The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-07

paudits of Broadway audiences. Some of
the critics mentioned him from time to time
as an unusually fine actor. but not one of
them gave him the serious attention that
he deserved, and il is an actual fact that
the New York theater-going public knew lit
tie or nothing Of this distinguished Amer
lean actOr-for an actor may be dis
tinguished in this big land even if he is not
a Broadway idol. New York the greatest
city in the country, and in many respects
the greatest city in the world, is the most
provincial of American towns when il
comes TO dramatic matters. The metropolis
doesn't even pretend to know what is going
on in the theatrical world beyond the
boundary lines of Greater New York. And
so one needn't be surprised when one comes
across an idotic paragraph like this, which
appeared in the theatrical columns OF
New York paper last Sunday:
ITO really understand the esteem in
which Mr. Skinner is held by a large por-
ton OF the American public one must have
lived In the provinces. In many or the
smaller cities Mr.. SINNERS approach is
whispered among the villagers with all the
awe that mention of a circus instills.
When Otis Skinner comes to town the air
becomes redolent of mothballs, and whisk-
ers, which are the accumulation or years,
are trimmed so that all may bear witness
TO the fact that a white shirt is on view
beneath
BY provinces" the writer of this para
graph alludes to Chicago Ca city that has
proved far more discerning than New York
in theatrical way during the last three
Indianapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee and other
mid-Western cities that have for the last
ten years bestowed upon Mr.. Skinner the
recognition due him.
Let US be thankful for small mercies.
Whatever else the present season may not
have brought us two tiny artists, at least,
have been unearthed in two recent plays
who demonstrate clearly that it is quite
possible for a child TO be natural on the
stage. The days of the whining stage child,
that most terrible of all stage bores, are
past and gone, thank heavens! Master
Donald Gallagher, by the simplicity and
naturalness OF his stage performances, has
held the belt of the champion lightweight
leading man for two years, undisputed:
Now two new young artists have dawned
on the horizon line-the one boy Master
Barriscale of ''The Secret of Polichinelle''
Company and the other a girl, little Miss
June Payton, who in a tiny part in THAT
Man and T. turns out to be the frishest
Lao of the whole lot
One of young Master Barriscale's great
est charms is that he makes no effort TO
act. He talks and acts just like any child
OF his years would do in real life. There
fore his scenes with his grandfather and
that sweetly pretty grandmother OF his APP
pear exactly like real life. There is one
bit of stage business in the scene in POL
ichinelle," where the grandmother sees her
boys son for the first time, that always
brings frog into the throat of the audi
ence. The grandmother lifts the child upon
/
down the whole length of his little body.
AS she reaches his knees her hand pauses
and, looking solicitously up at the proud
but frightened young mother, she asks In
a tone which is made up of equal parts of
solicitude and apprehension:
Does he always wear such thin stock
| ings?"
The other little youngster, Miss June
Payton, appears only for a few minutes
in the last act of the Savoys success, but
| the delicious way in which she plays the
| rOIa If no mis- Is Of
| the brightest recoliections which you carry
away from this remarkably well acted
| performance.-New York Sun.
Nat Goodwin admits in the February
number of The Theater that he is getting
tired of the stage 81 don't like the environ
ments," he said. I'm forty-fve years Old
! If I can't leave the stage when I'm fifty
! FIVE, it will be strange. Then 1 will enjoy
myself get up when like, go to bed when
1 like, and have all the outdoor sports l
want. I'll go to the theaters. of course. I
| couldn't stay away from the theaters, but
| I'll go to watch the other fellows"
| After announcing his intention of one day
| erecting theater which will bear his own
| name, the comedian had this TO say in re-
| gard to the theatrical tastes of our present.
| day public
II don't believe that the public is tired of
| Shakespeare AS well say it is tired of music
or love of life itself, for Shakespeare Is all
| of these. 1t sums up life. True, the taste
| for Shakespeare must be cultivated, but
| what way of cultivating il is better than to
see it properly presented? Propq1y. L say.
| with the idea Of Interpretation 4rst, and
1 the setting subordinate, very subordinate,
in fact. The public taste" he continued,
lis veering away from magnificent specta-
| cles. The highwater mark of theatrical eX-
| travagance has been reached. The tide is
| receding. The future of the drama is plain.
1t will grow better all the time. The plays
ain he Nne acff xrin he hatf
| There will be less of dazzle and more of
merit. More attention will be paid to read
| ing and less to sets The day of gorgeous
stage pictures is passing"
| The following item appears in the theat-
rical column of a London paper: 'The
semi MYSTICAL play 'Corianton.' by Mr.. Or
estes Bean, which was produced two or
three years ago in Salt Lake City, will
probably be one of Mr.. Beerbohm Trees flu
ture productions at His Majesty's. The
story relates to the amours of a prophet of
! the Aztecs and there are numerous oppor-
| tunites for elaborate stage spectacle. Mr..
| Charles Frohman is now arranging for a re-
| vival of 'Corianton in New York, the sue
cess of Mr.: stephen Phillipss Ulysses
| having proved to him that large section of
the playgoing public appreciates blank
| verse pieces"
The writer of that paragraph is evidently
| not very we'll posted in regard to Ameri-
| can theatricals. The truth of the matter is
| that Ulysses" although one of the most
| artistic productions of the year in this
4 country, has been a complete failure from
| a financial standpoint, and has been taken
off the stage by Manager FrOhman, who is
| not at all likely to bring out any more
/ poetic plays for some time to come.
| +
| The musical comedies and comic operas
| continue to pour in upon indianapolis. The
| fortnight just ended brought TO town 1.-The
| Burgomaster," 1.-The Yankee Consul I"
1.-The Tenderfoot" and Red Feather
| and the next fortnight, beginning
with tomorrow evening, will offer
as the leading attraction at English's
| 1.-The Sultan of Sulu." THE Silver Slip
per-" Dolly Warden" and The Wizard Of