them being
an extensible frame which can be so ad-
justed as to fit pictures of any size
The principal model for these pictures Is
Miss FEEDER. Hungarian young woman.
who has posed for the principal artists in
New York.
But she is less priced than younester
not higher than your knee. whose poses
have the especial eye Of the artist The
tiny models name Is Brunelle and his
father considers him worth more than all
the rest of the entire living picture outfit
The season at Kernan's Lyceum, cover
ing period Of forty-two weeks, during
which but two Of the attractions have been
repeated, comes to close tonight With |
two exceptions that were straight special
ty shows, which were appreciated all the
attractions have been -burlesque organiza-