The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-09-11

The "Johnnes," In Richmond. OF whom
there are few Though ali things con-
Z sldered their number s comparatively
smal). are largely ottnumbered by those
y OF the opposite, sex, who have n pro-
pensity for haunting the $neighborhood Of
the stageAdoor. These matinee girls. or
stage-door Maggies, were developed In
Richmond when the Giffcn Company was
4 first organized here. TO the credit Of
the girls, 1t must be said that most 1T
Al Ito see the ladies' Of the company, ns they
appeared IN street attire, than by a wish
TO SEQ the men. though, OF coure, they
cast future glances at their Idols, as the
latter swaggcred down the street. They
could no more have refrained from that,
than from surveying their own images
Il in the mirror In the lobby. 9th many
IA OF the girls. Miss Grayce Scott was the
magnet that drew them with Irresistible
power to q place commanding a good view
fof tho sidewalk just III front OF the stage
entrance. Lucille Laverne was another
fnvorite with them.
The matinee girl, having once developed
into the staee-door Maggie. has continued
In her practice of blocking the sidewalk
] IN front Of the theatres. She has caused
others TO contract the habit, unit now
there IRE In Richmond quite a number Of
the specimen Of won,a mood They are a. 9
Z less noticeable after performances at tho
Academy than they are on matinee days :
at the Bijou. All
@ 1t is only afteretfle appearance OF some
n well known actress. as for Sinstance. Max
inc Elliott, who always brings them out
IA IN full force. that the girls take up their
a position IN front OF the Academy. This
goes 10 prove tina the species ~ attracted
4 by the women OF the stage ather than
blythe men. Probably many Of them
have the inclination TO subte their fav--8
\ oritc actors TO the embarrassmentso OF be-
ing reviewed by an array OF feminine adj
4 mirers, but they seldom have the courage
TO do this as & they themselves have TO
Z face the public gaze and II is not very
\ pleasant to place themselves in the att II
b tudc OF man-BtarinR. /. -s,t
i AT the Bitou, 1t is a regular curenceg
for the entrance In the alley on < ri ghth
Street leading to the stage door. TO be;
v crowded with females between cen the ages
OF fourteen and twenty. 1t Is the week
stand that leads to the desire to see
s what the players look :lik Q tof the stage.
Hence 1t is that the Bitou has been
= the means OF Keeping alive the species
y that may be said to have first appeared
lin these parts with the organization Of
q Mr.. Giffen's Richmond Stock Company
& n the species existed here before. 1t must
g have been many years ago. and 1t had
certainly become extinct There are two
actresses who are largely responsible for
this new type OF matinee girl. One, as
G already mentioned Is Grayce Scott, and
the other is Mary \ Marble. However.
a the creatures are young and harmless. and
they make the neigh borhood OF the stage
door more attractive than nine out Of
s&stcn cf the actresses who pa IS In review
M before them. 55Sg l35 5lss3S
- There were reports last week thai IN q
canny noises were he ard IN the deserted
-. ,tV,Sv1 Sr.N q
about 1t. there Is every reason to beat
licye that II was the ghost that He'd
to walk while the Imperial Opera Conn
3 pany was at that pla house the week
before. It is to be hoped tina the ghost.
II will yacate before the local performers
e occupy the boards OF the Casino T tuesday,
night else there may be coed cause for
stage fright on the part OF some OF the
I. amateurs. M t3sss Ell ga
richard Golden, years ago. when he was
with Pauline Hall in&.The$ Honeymoon.
used to sing a song about the ghost who
never could learn TO walk. Many
travelling theatrical companies carry with
them just such d ghost Some OF them
3 never walk during the entire season.
Il When an actor gets In a company that.
& carries with 1t one OF the ghosts that
never can learn to walk, y the best thing
for him to do is to get into practice hi
III self. 1t Is n dead sure sthing that some
DOuy mas SnlElO liz
n the 4ghostxc cannot be induced 70 do i.
then5it is generally up the actor.
McFadden's Flats.
@2s 5 .'n'AicFadden's Row Of Flats is an
nounced for an engagement at the Acad q
envy next Thursday. l. Flats" has the
reputation, OF being one OF the mos sue
X cesful OF farce comedies. 1t lis now In.
4 its seventh season ana endeayors TO hold
its reputation this year by presenting y y
self in a new dress of scenery, costumes
and pretty faces. . III the busl ness and
Jokes are sa ID to be new. novel and orig n
nal, and tits promised that the produce
ton as a whole. will be better than any
previous one, OF this piece, A number
Of new and clever specialties are intro,
aduced and the chorus, which numbers,
twenty people Is claimed to be made up
Of elnarkably pretty show gir.si In the
roster OF the company will be found the
speck Brothers. THE Y elbow Kids Billy
Barry, Jr, JOS. F. Willard Otto Broth hers.
Harry Fentell. Gussie Nelson, Lizzie Con-
way and others. FL rs
1.-THE Waits Paradise"
..'The Waits Paradise, IS II oward Halls.
3 latest rnelodrama, opens at tho BiJou The
Satre, Monday for stay OF one week
The piece gains Its title from the gen
crosby of Uncle Bob Van Brunt, q
N