Evening star., 1936-03-01
By Thomas r. Henry
THIS 81 the story OF the first bur-

s. " \Hl8 ~ the story OF the IlfSt pur-
+ lesque show In North America.
I Also. and incidentally. it is
y, - the story of the first and only
sgcoronation of a king on the conti-
hent-at least north of Mexico.
81. Its stage was forest clearing in
Virginia; the time, 800 years ago. The
name of the production was THE King
OF Virginia" 1t was good show.
Burlesque producers in three centuries
have devised no production that
eclipses 1t. It had everything any
other show of the kind ever has had
positively everything and little extra.
It was staged for an audience of
footsore travelling statesmen, lately
from London. Its producer was the
first notable American racketeer and
gangster. He also appeared-quite
tnvoluntarily and extemporaneously-
as one of the clowns Its star, to
whose unhappy memory this revival
Is dedicated, was the first American
burlesque queen, an entrancing young
lady then at the beginning of a
career that was to bring her immor-
tality on the larger stage of his
tory. Her name was Pocahontas.
This was a burlesque show with
In a burlesque show. There were
three acts. One of them was an
elaborate and intentional stage pro-
/. duction, intended purely for enter
tainment and relaxation. The other
: two were entirely extemporaneous.
3, They were the clown acts, which stu
dents of the period pronounce the
most ludicrous clown acts in the
history of the New World.
. Poor Pocahontas! They took her
) OF the burlesque stage, where she was
!. brilliant and happy. They cast her
in tragedy. The tragic roles, for
-, which she had no dignity and no lik-
ing. killed her. A. tragedienne, she
made her exit from the stage of the
: world. She would be happier to
know that her burlesque triumphs
have not been forgotten entirely in
three crushing centuries.
- Fortunately, there was gentleman
Of the press present. He was dis
gusted with the show, but he had
soft place in his heart for Pocahontas.
He wrote an account of what he saw,
giving her due credit. He played a
=. bit himself IN the next act, the ex-
temporaneous one. His account has
been buried these three centuries.
But whenever a professional ethnolo-
gist who has come across it in her
erudite researches goes to party in
washington she always can keep a
roomful of guests roaring with laugh
ter by reciting few incidents from
the grandfather of all burlesque shows.
Here's how it all came about:
In 1867, it will be recalled, a Lon
don sea captain named Christopher
Newport-Newport News is named
after him-deposited colony of Eng
lish gentlemen at Jamestown, thus
founding the first permanent British
colony in North America. After a
short stay and few casual inquiries
regarding the potential resources of
the country, he sailed back to England
for q load of supplies and to report
to his employers. the directors of
the London company.
HE GAVE the directors intimations
of the riches to be anticipated,
which whetted their appetites. He was
Immediately re-outfitted with in
structions not to return without mug
gets of gold or without discovering a
way to the South Seas.
Now these directors, according to
their lights, were honest men. They
did not intend that their agents should
steal gold. except in q manner recog-
: nized by the conscience o. the day as
ethical. It must be had by agreement
with the properly constituted authori-
, ties. Moreover, there was to be no
trespassing by their colonists on any,
body's land. The territories occupied
by the English must be duly pur-
chased.
But what was the properly consti-
tuted authority in Virginia? Capt
Newport informed them that the Wild
erness had q ''king"-an old savage
named Powhatan. He obviously was
the man with whom to do business.
But, the directors asked themselves,
was this man really king, divinely
designated and of status comparable
to that Of their own holy and beloved
James I? Had he been elevated to
the throne with all the proper for
inalities? Their conscience would not
permit them to do business with a
mere pretender-perhaps a man who
never had been crowned at all.
Capt. Newport couldn't answer these
questions. The directors were In a
Quandary. They nigh. be about to
negotiate treaties with one no better
than q mere English commoner. Yet
duly constituted king was necessary
In order to do business at all The
only way out was to crown one.
Such is the prelude to our burlesque
show. Now the curtain goes UP on
the first extemporaneous act.
The noble directors sent out to buy
q crown. A golG one, such as would be
r worn by one of the monarchs of Eu-
rope, they found, would be outrageous
" expensive. They had little cash to
spare. Maybe they obtained expert
ecclesiastical and legal advice and
they were able to satisfy their con-
sciences that crown Of copper that
looked like gold would serve the pur-
pose.
So they handed Capt. Newport a |
copper crown. Then, perhaps in regret
for their parsimoniousness, they loaded
down his ship with costly presents for
the intended victim of the coronation.
These gifts included q scarlet regal
robe and-every burlesque show must
have bedroom scene and here is
where 1t starts-a ponderous set of
chamber furniture, such as was used |
in the British palace. Rowhatan |
should sleep, at least, in manner be- |
coming king. The set included, of |
course, all the accessories, some of |
which have been essential bits of bur-
lesque property ever since.