The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-08-26
PEEP AT GRAND.
Favorite Old Opera House Is
Rejuvenated.
An Immense Crowd Attends
First Performance.
APPEARANCE is GOOD.
Decorations, New Curtains and
Scenery Are Attractive.
'The Penitent' Opens at ssThe
Crawford" Theater.
APPEARANCE is GOOD.

Inc preliminary season OF the Grand
opera house was begun last night when
Stater's Madison Square theater COM
pany opened their weeks engagement
in William GilIett's war drama Held
by the Enemy"
To say that the house was crowded is
putting it mildly. 1t was packed as full
as sardine box. Every seat was sold.
The boxes were filed and people stood
in the aisles of every floor. The doors
were thrown open and the lobby was
jamnSd with those who could not
squeeze inside 1t was the largest
Grand since Salvini. the younger. played
Hamlet" 1t was the sort of audience.
in size, which greeted DeWoln Hopper
in "El Captain" when he referred to
the steep pitched aisles as "toboggan
Slides" Long before the time for the
doors to open. the sidewalk and street
were crowded with people waiting to
crowd inside.
which packed the house. The Slater
company is regarded as a good roper
toire organization, but besides that it
was the first performance in the Grand
since 1T has been renovated. The inter-
ior from dome to pit has been decorated.
The stage has been equipped with new
scenery. There is a brand new drop
curtain and an extra amount of cleo
trio lights. The decorations and re-
modelling have not been completed and
the last touch will not be given until the
day before THE Sultan of Sulu" for
mally opens the house on September %.
Although the transformation is not
complete still the change is SO great
from the barn-like interior which the
Grand formerly possessed, that the
audience was well pleased. Here and
there a bit Of drapery will be hung, an
other coat of the ivory finish will be
given the woodwork and some new car
pets may be laid but the walls are
tastefully tinted, the fronts of the boxes
nI.<a1 3,rek
effect a glitter, the proscenium arch is a
blaze Of light and flowers and the cur
tain is something of a decidedly new
style. 1t is void of the yards and yards
OF painted red draperies which are sup
posed to hang at the sides of drop cur
tainS.
The impression given by the curtain
is of large picture in a massive frame.
1t isn't the picture of a crap game nor
horse race, either, but of pleasant
rural scene of some idealistic locality
which could only be found on canvas.
The old scenery, which did service at
The new scenery is Of improved pat
terms and styles. The street scenes are
painted to suit the prohibition state. No
saloons are shown but prominently in
the foreground is a soda water empor-
ium and hot and cold bath house.
Another feature, which shows the i'm
provement which has taken place at the
Grand. was the piano. 1t was so nearly
III tune IQdC none OUT an expert cOulQ
find fault with it. And besides being
in tune none of the strings were miss
ing. And still another feature was the
programme, large two sheet blanket
affair with a picture of Dorothy Man
ners'' on the front and no warning that
people must not expectorate on the floor.
1t used to be that programmes were a
| luxury
But to get back to the performance.
| The Slater company was good, very
| good, indeed. in it's class. To be sure
| there were a few small details in the
| way of dress which were at fault such
as an officer wearing infantry trousers
| and cavalry blouse. a colonel with lieu
| tenants shoulder straps and a sergeant
who did not understand how to salute,
| but such faults are to be noticed only
! by the sticller for details. The COM
| pany certainly gave very creditable
| production of Held by the Enemy
| The costumes were fresh and the gen.
eral effect was quite military. Viola
| Kibbe, the leading woman, possesses an
excellent stage appearance and she
handled the emotional lines of the part
! of Rachael McCreery" very well. c. D.
| Cubine as Lieutenant Gordon" and ].
w. Bayley as Colonel Prescott" were
| well received by the audience.
( And the Slater company introduced
| vaudeville features between the acts in
metropolitan style. If the announcing
] of the turns by a card on an easel al
| the end of the stage adds frills to the
deville'' with the eastern twist. The
| vaudeville features were good and Mas
ter Gordon Slater. advertised as the
phenomenal boy soprano, scored the hi
| of the evening. He had to sing foul
| songs. He went clear through his rep
| ertoire from Little Boy Blue" to 81
Got Mine" Master Gordon is not very
| large nor very old. He stands less thar
| three feet in his stocking feet and ha:
| long, golden curls that would make
| Buckskin Bill ashamed of himself Mas
ter Gordon trudged to the center of the
| stage, made his bow and commenced tt
| sing The fact that only the footlights
| were between him and the audience die
not scare him one bit and he wade6
| right in and sang without a waver. A.
| he sang he gazed at the gallery, in
| spected the balcony from one end to tht
other and peered into the darkest cor
ners of the first floor just like a chile
with a glass of water. drinking it, an6
| looking over the rim of the glass a
| those around him. Master Gordon wa.
| SO naively unconscious of the people IL
| front of him that he scored the triumph
of the evening. He was called bacl
three times. The other vaudeville aet.
| were awarded their share of applause
Tonight the Etater company will pla,
| T2xy %