The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-07
The Theaters of New York
A Play Which Made Success by Hard
Experience of CHAM nd Virginia

has been marked I'D TO ten. In the first
performance OF Mother Goose" they gave.
Tor the encore OF a song a verse in mockery
of the familiar quartette-the kind that had
boom in The Old Homestead" out OF
which Chauncey Olcott chosen to be
made William j. Scanlan's successor in
Irish comedy. Probably not much was ex-
pected of this worn idea in travesty. but
II was freshened by the fact that, while the
actors made fun OF quartette mannerisms,
they sang melOdiOusly with voices that
harmonized. The hearers liked that and
called for more. The first response 10 the
demand was 10 have the men return with
banJos which. instead of strings To flip. con-
csaled automobile danger signals TO touch
on mat wasn't much, but IL raised a laugh
The next added nonsense was 90 march In
with bamboo tree on their shoulders, set
IL up in the center of the stage pose under
1T and sing Under the Bamboo Tree"
That wasn't much either. yet the gain in
ing they made the people scream and
screech with what seemed 10 me a stroke
OF comic genius. Do you recall that Charley
Hoyt, In The Midnight Bell" had men,
Der of country school committee tell the
boy who recited "Woodman. Spare that
Tree" that he ought TO illustrate the words
with appropriate action?
When you speak the line. Touch not a
single bough" said he. place your hand
on your heart and bow you utter the
The Bulger-McCart-w God ward-Cawthorn
quartette muitiplies that drollery in a truly
faithful and realistic Illustration Of The
bucket. sets il down and sings very feeling
ly, 1.-The Old Oaken Bucket" Mozart fol-
lows with an iron hoop, which he places
tenderly around the bucket and the duo
continues emoti0nally, THE iron-bOund
bucket" Next Woodward comes on with
a bunch of moss, attaches il reverently TO
the bucket, and the trio imparts an air OF
tragedy to THE moss-covered bucket" FL
nally Cawthorn appears with the curb OF
a well hangs the bucket i'm il, and the full
quartette, IN dramatic Attitudes OF excite
ment and with quavering voices. rises TO a
climax with THAT hangs in the we'll
Two buxom and usually buoyant beauties
of the stage are playing in hard luck this
week Broadway's rejection of Virginia
Harmed in THE Light that Lies in
Woman's Eyes and of Amelia Bingham in
"Olympe" has been told in this correspon-
dence. But 1 have found it interesting to
watch those charming women after such
harsh condemnation as they are not ac-
customed to. and perhaps 1 can make il
readable. You have seen them in happy as
poets of success. Can you imagine them
under the depression of failure? The first
of the Vanderbilts-or was IL the second?-
said in his wrath at harsh criticism, The
public be damned Well Virginia and
Amelia are polite ladies' and. besides that.
il wouldn't be polite to talk back TO a public
which has given prosperity 10 them and is
sure TO do IL again. So these two actresses
face their diminished audiences with IN
diminished smiles, and bow i'm amiable
thanks for less applause and fewer dollars
than they are accustomed 10 receive Il
hate to play 10 half-empty house, says
Amelia in the character Of Olympic. an ac-
tress of the Coincide Franchise. and the
people who no more than half fiji the thea
ter laugh merrily. But she goes through
her part resolutely, turning on all the
stops i'm her vocal organ for the emotional
~passages. but betraying her chagrin in spite
of herself at the times when she should be
gaiy volatile. II is manifest that she
doesn't feel at all like that.
Virginia Harned's work is more difficult
and irksome, because her role is that OF a
roguish, frolicsome. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Irish woman. How hard must it be to face
a small, cold and covertly derisive audience,
after the newspapers have said that the
play, written for her by her husband is ri
diculous? She has TO grin and bear il, as
the part requires her TO smile much OF the
time that she isn't laughing. Think Of the
poor woman, just from year and half OF
admiration in the impressive Iris" having
TO dash on the stage I'm an automobile.
skirted Roseland and be highspirited dur
ing an amateur rehearsal OF AS You Like
It," and all the while conscious that the
people at the other side of the fOotlights
are scoffers However, Virginia has the
comforting knowledge that she looks well
in the tight jacket and breeches, and that
no one can see her In the aDSurOlueS OF
Sotherns comedy without feeling that she
would be admirable in the excellences OF
Shakspeare's.
A play within a play is a more common
than valuable expedient with dramatic au-
thors. OF course there are the classic ex-
amples OF the interpolated tragedy In
Hamlet" and the farce in "A Midsummer
Nights Dream" but l have in mind the
use of characters who are players ana
whose mimic emotions are mixed In with
their actual emotions "Adrienne Lecouv-