The sun., 1908-03-22
TONY PASTOR ACTIVE STILL
BIT THERE'S NO DODGING rue
FACT That M IS 72.

Manager-FaniOus Actors Who Started
at Ills hmeatre-RetlreS Not BIT OS Itl
Tony Pastor celebrates another Of
those anniversaries this week, this one
Of course, more notable than any OF it's
predecessors for the reason that there
d no denying that Tony is getting along
10 years. He still enjoys good health, .
and really does enjoy Il too.
He is hale and hearty and alert, comes
10 bis once In the old Tammany Hall Build
ing In Fourteenth street every day. ana
anybody who has an idea that he ought
70 bo thinking OF retiring from active work
has only TO talk with him two minutes
10 learn considerably better. But there
IL no dodEing the fact that Tony Pastor
hu a.,
Mr.. Pastors Is q ripe and noble old age
equipped with materials for pleasant re-
aeotion. He has had to do with the be-
RinninRs Of good many people who have
done things that have interested and enter
tained the American public. He has been
Of service TO good many Of those people,
and he has a right TO be proud OF II ana 10
think Of Il with satisfaction
The occasion that tho famous old man
aRar will celebrate this week is the forty
third anniversary Of his continuous career
a. a manager. Celebrating Anniversaries
has been regular thing with Mr. Pastor
since long before most Of the present New
York managers we're heard OF in theatrical
Affairs.
He started in at this congenal exercise
in 1885. when there was n monster celeb
rHtory affair held in the Academy OF
Music 10 which Pat Gllmore's Band, Miss
Lillian Russell and many other institutions
partioipated. That was twenty-three years
ago. and Mr.. Pastor had then been man
aEer for twenty years, which, when you
come to think Of It, is not 80 much less than
a quarter Of a century.
At that time Mr.. Pastors Fourteenth
street theatre had been doing business
only four years. 1t was opened In October,
1881, and at it's very first performance there
appeared number Of performers whose
names are known to every theatregoer in
the land. In those days the little theatre
maintained O sort Of stock company whose
members appeared both individually and
collectively,
Tho first part Of the bill was made up OF
variety acts. as they we're then called, and
the entertainment was regularly closed with
a little skt OF sketch that was changed
every week. jacques Kruger, the eccen-
trio character, still prominent on the stage,
was on that opening bill and 90 we're the
French Twin Sisters, who subsequently
became the respective wives Of Evans and
Hoey.
Another member Of the company at that
time was Dan Collyer A good many OF
the veterans Of those days have passed
on 10 the celestial stage presumably, but
Dan Collyer is still with US and prominent,
too. being engaged at the present time in
playing one Of the principal parts with
William H. Crano in George Ade's newest
play.
Tony Pastor himself was Of course on the
opening bill with his new comic songs
At that time he wss singing topical song
that gave rise to the popular patter about
What's the matter with So-and-So?' and
ito accompanying rejoinder TO the eheot
that Hes all right About that time 1t
was Mayor Hewitt who was the CHIEF sub
ject Of the responsive encomnm.
Lille Western followed Mr., Pastor on the
opening bill She was a musical pres /
tidiRitator who numbered among her ac-
oomplishments the ability TO play two |
banios at the same time. Then came !
Lester and Allen. negro lmpersOnators, OF |
whom Mr.. Pastor says: Il have never seen |
their EQUALS; Lizzie Simms a dancer who !
used to make no less than twelve lightning |
changes Of costumes and Ella Wesner.
Miss Wesner was the first OF the male
hnPersonators, She did a stunt called
The Young Swells OF the Day, and MIR |
Pastor still thinks she was the best a. we'll
as the first Of her kind.
Lester and Williams closed the individual
part Of the bill with what they saw NJ TO call
their mimetic and saltatorial entertain
ment.' They were rapid fire takers whom
people went mileS TO hear.
May Irwin was not on the opening bill,
but the bill forthe second weeks perform
ance at Tony Pastor New Theatre shows
her DAme prominently displayed.
Il wonder said Mr.. Pastor reminiscently
tho othar day, "hcw yop would make out
II YOU had TO write new sketch every week
and good one too. John 7, Poole used 10
do II for me,
sHe was with me for years, and aiterward
became manager Of the Grand Opera House.
Poole used 10 sit down on Sunday evening,
Oiuipped with a clay pipe, a pencil and
plenty Of paper. He wouldn't get up until
hs had written the sketch and copied all the
parts. Monday morning he'd give the
thing TO me and I'D rehearse II ard put Il
on the next week.
1T waA John F. Poole who wrote the first
farce comedy ever prOducedln this country,
or, | suppose, any other country, That
was in 1870, and the thing was called A
Managers Trials | produced it, II con.
aimed the musical features, specialties
and 90 on that made that style Of entertain
ment 90 popular for 80 many years.
Il think that was also the first to 20 in
for what you might call canned comic opera
'Pnafore' was the first condensed operetta
| produced, Que Williams appearing in Il
as Dutch Admiral.
sThia was followed by a similar satiri2a-
ton Of The Pirates Of Pen2ance, In which
Miea Lillian Russell esssyed her first part as
A lyric actress. She also appeared for me
in a similarly condensed version Of Pa
tisnOs, in which / believe Miss May Irwin
had her first responsible part.
sNat Goodwin was among the players
have had hand in bringing out He first
appeared at my theatre In 1857, He did
very amusing monologle called The Stage
struck Barber In which he gave limitations
Of actors at that time prominent on our
stage. A good many Of the men he initiated
are forgotten now and Mr.. Goodwin has
lived to be better known than they ever
were.
sFrancis Wilson is another one Of the va
risty performers OF my theatre who got up
in the world and stayed up. There was a
time when he was member OF the song and
,iA,sa tam a. MAoICiE Asd Wilson and A