Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-12

wholly ncomprehensbe to theatergoers who witnessed
the antics of Cleopatra. According to Rajah, the
Queen of Egypt demonstrated her chiefly by
Selling kitchen chair with her teeth and whrlng
round and round with it high in the air.
Of the degeneration of vaudeville the most regretabe
feature is that it has brought about change in
the character of vaudeville audiences. Perhaps l
should say IN their personnel since their character
must have been affected by all this sensationalism.
True, of the downtown theaters have become
noted for the Sporty aspect of their audiences and,
necessarily all these houses have lost the patronage of
women shoppers, country people, and Stay-at-hOmeS
who assiduously courted. Mostly however
the crowds that flock to such are made up
of middle class folk who look and listen unblushingly
at sights and to sentences they would not tolerate
their circles 1t does possible that this
of thing can be without its influence upon their lives
When vaudeville written down @spce, how
ever, had in mind not much its offenses against
roprety its appeal to palates that reject solid food
Vaudeville addresses itself to amusement seekers in
capable of giving unwilling to concentrated and
continuous attention. This kind of entertainment calls
for no ordeniness of mind There is no sequence of
thought be preserved logical procession of ideas
to be kept in line: the impression of the moment is
sufficient and supreme Naturally such performance
is attractive to undscipned brains to empty brains,
and to lazy brans well to weary You need
bring to vaudeville theater nothing but the price of
admission. 1t is this asking little that has made
the popularity of moving pictures.
Vaudeville, field of labor has about the rela
ton to the Theatrical business" that insurance bears
other business When business man has failed at
everything else he tries selling insurance; when proi
nent actor has CLOSED" twice three times in rapid
succession, he 3goes into vaudeville" The better ele
ment is infused without fusing The regulars, like
trained skfu and successful insurance solicitors,
inclined to look askance at these volunteers resentng
the fact that the latter n1akeshft what they
have adopted profession, and insisting, often not
without justice that 3while big may draw the
crowds it is work that holds en-" I'm afraid the
attitude of many recruits does not tend to lessen this
friction. as there a star dressing room'?" well
known pra donna inquired loftily she entered the
theater where she to make her debut in "the
day."
The juggler to whom the question was put replied,
ayes for falling stars"
HOWEVER, many of these falling stars" perform the
strange astronomical feat of climbing back into the
heavens. large number of the and women at
present heading their companies have descended
into vaudeville, Antaus occasionally descended to
earth, to their strength. One attractive play
and Mr.. V. Headliner becomes Mr.. Broadway Star
Robert billiard had been in the varieties for years when
he restored to the legitimate by Porter Emerson
Brownies "A Fool There Was" Sarah Bernhardt, as
everybody knows appeared at music hall in London
route to fill her latest engagement in America.
Here we have no "Divne Sarah; but vaudeville has
sung its siren song successfully to Mrs. Patrick Camp
bell Lily Langtry Charles Hawtrey Henrietta Crosman
Henry Miller Arnold DAILY Lillian Russell, and
berless other people of great reputation This song is
most aggravating to producers of musical comedy,
whose performers, when the librettst insists upon the
preservation of of his text when their names do