The national forum., 1910-08-27
OPENING OF HOWARD
THEATRE.

Less than year ago this project had
it's beginning and last Monday saw the
Howard Theatre finished and ready for
the audience This is the neatest, best
equipped and furnished house in this
city and will rank first among the thea
tres of its kind i'll the entire country. Its
dimensions are, width so feet, depth l26
feet, with a stage 2S by about So feet,
being 80 feet before the footlights. There
are eight proscenium boxes, four on each
side. The wide, beautifully curved sweep
, of the balcony forms an orchestra circle
that is very graceful and pleasngsi and
the dip of the same arch gives pleas
ing contour to the parquet. The balcony
is the most artstically proportioned OF
any | have viewed The entire house is
most carefully designed and constructed
and elegantly furnished, though one
might say the mural decorations and the
frescoes are d tritle gaudy. The seats
are wide, comfortable and pleasant, we'll
proportioned and with plenty of room
space between and in front Of them, so
that the tall and the fat may sit in com
fort and persons may pass in and on:
with ease. There are seats for about
room for about 800 more.
Henry L. Mas, OF Baltimore, the bull
der, says he has built four theatres in
the last eighteen months, and this is
the prettiest and best of the lot. MIR.
Mas built one theatre in this city dur
ing the time mentioned, and it does not
compare with the Howard for beauty and
equipment, or in design and proportion.
Mr., w. S. Saunders, put in the scenery
and stage settings said this is MS fine, as
any theatre in the country The stage is
thoroughly equipped with every modern
device for safety and utility 1t is all
steel, brick and cement, the only wood be-
ing the floor The flies are fifty feet, and
all curtains and scenery are tire-proot.
The curtains and scenery are painted by
MIR. Walter Simmer. The owners, Rosen-
thai and Benedict are white men.
The audience which gathered Monday
night was characteristicNlly Washing
tonian. The varied elements of our So
cial life flowed into one pleasing, har-
long in advance and when the orchestra
struck up the overture, the house was
full, and standing Room Only" was
hung out. Mr. and Mrs Tom Lancas
ter, white team opened the house with
a banjo and black-face act. They were
only ordinary. The next "act" was
Judge Terrell with q very graceful speech
Of welcome, saying a aIn glad to see
that there IL at last d theatre where all
-nan and all women may come. Without
fear Of humiliation or discrimination 2
The jndge exited amidst applause, only
to return, saying he had been chosen ring
master and introduced Hon. Harry Cum
mings, Of Baltimore, who congratulated
US, and said we should congratulate Bal.
time. 1--WE do Harry, we congratulate
her on your account) Then Hon. Ralph
Tyler delighted us with wit and wisdom.
The management were lucky in shook
ing" Mr.. Tyler. The regular show then
proceeded with johnson Brothers and
johnson, three old-time minstrels. with a
lot of very old-time jokes. The Seymour
Sisters took place of Rice Brothers, and
it gave us some very clever clog dancing.
We needed Miss Eta Miner to really
waken lis, and she did it, assisted by Mr..
Frank j. Clermonto, who seemed to suf-
fed from cold and something else. Miss
Abbie Mitchell was the. big act She has
improved, broadened, developed; her fine
voice is mellower and richer and she has
gained surety and poise. She seemed Il
bit hoarse in her first song, but it all dis
appeared, and Cousin Caruso" and
Mammy's Lasses Candy Chile" were fine
ly given. After repeated encores, she re-
turned and sang "Red, Red Rose" over
bunca of roses some admirer had sent.
The Pekin Trio were good, especially the
cello solo, by Mr. Sam Arnold, +. f.
Warren Hatch & Co. were very clever in
an old comedy renamed "Miss Cupid"
The Five Largards are good acrobats.
The orchestra was very inadequate,
both as to number and arrangement of
the instruments. They were very weak.