The New York herald., 1922-11-05
ERHAPs the. most surprising
- theatrical comeback of recens
~ ........ -. ,>,-., MOT ~ M Wolf

NEttI1APS the most SURPRISING
- theatrical comeback Of recen'
years has been that OF De VOL!
Hopper. When he left here last
spring Il was after one of the most
signal failures of q season that had
been singularly -ich In failures. Some
Party" which De Wolf Hoppers
''Funmakers" put cp at Jolson's Fifty
ninth Street Theater ffad missed fire
NTH almost brilliant distinction after
u. few weeks. 1t developed later that
the average salary OF the principals
paid on a cooperative basis. had been
! s26 a week.
And now. behold: Hopper has been
drawing down mamma from heaven
with the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera
Company in a tourS Of the South
Rumblings had. reached Broadway
| that Hopper was "c.earing up" Will,
his revivals of old time classics, at a
period when the road had become 6
charnel house for most attractions. II
seemed almost too good to be true. but
those who made inquiry found that
1t was even so.s
| Hopper opened in Baltimore the
middle Of june. Originally he had beer,
engaged TO play there in repertoire for
| two weeks. but his performances proved
an instantaneous hit, and Tho engage
nnent was prolonged TO thirteen weeks.
Instead OF putting on two operettas, as
inltiaily planned. seven of his favorite
works were eventually presented. They
| were THE Aikado," THE Pirates OF
Penzance," "Iolanthe." "PinAtore" "Yeo-
men OF the ciuard.' Sousa's I'll Captain
| and De koven's Robin Hood"
| ioppers acting drew editorials In the
leading newspapers. Though ho ap-
peared In Carlin's Park. an open ali
amusement resort on tho outskirts OF
the city. Baltimore surged out to see
him In droyes. So Il was. throughout the
| rest OF his tour--but thereafter he ap-
peared In regular theaters.
| To the cities where ho has gone under
the management OF George w. Sammis
who was business manager for Hopper
in his early days. hundreds Of farmers
and their families have come nocking for
miles around in flivyers and all sorts
of odd conveyances. Special railroad
! excursions have been organized from,
outlying towns. The population down
there have had no Gilbert and Sullivan
revivals In years. but remember the
performances Of their early youth, and
few of them in the provinces have yet
succumbed to the jazz craze. SO they
| lave made as much fuss over Hoppers
advent as though it we're the circus. and
the giant comedian finds himself at the
age of 81 as popular In the South as
Raruum and Bailey's.
After leaving Baltimore he went 20
Norfolk Atlanta. Birmingham and New
Orleans. The rest OF his itinerary In
the United States includes Nashville,
Chattanooga. Knoxville, Asheville. whers
he has been playing during the past
week; Richmond. Wilmington and Phila-
deiphia. Following this he Is to go 10
Montreal about the first Of the new year
for an extended engagement. This and
other Canadian cities arc known for the
avidty with which they devour Gilbert
spend much time touring Toronto,
Hamilton. Quebec, Ottawa. Saskatoon.
Winnipeg and other cities OF the
Dominion.
The receipts, large as they are, hays
been somewhat reduced, however. by thu
heavy organization which Hopper has
found 1t necessary to maintain In order
to do the operettas properly Some OF
the success of his enterprise has besn
due to the cast of principals support
Ing him. These include Herbert
Waterous. noted basso; Alice Mackenzie.
prima donna soprano; J. Humbird Dui-
fey. tenor: Bernicc Mershon contralto.
who has sung with the San Carlo ami
French opera companies: Arthur Gun.
ningham. barytone Winifred Angll,i
mezzo-soprano. and Henry Kelly In ad-
dition there is a chorus OF thirty, mos.iy
male. since Gilbert and Sullivan opercttaa