The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1914-02-06
FREAKISH SHOWS.
Stage FiascoS In the Old Days
In the Metropolis.
A SINGLE NIGHT "0THELL0."

Wolfsohn Turned the Play Into Near
Riot and Never Acted Again--George
Reynolds Melancholy Romeo to SIX
Ambitious Amateur Julets.
The freak play or the performance
that is a trayesty is little in evidence
today, but it does not seem so long
ago when q slump in business some
times enboblened even the most con
seryative OF theatrical managers to re
sort to extraordinary measures to at,
tract at least one capacity audience
One Of the early freak performances
was intended as IN event Of great ar
tistic value The late Henry Wolf
sohn, who afterward became famous
as an impresario. aspired to the great
Forests mantle The great tragcdian
was playing at Niblo's Garden in
"Othello and Wolfsohn. then twenty.
two had saved il little money with The
idea Of purchasing the privilege Of ap,
pearina rs tie Moor iii New York once
at least. His ambition appealed to
Marie Seebach. tie German actress.
who was appearing III that year tlSG9t
at the Theatre lFrancais on West Four
teenth street Wolfsohn paid the man
ager $1,000 for the privilege. besides
himself selling ont tine capacity of the
theater
Although the audience was composed
chiefly OF his friends and relatives. the
portrayal WAS so udicrous that a riot
seemed imminent and was only pre-
vented through an appeal TO the audi
ence from Nine Seebach TO consider
her own position WoIfSohn never troa
the boards again.
The next year in the same theater
opera boufc was the rage. owing to
the tremendous hit of a. comedian Of
the name of CADET who appeared rs
one of the two gendarmes in Gene
We've dc Btabaut G'abprs popularity
WIS So great that a heHelit was Ten
dered to him He decided to present
"Genevieye" as Il travesty the male
principals assuming the female roles
and tile women those af the men. The
house was sold out one hour after the
advance sale opened Spectators reap
ed harvest
The audience began to laugh before
the curtain rose. the conductor was
greeted with roars OF mefriment Even
the ushprs were grinDing in anticipa
tion Of a festiva Of fun When Gabel
appeared deliberately sowned as Gene
We've it was fully two minutes before
he was allowed to sing the beautiful
serenade number lie. too. was burst
ing with laughter. The same reception
greeted each OF the principals bat from
then on the performance was about as
enliyening rs funeral rhe tbeatef
was half empty before the act ended
Gabel said the next day chat he would
gladly give back the $4,000 it yielded if
he could forget the experience
1t was fifteen years before anything
of this nature was attempted again.
This time ii was for the hate Maurice
Grau. who had suffered many reyerses,
that the benefit was organized at the
Academy OF Music Gran himself ar
ranged the program the feature of
which was Il travesty of the first act
of LA Grande Duchpsse The great
Aimee, queen OF opera bouffe was
cast for General RpHm the pondprons
NJ. Dupan played the Duchess. and
the drol N AleziereS was Wanda
Seats brought as mph Ms $l5 each
The house wlS crowded hut. alas. the
hasco was even more complete than II
Gabels benefit
Booths theater. then ut Twenty third
street and Sixth avenue. WAS the
scene Of the next freak performance
George Rignold, famous as a matinee
idol. was attracting all New York to
see his Henry the Fifth Joseph
Tooker, an Ingenious Snowman. il ever
there was one, conceived the idea Of
special matinee Of Romeo and ia.
liet," with six amateurs to appear as
Juliet. RignoId was the Romeo Such
a scene as WAS on view on West Twen
ty third street that matinee day was
never witnessed before nor since As
early as a. m the Iobliies were pack
ed, and the line to the box Office
reached to Rrn,,awav