Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-17

This city paid slight penalty This week
for the privilege of being a favorite first
night center among theatrical producers. in
that "The Toreador." which. while new as
the age of theatrical production Is esti-
mated was not seen here as the novelty
that 1t was In Philadelphia, Baltimore and
other of the larger cities. THE Toreador'
opened it's American career here in the mid
die of last season, so that the present winter
IS practically the first of It's tour on the road
1t has met with flattering patronage and
holds its own rather better than the aver
age entertainment does, in spite of the fact
that familiarity has necessarily more or
less dulled the vim of the original presen-
tation.
At the Columbia Theater there has been
a sprinkle of hay seed. in a furry of snow,
and large audiences throughout the week.
The bucolic drama has been making itself
very much at home at the Columbia of late,
and the audiences have given it such a well
come as to fully justify its evident famil-
iarity Manager Luckett may yet be
tempted to wear his trousers tucked in his
boots, and Treasurer Stein to fringe his
whiskers from ear to ear, In order to main
tain the purely rural atmosphere which has
settled over the place, and which the mag
nificent fippancies of The Chinese Honey
moon" or the airy persifiage of Are You a
Mason?" can suffice to wholly dispel way
Down East is a good reliable specimen
made according to reliable recipe for rural
melodrama, and competent to guarantee
satisfaction at the box office.
X
At the Lafayette Square Theater Ward
and Vokes conducted a series of NONSENSE
cal revelries such as are characteristic of
them and secured the approval of audiences
so large as to leave no doubt Of the attrac-
TONS popularity. THE Head Walters" Is
the second big musical attraction which has
managed to get in under the Stair banner.
and the result has been a series of bargain
nights which discerning amusement seekers
were not slow In taking advantage of.
Chase's Theater had a good week with his
anniversary bill. James Glenroy appar-
emily has a deep aversion to novelty,
and his act is a little married by the ability
of a large number of his hearers to repeat
his monologue, word for word, without
prompting from him. The moving pictures
show wholesome disposition to get away
from the pantomimic absurdities, for which
the time-worn excuse, 1T pleases the chill
dren." has been offered, and returning to
the travel pictures. Altogether. it was a
highly successful anniversary week, and en-
titles the management to congratulations.
Francis Wilson drew away from chess
board. on which the men were set for a
problem, to give the glad greeting which
the discreet actor always has in readiness
for the amiably disposed interviewer.
THESE knights moves are worse than
some of the cratic jumps we are compelled
to make in our tours" he remarked, rue
fully.
But they are better than plodding along
at one-night stands with the pawns," re-
marked the interviewer, anxious to show, If
possible, that he could be something of a
comedian himself If Nixon and thinner
man would only give him chance. Mr.
Wilson, being polite man, said. "Ha, hal"
several times in succession.
MIR. Wilson still plays golf. but has taken
10 chess as winter amusement.
A slight change was to be noticed in Mr.
Wilson's makeup. When the piece was
first produced he wore enormous Haunting
ears. which gave the diminutive tiger" an
inhuman appearance such as to destroy all
possibilities of legitimate fun. Mr. Wilson
does occasionally indulge in little bit of
legitimate fun in a sly, unobtrusive man
ner. such as is not likely to affect his mer-
camille value as musical comedy per-
former. The ears were adversely criticised.
but as the piece pleased the audiences and
the part got liberal number of laughs Mr..
wilson did not venture to take them off al
though their adjustment required much
care, and considerable physical annoyance
was involved In keeping them in place 1t
Is only about a week ago that the ears
were discarded. and their abandonment was
entirely due to an accident. Mr. Wilson
deferred putting them on until the last mo-
ment, because of their discomfort, and
when his cue came rushed comparatively
earless to his accustomed place in the CEN
ter OF the stage. He found that the mart
went equally well without the grotesoue
ears as with them, and resolved then and
there to give them up. That their loss was
not felt here was attested by the hilarious
approval which the comedian has come-to
expect as his invariable due In the capitaI
city.
When asked for some informat,op as %
his plans for the future Mr.. Wilson de-
clared that they were as vet indefinite the
success of 1.-THE Toreador" being 50 nro-
nounced as to make immediate search for q
new vehicle needless. LAS to my ultimate
plans he said, with an earnestness which
wholly belied the quaintness of his stage
attire i am almost afraid to take YOU or
the public into my confidence, and yet my
ambitions are not unreasonable, or. in the
Aght or other events, extraordinary l have
watched comedians who abandon their
dancing and their ditties, and progress,
season by season, into substantial and more
or less literary forms of entertainment. 1
Will confess that 1t is my desire eventually
TO 90 the same. / am at a loss to under
stand why persistent vocalization should
De demanded of a man who takes so little
pride inshis melodious powers as 1 do. If
l We're a De Reszke or a Campanali 1
could understand why my voice should be
regarded as Indispensable In my art but
my dearest friends and my most abject
natterers have never gone so far as to as
sure me that / am one of natures song
birds Ny singing is only an incident Of
my work, but should like, in the course Of
time, to develop a clientele who Will accent
me In more substantial. although perhaps
no less humorous, lines OF work than those
into which / have drifted as a musical
comedian. I have no desire to give UP the
work of making people laugh. consider
that service to society both honorable and
praiseworthy. 1t Is a service which many