Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-06


week. Orpheus has attuned his
Tyre, and the world has capered
to rollicking cadences. The fear
may exist that he has turned his pace anu
the public's toward artistic perdtion. but II
is useless to protest. The world must
amuse itself and when Richard Carrie.
Harry Bulger and Eddie Foy are in town.
F. S Willard and Richard Mansfield must
wait their turns.
musical piece like 1.-The Spring
Chicken" is at once a pleasure ana mis-
fortune. A fortunate combination like this
one happy in its dialogue, It's versification,
its music and It's comedy, Is seldom at
tanned. 1t is told of Eugene Field that
while attending a reception at one OF chi
Cages most luxurious homes the hostess
besought him to taste some Strawberries,
which she had secured in defiance of the
wintry season. 81 thank you, he SAID,
"but | never eat Strawberries in January.
"Why not?' Because" returned the poet
plaintively, they might spoil my appetite
for prunes." 1t is to be feared that
taste of Spring Chicken" will spoil the
appetite for much of the liver and bacon
that is served up as musical comedy.
Harry Bulger is one of lie men who are
naturally funny. and perhaps the premier
pattcr singer of the world. When he places
one large upholstered foot before the other
and begins to reel off a jargon of nonsense
by the mile, the audience surrenders Its
reason and yields to hysterical laughter
Eddie Foy is much tie same Irresistible
sort of a natural humorist, but IN his work
there is always a CLINT of sly satire. Foy
In never so content as when he falls into
a burlesque exaggeraton of the legitimate
actors pose His biographer may yet come
forward with a solemn declaration that in
his heart he yearns to play Shylock like
Louis Mann.
The actors biographer is a quantity TO
be reckoned with. Obscure as he is. he
excites a potent influence He does MT
wait for time to cast his topic into per-
spective, but keeps ct least week ahead
of the snow. Sometimes as in the case of
Bran Stoker. who has written his memoirs
of Henry Irving, he essays the library
shelf. instead of the ephemeral columns
of the press But the results then usually
lack the inspiration of current utility Mr..
S.okers "reminiscences are largely in the
nature of autobiography. There used to
be agents" ahead of shows. Now there
are only press agents. he late Charles
Hoyt defined an agent as a necessary evil,
who came around the next morning after
a first performance to see whether every
thing passed off pleasantly.
X
The dependence which theaters have
come to place on newspaper, instead OF
dead-waH advertising, the press agent is a
writer with a mission; he is no desultory
Htterateur grasping with futile ambition
at luminous distractions of thought. He is
oft a poet, like w. ID. CoXey of Barnum
& Baileys circus, but a poet with pur-
pose The title press agent has become one
of significance in public affairs The city
of Chicago talked of employing one to boom
the city: the Panama canal had one who
was famous until his title was changed;
the Baltimore and Ohio railway has one
whose fuction it is to minify shocking de-
tails. But he is despite these variations,
essentially a theatrical institution, and a
wonderful chap he is The sangfroid with
which he can write mot duplicated over
an item whose every line proclaims it
fresh from the copying machine is worthy
of an oriental diplomat. He Knows but
one inspiration. his star. In his loneliness
he is so far ahead of the troop that its
social gatherings are lot for him-he
broods and magniies, and out of his medi-
tations comes demi-god; his star. He be
slows the mantle of Booth or jefferson
with as magnificent a generosity as If 1t
were his personal property. He is no
mere hireling: he Is an enthusiast, a devo-
tee lie loves to interview his star. This
he usually does 10y writing learned essay
on the relation of the modern ballet girl
to the gymnopaedia or the Pyrrhic dancers,
or some other equally abstruse or soTlber
topic. and submitting it to q star. Tn
stand for it," says the star good naturally,
and thus il comes that Eddie Foy speaks
with the graceful charm of u Macauley
and Harry Bulgcr discusses on philosophic
distractions with the confidence of q
Schopeuhaucr. ar Ed Connolly, who -.
temporary charge of Buyers greatness,
has no computations On the subject ITS
all right" he declares 'Bulger would have
said il if he had thought of it, He's al
ways ready to take a chance Frank
Nustach has put words Of wisdom into the
mouths of many players, and Paul Wiistoch
has at last about succeeded in convincing the
public that Richard Mansfield is as gentle
as a spring zephyr except when righteously
provoked. n Token Worm invented "Pinky
Panky Poo for Mrs Pat Campbell, and a
dozen other ingenious fances. One of the
most remarkable OF the fraternity is Chan
ming Pollock. He writes play, booms it
I'm advance notices. burlesques 1t and then
criticises it. II actors and authors were al
only as clever as press agents-the real
press agents-what delight the theater
would be, PHILANDER JOHNSON.
A VERSATILE ACTOR.-E. S. Willard
has a repugnance to becoming identified
F,I,s. ~iy . Ton, ;o