The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-22
SEASON IS OPEN.
The New Crawford Gives Topeka Its
First Taste.

The Topeka theatrical season was
formally opened in Topeka Saturday and
Sunday and the amusement" served
up for their delectation gives very poor
promise for the future. But the people
of Topeka are evidently becoming en-
Iightened in tneatricals for only few
of them paid to see the grand open
ing of the New Crawford and the
majority of them kissed their cash
goodbye and left the house before the
awful end.
The Saturday production was billed
as WHAT Woman Will Do but in re-
atty it was a lamentably weak produc-
ton of David Copperheld, travelling I'M
der the alias. Possibly a dozen paid
seventy-five cents each for the right to
have and to hold seats on the first 11oor
But they didn't hold on very long. Most
of them left at the end of the second
and third rounds, and did not remain
for the vision which was advertiser
as the grand finale. A few fifty centers
were scattered through the balcony, but
1t would not have taken an adding ma
chine to get the exact number. .
The show was of the usual biood
and thunder kind, and Topeka Hof
course paid rs cents to see it, while last
week it played for so cents at Pittsburg
Kansas City at 'ten-twenty-thirt
votes. But then Topeka audiences got
used to that last winter and are about
Enthusiastically now they stay at nome.
There were a few bright spots 10
help out the tedium however. Arthur
W. Gregory went up against Ur1ah
Heep,' Dickens famous character, and
he ought to be travelling in better COM
pany. Neither did Harry jackson 90
SO badly on Micawber. But the way
J. H. Burton took the sail out of David
Copperfield ought to cause a warrant to
be sworn out against him by the Anal
gamated Dickens societies OF America.
But then the Copperfield story was
simply hammered out of shape and
converted into a Lincoln Carter spasm
of heroism, so no one is particularly 10
blame if Dickens was forgotten. IL is
the kind of stuff which the Crawford
company likes to dish up to Topeka.
But Sunday night it was worse, A
Josh Perkins company, which Man
ager Frazee himself admitted is just
out" held the center of the stage. A
man VINO signed himself Huse N. Nor
gan had charge of the shop and play
ed the title role police, and he ola a
good job, everything considered. But
that is all that can be said for the
whole aggregation. Not another one in
the case lad any right to be there
Most of those in the support talked OH
their lines as though they were at
Friday afternoon recitation bee in a
country school, and were scared TO
death. On top of that they proceeded
to forget their lines. and had high
balls galore had to be passed around
so that proper connections could be
made with the cues 1t was simply the
limit
But that was not all. 1t was filthy,
There was much about it that was
vulgar. There were songs like Helen
Gone" and indicative phrases and
words And on the bills the show IS
listed as a sweet-scented rural drama,
Int il is in line with the usual Sunday
night attraction at this mouse.
The crowd Sunday night was larger
than the crowd of Saturday night but
that isn't saying anything. But it was
top-heavy as usual, and the denizens
of the rafters as of yore ran the show.
'eJosh Perkins charged rs cents The
manager took it on to lola for tonight,
where the same price will be asked.
Poor Iolai