Evening star., 1944-08-20
Behind Washington Footlights
BY John Clagett Proctor.

BY John Clagett Proctor.
What great pleasure it is these warm
days to sit back in your big armchair
and muse over the theatricals and the
actors of the gay COS, and even before
that period, whom We shall never see
again, but whose memory fingers still.
Of course, If you were theater-goer
q half century ago, you cannot help but
recall having seen "F1oradora," in which
was sung that tunefull sextet, Tell Me,
Pretty Maiden, Are There Any More at
Home Like You?" and 1.-THE Shade of
the Sheltering Palms" The music Of
this operetta was by Leslie Stuart,
fine composer, who died only short
while back.
But, after all, one need not 60 back
more than 80 years to dream the hours
away. For enough has happened in that
brief space of time to make us realize
that today we are now really living in
a different age seemingly Indifferent
age the kind of an age that does us the
most good to look backward for our
pleasant thoughts rather than forward
to an uncertain future.
And so. today, it is really refreshing
to listen to the beautiful strains of some
of Victor Herbert's or De Koven's charm
ing music And this reminds us that
the only place now that we are privileged
to hear "Oh, Promise Me" is at some
church wedding. But in the days when
d. Ma:
Robin Hood" 1t was with rapture that
We listened to the melodious notes OF
that charming contralto, Jessie Bartlett
Davis, singing De Kovens masterpiece:
"Oh, promise me that some day you
and
viii take our lope together to some
sky,
Where we can be alone and faith
reneW.
And find the hollows where those
fowers ore,D.'
Remembered Tunes
This one piece was worth the price of
admission, not to include the other num-
bers rendered by that wonderful cast
which caused the Bostonians to become
so nationally famous. including such
noted singers as Henry Clay Barnabee,
as the sheriff of Nottingham, and who
sang the piece of that name: I'm the
Sheriff of Nottingham" Also w. H.
Macdonald, who, as Little John, rem
dered so pleasingly with his magnificent
l,o rit ~
Eyes, laugh, lads. and quaff. lads: twill
make you stout and hale, ah Thro' all
my days I'll sing the praise of brown
october ale" Eugene Cowles-who will
ever forget him and the "Armorers
Song? w. E. Philip as Robin Hood
Jessie Bartlett Davis, as Allan-a-Dale;
w. H. Fitzgerald, who took the role of
Guy of Osborne; George rockingham,
q wonderfully fine comedian. We can
never forgot how cleverly he caught up
the mouse and put 1t in the broth he
was stirring. Hilda Clark, who made
such a charming Maid Marian, and who
sang in that exquisite duet, Come
Dreams So Bright"
Robin Hood
The Robin Hood that the old-timer
still fondly recalls was then not an old
piece, by any means. 1t had it's first
performance at the Grand Opera House
in Chicago on June 8, 1890. Its success
was phenomenal and unexplainable.
After the first performance Messrs.
Barnabee and Macdonald had an in
Killing of the value of their production,
but although Messrs. De Koven and
Smith would have surrendered their en-
tire rights for $1,000, the singers were
not sufhciently sanguine to take
chance. The result was that they alone
afterward paid the authors several hun
dred thousand dollars in royalties.
The opera had to beg for hearing in
New York, and its producers were finally
forced to rent theater. For years its
managers kept two companies constantly
on the road, and receipts for single per-
formances reached as high as $2.610 and
the lowest amount recorded was around
$500.
OF the original cast. all or nearly all
have passed away, and revival with the
old reliables in their places is impossible,
but the pleasant memories Of having
once seen them in all their glory and at
their very best is in part at least COM
pensation for advancing years which we
are forced to admit.
Maid Marian
Maid Marian" a sequel to Robin
Hood" was sung for the first time here
in January. 1902. Occupying boxes or
elsewhere in attendance in the house. on
this occasion, were such notables as Mrs
Theodore Roosevelt, DR.. and Mrs. Rixey,
Senator Taliaferro, Senator Mason,
Senator Culbertson, Mrs. John A. Lo-
gan Gen. Barry, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
F. Walsh, Count Cassini, Mr.. and Mrs.
Stilson Hutchins, Mr.. and Mrs. s. w.
Woodward, Mrs. Charles Mum, Cor
coran Thorn, Representative Ray (au
names no doubt familiar to the reader)
and many other distinguished and not
able persons.
OF course, the same authors, De Koven
and Smith, were responsible for this
~rOy1n q ~ f}r cosS,{o . IL