Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1900-1903, 1902-11-13
KISSED OFF STAGE
Two Actors Who We're Doing a
Turn at the jacques.
JACQUES AND SPLAIN TALK.

They Have Cut Out the Offensive Act
Did Not Realize That 1t Was So
Much of a Caricature Until Forcibly
Reminded Of 1t by Number of Peo-
pie in the Audience Who Drove the
Actors Behind the Curtain
James Sullivan and Harry Keeler,
two alleged Irishmen who are said to
exc out an existence by ridiculing their
race in vaudeville entertainments, met
with an unexpected rebuff at jacques
opera house last night, when large
numbers of people Kissed Sullivan and
kept it up until he was obliged to re-
tire. He was represented to be as
good an Irishman as anybody, but 1t
was evident from the mutterings OF
contempt heard uttered against his
conduct. the past few days that none
of the men Of his blood In Waterbury
could recognize any resemblance to
their countrymen in his language or
the creations he put forward. When
the comedian and his partner stepped
before the footlights last night, evil
IDENTIFY intending to convulse the audi
ence, they We're greeted with a storm
of Kisses and condemnatory remarks
which soon made them sensible that
| something was ollt Of gear. AS soon
4 as Manager Splain learned the cause
! OF the outbreak he ordered the stage
| manager to ring down the curtain.
which was quickly done Keeler tried
| to explain that no offense was intend-
ed towards the Irish. but he received
no attention whatever. OF course.
whenever such demonstrations occur
parties rise up in defense of the stage
buffoon, and this was no exception.
M. J. Cheney. the North Main street
marketman. and others wanted the
/ tokers trOtted out and the "monkey-
faced Irishman" given a show, but the
management didn't look at things from
their standpoint and Sullivan and
1 Keeler were relegated to the rear for
| the evening.
The act itself. viewed from the
standpoint of an Irishman who enjoys
humor properly portrayed on the stage
or elsewhere. but draws the line at
i things that traduce his race, might
fairly be considered objectionable. 1t
1 is an exaggerated type of the Irishman
and people possessed of strong race
i feeling. something most men, and wo-
men, too. who are good for anything
lthave share Of. would naturally rise
up in rebellion against it. The move
ment is not new. 1t had it's origin
more than half century ago, but it is
4 doubtful If it will ever amount to much
until the Irish people learn to give such
/ performances a wide berth
J. J. Splain, Mr. Polls representative
in Waterbury. was interviewed on the
!, matter tn-Gav and said "Nfr PolFs
/ booking agent booked the act in New
j York in the regular course of his week
! " bookings. The act has been a recog-
nized standard one in vaudeville, hay-
i ing been presented time and again in
i Keith's, Proctors. Pastors. the Or
| pheum and all other houses in the
j vaudeville circuits Mr. Sullivan has.
in fact. been playing the character for
sixteen years, and has played it In
both the Waterbury theaters with vis-
iting companies in exactly the same
way without any protest having ever
been registered. Naturally therefore.
he was as much surprised as the man
agement to learn that the character as
/ portrayed by him was offensive The
young man himself felt so badly over
1 the disclosure that his countrymen in
i Waterbury considered him as one who
1 was willing to degrade the Irish char
atcer that he has decided to discon-
! tinue entirely further use of the char
acter in his speciality. At any rate T
have ordered an entire discontinuance
of the act in it's present form. Mr.
! Poll has been in the amusement CATER
ing business for eighteen years and has
never knowingly permitted anything
on a stage controlled bv him that was
offensive to his audience or to any race
of people. He is in the business to
i provide amusement not to give offcnsc-
and is always ready to remove from
his programs anything that may be
considered hostile to any class of peo-
pie"
Mr. SpIain also stated that Sullivan
and Keeler would be permitted to fin-
ish their contract brit with an entirely
new act and one in which the Irish
i character would be entirely eliminated.
Jean Jacques regrets the incident,
but admits that those who took excep-
/ tion to the caricature did SO in vel.y
i gentlemanly manner. He told repre-
sentative Of the Democrat that there
We're no hootings or cat calls and that
when the management requested dis
satisfied parties to leave they went out
| without making any disturbance. but
returned later and saw the perform
ance through He said he had dis
cussed the subject with many OF them
and that he had no particular objection
to offer against what thew had given as
the motive underlying the hostile DEM
onstration. Jean. though. is an old
hand at the business and is no wav
sensitive abort such things, brf he
thought the character that riled so
manv people in the audience a trihc
hard on the Irish IT is understood
that a strong delegation went there 70
enter an emphatic protest against Sui
livan's act and then withdrew If re-
nresteH to do SO without doing any
thing tbat the management could find
fault with.