The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-20

| seeks 10 convey.
| "Frou FrouS was adapted for the native
stage by the late Augustin Daily some
twenty-five years ago, and 1t is the Daily
version which Is generally used now
adays. although Miss Olga Nethersole has
made her own version of the drama. The
| original Daily production served to intro
| duce to New York, theatre-goers Agnes
Ethel, whose Interpretation of Gilberte
! made her famous Miss Ethel retired
| from the stage during her M st prosper
| Gus days. and married a wealthy resident
OF Buffalo, N. Y. where she still resides.
She has never relinquished her liking for
| matters theatrical. and is often to be
| found among the first night audiences
when important presentations are made
| in Gotham. "Frou Frou." by the way,
| was among the very first pieces that en-
| 1oyed a New York run of one hundred
nights.
| Apropos of 'Frou Frou," Clara Lipman.
well known to Westinghouse as the
risky and frolicsome Julie Bon Bon Of
/ The Girl from Paris" and later seen in
! The Telephone Girl" and scheduled this
week to appear at the Columbia with her
husband, Louis Mann, in 'All on Account
of Eliza" has strong liking for the role
OF Gilberte, and AYERS that she will play
1t next season in an elaborate production
OF the Meilhac and Holvey piece. She is
very enthusiastic over the possibilities OF
the part, and spends most of her spare
time studying the many opportunities it
AFFORDS. She possesses an exact copy OF
the original prompt book of "Frou Fr1u,
which was presented to her last summer
i in Paris. where the brilliant and unfor-
| tunate Aimee Desclee created the role Of
| Gilberte
! During recent interview, in which
Miss Lipman spoke of her desire and de-
/ termination to essay the part, she said:
/ Did you ever hear the story OF 'Frou
Frou's' first presentation? No? / thought
Of it last summer as | stood at the grave
/ of poor Desclee Here it is. After the
| authors had read their comedy to the
manager of the theatre. the latter imme-
! diately decided on the actress who was to
! create Gilberte. When the authors heaI d
| her name they very politely said no. III
not she, who, then, the manager wished
| to know. The authors named Aimee
| Desclee. The manager roared with laugh
J ter. 1t was joke; 1t was absurd; 1t was
| impossible. Desclee, he protested. was Of
no real Importance in his company; she
| could not act and she was barely toll
Grated by his audiences. They had even
/ laughed at her serious efforts. She would
ruin the play. The authors, who had for
| months been watching the work of the
| unfortunate actress at whom the man
ayers audiences had laughed. believed she
was genius, and stood firm. 1t should
be Desclee or nobody. The manager was
| forced to yield.
The night of the performance came.
Desclee made her first entrance as unaf-
fectedly as If she were in her own draw
| ing room. The audience received her
coldly, as usual and at the end of the first
act had not begun to thaw. At the end
2 .f ha CHI had run frnr
1 them round of applause. At the end of
| the third act they we're standing on their
/ seats frantically waving their handker-
chiefs, and all sides declaring that new
/ star had risen. The manager rushed to
| Desclee's dressing room and told her Of
the tremendous hit she had made.
Indeed" she replied bitterly. Il hope
| il will last long enough to enable me to
pay for Gilberte's gowns" 1t did last.
Every new part was new triumph. And
then, in the midst of her success. an ILL
ness developed that eventually killed her,
| but for months previous to her death she
appeared on the stage night after night
| in awful agony. Shortly before the end,
| il writing to a-friend. she said: us 1t not
| sad? A lifetime of struggle, toll, en-
deayor. l reach the port at last, and-I
sink in harbor."
|. Simultaneous with the announcement by
Manager Berger of reduction in the
price of seats at both the evening and
matinee performances of the Lafayette
stock company comes the news of the en-
gagement OF a new engenue, Miss Grayce
Scott Miss Scott viii be remembered as
a former member of the Columbia Thea
tire stock company OF four years ago,
when Katherine Grey, James o. Barrows.
and A. S. Lipman we're prominent players
whose names were regularly On the bill.
Prior TO her engagement with the Co
lumbia company, Miss Scott-she was
plain Grace then-was in the chorus Of
Klaw Erlanger's production of Palmer
Cox's Brownies" She was consid-
cred even at that period of her stage
career good enough looking to occupy a
position at the end of the first row, and
her pretty face and vivacity won for her
large share OF praise. She has since
had considerable experience with stock
companies, her husband, Mr.. Thomas Gift
fin being manager of several prosperous
organizations, notably at Denver. and
until very recently. at st. Louis.
If Miss SCOTS engagement Is perina-
nent, the patrons of the Lafayette will
have much to he thankful for.
The overture to "Tannhauser" to-
gether with a Massanet suite, will form
the nucleus of the programme to be given
by the Washington Philharmonic 0rches-
ira at its second concert OF the season a
the Columbia Theatre the evening of
February 3. The other numbers will be
IN keeping, while the artist who will as
sist at the concert will be a well known
singer.
In order 10 ensure financial success
as well as an artistic one at its second
concert the orchestra has interested the
Of lie IN,
being, with the result that the Elks have
contracted for a large block of seats
which they will occupy and dispose of to
their friends. Thus a large attendance
is almost assured. and this fact, together
with the example set by the Elks in
coming forward so generously In support
of Washington musical institution. such
as the Washington Philharmonic Or
chestra is, should combine to make the
second concert of the series much more
successful financially than was the first
one.
Sam Bernard, recently seen at the CO.
lumbia Theatre, this city, in THE Belle
OF Bohemia has signed a contract to re-
turn TO the Weber & Fields company next
season to replace David Warfield, who
will become a star under the management
of David Belasco. Bernard was q member
OF the original Weber G. Fields stock com,
pany and remained with the organization
until he became imbued with the Idea that
the great American public was terribly
anxious to see him at the head of his own
company in q comedy called THE Mar
quis of Michigan" which had a rather
short and mournful career.
The endeayor- to place Mr. Warfield
among the important stars of the country
will be watched with not a little concern