The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-29
WITH MALES As
PR|hA DONNAS
Managing a Comic Opera for
Columbia Men.
TROUBLES ARE GALORE
Opera Written by Some of the
Men.
TROUBLES ARE GALORE
Where's the queen?"

."An right, where are the girls? Come.
girls" In reply twenty-five young men,
heavy footed and none too graceful OF
limb. come trooping forward A piano
bangs and the girls" pirouette about the
stage and a swelling chorus from TWEEN
ty-five sturdy masculine Threats echoes
forth through the shadowy emptiness OF
the proscenium.
If the uninitiated should happen in on
this scene he would be likely 10 imag CINE
it nothing less than the antics OF pa
TENTS from oomingdale-harmless TO be
sure-and he would perhaps mourn over
the fact that behind such intelligent faces
should lie brains foolish enough to prompt
such absurd performances. All this scene
however. is merely an incident character
istic of the rehearsaIs of the Columbia
boys for their annual varsity show in
comic opera.
For the past eight weeks four times a
week a faithful band OF Columbia un-
dergraduates have been practicing assid-
uously in order that their alma mater
might be worthily represented in the field
of musical comedy. where they stand in
the glare of the footlights before an
admiring audience of dear mammals. and
proud papas. and interested young maid
ems. scoffing fellow students. and-alas,-
rude critics from the outside world. The
story of the organization of the Column
bia varsity show and of what It repre-
sents to the students and the public, is
a tale not without interest. because few
Of
what it Is or what a vast amount of
labor it represents.
The varsity show. as the students call
il. or the musical comedy. as profession
ais term similar productions. has long
been a feature OF Columbia life The
presentation of the present show marks
almost the fifteenth year of the produc-
ton of similar affairs by the Columbia
undergraduates. The opera is usually the
original work OF Columbia men. The
play this year is no exception: it is known
as The Mischief Maker
The book was written by Edgar Allan
Woolf. who is member Of the Murra-
Hill Stock COMPANY; the lyrics by Ar
thur G. Hays and the music by Clarence
J. Penney. All three are graduates from
Columbia of two years standing.
The scene of the play is laid in tn,
planet Venus. whose inhabitants have
never seen a man. In the usual comic
opera style. inexplicabIe by logic or sci
ence, twenty-five young men are tran
ported from the earth TO Venus The
men and maidens fail desperately in love
with one another: the mischief maker
appears lives up to his title and fur
nishes trouble for the rest of the play.
The present Columbia show was written
two years ago. before an English comic
opera similar in theme was ever heard
Of in this country. The authors Of the
Columbia show bided their time until last
December. when they prevailed on the
play committee Of Kings Crown the Co
lumbia society which IS presenting the
show. 10 accept their offering.
When this was done. the next step was
to find a manager. 4 pleasant hammered
young man was chosen. who. much to his
own chagrin. still holds the Office. The
manager of the varsity show has the
hardest job in college. The present in
OF the position says so and he
ought to know.
The manager first took up his job with
a pleasant smile. which in twenty-four
hours quickly turned into a troubled
frown. He still has the same expression.
and does not expect TO recover his normal
frame Of mind until next Saturday night
when the show Is over. The manager
has eighty men. all amateurs under hts
charge. to say nothing Of the fifteen or
twenty professional firms with which he
has to deal. The professionals ne does
not mind-with them II is business-but
the amateurs have 70 be handled with
all the diplomacy and tact commonly
considered essential Only for the manage
ment Of arbitrary prime donne with hot
house voices
The manager had. first OF alt 20 ar
range for the theatre in which 10 pre-
sent the show Conflicts Of dates here
proved troublesome. but finally Carnegie
Lyceum was satisfactorily obtained Then
1 coach. Albert o. jenkins. Of the Amer
can Academy of Dramatic Arts. was
procured When there details had been
the manager vas notified
~ the Columbia faculty that IN view Of
he fact that the show had failed 70 pay
expenses last year. he mus; raise fund
u 1870 to cover any possible deficit in this
-ear's expenses. He raised So. ,tust
% show il was possible" he explained
With q wesTy smile as he ms6itativeiy
itr0ked his brow. Then he was told he
must pay OF 81 OF previous debts. Tbs
made him profane. but he did g.
ore January evening came the trizIs 70 /
select the men for the cast n the show
Sixty men appeared to try FOR the eleven i
Fl the opera. Forty-ninc ot 4
hem went hcnne n the arn belief that
avoritisrn vas the only method u OBJ 4
aiming a psx After This came ne trials 4
or the chorus Up and down the scaI~s I
Re ran Do re. nj "a. sol. the coach .
making notes % their vocal powers
All Of tire men with good voices Esre
hoser. some VIII fair voices and Sons 4
NTH 10 vofce~ Al al. These lsst were T.
hosen on tie ground that their position f
z college would give a certain prestige .
. The 'vsrsfty Show. Nen who hs1 4
.e.ths- voices nor positions ass not thfr.k .
Rat TIE chorus zas chosen on fhs ground .
2 ability Or anything else sgs TIE arb 4
rary dicta CO the manager and coach 4
on bfusd
g the occasion sor rshsarssss TIE +
had 90 hustle sroG,t % Err i
piano zccolnpsrist whose terms wee
essausbie. for = they -ere sHt9rtioasts
49, his head Io0-uet The shrrat - ts
sovi;y - sxpel TIE HaszaEsT - ~ *
ee3ess the carefully prepared bgcxe..
hosS forced eoooony bad b~~n sSpTovet .
> tse faruifv.
Thea cane TIE evsninx q r~h>zrssi
szlf CO TIE choTzs II fc-fT zyr~Ar~s
he abssu;ees. iorstszfsiiy. has sosf %