Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-06-27
THEATRICAL
 CHATTER


Geraldine Farrar has signed T i've years contract to appear at the Met ropolitan opera house for forty per formances each year.
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 Marie Wainwright has been en- gagged for an important role in Sam son." in which William Gillette is to be starred next season.
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 Elsie Janis and her mother will sail for Europe this week to stay two months. Her Chicago engagement in The Hoyden" ended last Satur- day night.
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 "The Girl Who Dared" Lulu Glaser's next year play, is said to be version of the French original of ''The Girl in the Barracks" Re hearsals will begin early in August.
 Fl: The Shuberts have engaged Mile Courtenay of the Opera ComiqTe, Paris, to star in new operatic pro- duction by Glen MacDonough. Mile Courtenay is an American, a native of Missouri, but she has never ap- peared in the United States. :N:
 Phoebe Davis returned to New York last Tuesday from London, where she went for the English pro- duetion of Way Down East" She brought back two new plays possibly for her own use. She also placed one of her own plays fer production in London.
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 Andrew Mack returned to New York on June Is on the Prinz Fried rich Wilhelm, after an absence Of more than year. At the end of his Australian tour, which began in March, 1907. MT Mack journeyed north by easy stages. He visited Italy. France, England and, above all, Ireland, and obtained the rights to several plays for later use. MT Mack will remain in New York city for several weeks. -
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 Charles J. Fyffe, the veteran play CT, librarian of the Forrest home at Springbrook, Pa, recently visited the Orpheum Stock company, Philadel- phia, distributing flowers from the home among the players The per- formance hes witnessed was that of Romeo and Juliet" To the Juliet, Mabel Brownell, he handed a bou- quet of roses bearing a card on which was inscribed: From an ex-Romeo of long ago to the youthful Juliet of today"
 :ll: If present plans are carried through, Coney Island will have a $500, ,000 theater ready for the open ing of the season of 1909. The Felt mans, who own big piece of prop erty in the center of Coney Island, are said to have had plans for the playhouse prepared and are in earn est in their intention to give the re- sort a playhouse worthy of the name. It is proposed to present musical at fractions of the first class that have been successful in New York.
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 Arthur Deagon, who plays the part of Happy Johnny Hicks in the east .ern company presenting The Time. the Place and the Girl' under the management of the Askin-Singer company, was arguing with friend the other day on the subject of tenn perance, of which Deagon is a strong advocate. His friend listened to his arguments in silence Finally he said: You know water will rot your boots, and if 1t will do that to boots just think what 1t will do to your stom- aeh."
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 "Blind Billy" Higbie died at Belle vue hospital on June 17, of a com plication of diseases. He was 36 years of age and many years ago had big reputation as a circus clown, having toured with Barnum's circus in all parts Of the country. For the past ten years he had supported him. self by keeping a news stand at the corner of the Bowery and Bleeeker street. over which the following leg end was painted: Blind Billy Keeps This stand--This Stand Keeps Blind Billy"
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 Mir and Mrs Chauncey OleOtt are occupying their cottage. Inniscarra, at Saratoga. and will remain until Mir olcotts new play Is produced. The play is by Mrs Olcott and Mrs Rida Johnson Young. author of Brown of Harvard" Mir olcott is very en- thusiastic about 1t. He descfibes the play as typically Irish play. dealing with the legends of the Ein- erald Isle. After a week or two of scenic rehearsals in New York city his entire company will go to sara toga for the remainder of the re- hearsals.
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 Paris evidently has had a more successful theater season than any other European country, this probab- ly being due to the attraction by that city of more visitors than any other city can boast. A statement cabled Fma Em