The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-28
FLOCK TO ROOF GARDENS
MOST POPULAR FORM OF SUMNER
ENTERTAINMENT IN NEW YORK.
They Are Cool and the Music In Good
-Tk.atricaI Gossip OF the Me-
tropolis.

NEW 1Ohhs June ZD.-Ine only real nov
city of the week in New York amusements
was the opening OF the Crystal Gardens
Monday night with a travesty on Belasco's
Darling Of the Gods and a wonderfully
good vaudeville bill. The Crystal Gardens
extend across the roof OF the New York
Theater. and. like Hammerstein's Paradise
Garden. are encased with glass, so that in
clement weather need not interfere with
the entertainments. The metropolis has
been having weather that can only be COM
pared 10 CALIFORNIA; rainy season, but. de-
spite all climatic caprices, the great audi
ence that assembled on the roof of the big
uptown building last night was very sum-
mery-loolking crowd. The women were in
laces and lawns and the men in light suits
and straws and everybody seemed bent
upon making a real June evening out Of
night that contained precious little OF the
good old summer time in its makeup.
The new musical travesty. called by Geo.
". Hobart. its author, 1.-THE Darling Of the
Gallery Gods is a tumble Of Broadway
slang. buriesque of rather boisterous sort,
frivolous musical numbers and hilarious
chorus girls-a typical New York summer
show and amusing from the viewpoint of
the blase folks who make I'D the greater
portion OF the roof garden audiences. The
piece follows pretty closely the Japanese
drama which 1t purports to satirize and oc-
casionally II contains some clever bits Of
nonsense. The music, according to the pro-
gramme, Is by Ben Jerome, the writer of
popular songs. who was evidently aided
considerably in writing the score by John
Philip Sousa, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Richard
Wagner and others who never heard Of the
show. Emma Carus, the little girl with the
big voice. who In times agone used to visit
the Empire In Indianapolis with Night
Owls and Vanity Fairs and Bon Tons and
Crackerjacks and other queer things, plays
the principal part I'm the new production
and makes the hit. of the performance with
her baritone" volcalisms.. She was made
for roof garden-was Miss Carus-for her
voice not only fills every nook and corner
of the colossal amusement place. but jour-
neys out into the night and stirs up things
for miles around. Trixe Friganza at
tempts to burlesque Blanche Bates. but she
is not entirely in her element and succeeds
only In a small measure in creating laugh
ter But the audience was more than will
ing to be pleased at anything last night,
and THE Darling of the Gallery Gods
II
to a pretty fair success.
BY far the best feature of the entertain
ment at the Crystal Gardens. however, is
the new spectacular vaudeville act pre-
pared by Ned wayburn and called 1.-The
Minstrel Girls" 1t is genuine novelty and
promises to become the talk of the town in
amusement circles. When the curtain rises
on the act long table is seen In the rear
OF the stage Uttered with ''kinky-haired''
wigs. broken combs and makeup boxes
The band strikes up a lively march and
then comes a minstrel procession that
would make the genial Al G. Field turn
green with envy. The procession is COM
posed OF eighteen pretty girls in the gor-
geous, faring costumes OF the old-time min
strel troupes. They march for a time to
the swinging music and then. lining UP
behind the long table, proceed to make up
for the first part in full view of the audi
ence. Identities are lost; blondes, bru-
nettes and red-headed girls become a con-
fusing mass OF kinky hair and burnt cork
until finally-the whole act is timed to per-
fection-they complete their makeup work
in unison and stand forth along the edge
OF the footlights-eighteen little coon girls
all In row. The audience was taken COM
pletely by surprise last night and to say
that the Minstrel maidens scored a hit is to
put IL very mildly indeed. The girls proceed
to give an old-fashioned first part" as a
conclusion to their act and this is well done
too, but it's the makeup feature that takes
the audience by storm and that will cause
the unique little entertainment to be con-
sidered one of the best things In New York
this summer.
The other summer gardens in Manhattan
are all drawing great crowds nightly
Bandmaster Dusss Venice in New York.
continues to entertain large audiences in the
Madison Square Garden. the vastness and
airiness of the place seeming to appeal to
the public. The beauties OF the garden
in its mimic representation OF the Queen
City Of the Adriatic are greatly admired by
all visitors. while the nightly concerts by
the Metropolitan Opera House Orchestra,
under the direction OF Duss, are interest
ing to all people. the programmes being
arranged so as to contain an equal amount
OF the classic and the popular" Wednes-
day evening was Wagner night and an
exact imitation OF the house in which the
great German composer died in Venice was
erected and brilliantly illuminated in one
corner Of the garden while all of the mu-
steal programme was made UP Of wagner's
works. Last Monday evening Duss became
sarcastically merry and gave away minia-
ture rubber boots to the men in the audience
and miniature maciintoshes to the women
In honor of the prolonged rainy weather
In New York. The constant rainfall dur
ing the last three weeks has doubtless kept
down the attendance at the garden to some
extent. but even at that there are large
crowds present every night.
Mary Howe, once well known and well
liked in Indianapolis in the old May Fes-
tival days. was the soloist last week, and
her voice. though perhaps not so glorious
as II was eight years ago, was heard to fine
advantage. carrying perfectly TO every part
of the great garden and filing the 'vene-
tian air. with bird-like melody.
Hoosier Zouaves. whose splendid drill and
great success were written about in this
column last Sunday. continue to arouse
tremendous enthusiasm every evening.
Captain Fox and his little company of In
dianapolis boys are making a record in
New York OF which they may well feel
proud. There Is no doubt now that they
will remain the leading feature of the
vaudeville bill at Hammerstein's until Sep
TENDER. The bill changes from week to
week and new acts come and CO. but the
band OF hustling HOLSTERS remains at the