The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1903-12-19
ny Jimmy cullins.

An amateur production of 1.-THE MI
kado" was given at the Auditorium
last night. To the high class audience
it was a brilliant success-everything
went along as smoothly as if done by
professionals instead of amateurs. DR..
r. A. Heritage, musical director, de-
serves credit for a successful rendi-
ton.
1 escaped behind the scenes, and,
although the comic operate the au-
dience-went along as serenely as
ones first love- making, to me, dodg-
ing scenery, the play presented diff
ferent view. Between doing few
choice acrobatic feats I noted several
things which the audience was not
favored with. Those cute little Jap
anese maidens, their quaint little
skirts. and goo-goo eyes. Well. I
blue and hazel. 1t was up to me to
stay close to my post-or fall in love
with some of those charming little
Japanese maids. They were all so
pretty. you know, and then was all
alone-and so many of them.
All this time the Mikado looked as
serious as that old and much used
expression of the 30-cent piece with
a dime spent out Of it, Perhaps he
thought no reporter should be allowed
within the sacred precincts without
first passi+-< inspection before his
court.
OF course you know. although ap-
pearing perfectly at ease when before
the audience, some of these Mikado
people were awfully fiustered. Not
with stage fright, oh no! Just simply
a little nervous-like a groom at a
wedding. OF course the bride Is
never, never nervous-at least that is
never either the one nor the other
so therefore can not speak with any
degree of intelligence on the subject.
But to return to the production.
Before the curtain was rung up
there was a degree of almost every
sentiment under the sun-too much
rouge to show bushes. of course. I
wouldn't go through the mental strain
that did Stage Manager Joseph
OMalley for anything. Talk about
your strenuous times-he was it in
| capital letters.
E. Clark Walker as the Mikado
spent much time trying to look Sc
rious about it. but didn't dar look in
| the mirror. He'd bust. sure. He
isn't a bad looking fellow. either-out
of his makeup" When he'd take a
hitch I'm his ''raiment" and try to set
the regulation Mikado physiognomy
he was absolutely the real article all
! right and no doubt about it.
Then one OF the little tea" girls
tried to swish her skirts. but they
! wouldn't swish worth a cent and she
tripped-sounded like something had
ripped, too. Oh
| And some of the performers tried
to whisper and their voices sounded
as parched as the great American
desert In a sandstone. They haven't
developed the regulation stage whis-
per that one can hear for half a
block.
1t was the professional painter
who had the choice job of the lot
painting the grease onto their com
| plexions. making the rosy lips and the
queer-shaped eyebrows. He didn't get
all of the eyebrows on straight,
either and some of the young ladies
took turns improving on the work of
the dobber. But they only made 1t
worse.
1t was between acts that the real
fun commenced. The Bonham guitar
and mandolin class was entertaining
the audience while behind the scenes
there was something doing out of the
ordinary. All the while the audience
was being charmed with the sweet
strains of music those Jap girls and
boys were certainly working over.
time. A two-step was led off by the
serious executioner and one of the