Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-09

yet to even intimate for a second that
the bass violin player is unnecessary to
the orchestra would he To call forth M
merous protests from the gentleman thus
engaged in our theaters.
'Of course, the bass violin Is a neces-
sary instrument TO an orchestra. Tho
music would be fine without il, woudn' {
IT, 1t is indeed a dangerous subject.
There is one thing that the bass violin
player becomes an expert in, and that
is audiences.
There are certain nights set aside al
most for a certain class OF patrons" says
the wise musician. Monday night IL
always for the first nighters.' The
matinees are mostly OF the younger set
OF course, and women almost exclusively.
Thursday and Friday nights are always
society nights 1t is noticeable that GER
tain actors and actresses have certain
folowings, There are the men and wom-
en- who viii come TO see straight
Qraina, and whom you can not find when
a musical comedy is playing. Again there
Is the man who will be CONSPICUOUS in the
front row two or three times in one
week when some musical comedy, with
catchy songs and pretty girls, is playing
and who will not come again until the
next musical show arrives. II surely
takes all kinds To make world. and
there are lot of the different varieties
TO be seen at a theater
When any one is seeking the out of the
ordinary audience the place to 90 is tile
Academy of Music. and if they are not
able to quench their curiosity in that
direction let them talk to Albin Stauss,
director of the -piece-orc heStra that
plays there. He is an authority on tho
subject. A trial which. has TO be gone
through at the Academy and not 50 much
at the other theaters Is becoming used
to powder smoke. There the members OF
10 m in I'd
10 the explosion of a gun.
Speaking of serious results. Mr.. Stauss
tells of a near-serious accident which
happened during his experience as direc-
tor of an orchestra.
Several seasons ago." says Mr.. Stauss.
my regular drummer was I'll and |
had to use a green, inexperienced man.
After few weeks at his post he became
somewhat accustomed TO his position and
began to sit up and take notice. one
night, while playing a hurry for a
struggle between the hero and the viii
lain, his attention was drawn to an al
teTcation between two stage hands behind
the scenes. which he could see from his
chair. and which ultimately finished in a
fiSticuff. He was very much interested
in the real fight going Oh and when the
orchestra stopped playing ne kept on
beating his drum vigorously. OF course
the audience soon woke up to the fact
that something was wrong and began 10
laugh. much 10 the discontinue OF the
was unable 10 do 50. and il WAS not unit.
I went over and tapped him on TIE
shoulder that he stopped. Then ], too.
saw the cause Of his playing over time
Mr.. stauss tells another story OF an
incident which occurred in one Of the
tfeaters where he played.
-.
Some years ago was playing in q
vaudeville house for a slack wire act.
Assisting the gentleman who was per
forming on the wire was his wife, whose
duty II was to hand him such articles az
he needed. During one Of lis stunts he
used a lamp. and just before she handed
it to him she would attempt t. light
match on various pieces OF furniture, but
always with no success. Whereupon her
husband would get down. apparently an
cry, and himself try Ia light il by
scratching ii on the furniture. with the
same result. Finally. taking one lie
would wink at the audience and scratch
II on his trousers. only a man can.
light the lamp and 20 on with tho act.
While he was going through this ono
day the manager happened 10 he spec
tatOr He was present at the next per
Torrance and for several in succession.
after which lie sent word TO the proper
ty man to go out and buy some good
matches and See that they We're placed
on the table hereafter
At Kernan's Lyceum Theater r. =.
Wagner leads busy life directing tho
orchestra during the twelve performances
a week. His time Is taken up during al
most the entire performance as there IS
need of an accompaniment To the ma
Jortv of the acts. Although Mr.. Wag
ner is under the impression that there
are many of the patrons who enjoy the
performance enough 10 come twice. he
has to admit that il has not the charm
Saturday night that il held for him Mon
day afternoon
At kernan'S the drummer plays as I'm
portant role i'm the other ola yhouses,
perhaps more SO. for he is often called
on for special work. As in all vaudeville
or burlesque houses there are skits during
which the comedian INDUCES in songs or
a humorous nature, il means, in the ma
jority of cases. that the IMAM at the
traps has strenuous twenty minutes
ahead of him. II also means that unless
he is careful there are rocks on which lie
will ground. For instance. the comedian
is singing funny song. during the cho-
rus of which the drummer has 70 use
various instruments, such as a bird whis-
tie, cuckoo, or a crash his drum.
II by any chance the comedian changes
the order of the verses, which he some
times does, the drummer is apt to blow
his cuckoo after the words'.And Pat fell
down." when the proper thing for him
TO do would be to give a crash on his
drum.