The Indianapolis journal., 1904-05-13
Theatrical Notes.

Six artists from the Chicago scene paint
ing firm of Sosman & Lands now
busily engaged on the stage at the Grand
in painting two new sets of scenery to be
used next season at the local home of
vaudeville. One of the sets will be an
interior" and the other an exterior" and
a new "olio drop will also be painted. The
same artists WILL before leaving Indian
apoliS, complete several scenic sets TO be
used on the stage of Dickson & Talbotts s
new theater in Dayton, Q. The Grand is
to be renovated during the summer and new
carpets will be placed in the auditorium
The women'S reception room will be COM
pletely refurnished and several other i'm
provements will be made. Resident Man
ager Shafer Ziegler, who has been in the
city all week experimenting the work at
the theater, will Journey down to st. Louis
tomorrow to spend few days at the
worlds fair and will go to New York the
latter part of next week to join his brother
Henry NJ. Ziegler, the prominent race
horse owner, who is now at the Morris
Park track. Ed e. Daily, the Grand's
press agent. will go to st. Louis next week
and will not return to Indianapolis until
the opening of the next vaudeville season,
in September.
The Empire has a good burlesque show
this week in the Gay Masqueraders'
company and large audiences are the rule.
The musical travesties which open and
close the entertainment are somewhat
above the average in shows of this class
and the vaudeville olio contains three
strong features, the best of which is the
unusually good musical act of the Busch
Devere trio of instrumentals and singers.
The leading comedians of the company are
Benny Welsh and Ralph Post, both good
funmakers. although Post is inclined to
resort to broad methods, and the principal
OF the feminine contingent is Lottie En-
merson, one of the prettiest and most
graceful burlesquers the Empire has had
for many day.
AS the Holden Stock Company gives
''Blue Jeans" at the Park, the greatest
strength of the production is in it's realism.
This is particularly true in the sawmill
scene. where the rivals for the hand of the
poorhouse girl have a combat and one un-
dertakes to saw up the other. Perry Bas-
com, played by John A. Preston, is fast
ened to a lumber carrier by G.. d. Mackey,
as workman in the mill, and the carrier
is set in motion toward a circular saw
There is no deception about this saw and
the power that drives il. 1t is the kind of
implement which may be seen in any In
diana sawmill and a strong current of
electricity causes 1t to hum in it's revolu-
| tions. The saw is set in a large steel
frame, securely bolted to the floor of the
stage, and the scenery is so arranged in
each act that the device is concealed until
the scene in which it is used. To give evi-
dence that there is no deception in the
act, when the girl rescues her lover, a
board several feet long and two inches
thick is sawed from end to end. The waif
from the poorhouse, a part taken by
Bernice Howard, lends excitement to the
scene by delaying the rescue until the car
rier and its human burden is almost upon
| the long steel teeth. Blue Jeans" al
though in Indianapolis many times
is drawing large audiences to the Park
ter company. The bill runs through the
week.