The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-01-10

but some of the disasters have befallen people so high up in the profession that 1t might be figured out that their very pop ularity would preserve them from finan- cial havoc. There has been a great deal of talk about hard times, a fact not proved by trade reports and bank state ments. The truth is. a great deal of trash was thrust on the public this sea- son. The people are getting wise, and the reason so many companies have gone to the wall is because their offerings were woefully bad. The good plays are doing business as of old. Crane, for instance, who is heading this way, has found The Spenders' one of the strongest plays he has ever had. The comedy has hit the public taste, and It's tour has been de- lightful in it's results. The present sea- son has knocked one thing into the heads of the managers, a thing a poor but gift ed bard expressed some years ago. and 1t is to the effect that "the plays the thing" When the actors can. like Crane, present strong, clean plays. they will find the public knocking at their doors.
 The William H. West Minstrels are meeting this season with success they have never before known. They have a good singing cast, as they are now carry ing sixteen trained voices.
 A new feature of this performance is the introduction by Manager Ricaby of the very funny operatic burlesque, entitled ',The Wizard of o." This is a take of on "The Wizard of o." It Is staged with elaborate scenery, pretty costumes and novel electrical and light effects.
 In ''The Earl of Pawtucket," there Is not single departure from actual real fv in 10 If ba f,1a oil duplicates of real parts of the Waldorf Astoria hotel. The first act being laid in the palm room, the second act being an exact duplication of suit 354, and the third act a duplication of a corner in the Turkish room
 All the features is an equally close du- plicate. In fact, for the first two weeks of the plays run. all of this was stuff which George Boldt the proprietor of the hotel, had loaned to MT. La Shele be- cause it was impossible for him to have such rich and intricate patterns carved on the furniture in short space of time Jess than two weeks, which elapsed be- twen his acceptance of MT. Thomas man uscript and the opening night of the play.
 In the first act, all the linen and silver there are seventy-six pieces of the lat ter-which are used in the breakfast scene, are likewise duplicates of that
 
 man of "The Earl of Pawtucket" should mix any of his silver with that belonging to the hotel, 1t would be impossible to distinguish which was which.
 In trying to match the particular shade of red silk which Is predominant in the color scheme In the Turkish room, MT La Shelle nearly went crazy, for the silk was particular shade which had been manufactured for the Waldorf, and he had to go to nearly every silk house in New York before he could find another piece which even approximated this pe- culiar shade. In the third act, which takes place in a corner of the Turkish room, the most prominent decoration are five Moorish lamps; one big one hung di- rectly in front of the couch. and hang ing from this, four small ones It was not particularly easy to find duplicates of these, but at last 1t was accomplished in an antique store on Fourth avenue This made the production of srhe Earl of Pawtucket" cost something over eight thousand dollars, instead of less than five thousand.
 Tn his new play "A Prince of Tatters," Al. H. Wilson, the popular and favorite comedian who sings six new songs all of which have become popular. They are "The Winding of the Yarn" Memory" :" "Schnitzelbank, My Old Pipe" "The Jolly Rover" "Whispering Breeze and "The Echo" Ca yodeD.
 Rusltln said architecture is frozen mu- sic." Had he seen the spontaneous steps taken to music by Josephine Conan of The Four Cohans. he would have given us an axiom to fit the delicate gift this girl expresses in her inimitable way. The human foot is generally only a means of locomotion but this little lady uses her dainty extremities as an outward express sion of joyousness and one fears that her ecstacy may lend wings to her tiny feet and that she may go dancing on air be- fore ones very eyes In Running for Office,' she dances to the delight of large audiences besides winning their hearts with her girish ingenuousness in the por- trayal of her part.
 The plot of King Dodo." the comedy opera, is not alone funny, but unconven- tionaas well King Dodo I of Dodoland is possessed of the idea that he would like to regain his youth. To this end. he does all sorts of foolish things such as