Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-08

UW! -
SE. S. RaEET-: &C.:
played the title role, according to the
papers Of the day. Sin a way to astonish
the natives" The National Republican
said: Mr.. Lackey. who carried the
titular part, was obviously fashioned
after Mr.. Barrett. over whom he has
lpersopality. His first act was a we'll
finished piece of acting. In the later
passages, where Garrick feigns intoxi-
cation. he may at least be said to have
Of that date said: Mr.. Lackey in the
| title role was especially good" and still
| another. said he gave "a remarkably
strong and well cut rendition" while
Miss Wheeler's Ada Ingot was highly
commended. At any rate. it was gem
orally agreed that the performance was
big surprise to the critics because of
Its general excellence. The cast in
cluded c. B. Rheem, as Simon Ingot;
william c. Murdoch. as Squire Chivy;
stein, as Mr.. Smith; J. r. Littell, as
Mr.. Jones. and George Sheldon, as
Thomas. The feminine roles were as
signed as follows: Ada Ingot, to Miss
Rose Wheeler; Miss Araminta Brown,
/ to Miss Anita Hendrie. and Mrs. Smith,
to Miss Maude Freeman. In the farce,
"Mr. and Mrs. Peter White" Edwin B.
Hay assumed the role of Peter White,
with Messrs. Flynn and Erdman. Miss
MISS Evans in the other roles.
It was during the performance of
David Garrick" and "Mr and Mrs.
Peter White" that the club announced
! For the first time in any theater. the
entire change of stage setting from an
| elaborate interior (of the Comedy, to
beautiful landscape (for the farce).
viii be made with the curtain up, by a
5 .t corps Of stage hands under the
direction of Mr.. William A. T. Phillips
master mechanic. and Mr.. Morgan A.
sherwood. property master-a feature
never seen before in this or any other
theater"
This performance was given for tbe
heneft Of the stage employees Of the
National Theater.
Club High in Public Esteem.
BY December of 1883 the club had
established itself SO highly in the pub
iic esteem that it was deemed worthy
OF special newspaper review. This
review chronicled the loss of several Of
It's excellent players, Mr.. William A.
Lackey having gone to the professional
stage with Lawrence Barrett Mr..
Charles B. Hanford also then being as
ISOLATED with and playing important
roles in Thomas w. Keene's company
and Mr. James A. Mahoney. now play
Ing heavy parts with William Stafford"
and later as leading man for the then
popular favorite "Lotta'
Inc club still had much valuable tall
emit in its forty active members. includ-
ing Misses Rose and Julia Wheeler.
Mae McCauley. Marion Chadwick.
Anita Hendrie, Jennie Thompson,
Belle Cavis. Mollie Bond and Messrs.
e. B. Hay. H. C. Robinson, S. R. Flynn,
Marion Dorian. Kelley, J. E. Ferguson.
o, G. Eckstein. Harbaugh. w. r. Shield,
Tim Murphy. C. B. and E. S. Rheem.
George Erdman and Ryder
The next public performance that
seems to have been given was June 9.
1884. for the benefit of the Washington
Continentals, new militia orSaniza-
ton. and the first prospectus announced
The Merchant of Venice" Don Caes-
ar de Bazan" and the farce Our Boys"
with their respective casts. A clipping
from the Washington Record of Oc-
tober 10, 1888. stated that the club had
rehearsed last night its new selection,
1.-The Wife," but there Is no record that
Torrance of June 9. 1t was usually the
custom Of the club to spend its winter
in retirement studying and rehearsing
new plays.
Hanford Hailed Coming Star.
According to the original casts,
Charles b. Hanford was to have played
Shylock, in 1.-The Merchant OF Venice"
and Miss Rose Wheeler the role OF
Portia; 8. r. Flynn. the role Of Don
Caesar in Don Caesar de Bazan." with
Miss Daisy Hodkinson as Mariana and
William B. Murdoch the role of
Perkyns Middlewick. in Our Boys;
Miss Mae McCauley. that of Mary; Miss
Hodkinson, that of Clarissa. and Miss
Bateman, that of Belinda.
Mr.. Hanford, according to one of the
newspapers of the time. had then been
and after the Cincinnati dramatic
festival, in the spring of 1884, was be-
ginning to be talked Of and mentioned
in the public press as the coming actor
of the American stage" The club, too,
was being called in the local papers
this, our representative dramatic or
ganiZation
By the middle of May, however, the
program was changed SO as to include
only 1.-THE Merchant of Venice" and the
farce "Mr. and Mrs. Peter White Mr..
Hay, too, who was to have played the
role of Peter White, became a member
of the staff Of the colonel of the National
Rifles, which was about to take west
ern trip, and Mr.. John A. Benedick of
the bureau of engraving and printing
was substituted, with Mrs. Davis, well
known in dramatic circles as Mrs.
White.
Miss Wheeler Scores Big Hit.
Then the announcement was made
that Mr.. D. c. Bangs would assume
the role of Shylock. In lieu of Mr. Han
ford Miss Rose Wheeler, at the per-
Torrance, seems to have made the big
hit. for all the papers Landed her work
highly; but the performance as a whole
was classed as highly creditable while
in the farce Messrs. Charles Benedick,
Eckstein, Erdman and Misses Julia NJ. |
Wheeler, Lille Lewis and Mae Nc
Cauley kept the audience in excellent
humor by their humorous and spirited
acting" Mr.. Benedick was commended
for the Introduction of limitations of
well known actors.
At the July business meeting of the