Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-18

company season. Diplomacy has ever
been recognized as hoodoo of the deepest
dye by the members of the theatrical pro-
tession, even since the first performance OF
the piece. To begin with, there are thirteen
characters in the piece. and since a sue
cession of tragedies has followed in its
wake the tiIniditJ- of some players is prob
ably eXcuSa Bile This '.hoodoo' has here
tofore had peculiar prediction for the
JuIians who have appeared in the piece. but
as Charles Wyngate has already played the
part without mourning disaster, he may
feel safe. The list of victims follows:
Pierre Talbot, the original Julian of them
ALL was stricken with apopleXy at the 500th
performance in Paris and expired in his
dressing room. VIM. G.. Lewis. an English
actor. while playing in Manchester, Eng
land, in 1877, slipped in trap while de-
lvering a speech in the second act and
broke his neck. Harry J. Montague, the
original Julian in this country. was taken
with hemorrhage of the lungs in the great
three-men scene during an engagement in
San Francisco in 1879, and died at the
Palace Hotel that night.
When Maurice Barrymore and Frederick
Narde had the piece on the road in 1886
they played in Marshall, Tex. During the
performance Hugh Curry. a typical Texan
became obStreperous and was elected from
the theater. While the company was on the
way to the depot after the performance the
man resumed operations, and drawing a
revolver shot and killed Hr4n Porter, the Or
loft of the production. and wounded Maurice
Barrymore in the arm.
Even the popular John T. Sullivan was
not spared from the ruthless hand of the
"hoodoo." During the run of his company
in Philadelphia in 1899, in a scene with
Dora in the third act Mr.. Sullivan fell and
dislocated his shoulder In a recent Froh-
man production of The piece in New York
William Morris also fell and sustained Sc
we're injuries during the action OF the play
The above is simply a resume at random
There were doubtless a number of others
about which there is no record.
MIR. WILKES STAGE CAREER.-Hu-
bert Wilkie, who is singing the baritone
role in The Jolly Musketeer,' first became
popular as member of the famous old Nc
Call Opera Comique Company, making hit
as long ago as 1883 in "Falka.'' by his sing
ing and acting of the bravo, BoeSias, while
still a mere boy. The Kiralfys afterward
starred him in 1.-The Rat Catcher; or, The
Pied Piper of Hamelin." written by the late
BARLEY Campbell. Later he rejoined the
McCaull company, singing in "Bellman"
and THE Begun the latter being the first
of the long Smith-De Koven series of light
operas He was with Francis Wilson when
that comedian first became star in The
Oolah,' and was in the long run of the
original production of THE Gondoliers,
singing Marco, the sentimental gondolier.
runs of Richard Stahrs Said Pasha" and
1.-The Sea King" For several years MIR.
Wilkie forsook the operate stage for the
dramatic, and acted two roles in When We
Were Twenty-one," that of 1.-The soldier
man." and later N. c. Goodwin's original
part of Dick Carewe. Earlier this season
he was in The Little Duchess with Anna
Held.
COMIC OPERA PREPARATIONS Two
of the most important essentials to the
success of a production of a comic opera
the chorus and the orchestra-have not been
underestimated or undervalued in the prep
arations for the season of song at Chase s
Theater, commencing next week. Under
Mr. W. H. kerngood the regular Chase or
chestra, though numbering eight pieces at
tanned a degree of unison and art emitting
it's part of the house program to be digni-
fed by the term recital" Their skillful
playing has not only been a source of pleas
ure to the audiences, but, equally as vital.
they have given the performers the most
effective and satisfactory support in their
accompaniment of the song specialities. The
Chase audiences have been quick to appre-
ciate and generous in the demonstrations
of their approval of the orchestras work.
Back of the stage, too the performers have
many times complimented Mr.. Kerngood
and manifested their regard in many I'M
usual ways. With such artistic nucleus
it was found comparatively easy to increase
its numbers to the size of fifteen to meet
the demands of the operate performances.
This will give full scope to all the parts OF
the original score and will bring out all
the beauty of the concerted numbers Herr
Adelphe LieSegang has been specially en-
gagged to conduct the augmented orchestra,
retaining. however the assistance of Mr..
Kerngood. Herr Liesegang is a noted con-
ductor and has the distinction of being the
first to present in English the celebrated
production of Die Miestersinger." In Cr-
der to achieve this Herr Liesegang went to
Europe and carefully studied the original
performance of that great musical work.
Later he was selected by Reginald DE
koven to be the director of the American
School of Opera, but obtained his relea Sc
from that position in order to return to his
present active musical direction.
The Chase chorus of show girls is UNI
usually large, and in it's formation the
greatest care was taken in order to secure
perfectly true. fresh voices, quick sight
readers, and. equally as necessary, young
and vivacious singers. Among the number
are half dozen ambitious Washington
girls anxious to emulate Pauline Chase and
the other show girls who have speedily
risen to prominence in recent productions
They were picked from fully two score APP
plicants.
THE LAFAYETTES NEW STAGE
MANAGER.-Mr. Fred Sullivan, who
has won great popularity as an inter
prefer of juvenile comedy roles in previ-
Gus seasons of stock company produc-
tons, returns to this city with increased
responsibilities He was at all times asso-
cfated with the work of stage management
and is now charged with the full RESPONSE
bilities of that important office. The