Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-28
YOUR OLD PLAY BILLS
INTERESTING MEMORY BOOK
MAY BE MADE OF THEM
A Collector Describes Theater Pro,
grams Of Thirty Years Of National
and Local Worth.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
As you make ready to leave the theatef
and gather wraps. opera glass and fan to.
gether. do not let the program Of the play
You have Just seen fall unheeded to the
floor, even though its inky surface may soil
your gloves. for the future pleasure to b
derived from II Is worth the ten cents neces-
| sary to restore the purity Of your hand
| coverings.
Carry 1t home with you. cut out and save
| the pages containing name of theater. title
| OF play and cast Of characters, and paste
| them, time after time, in a scrap book kept
| for the purpose. Add the pictures of per-
formers and scenes which are to be found
| In magazines OF the present day and
| which are almost as good as the original
| Photographs and you will have a book
wnich Will be worth all the time and trou-
Die given to its preparation.
In turning over it's leaves the evenings
when you sat enthralled by the genius Of
| Duse or Bernhard will be recalled;
again your pulses will be stirred by Soth-
| Der with pleasure John Drew's finished
creations. and laugh once more at the abb
surdfties Of Francis Wilson and his assoc
ciates.
with all her busy train" Remembrance
will wake, and half-forgotten incidents Of
certain evenings. the friends who bore you
company. will live again in your memory
as you read, bringing a smile. or perchance
| tear. at the recollections of the past
IL the book serves no higher purpose IL
VIII give you the satisfaction OF saying,
statement you may have made is Ques-
| toned. In such a case you can say with
Nudge in King Dodo, TN look In the book
and see," and triumphantly show your pro-
gram proof.
The writer has saved her bills of the play
and concert programs for thirty years, and
the four large volumes. enriched with pho
tographs. half tones and autographs make
| mighty interesting reading"
From Patti, down through Parepa Rosa,
Nilsson, Pauline Lucca. Brignolt, Capoul
and Campanini. to Norddca, Calve. Sem
brich and De Reszkes and Plancon. the
record OF grand opera runs, making the
change from the melodious Italian school
| to Wagnerian themes. which one must as
sumo liking for, even though he have
1t not.
When English Opera Ruled.
From the early seventies for about fifteen
years English opera was In vogue. and the
programs of that period mark many even-
ings made enjoyable by Clara Louise KEEL
lcgg, Annie Louise Cary, Zelda Seguin.
Tom Karl and William Castle. Eighteen
hundred and seventy-four marks the ad-
vent Of two Englishmen, Joseph Mas and
William T. Carleton, tenor and baritone,
respectively, who never failed to please
their audiences.
The latter is still a figure on the stage,
his popularity showing what correct habits
of life and conscientious effort will do to
keep an artist from OUTLYING his usefulness.
The formers life short his sweet
notes slenced all too soon. His clear voice
ringing out in the tower song could thrill
young hearts and quicken the pulse beats
of the old and callous.
THE moon on the tower slept soft as snow.
And who was not thrilled in the strangest
way,
AS we heard him sing-while the gas burn
Non ii scordar di met
Martha, Diavolo, Mariana and others of
the same type are joys of the past, before
the days of the comic opera, with its scam
| tily-clad women and superabundance Of
horse play.
In the realm Of the drama these old pro-
| grams show names to conjure with. Booth
| Barrett, the elder Sothern. Florence, Nc
Cullough, the beautiful Adelaide Nelson,
that rose of yesterday" Maggie Mitchell
and Lolita, whose popularity was in direct
contrast to their inches; Montague, import
ed from England by Lester Wallack to win
American hearts and die on these alien
shores; Rignold, whose manly beauty and
elaborate staging made his revival OF
Henry the success Of that day; Mary
Anderson. no one without these play bills
would believe that she would be willing to
hide the beauty of her teens beneath the
stage wrinkles and rags Of Meg Merrilies;
Owens, the quaint, with his L. L. d. and A
double s.; John T. Raymond. the optimistic
speculator in Gflded Age; Mrs. D. p. Bow.
ers, Janauschek, Modjeska, Mckee Rankin
In the Danites; the stately Rehan, Robson
and Crane, in double harness; Clara Morris,
the emotional; Fanny Davenport-all these
before the so-called problem plays of Meth
ersole, Mrs. Patrick Campbell and that Fix
took possession of the boards to make con-
ventional theatergoers sit quaking in their
seats, wondering What next2 Where will
they stop?"
Rise of a Star.
Through these old bills one traces the
rise Of many an obscure supernumerary to
the scintillatfons Of a star. Too many,
alas. have moved the other way. from the
proud position they once occupied to pow
erty and physical decline.
One Of the writer's programs contains in
formation little known, or at least little
remembered by the admirers of Francis
Wilson. 1t bears date OF 1880, and in the
list Of characters Wilson'S name appears
near the end servant The play was
DR.. Clyde, and before Wilson Joined the
company the name part was made the
principal attraction. but the new comedian
brought the hitherto obscure character OF
the doctors man to height which demi-
mated all others.
This collection of programs also pos
sesses local value for 1t chronicles the
exploits of many a musical and dramatic
club which in days gone by gave much
service in the cause Of charity. They
have sunk from sight in the maelstrom of
present conditions. when the city has
oyerplus of professional performances and
no one has the time to waste on amateurs.
But thirty years ago the Beethoven Oc-
tette Club, to select one from the many.
was a prominent, organization, and the
voices OF Ewing, Witherows Chase, Wild
ney. Burnett and the rest, in solos and
concerted numbers were delight to music
lovers.
From the ranks Of the old Shakespeare,
Thalfan, Joe Jefferson and Lawrence Bar
rett clubs a number OF players passed to
the legitimate stage to adorn the profess
sion and reflect credit on the capital city.
Pictures Plentiful Now.
In the early days Of the collection under
description illustrations for the book were
difficult to obtain BY sending to New
York photographers who made something
OF a specially Of theatrical pictures the
faces OF some favorites could be obtained
at cost OF fifty cents or more. But 9TH
ers whose photographs were particularly