Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-23
COMIC OPERA "REMINISCENCES.
BY Fl. C. BARNABEE.

From the New York Press.
Seventy years affords one ample oppor-
tunity to gather material for "reminiscences,
especially in the line of light opera. My
managerial responsibilities did not begin so
long ago. but 1 have been told that am
born comedian and 1 was born just sew
enty years ago. To be absolutely accurate,
was seventy years young on November II,
1903
Chance is responsible for a good many
successes and failures. For my own part
would not have been on the stage today
but for an accident. q don't care to dwell
on this point lest facetiously inclined per-
sons may feel themselves moved to lament,
even at this / day, the. accident) Over
fifty years ago / was a care-free young
gentleman of business instincts in Boston,
with an acquaintance embracing several
members of the Mercantile Library Asso-
citation.
An entertainment by this society was
afoot the piece being THE Scholar of Ben
Klorat" and Henry Parsons was cast in
one of the important roles few days
before the date of the performance Mr..
Parsons fell i'll, and I. being fair game
from the standpoint OF the management,
was taken In tow to play the part: l play
ed it, and thenceforth mercantile paths
were no more to me. / had grease paint on
my face: 1 had blinked at the footlights;
and yes, 1 had listened to the Intoxicating
music OF -tnunQerS OF applause EntHu-
siastic friends told me was success, and
I fear was too willing to believe them.
This was in 1865 For time L did not
quite catch the drift of my talent. end en-
tertained ideas of doing serious work-any-
thing from Hamlet to grand opera. But
soon gave up this notion, chance having
taken hand in my affairs second time.
At benefit l was called upon to play
Tobie Twinkle in ''All That Critters Is Not
Gold" and later Minidab Sleek in The
Serious Family and Henry Dove in Mar
ried Life One after another these parts
clinched the comedy mantle on me. Then 1
had the honor of doing BOX and Cox with
William Warren, and l turned my back on
heroes and heavies forever.
had been in numerous church choirs and
was, therefore. something of singer, but
had no thought of comic opera until 1879.
1t was happening again. The Boston
Theater had piece which Jagged consider
ably. Seeking a paying substitute, some
body suggested that an ideal company be
organized to present Pinafore- our
friends, Gilbert and Sullivan, had an opin-
ion of Americans not at all flattering to
patriots. The opinion was formed because
of the failure of "Pinafore' to score. Mr..
Gilbert. far from being an affable man, had
said to his partner: 1.-THE did Yankees
are so crazy over that idiotie frock That
they cannot appreciate the opera" To re-
peat briefly history every one is familiar
with. the theater during the past quarter
century is acquainted with, company was
organized that included Tom Carl, w. H..
Fessenden, Mary Beehe, myself and other
singers who were well known at the time.
Presently we were all on deck OF her
majesty's good ship, and the public was
crowding the gunwales to hear the tunefui
music and to laugh at the satirical filings at
English naval usages. BY this time Mr..
Gilbert concluded that the did Yankees
knew the pattern of that crazy little
frock' (which was the female Fauntleroy
costume of the time and as POPULAR, and
had time to settle down and hear the
1f<xlxk Frl1r
permanent organization was effected by
Miss r. A. Ober. Thus the Boston Ideals