The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-08
ORPHEUM GETS NOVELTY
Lease Is Made-WiH Open Early in
October.

H. NJ. Miller of Chicago, representing
the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit, has
closed a deal with the owners of the
| Novelty theater, whereby the Orpheum
| people have a five year lease on this
| popular Topeka playhouse. The new
| lessees take charge of the theater to-
| da..
The Novelty will open under the new
management as soon as repairs can be
made on the interior of the building,
which under the present plans will take
| place, on October II, the second Mon
| day in October.
When the theater was built the bal
| cony was not what it should have been.
From many sections of the balcony the
stage is scarcely visible and the new
management expects to have this RENE
| died before the house reopenS. I'VE
| will spend from Sc, 500 to $4,000 in re-
| pairing the balcony" said Mr.. Miller
| this morning. I'VE will start a force
of men to work tomorrow, and the en-
tire balcony will be torn out and re-
| built. When this is done we will easily
have the best theater in the state"
Mr.. Miller will have charge of the
| theater under the Orpheum manage
ment. He will act as manager of the
manager for the Orpheum circuit haV-
ing charge of the Orpheum bookings
in this section of the country. He will
| have his office in Topeka.
when we get our newly acquired
| house completed according to our plans,
we will be BILE to give Topeka the best
vaudeville in her history. At the pres
ent time the acts which Topeka has
been seeing, are sent down from Chi
cago to fill only a weeks engagement
here and on account of the expense
| entailed, the best acts are not obtain
| able here. Our circuit has houses in
! Joplin. Wichita and Oklahoma City and
the acts which are seen in Topeka at
! the Novelty will make the other towns
| in this section so that we can book bet
| ter acts for our Topeka theater. We
| intend to spare no expense to give the
| public the best vaudeville there is and
no cheap methods will be employed in
| our theater. We will give three shows
| a day as at present and the present
| prices will prevail
Mr.. Miller has been connected with
the Orpheum people for several years.
For four years he was manager of their
theater in Lincoln, Neb-, and he is well
| fitted to take charge of the Novelty.
| The theater was closed last Saturday
night by Manager s. r. Wells. who re-
| ceiVed instructions to that effect from
| the owners of the theater. The deal
with the Orpheum people was pending
| at that time, and repairs to the balcony
were contemplated whether the deal
| was consummated or not,hence the clos
| ing.
| The Novelty was opened during the
| first week of the present year and has
| since that time been the acknowledged
| favorite of the amusement seeking pub
| lie. 1t has also been the best paying
| theatrical proposition in the city. The
| performances this season have drawn
| we'll and under the new management
! the Novelty will doubtless increase in
| favor with the public.
| Mr.. S. r. Wells, who has been manag-
| ing the theater since it's opening last
| January and who has been allied with
the theatrical interests of the city for
the past two years. will leave in a few
| weeks for Hot Springs where he will
| spend the winter in the hopes of re-
| gaining his health He owns one
| fourth of the stock of the theater and
| will retain his interests nere under the
new arrangement He has made many