Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26

lions. During several seasons it gave
| promise of success as burlesque house,
| despite the fact that it's owners would not
| permit intoxicating liquors to be sold
there. A few years ago it was taken by
6. A. Wegefarth, who endeavored to re-
! deem it from burlesque by changing its
name to the Empire and making a family
theater of it.
Kernan's Lyceum Theater.
Originally the representative, and, indeed,
the only theater of the city until it has
finally settled down as home of burlesque
1t was burned down in 1920 and was re-
built in 1922. For time it was known as
Carusi's saloon, and was opened as a thea
ter by Stuart e Boucicault in 1858. Carusis
Hall, it was then known, witnessed no
less remarkable a metropolitan premier
than that of JOS. Jefferson in rip Van
Wnkle.'' Mr.. Jefferson writes of this oc-
caSion: 81 had studied and rehearsed the
part of Rip and by the end of summer
l was prepared to transplant it to a cosmo-
politan audience on the city of Washington
where | opened at Carusi's Hail. under the
| management of John T. Raymond. The
play was acted with a result that to me
was both satisfactory and disappointing
: The final alterations and additions Were
made five years later by Dion Bouccault."
1t became the Theater COmique, and Col.
Sneibaker in 1882, turned the interior COM
pletely around, putting the stage next to c
street. where the old entrance had been. 1t
was later known as the National Dime Mu-
scum, and opened under the name of Ker-
mans Washington Theater in 1886, any
legitimate traditions implanted by Joseph
Jefferson having been by this time pretty
tlorn 1rcyl,I Hha hllii inor
modelled in 1888. Early in the 90s it was
altered and improved and christened the
Lyceum. An entrance from Pennsylvania
avenue was provided, and the purpose was
to make il a family theater. This was
abandoned and it returned to burlesque.
The Herman, Rife & Stair Theaters.
]. L. Herman. George w. Rife and E D.
Stair all have proprietary interests to a
greater or less extent in three of Washing
toms amusement enterprises, as conducted
at the Academy of Music, the Lafayette
and Kernan's Lyceum Theatre.
James L. Herman is probably sixty-odd
years of age. When youth he entered
the offices of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road Company in Baltimore as a minor
clerk. He labored here until about forty
years of age. when his brother, Eugene
interested him in the show business. Eugene
was conducting an opera house at Jones'
Falls, the site of the present Monument
| tai Theater, in Baltimore, and from then
| on the Herman interests prospered This
| property was added to by the securing of
| the old Front Street Theatre, then the
Auditorium was acquired. 1t was about
| twenty years ago that Mr.. Herman came
| to Washington in search for an investment
property. He thought favorabIy of the
| house now known as Kernan's, but before
purchasing sought the advice and counsel
| of friends. All with whom he spoke de-
| clared the idea absurd and his legal adj
| wiser regarded the prospect as suicidal. He
| bought and renovated the property, and
| has conducted it with financial success
| George w. Rife, treasurer of the Lafay-
| cite Amusement Company and general
manager of James L. Kernan's enterprises
i has advanced in life from program boy in
| the old Monumental Theater, Baltimore to
position of large trust and responsibility
| together with extensive interests of his
| own A particular feature of his business
| enterprises has been the successful MAIN
tenance of a large bill-posting business,
under the firm name of Rife q Houck.
E. d. Stair is Detroit man, who visits
Washington only occasionally. He is of the
| firm of Havlin & Stair. and has a multi
plicity of interests both as manager and
booking agent in the popularprice field.
| He was at one time connected with news
paper.
manager of Kernans Lyceum Theater, is
| a pioneer in his business. has made
and lost fortunes, and plotted players
about the country in his more active days
| that stood in high popular favor. Mr..
Herman is a Baltimorean by birth, and at
| the early age of twelve years he essayed
seafaring career. His travels were world
| wide, and the experiences thereof unique,
| principal of which was a voyage around
the Horn during the gold craze in 40 and
| the governorship of Navassa and Guiana
Islands in the Caribbean sea. He is known
as one of the foremost burlesque managers,
a distinction he has consistently merited
| ever since the induction of that form of
amusement fourteen years ago.
John w. Lyons, the local manager of the
Academy, came to this theater as treasurer
in 1902. He had previously been employed
in that capacity in Powers and the Grand
Theaters in Detroit, Mich, his home city
On January 1, 1903 when w. T. Powell
died, Mr.. Lyons was placed in charge of
the theater.
Ira J. La hlotte has been the local man
ager of the Lafayette Theater for a number
of years. He has had theatrical experience
in Portland, Me. and other cities in his
earlier life, and has been In charge of enter
priSeS with which a number of prominent
men in the theatrical affairs have been
connected.
Of Another Sort.
The above list includes the theaters that
have at some time or another in their ca
reers enjoyed a conservative patronage.
There have been others dyoted to festivity
and song exclusively, whose history should
be reeited only in the record of summing
tour. One of those was the old Globe The
alter. which fourished on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. about where the main entrance of the
city post Office now stands. Washington
has been comparatively free from resorts
of this class. and its theatric history is one
to which the citizen as well as the PLAYER
who believes in the best that his profession
can produce may point with PRIDE J.