The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-10-31

Aftemluous Koch, MD, So0thSaver
and patent medicine faker. who will
speak for himself, Wayne MacVeagh.
Michael Flavius, Republican Tribune
and chief of police, R. g. Emmett.
Marcus Antony, swell of the period
but not such fool as he looks, j. II.
Parker.
Calpherina Caesar, with a will of her
own. Easy the better half of Caesar.
A. Nee. Griswold.
Portia Brutus, slightly frivolous and
a wee bit inclined to Irritation, G. B.
Blake.
Daucus of Gades, who says nothing,
but -, j. A. Garland.
First Citizen, ordinary Roman make,
F. Townsend
Second Citizen, ditto, l.. Tremain.
Messenger. the only 1ast man in the
play, C. R. Falk. y
Town Crier, \. T. Robb.
Farmers Alliance Senator, G.. B. Ma
goun.
The comment on the production was
| highly complimentary to the PLAYERS
and Mr. Wilder had the cream. The
Boston Herald, for instance reckoned
him with j. Wendell, 81, and
prophesied for him the ability to easily
fit his shoes when Wendell graduated
Town Topics was equally extravagant
in its praises and mentioned particular
ly his rendering of Hawaiian songs,
stunt which he was called upon to do
in the middle of the play and without
preparation and for which he received
and responded to calls for FIVE eneores.
"They were strenuous DAYS those. -
remarked jamie as he dawdled with
brush full of color, "'and they bring
back to me pleasant memories. Since
you have mentioned it | freely confess
l would like tn go back to it all-in
a trance. In the latter part of 81,
David Grey, who was one of US, wrote
The Sphinx and it was in that that
| made a good impression. Grey is
known today as one of the short story
writers for the Saturday Evening Post
His libretto for the opera was humorous
In the extreme. 1t was my first ap-
pearance with the 'Puddings.' The
music was by Frederick Thompson. The
cast well balanced and the good parts
evenly distributed. I played Fl
Papyrus, tutor to the Prince and sung
q song that was afterwards sung all
over the East and was made into a
march for the Boston cadets. Julian
Goldman, leading philanthropist of the
present day, played Fora, and Lewis Z.
Berry, who ranks with the great d.
vines of America, and who has large
charge in the South, had the part Of
Alfred E. Pharo.'
This seems to bear out the statement
that many men of his class, or who
were in the drama at the time, have
since became prominent. 1t shows, also,
that their heads were not turned by
the fattery of their admirers nor the
glamor of the tootlights. AS I have
said before, my attention to the young
man was attracted by an article in the
Herald. After he did burlesque Ham
let and a skit called "Hamlet. Prince
of Denmark, or the Spook, the Sport
and the Spinster' Of that the Herald
spoke well of the play and particularly
so of Wilder and Town Topics said it
was ''Jolly piece of work. Wilder is
an excellent comedian and very original
in his method. Quite as good as many
of the best professionals. On this oc-
casion the orchestra was led by Fred
erick Converse.
At that time the Harvard players
were allowed to travel about and pre-
sent their plays, privilege since
withdrawn, and when the burlesque
Hamlet was produced the company con-
sisted of about fifty men including the
college orchestra.
81 remember that on one OCCASION
said Mr.. Wilder in a reminiscent way,
that one of the stage boxes was occu-
pied by Mr.. Cleveland and his wife
and the opposite one was filed by
number of Hawaiians. In my native
songs, the opera was the Sphinx, L
made up one in which the names of
Liliuokalani and Mr.. Cleveland were
linked. 1t had such a reception from
the Hawaiians that their pleasure be-
came infectious and the applause was
taken up by the entire house. Refer
ence was made to Mr.. Cleveland by the
Hawaiian boys and after the song Mrs.
Cleveland sent for me and requested
me to sing for her in private, which
l did and | was afterwards honored
by a request from her to call at the
White House and sing again. We play
ed several of the big cities that winter
and had tremendous success. On one
occasion there was a trvout by the
grads An affair that puts first night
performance in New York in the shade
in 50 far as technical criticism goes
One man after another was dropped and
when the role of Tony Lumpkin came
to me | could have been touched for
anything ! owne', ] felt so elated.
''It was to be a star performance
and / had the part upon which the play
hung. Dear me, but we worked to make
it a success for those who were consid-
cred the best in the college and out
of it were in the cast. I remember
a niece of President Eliot, appearing
as Miss Hardcastle and another lady
from Fall River had an important part.
Old Hardcastle was played by a man
who has since become a famous peda-
gogue. For the tap room scene, where
| have my convivial companions, the
scenery was ideal and I had the best
men of the college to pick from. Think
Of it, three thousand good fellows who
could sing well and from among that
number I picked eight. The opening
scene. d We mind, is the tap room and
we are gathered around the table. pipes
in hand and tankards close by. singing
the song of THE Three Jolly Pigeons.
Gee, but that was a night The APP
rlla1ySa = ripuiu0r IN my oore ~ 7 think