Evening star., 1902-02-22

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lie Our theater-iovng ancestors had the
same weakness ss-or shall We call 1t good
judgment? John E. Owens 'Soon Shngle.'
the elder sothern's Dundreary,' Bouci-
cault's .Shaughraun.' and many others that
just now slip me bring a smile of memory
when the trumphs of the tragic muse are
forgotten. OF the contemporary stage look
at jose ph Jefferson's Rip Then. too
Richard Mansfield won his spurs in the
dialect part of the French roue Baron
Chevrial'-and he fascinates now as Beau
cairs And David Warfelds 'Auctioneer
wen. they have all made their dialects
, classic as l try to make my nasal twang
or the New England farmer
Next week will see the passing of the
Bijou Theater. for with the matinee per-
formance a week from next Monday the
playhouse that has SO long been known to
Washinstonians as the Bijou will in the
future be termed the Empire. There will
be something of change in the policy of
the theater when the change in name goes
| into effect. for smoking during the progress
| Of the performances will be done away
| with.
Manager Wegefarth is making this
| change in the hope of attracting women
and children to the performances given by
| some of the best vaudeville talent obtain
/ able. in conjunction with his local stock
| burlesque company. He believes the wo-
H3eH I0ik OF washington Will appreciate
| the chance to witness such performances
| as are given at the Bijou but he thorough
| ly realizes that it is simply impossible to
| get them to patronize his offerings so long
| as the male portion of the audience Is per-
mitted to smoke. So the edfct has gone
! forth that hereafter the men will have to
| do their smoking in the lobby of the thea
ater during the intermissions.
The Empire will enter upon its career of
gayety most auspic:ously. The extraction
will be one of the very best-the great La
| fayette Show, headed by The Great Lafay-
cite himself, and including a number Of
vaudeville acts of the highest repute. Then,
| too the stock burlesque company at the
| Empire will appear in all the spendor of
| new raiment and there will be several new
/ faces noted among the members of the or
ganization.
| 1t is Manager Wegefarth's intention TO
| ofter the best of attractions and to this
end he has booked such sterling organiza-
, tions as Sandow. the celebrated strong man
| end his vaudeville company, the Hopkins
! iTans-oceanlcS. vaudeville combination
| that includes some acts of the highest grade.
| ana A Trip to Buffalo, of the most
successful musical comedies of the day.
| With such really excellent offerings it is
| expected that the Empire will be filled at
every performance. Already all the boxes
and fully one-half of the orchestra part of
! the the ater has been sold for the opening
night. week from next Monday, and there
Is every indication that the house will be
hiled to overffowing
The patrons of the Bijou will hardly rpc-
ognize the rejuvenated house under the
name Of the Empire. The plans contem-
Plate retiring rooms for the women with
maids In attendance to look after their
comforts, the theater will be entirely re-
carpeted and repainted before the opening on
March ;; there will be system of free
eaeehihs s OF wraps and bicycles: a hand
some canopy will add attracttveness and
comfort to the front entrance; the occu-
pants of what has heretofore been known
as the gallery will appreciate the new
1 hnt mil to1-@
| benches and in a dozen or more ways the
people who go to the Empire will find that
Mr. Wegefarth has done everything imap-
inaeie ma Tor the comfort and convenience of
MS patrons. Seats for the opening week
Will go on sale next Monday morning at
the theater box office
When the successful musical comedy "a
Trip to Buffalo, comes to the Empira inow
known to Washingtonians as the Biiou1 in
| a few weeks its orchestra will be led by
William Lorraine, who wrote the musical
numbers for the piece, some thrty-five in
Mr.. Lorraine is best known in the musical
| world for his popular intermezzos, Salome
| and Ramona. which are played by almost
sSery orchessra in the country Edna May
| IS singing Ramona in kitty Grey I'm Lon
| don. and 1t IS also being sung in king
| Dodo' in this country. Ramona is made a
feature nu s. Of in "a Trip to Buffalo"
manager of the local Bijou Theater, is the
| manager
| x I. x
When Ian Maclaren was on his second
visit to this country two years ago he made
a flying trip from the west to witness a
| performance of "The Bonnie Brer Bush"
| at the Providence Opera House. He was
accompanied by Mr.. James Macarthur and
| several Boston friends. Mrs. Watson was
also present. The party was delighted with
the performance and at the end Of the sec
l onI Watson aSkad ia t,o tal
to Mr.. Stoddart. He met the veteran actor
in his dressing room and spoke enthusi-
I astically Of his impersonation OF Lachlan
| Campbell. why, it's Campbell to the life,"
/ said he. Il could almost believe was back
in Drumtochty. How do you do it? Upon
| Tearing that Mr.. Stoddart was Scot also
| he quickly responded. "Ah! that's 1T; none
but Scot could interpret Campbell as you
do. It's in the blood"
Jennie Yeamans, who will be at Chase's
| this week, is the youngest and favorite
| daughter of Annie Yeamans, long with
Harrigan and Hart, but later of Broad
hurst farce fame. The other and elder
| daughter Is Lydia Yeamans-Titus. When
the cherubic-faced Lydia married her piano
player, Fred Titus, Mrs. Yeamans all but
| renounced the rights Of motherhood. She
| had bright plans for the future Of Lydia,
| whose talent was SO original and unconven-
| tional as to promise a series of successes
| leading to dizzy dramatic heights, whence
| Mamma Yeamans hoped to espy mar
| riageable prize worthy of her glowing
| daughter. Neither she nor Jennie dreamed
| that the modest Titus, engaged to accom-
| pany Lydias vocal effort, aspired to win
| her. Their modification when Lydia with
! characteristic Yeamans spirit, announced
| the true love- match between herself and
| Titus was shown with realism. But Lydia
was not to be swerved, and the two finally
! welded despite family opposition, and
| Lydia settled down in few years to en-
| bonpoint and vaudeville.
Some people have wondered why Miss
Barrymore, the new and successful star of
| the stage, was named Ethel instead of after
her brilliant mother or her distinguished
grandmother. 1t was on account of whim
Of her father. He had a fancy for the
| character of Ethel in Thackeray's novel,
THE Newcomes,'' and when the question
| Of naming the baby came up he insisted
| that she should be Ethel. Miss Barrymore
was born in Philadelphia in 1880 and soon
after the family moved to London. When
| Ethel was seven years of age she returned
| to this country and studied with the sisters
| at the Convent OF Notre Dame, PhiIadel-
| phia, until she was fifteen, when she went
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