The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-06
! FROM SIS TO $3.50 A WEEK.
The Remarkable Single Leap of Miss
Katheryn Hutchinson.

The remarkable transition from
chorus girl at SIS week to a prima
donna at $3.50 week in a single jump
in one night has never occurred in the
atricals except in the case of Miss
Katheryn Hutchinson.
Miss Hutchinson was a student at
one of the musical colleges in Boston
in March last when E. E. Rice revived
BarnetS Cadet extravaganza and
transformed it into a regular attrac-
ton. Like all the members of the cho-
rus who applied for work, Miss Hutch
inson was placed in the line to have
her voice tested, and was accepted in
due course without creating any par
ticular impression on the stern chorus
master. Had she the voice of a Patti
( it would have been difficult for the
frightened miss of nineteen to have
given any marvellous exhibition of her
ability, as the test is usually confin-
ed to singing part of the scale only.
After the "Show Girl had been
running two or three weeks, one Of the
principals, who had a short musical
number to sing, was absent, and the
stage manager was hunting among the
chorus for a girl to give the song to.
Miss Hutchinson timidly expressed her
willingness to attempt it and was Sc
lected. Frightened and trembling in
her first solo appearance before the
poOlASs Lie swell SlnSSE struggled
through the solo and was rewarded by
thank YOU from the stage mana
ger and put back in the chorus ranks.
But fate had a better reward for
the ambitious little woman. One day
in one of the smaller towns in New
England a beautiful voice was heard
by Manager Rice as he passed through
the corridor of the hotel
Always alive to the matter Of discov-
cries for which hn Nv
erlasting Edward" is famous, he cas-
ually glanced into the hotel parlor and
there sat his little chorus girl beating
Worn-out piano and singing the
Flower Grip so SWeetly, so perfectly
that even the blase Rice was thunder
struck. He stole carefully away from
the doorway and said nothing.
Finally the opening of the "Show
Girl'' at Wallack' where it is still play
ing, came around and was presented
with the regular prima donna of the
company in the title role On Wednes-
day evening of the first week. at 5
in the afternoon, the startling informa-
ton was received at the front of the
house that the prima donna was sud
denly and dangerously i'll and the thea
ter would have to close Rice. to the
amazement of all, quietly informed the
company to report as usual for the
evening performance, and that he had
new prima donna, who would appear
for the first time that night.
When the company assembled at
1880 that night Mr.. Rice went to the
dressing room of a quartette of cho-
rus girls and asked to see Miss Hutch
inson. With little ado the almost over
whelmed girl was taken to the stage
and hurriedly rehearsed in the title
role with the other principals, and was
instructed to don the frocks and cos
tunes of the great prima donna
In few days the managers of all the
big operate productions had made Of
fers for her services, but Rice had Sc
cured a contract in one Of the entran-
ces behind the scenes during the first
act, by the terms of which the girl Of
nineteen was to receive $3.50 per week,
or an advance of $235 per week, in
half hour. Since this eventful night
Miss Katheryn Hutchinson has actual
ly drawn her salary to the Show
Girf' at every performance, but it is
doubtful if she will ever forget the
night of May Z, 1902, when she became
a prima donna by accident, nor is~it
likely that she will ever sing more
sweetly or act more exquisitely than
she did that night.