The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-18
OPERA NEAR THE EQUATOR
itREINS COMPANY ALSO SANG
~ - NORTH lar.


VpramarlOO-stoFns og Many SSrsu
.r.n Edmonton. far up in Alberta. !,
iasrur IN French Guiana. 1900 mile
ping Is the record OF the W. 3
E..,.u, Opera Company. which disbande,
..r ,y-terday after landing from IN,
g. Dutch West Indian NAH steamship
shame. from ParamaribO. They has
I.. H.' since June I last year. sinain,
.,.U. ug from Faust and FRA d.
sr..u TO The Rnnaways' and IN.
Sh.a url.'
INr, PLAYED before folks in evening
".. and before folks with PRACTICAL,
r. .rhes az all. They had audiences o.
and Crow Indians In the SOrthwesl
anil Rush Indians in Surinam. Cowboy.
nlcd for them and fur traders WaiteC
a. rne stage door with presents Of ermin,
and mink skins Tor the ladies' Of the chorus
tornado onos unroofed the show and
tr. prima donna had 10 reach for hiRh {
un a swishing wind and a driving rain
They we're snowbOund. heat stricken
-easick and fever scared. They came
home with not only a bag Of entertain
rng experiences bue pookGtfuls % money
The tour netted profit Of between ta0,OOg
4nd S.i.U
The company was organized last spring
tor a tour Of nineteen British provinces
hv VI :, Robinson. who put up the cash.
NJ Robinson figured IL was good gamble
and stunt worth trying 20 SO IL an
opera company could sing dollars out Of
the pockets Of people all the way from
Vancouver to Caracas He g.lessed right
as i turned out. and the troupe was 90
tickled with their SUCCESS that they are
thinking Of trying, u on again next year.
" 5. HarkIns. With an Interest," In the
company. was business manager. and for
stage manager and producer they got
Frank d. Nelson. who has had an expert
encs At twenty-eight years IN putting
On opera, light and heavy. The prima
donna comes from New Haven. Her
name IL Mlnna Louise Storm and ahe owns
TO p years and quite a bunch of good
looks Esther Barton was the con-
tralto, Henry Taylor tho tenor. and StaRe
Manager Nelson looked after the barry
tone parts Jack Henderson vas the
principal comedian. There was a chorus
Of sixteen girls and ten men.
Il was Prank Nelson WhO told the story
Of the tour. He 10 ScOtchman. very
hrlsk and alert. a. he had n he 10 keep
HE company up 10 the notch under an
sorts Of queer conditions Mr. Nelson
was found at the Grand Central station
Yesterday afternoon checking baggage
20 New Haven for part q the company.
Here and there were tho ladies' Of the
Chorua. the brInettes a little brtIner from
the West Indian suns. tn blondes a VIII,
less blond for the same reason One Of
the girls olrfied a timorous monkey.
mother was oherishing a black canary
who appeared gloomy and a third hoped
she would got pair o! ma-mosets 70 New
Haven 70 show the folks Their trunks
and suit Clses were packed with curios
and mement0es 81 tho long trip.
You bet we're glad 10 get home. said
Nelson. but Il was some trip. son, some
tnp. III bet we've got tho record. all
night We played % our hrst audience IN
Vancouver on June and then worked
slowly East. taking IN Lassan. a great
tourist point-they go there o. $50 the
glaciers and make short trail trips through
the Yoho Valley Calgary. Edmonton.
Medicine Hat. Moosejlw. Regina in
SaskAtcheWan ana lot more towns that
would make folks here sit up 10 $50. they
are 10 progressive and hustling
IL was In Calgary that We had one Of
the scariest experiences Of the whole
trip We were singing Fra DiavolO IN
the Academy Of Mucic when a tornado
from the States hit town and snatchsd
the roof. or big part Of IT, right on the
opera house. That crowd showed nerve.
Of course a few women scrsschsd and
there were one or two fool men a. usual.
but the majority Of the audience stuck
iEht In their seats There was no place
20 90. Il was blowing guns outside and
aiming hard 50 the opera house was a.
and safe as any other location.
Well. Mise Storm was singing when |
The twister hit us. She stopped only I
moment or two % give the orchestra a 4
m ance 20 brace up, then went right on
u WAS funny. The roof over the stage
vas intact, az t happened. and We were
nice and dry. but the audience was wet
a- "A hen In a thOwer. | don't believe a
O. npany ever got more applause than 90
did hat evening.
An agent OF the Canadian Government
cane 10 us az Calgary and asked us 30
give a special performance for the Sioux
srd Crow Indians He aaid Il didn't
make mach difference what opera We
rIr IN. u wo n be all the same 70 the
reimen. 80 We gave 'PinafOre The
IEiai- AT in front. then the bucks and
say hack 10 the house were the aquawH
and q lot Of squirting papOoses. Ia
Ea- funny show. The indiana sat there
'lolt making a sound except an
.essIonal groInt. and you couldn't tell
whether they we're grunting with you
4t YOU But between the acts they
irraIded Ike the mischief, how-howing'
I.I Itpfering and ciapping their hands
30 white men. AZ the end q the opera
'''v gave us really a fine ovation i
'.lrose that's what you would Gail it
10 Ne couldn't understand what they
e-" HJItiug
Ma would have split your sides II
&c.. lad heen around az the stage door
"a 'nr Academy Of Music say fifteen
rf 'es after the FINAL curtain. Half
b Ilyen young Indians, blsnketed and
.sa'.arrd and painted like totem poles.
..a med up. What forg Waiting for Z
girls 20 come out. The girls we're Z
Do. TO- but the Indians didn't mean .
..'.r g. YOU know. They didn't speak ]
aa a step. They just wanted 10 see
.-f' he singers looked like 81 close '
.gra
gGas- We played further north than
.E .".s company ever has. % faF a. I
saHR 40 any rate. We awfs In
r.l. the capital 81 Alberta. the !
bern terminus % the Canadian Pacific
3D.. Tor four Wees9 and there wasn't