The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-01-10
THE PLAYER FOLK.

/ DeKOven. During the present engagement
OF the Barnabee-Mac Donald organiza-
tion, Mr.. Studley has Leen enabled to rest
on two occasions-Monday and last
nights, when the comnnser Of Maid
Marian" occupied the directors chair
The average theatregoer. intent upon
/ enjoyment when in the playhouse. rarely
| gives a thought to the responsibility OF
/ the musical director Of an opera or
] musical comedy. He is usually regard
I ed muCn in the light OF an sutomatOn.
firmly exed in the foreground by the eye.
and his gestures are but a necessary evil
% be endured when they obscure dainty
pair Of ankles to the visual senses But
as q matter of cold fact, Mr. Conductor
Is a most important person, and woe TO
/ the manager who entrusts his musical
( wares to a careless leader
| For seventeen years now Mr. Studley
has presided over the destines of the
BOstOnians' musical dictatorship and dur
ing this entire period he has never been
absent from a rehearsal or failed to be
IN his chair except on such occasions
as in this city this week, when he has
deserted his post in favor of some com
poser.
Under his instructive reading. and guild
ed by his baton. have appeared in sue
cesslOn must o. tiFv noted lyric stars of
recent years, for some time or other al
most every faVoTite of the lyric stage has
sung with the Bostonians-Stone, Phil
lips, DeLussan, Ulmer. Huntington. Whit
/ ney. Davis D'ArvilIe Cowles. Nielsen
Bertram-alI these favOrites have earned
| their triumphs assisted by Mr.. Studley.
Miss" with Nellie McHenry in the
tile role. is proving a most profitable at
traction at the Academy, for not only is
! no 10 Of old
Of which the public never seems to tire
but Miss McHenry is now one Of the few
actresses on the stage of class which
some years ago could all the drawer in
the box ofice while Shakespearean play
ers begged for patronage.
! Nellie McHenry reminds one greatly OF
/ Maggie Mitchell Her style is not Of the
! up-to-date soubrette order and although
the character Of the little Western hOyden
might easily be made a rough. unCOuth
/ study. il is not so in Miss McHenry's
hands The play was formerly presented
by the late Annie PiXley. and after her
death her husband gave II to Miss Nc
Henry The latter had experienced a
great deal Of misfortune, which culmi-
, mated in the mysterious death Of her hus-
| band, who was swept over the falls Of
Niagara, and which for a time was not
! credited. Miss MCHenry expended large
Z / sums OF money in the effort 70 ind her
Z | husband. believing that he had disappear
| ed in a NJ OF temporary insanity. but she
. / has since received direct proofs that 10
= | was really he who was drowned. Know
Z I ing the condition Of her affairs her
Z friends came TO her relief. sending her
out in Miss" which has proved even a
greater success than when originally pro
duced.
Miss McHenry enjoys a unique distinc-
S I tion in her profession, being considered
[ the best begEar IN the business. This
r. statement admits OF a little explanation,
! however. During her engagement last
year IN Canton, Ohio. she agreed TO do
z something for charity and il was sug-
gested by prominent citizens that she sing
in the streets Nothing daunted. Miss
Z McHenry complied and the announcement
2 was made through the papers that she
D would sing the following day from the
Soldiers and Sailors Monument. An i'm
mense crowd gathered and after singing
a several songs Miss McHenry took up a
70 collection. receiving SO from Senator
Hanna and s. from the mayor Of the city.
half hour after that she sang in the
r. Board OF Trade building; the markets
,, were stopped and in less than thirty min
utes the actress had collected 500 from
the assembled brokers'
n
70 Mr. Frank smith for a number of years
e connected with the box Office of the Ma
tiOnal Theatre. has been engaged by Man
ager Berger TO take charge OF that branch
- Of the business management at the La
fayette Square. Mr.. Smith entered upon
!. the duties Of his new position this week.
Klaw & Changers Ben Hur." a
r. dramatization OF Cen. Lew Wallace
T great novel by William Young and a
?. spectacle Of unexampled splendor. will
i b.
S National Monday evening. February 10.
2 In the twenty-eight months OF its s age
% existence Ben Hur' has been played In
but seven cities-NeW York. Philadelphia
Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, St. Louis, and
7 I Pittsb rig.
4 In AL there are 40 ,000 square seet o.
n canvas used in the scenery Of Ben Hur,
The chariot race cyclOrama alone HIS 3, 90
> square feet and there IS more scenery IL
" the representation Of the Grove Of Daphne
than there was in Augustin Days famous
- production Of Midsummer Nights Dream
entire The weight Of the electrical ap.
- / paratus moving cyclOrama, treadmills, auC
D, horses in the chariot race is over forty
IS tons. The cost OF the production wa
500 900. Of which sum So 900 was spent OF
the chariot race and s. 600 In Clectrica
i experiments leading IN to the issuance o.
s. the patents upon the tableau representing
n the Star OF Bethlehem, which forms ia,
Edgar Stillman Kelley. remembered bl
all lovers Of the best in music. as tn,
composer Of the Macbeth" score. has ais,
furnished the score Of Ben Hur." Hii
e music is one Of the most delightful pOr
T. tons Of the performance.
D.
= Reginald DeKOven. the Washington
~ composer, believes that comic opera {.
- looking up. notwithstanding the state
= ments Of the musical comedy promoters
= that this form of stage entertaiumeUt {,
q as dead as the prOVerbial door nail Says
Mr. DeKOven-
Il am of the opinion that very sOOI
there viii be a renewal Of public interes
in the more legitimate form Of ligh
l. musical piece. Think OF the popularity
" which legitimate light operas. like -Tht
Il Grand Duchess The Merry War TIL
b. Student GYPSY Baron and others Of tn
nc same class enjoyed in this country a few
re- years ago. And in this country Of con
stantly advancing culture. Will we admi
We have TetrOgraled rather than ad
VauCed
The great dif3 uIty lies I'm securing
proper Interpretation nowadays. This D.
the one great difficulty experienced b.
y the composer Of light opera Of today.
y am free to say that at the present june
2" ture ! hardly should have dared to writ
so light a piece as Maid Marian for an.
company In the country except the BOs
tonians. But their clientele expect from
this old organization certain class O