The New York Clipper (December 1905)

1090 THJE NEW YOEK CLIPPER. DEOEMBEB 16. Mi55 CIipP^ r 5 fineGdotes, Personalities and Comments, CONCEDNINO STAGE FOLK and Sometimes OTHERS BY J OSEPHINE 000. Luncombo Scarellc, who, In collaboration wllli Kiln Wlicclcr Wilcox, wrote the po- etical piny, "Mlzpnh," wlilcli ChnrlcB Froh- man Is lo produce, Is widely known as one of Hie best rncontcnrn In the profession. lie sends us the following story, the truth of which be vouches for, as It wns told to hltn by one of the equerries of the Prince of Wales, now King Edward VII. The anecdote concern* the young Prince Alexander ct ilnttcnburg, who Utely visited our snores with the llrltlsh squadron. The prince was a great favorite with the late Queen Victoria, bis grandmother. Once, when a lad on board Ms training ship, he found himself short of pocket money—a not unusual occurrance with him—and wrote to 1 lie quocn, asking her to send him' Ave pounds. The queen replied with a long let- ter, rebuking blm for his extravagance, and, to enforce the lesson, declined to let him have the money. The young prince wrote a voluminous reply to her, admitting that she was right In all she hod written, and stating that he had decided to turn over a new leaf and henrcforth eschew all extravagance. lie signed the letter,, "Your pcultent grandson, Alexander." There wr.s a postscript, however, follow- ing the signature, and Its character goes far toward proving tho saying that the post- Birlpt Is more often than not tho key to the letter. It read: "I almost forgot to mention, dear grand- mother, thnt young Wilson, tho Australian millionaire's son, who Is in the earns class with me, Is collecting autograph letters of distinguished people, lie has given me ten pounds for your letter. Pleaso write again soon." * -;■ A story Is told of a reporter on one of the New York papers, whose dally duties In- clndo Insurance matters, consequently It' is not strange that the parlance of Insurance circles should color his conversation or writing. At the recent death of a friend, whose divorced wifo was also a friend, notwith- standing the separation of Hie two, tho young mnn found It necessary to notify the ex-wife. The mcRsngc rnn: "Poor Jack died today, Loss covered by policy." * Egotism naturally follows success except Irt very rrire Instances. With biwiII per- sonalities n small success Is most frequently magnified, and such a person Is more con- ceited thnn one who has attained a grentcr proficiency. Honest satisfaction at an at- tainment Is admirable, but obtrusive egotism la alwayB offensive. So, when the offender's conceit receives n public set-down, it usually In.gratifying to those who have been bored by the egotist. An Instance' Illustrating this point oc- curred a few days ago In one of those phono- graph p'rues whoro, for a ( Bmal> sum, one may bear ''all the popular songs of the day." A young song 'writer of mediocre talent, slightly known to the 'Twenty-eighth Street Song Writer HoWj had by some means in- duced tho manager of one of these companies to Include one of his Bongs in this list, and !t was his groat pleasure to go from one to the other of tho places controlled by the company and call for his song to be rendered. Frequently ho would bo accompanied by u friend or an acqmilntnnco or two to share In his pleasure, when he could persuade, any of them to go, for moBt of them were weary of hearing him extol his own work to the ex- clusion of thnt of all others. Ila bad been showing some out of town friends about tho city, and Included a phono- graph parlor where his one composition wns on top. Ho had been talking so conceitedly about himself and It that his friends had becoino Bomewhat disgusted, lie hnd not visited tho place recently, ond a new boy, unknown to him, hnd charge of Ihe machine. After listening to two or three of the most popular numbers by well known composers, tho Bmnll music maker nudged one of his friends and snld: "Now I'll nsk him to put on my song and you'll hear 'wlint'B what,'" Ihen, In a Belt- satisfied voice, ho called for his composition, giving In loud, proud tones, Its title, which, for obvious reasons, Is here omitted. "Aw!" exclaimed the boy In deprecntory manner, "don't waste your time In listening to that rot; we only give It when It's nst fcr, an' that ain't tnoro'n onco a mouth." The llttlo lesson has had some effect, for the young writer lias not mentioned himself or his work for more than n week. t A small commotion was crealcd the other afternoon at tho box office window of one of tho llvondway theatres, whero n big, row- boned young countryman wbb buying tickets for the inntlncc for himself and n pretty girl who accompanied him. "01' inc two chairs as close lo the stngc as you can," ho said lo the treasurer. "This Is ihe best 1 ctin do," said tlull per- sonage, pushing two tlckels loward the pros- pective patron. "Where bouls be IheyV" asked the burly buyer. "J, 2 ond ■!," was the nnswer, which, for some unnccouutnble reason, immediately aroused the ire of the young mnn, which he manifested by nn nngry retort. "Jay I he I !" ho loudly exclaimed, to tho amusement of those In the line behind him. ".Tayl Indeed. I'll have you know Hint If 1 nra'from up State, I can lick six at a time like you. If this little window wns big enough I'd git In so' shake the daylight out of you ——" But at this point of bis Indignant protest he was Interrupted by the young woman who accompanied him, who grasped his ana and drew him from the line, where she explained that the young man at the window wsi merely Indicating the letter of the row of seats where they were to sit, A moment later a rather shame-faced young man took up another place In the line at the window. • After a long experience "on the road," as scene painter and stage machinist, Charles 13. Mills attained the object of bis hopes— tbat Is, a studio In the big metropolis, where he could carry on, In a more extensive man- ner, bis clever work. Here bis friends gather to'listen to his tales of amusing things that happened In the past. Tbey like to hear the Incident repeated which occurred in the 80s, when he was traveling In the West with a small company, headed by Blanche De Bar. They struck a little town tbat appeared only on the very large maps where they In- dicate everything. They were to "open" the opera hall, which was upstairs over the store of the ownci, the play being that most popu- lar melodrama of the time, "The Hidden Hand." Mr. Mills had given particular direction to the local carpenter concerning the scene plot, and minute Instructions as to the "trap," without wblrb one of the best "thrills" In the play would be lost. Through this the ''villain" was to plunge when Capltola pressed the spring which operated It. It transpired that when the carpenter cut through the flooring, to make the trap door, the store below was disclosed. The owner, finding that the opening was a paramount necessity, agreed to fix the matter so as to have it all right In time for the evening performance. And, as Mills remarked, "they fixed It In o manner at the time known only to themselves, though later, to the dismay of the unfortunate "villain." At the climax the cue was given to the local carpenter to open the trap that Capltola appeared to spring when the heavy man ad- vanced toward her threateningly. The man disappeared—then ensued a thrilling silence A moment later, out of .the depths, came smothered howls and a volley of big swear- words, with;the exclamation: "Where am I? Somebody get me out I" At this explosion,- which was not among the speeches of the play, the stage manager knew that something was wrong, nnd quickly rang the curtain down and Mills hurried back to Investigate, He found that the In- genious owner of the place, wltb his carpen- ter, had securely nailed around the opening of the trap'a bag of about twelve feet In length, made of heavy sacking, this extend- ing to within a few Inches of tho flooring of the store beneath. When tbe "villain" dropped, he Blld to the bottom of the bag, where be was swinging like an Immense pendulum, In tbe darkness. From this situation be was rescued by Mills, who cut open the side of the strange prison with his penknife. The frightened and half collapsed "villain" was then restored by tbe aid of a few warm "whiskies" (for It was . December), and tbe play went on a few minutes later. OCR LONDON LETTER, FROH OUi OWN COBBESPONDIKT. ««» MARIE JANSEN, . . i WhoBe picture appears on tbe front pugs' of this week's issue, was born In Boston, Mast., and her name In "rlvate life Is Johnson, Sbe made what she considers her professional debut as Cicely Fay, la "Lawn Tennis," at the Park Theatre, Boston, Sept. 13, 1881). Her musical education was acquired at the New England Conservatory of Music, In Bos- ton. After her debut she continued wltb the Cornley-Barton Co., on the road, and when that organization produced "Olivette," for tho first time In America, at the Bijou Opera House, New York City, Dec. 25, 1880, MIbb Jauaea was tbe original Valentine. 8he filled out the season of 1880-'81 with this company, For the Fall season of 1882-'83 she Joined D'Oylcy Carte's company, at the old Standard Theatre, New York City, and at that house on Nov. 25. 1882, sbe was the original Iolanthe In the first production In America of tho opera of tbat name. For the Summer of 1883 Miss Jansen was at the Boston, Mass., Museum. There she sang with success In "The Grand Duchess," and other produc- tions. For the Fall season of 188.V4 she wns engaged by J. A. McCaull, and sang with his various troupes. On May 10, 1884, she enllcd for England, to play an engagement with Chas. Wyndham's Co., appearing at tne Criterion Theatre, London, Eng., a month or bo later In "Featherbrain." In that comedy Bhe successfully acted the leading role, which she continued to ploy for about eight months. On Jan. 10, 1885, she made her reappearance In this country, assuming the title role in the original production of "Fantine," at tbe Bos- tou Museum. Later sbe joined one of Mc- Caull's companies, end on May 4, 1885, sbe reappeared In Now York City as Rosetta, In McCaull's "Black Hussar" Co., at Wallack's. Later sbo went to tbe Casino, New York City, under the management of Rudolph Aronson. and created the role of Javotte, In "Ermlnlfl. She was also the first Nadjy. When Franc! i Wilson became a star, Miss Jansen was feat- ured In his support, appearing wltb marked success In "The Ootnb, "Tho Merry Mon- arch" and "The Lion Tamer." In April, 1802, she retired from Mr. Wilson's support. After tho lapse of some time she went out as n star, In Glen AlcDonough's comedy, "Delmonlco's at Six," under the direction of Jefferson, IClaw & Erlnngcr. Since then Miss Jansen has appeared In vaudeville at differ- ent times. ♦■ » S,\ jim v Watson writes: "My Farmyard Circus still continues to be a feature on all hills whero I appear. Last week, at the Am- phlon. Brooklyn, the act was one of the big- treat hits on the programme, and was ac- corded numerous curtain calls at the finish. So original was the act that tho house man- ngonient put out special tickets for a 'Farm- yard Matinee,' packing tho bouse on Saturday afternoon to tne doors." Mns. Myrtle Djiai'Eii, wlfo of Bert Draper, wire performer and baton juggler, died at De- catur, HI., on Nov. 20, after an Illness of six months. Muns. Ci.mii.lo, of the team, Camlllo and Komi, mourns tho loss of bis mother, who died sonio time ago. "The Second Empire" of tbe New York Central Is a Tvondcrfnlly pop- uliir ilnlly trnln, leaving New York lit Mill I*. Mm nrrlvlnir lliiltulo 10.20 1*. M., ntnpptiiK nt Allinny, I'tlen, Syra- cuse, HocliPMirr nml Itntavtn. Clipper llur*«a, -48 Granbonrne Street, Leicester Square, London, W. 0. • Nov: 25. The theatrical event of the week, com- mencing on Monday last, was the appear- ance of Huntley Wright, the comedian, who has won many laurels In George Edwardes' musical comedies. In plays of a different type, namely, "The Little Father of the Wilder- ness," a one act serious little drama, by Lloyd Osborne and Austin Strong, and "The Mountain Climber," by Cosmo Hamilton, an adaptation of s German farce. While Mr. Wright cannot be credited .'with making a complete succets In bis undertaking, still the experiment has been well worth the try. Strange to say, Mr. Wright was at bis best In the serious play, and lb the farce he over- did the character a bit by musical comedy methods. The double bill promises well. "Lady Madcap" closes Its long and pros- perous run at the Prince of Wales tonight. The theatre will remain dark until Jan. 0, when it will reopen with a new musical comedy, written by Owen Hall, and composed by Ivan Caryll, the leading role of which Is based upon the French piece, "Decore." For the production George Edwardes Is, of course, responsible, while Frank Curzon sup- plies the theatre. The title favored at pres- ent by Mr. Edwardes and Mr. Hall Is "The Pet of the Public." The story Is concerned wltb the doings of a certain Lord Sancton- bury, a member of the Purity Party, who has acquired fame by means of an article contributed to a monthly magazine on tbe BUbJect of "The Debasement of Public Amuse- ments." Lord Sanctonbury Is the proud father of four lively daughters, to be played by Zena Dare, Orace Finder, Broughton Black and Gabrlclle Ray, who love all things connected with the theatre as much as their fnther detests them. The girls, unknown to their stern parent, have plunged Into private theatricals, and by an accident nave obtained the assistance of a sprightly London actress. Chnnce brings the latter and Lord Sancton- bury together, with the Inevitable result that that gentleman falls an easy victim to the lndy's charms. The rest Is worked out In the customary fashion. Others to play the prlnclpsl parts ore: Fred Kaye, Evle Greene. George Carroll, Maurice Fnrkoo snd W. II CARRIE GRAHAM, The well known character soubrette, has re- turned to tbe theatrical business after several years letireracnt. She opened successfully, at short notice, two weeks ago, with "The Press Agent" Co. Berry, who is now one of the hits of tbe re- view at tbe Empire. "Pantaloon/ 1 J. M. Barrle's little play, and tbe company playing it, were the subject of a signal compliment on the occasion of the command performance at Windsor Castle last Saturday night. By express desire of tbe king, a special call was given the actors at the conclusion of the performance of the play which followed "Pantaloon," and the unprecedented scene was witnessed of the brilliant audience waiting to applaud Gerald du Maurler, WUUs Warde, Mr. Bosk- combe, Ella Q. May and Pauline Chase, who meanwhile had exchanged their harlequinade costume for evening dress, to respond to tbe royal summons. "Pantaloon" made such a favorable Impression that It has again been commanded for performance at Sand- rlugham Dec 1. Miss Chase Is ,in American girl, who wqb Aral seen in London In "The School for Scandal," at the Prince of Wales'. She Ib now touring with Ellen Terry, In "Alice Sit By the Fire." The practice of giving command perform- ances, such as those which have taken place at Windsor, dates from a remote period. In the early days of the system the players were apt to view the honor of thus privately ap- pearing before their sovereign anything but favorably, since the privy purse was not al- ways Inclined to meet their claims for re- muneration with promptitude or liberality. The scale of payment, when George I sat on the throne was fixed at the modest rate of $100 for the entire company. When Charles Kenn played before the late Queen Victoria, at Windsor, the amounts allowed were as follows: Leading lady or gentleman, $50; second lead, $25, and utility, $15. Nowadays considerably more satisfactory arrangements are in force. Rehearsals of "The Jury of Fate," Mr. Me- Lellan's new serious and ambitious play, to be done at the Shaftesbury very soon, are now la full swing, and the company, headed by II. B. Irving and Chrystal Heme, will In- clude Lilian McCarthy, Mathcsoa Lang, Mrs. E. H. Brooke, Mr. Tynrs and FerslvaT. "Captain Drew on Leave" Is such a suc- cess at the New that, should Charles Wynd- liam be able to cancel or postpone his Amer- ican time, he will transfer the successful comedy to another theatre about the end of the year, when Julia Nellson and Fred Terry take possession of the theatre. Tho anticipated production of Vlctorlen Snidou's "Lea Merveilleuses," at Daly's, will not occur for many months, probably not even next year. "The Little Mlcb.ua has dovelopcd Into BUch a big success that re- cently tho receipts have gone up to tbe rec- ord achieved by the most popular musical plays—such as "The Geisha" and "San Toy" —ever produced at tbat theatre by George Edwardes. Tho latter has under considera- tion the presentation at the Gaiety, at a scries of ibrlstmas matinees, of a piece, by George Grossmlth Jr., called "Two Naughty Little Boys." "The Spring Chicken," the current attraction at that theatre, Is shortly to be strengthened by the tatroduclon of a number of new songs and new dances. George Tyler has abandoned for the time being, it Is stated, his Intention of producing Hubert Henry Davles' new comedy, "The Hostess," because of his being unable to se- cure a suitable London house for the pro- ductions In place of this he will revert to bis original policy, and do Alfred Sutrot "Fascinating Mr. Vanderfelt," with Ellis JelTreysdn tbe leading role. Instead of Lon- don being the scene of this production, ss originally announced, New York has been selectcdr and the date Is set for ' January Miss Jeffreys' character In the,play. Will be that of'a bright young widow whose' hair- breadth escapes from tbe snares of the fasci- nating fene cause many complications .and much foil. "'■ ' '■ •'. Justin Huntley McCarthy writes to the press, noting the coincidence of his having written a piny with Joan of Arc for Its hero Ine, to which he has given the title, "Tbe Lily of France," Identical with that an- nounced as chosen by Louis N. Parker for his play upon the same theme, Just completed for Mr. Tree, In which Viola Tree Is to Im- personate the famous La Pucelle, tbe maid of Orleans. ». Charles Frohman has secured another new play for Marie Tempest. This time, as hap- pened before In "The Marriage of Kitty," It Is a French play. In the original tbe new piece, which enabled Madame Granter to make a decided hit. Is called "Aux Bonbeur-Mes- dames," but what Miss Tempest's husband, Cosmo Gordon Lennox, will call it, he having been commissioned to adapt It, has not been settled as yet. Several royal parties have witnessed the excellent performance of William Gillette, In "Sherlock Holmes," at the Duke of York's this week. The business continues to capacity, but the play must be withdrawn on Dec. 9 to make room for the revival of tbe successful "Peter Pan." which is scheduled for two days later at that house. Practically the same company as seen last year at tbe Duke of York's will reappear, with the exception of Cecilia Loftus, who has been especially en- gaged for one of the leading parts. Miss LoTtus arrived recently from the States, and Is now rehearsing with the company. "Peter Pan" is to be done In Mayence, Germany, by Max Behrend, the well-known German actor and manager. Mario George, now appearing with much success as the millionaire American girl, In "The White Chrysanthemum," at the Cri- terion, may be seen later at the Palace, tn a one act fairy play, written for her by Cosmo Hamilton. "The white Chrysanthemum" will lie played for the hundredth time at the Criterion on Tuesday next. Last Thursday "Tbe Merchant of Venice" celebrated its fiftieth performance at the Garrlck. Madge Leasing Is still one of the big num- bers at the Coliseum, but It Is possible that at Christmas she may be seen at matinees only, In a fairy play, at the Waldorf. Henry Arthur Jones arrived In London on Thursday, otter a tour of inspection of the theatres In fifteen of tbe largest cities In the Slates. Q. V. Granville, a music hall agent, sued at the Westminster County Court one day last week De Vere and Kenwlck, two Amer- ican vaudevllllans, for commission to the extent of $100 on account of engagements procured for them. For the defense, Mr. De Vere explained that In May, 1S03, he was token 111 at Glasgow, and was unable to at- tend to business until the end of the follow- ing July. He maintained that he ought not to be called upon to pay commission to his agent for engagements lapsed in such circum- stances. The Judge said tbe case was one of considerable importance to tbe theatrical profession. Tbe fact of the defendant's be- ing unable to perform the engagements In question through illness put an end to the contracts effected with the plaintiff. As to a provincial engagement upon which the de- fendant denied liabilities because the theatre wnB closed before he could appear, be held that the defendant must pay, because his right of action, If any, lay against the pro- prietor of the theatre. He also found that the defendant was liable for commission on another engagement he was unable to fulfill because of alleged theft of baggage. Judge- ment was given for the plaintiff for a little less than $50. Mrs. Courtney, mother of Maude, who ac- companied her daughter to South Africa a few weeks ago. died very shortly after ur rival In the colony. The body wns shipped to London on Nov. 20. The exact cause of Mrs. Courtney's demise Is not known by friends In this country. Miss Courtney will fulfill her South African contracts. Oscar Hammersteln has been In town for a week or more, after a short continental tour. Some say he Is looking for acts, while others don't confirm this statement. In either case, Mr. Hammersteln has been at several of the West End music halls. Willie Hale, of Hale and Frances, reports meeting with success at the Circus Scbumau, Berlin, where they are playing at present. Iscxt month finds them at Brcsluu, with Rus- sia to follow. ,.. The £ 4 ?, tn anniversary of the Middlesex Music Hall, said to be the oldest house of entertainment In exlstance, was celebrated early in the week by a Bpeclal five hours' pro- gramme, to which many of the principal performers of the day contributed. The Mo- gul, by which name the Middlesex was Iinown for a couple of centuries, la mentioned in the Records of London" as existing In Drurv Lane In the time of Charles II. It was then a famous tavern, known as the Mogul's xK* wi-h 1 waB ,.l n ^ tne ea "y fl " les the late ■ , wl , n ««r built the present Middlesex Mu- nil,. , "'., Scenery and footlights were not LnM&SrJS "WW,,years afterwards, the Middlesex being the first to make these In- novations thirty years ago. „, 1 ' h ,?, Ilka „ t , 0 iIr ' and Mra. John T. Powers, au1<& "ayers" fame, for card sent me! iOSLJK tbe M°ny handsome post cards re- ceived from time to time. The vexed question as to what extent SK» Jhould be allowed In the London vaude- r!W < L? 0l } 8eB ma 7, now b « looked upon as B olf ,l d ' for one day ltt8t week an authori- tative announcement was Issued by the The- atrical Managers' Association to the effect that a satisfactory conclusion on the point n™?? 6 ?, re ? clied . too association having ip- P£. ed ,»n. e tcrm8 .P u t forward by representa- tive managers of music halis at a recent meeting of managers of both interests. These t°™ s S which, It Is understood, have been as- u^ii 1 ? by 0mali sto11 a^ George Ed- ^,n^!lJ n ^ reB C cct t0 tn « ^udovJIle houses ^?i r Sl le ^ b3, A B en \ and also by the proprie- tors of the Alhamora and Palace Theatres are to the following effect, vb .that on the proprietors entering Into an agreement or « n fe andlnB t0 , restrlct tne Performance ?«. st i a i5fu p,a l? °f fetches within the follow- ing limits, the Theatrical Managers' Abso. *«ai regain from prolicXna In xt X ec . t TL??i 8e iJ auile 7" Ie bouses so agreeing, vis.: Time limit not to exceed thirty minutes not more than six speaking or singingDarts iSSraLS , t0 v 8Unera or 8cenC8 ' Only one such sketch to be permitted at each perform- ance, together with one additional sketch con- SiS ns "i 01 more than f <»" characters, one S e i an . d no , 8up , e . rs - Ulls ltt tter not to ex- tend In duration fifteen minutes; or, In place thereof, a short lyrical excerpt, restricted to ten minutes In performance. Sketches not ii„„$!.^ taken ,rom a P la y wh| cli baa been licensed as n stage play within the past fifteen years. These restrlcllons to apply to f.!» c n nt , cr , tani ?, cut8 '?. the notur e of sketches, i, "f. to ballets, which are defined as pieces without dialogue or sluglng. of which donclng or gesture alone Is a feature. The agree- m .?nt set forth in these terms to he an. plicable only to those vaudeville houses J r t, b o lc - h .i. C0 ? Ben ^ \°. be boun<1 by Its conditions, the Theatrical Managers' Association reservl Ing to Itself the right to proceed against all Sfe iV^ CT , ent ° r nnylnfrnctlon by tbcm of the existing law. The Americans In Johannesburg. South ;"£*! ? mng ed themselves during the month of October with baseball games, The foi- OLIPPBR CARTOONS. No. 29. On our cartoon page, this week, win i. found scenes and characters from "fin ,, Quiet," William Collier's stirring t,"i,"" npw enjoying prosperity at the Criterion'hJ atre, anil the school room Bcene from -n' Girl .of the Golden West," Davidr8.JS latest success, In which Blanche ni", ,* starring «t the Belasco Theatre. Thei-,1 1 vllle'contingent Is represented by R a ,,;?' erts, protean actor, nt the Colonial The.ii. Stuart, at Proctor's Twenty-third Btwet n£ atre; Hlccahona's good night horse „,iLt Victoria, and the Olrf with the Red n»n,i n he at the Orpheum, Brooklyn. Don.lno, lowing Is an account from a South AfH-. paper of a game played between tens 32 |;fned by Barton, of Barton and Ashley 7£ Mack., of FcrgUBon and Mack: "a i,'; °hu amusing, but nevertheless well ulavert <?,rl J of baseball took place at the'WanjS grounds on Oct. 21. The contestants L/i fwo teams chosen respectively by those tS popular Empire comedians, Bartoa and Mack It took ten Innings to decide tbe vletori" i the cramp wan vnnrW un^.i.. '"i«rs .Mack. ■?? J*, e S»*"»"f vastly" superior' 1 totnsM of tho league matches which have taken ul«™ this season. The score, 10 to 0 In fv•?; «', the Macks, tells tho story of the L¥ Closely contested throughout, and \n?£ epereed with bright sallies of wit Iron \ Z baseball comedians, It was a most enjSyabi game. We hope another will be arrannJ before they leavo Johannesburg" """"P" 1 i "HiT 1 "",* °L Bak , er BIld L ynn In Amer. lea will be pleased to learn of a verv si.e™« ful debut of that team at Hackne^on S day last. "The Electric Boy S was n 11 from the start, and, although the skereh ! replete wltb American slang, the auulen understood it, and called ffie cnterta ne before tho curtain several times at the fin with &&"?«£• needleM t0 Bay ' are dc tt Interesting short notes picked up here and there-George Capel, who, "for many years ha. occupied the position of stage manager at thf Empire, is to be succeeded by Tom Terr's* who Is well known In America, havlnc 553 there several times In musical comedy ami who has now one of the prlnclpsl porta u "Madame Sherry," the musical excent » the Empire bill. ;Mr. Capel was Vc" pel,," with the many Americans who have cX in contact with film and he will be missed Ed Leslie, who has for the last two nan tan assistant manager for tbe London and Col JL n8 ..J aU8lc n A" s ' nas resigned his posltioa to take over the management of a provincial hippodrome. The Empire Theatre, New castle, was opened in December, is6o ami to commemorate the event of >ts fifteen'««,. of success, two anniversary performances will be given on Dec. 1. Ida'Gladstone, who re- cently married a well known American 2. tertalner, but whose name, for business rea- sons, I have been asked not to mention haj been engaged as principal boy In Stanley Rogers' big nantomlme production at the Metrppole,- Glasgow. The mother of Dam Lauder, the popular Scotch comedian, died L B , 8t *^ ee % . and *i r - i auder dld n °t appear ?i ft?. S'ace, Dundee, where he topped the bill this week. The plans for tho K and Stoll Empire, at Flnsbury Park, and Mr Stephens' new vaudeville theatre Kli. burn, have been passed by the London County Council, providing the work Is begun sit months from now. On Monday, the wort- i? 88 v?, lny J 'i La M aln," which was done nt the Waldorf, was added to the Tlvoll bill and met with much approval from the p«! trons of that bouse. E. W. James for- mcrly manager of the Duchess Tho. ™ re l Bfl 4S a i n ' nas been appointed by Walter Gibbons to tbe management of the Ealing Theatre. George Wilson, who has been acting manager of the Em- Plre. Islington, has been selected by Mr. S iP°5? t0 manage the Duchess Theatre. Nell Konyon, the Scotch comedian, goes to the Prince's, Manchester, for pantomlm». Charles Brock, tho acting manager of tbe Empire Theatre, Belfast, has resigned his po- Hltlon On Dec. 12 the Palace Theatre cele- brated Its anniversary. "Among the Stars" began its carcer.at the Hippodrome last Mon- day, it Is an elaborate affair, employing no fewer than one hundred and sixty persons. Tho scene Is the planet Minerva, where an intruding scientist, under examination by lis captors, describes the London Hippodrome, and Is forthw'th compelled to reproduce tbat wondrous entertainment In proof of his de- RU p « aoa oK tber !2?' Bert Gilbert, Wlndhim Gulte, Rhys Thomas, H. C. Clarey, Hal £hnL e . ttna ^i? 0 ' 6 rfunt are in the cast, while those taking part in the variety enter- J ft L nm l nt ar ? tne Hlogoku Japanese Family, n . Fon r Decussorles, LeB Polios, Selmn StoKS 1 ^"i 8 Leoiaslon, Sisters Bcllatzer, SL' (K ? nd $£% the Tupps. Corty Broth- ers, Sisters Warwick, Richard Sawode and nis animal show, and Annette Kcllerman, the Gwlmmer. „9?' fag.*> other engagements Mallni, tbe card trickster, will close' his engagement at '£«„Palace tonight He doel wonderful tmngs with cards, and bus entertained his audiences Immensely during the week. a rrlend of mine Informs me of the very close call from-death of Al. Lukens, of the K Lukens, Pt Amsterdam, on Monday. At the hotel where the Lukens are stopping, Ihe gas Is turned off at three in the morning and SJira at J e ?.- A1 - went to sleep with ras "X°J£ S°J ng . fu " torce - and as he la not In h» i ?, i 5 f J ettIn * U P until twelve or after, Jie inhaled the gas for nearly three hours. A ij 8 ./° 0 m Ia next to Harry's, but tho latter man t pay any attention to the strong smell « K as until he started for the theatre, and not seeing Al., he went to his room to call iSt He,knocked at the door several times, and finally heard Al. say la a very weak voice thnt he was dying and could not get out of bed. Harry, assisted by John, broke the door In and found Al. helpless. He was black and blue and his face was as white as a sheet. The only thing he said was that they were too late. Harry carried nlm to his room while John rushed for a doctor. By this time the whole hotel was la an \iproar and all crowded around Harry'i room, but were not admitted. After working a. half hour on him, they said he wouldn't jive, but they held to their work, and In two hours time he showed signs of life. The doctors said had he been In the room a fer minutes longer he would have died. Al. w»» able to toke part In the evening perform- ance, and Is all right now, save for a severe headache, which will be with him for a few days, in the future At. and John will occupy the same room, It being the former's wish. AH reports say that Caron and Herbert *""\ a B P'endld opening at Liverpool rurrent week. They come to the Palace shortly. On Wednesday Edward Dagnall Blgucd a seven years' lease of the Princess' Theatre, on Oxford Street, the property of H. f- Keith. Before the reopening, which Is scheduled for April, the house will be rebuilt and redecorated, and when finished will hate an the requisites of a modern, first class the- atre. A new gallery Is to be constructed, the row of boxes nt the back of the drew circle entirely done awny with, and tbe ground floor completely reseated. There Is also to he a new stnee, with three new exits ana an Iron curtain, all In acordance with the London County Council requirements, in the management of the house Mr. P«g- nail will be assisted by Mr. Holies, who was connected for years with the late wilsira Barrett, and back of them Is a strong syn* cate. There Is no reason why the cuter- prise should not pan out as expected. Tne location of the thcotro could not be belt'red, and, with splendid melodramas promised, nil roads should lend to that bouse. 'l'l> c opening production will In all prnbnlilltv be t new melodrama by George R. Slmn .inu Continual on page 1091.