Evening Star Newspaper, August 1, 1937, Page 54

F-2 THE SUNDAY 8 TAR, WASHINGTON, ~ AMATEURS OF '90s Perfornlanc;s on Washington Stage Among Events to Which Memory Clings—Carroll Institute and Contributors to Its Work. By John Clagett Proctor. MATEUR theatricals, to those who are accustomed to seeing a good show, as a usual thing do not have much of an ap- peal. But to those who took part in them in years gone by and who are with us today the memory of those events is a gloriously fond one, and even though some of those taking part may have later adopted the &tage as a profession, and perhaps become great actors or stars, vet the recollections of their earliest ex- perience as novices are the things they love most to talk about Indeed, they love-to recall the time when father and mother and the other members of the family and their friends and acquaintances all bought tickets and sat in the front Tow at the town hall to see a per formance that was punk or just down- right rotten, but not so to them, to whom it was like Barnum's menag- erie—the greatest show on earth In the last half century and more all the big cities have had their amateur theatrical clubs and socie- ties, and Washington, always known | for its liberal support of worth-while entertainment, including, of course, the dramatic art, has kept abreast of the times and helped with its purse to sustain the young people in pur- guing the bent of their talents. Though at times we may have spent our money for seeing a poor show, yet upon many occasions the per- formance was really of a superior character, and we felt fully repaid for our ouwtlay and time. OMPARATIVELY few people save their programs, and thus the names of manv of the early plays and the amateur actors who took part in them are not known and if corded anywhere would be difficult to find. However, sometimes accidentally r formation of this kind w when he called on Taylor G land home and was shown an old program of the Indian comic opera, “Si-Lootah,” the libretto t Grimes and the music Garland. This opera was put on at Albat Grand Opera House on the after noon of Thursday, December 6, 1894, and is especially interesting because of the many Washingtonians who took part and whose names will be readily recognized. R. C. Garland who wrote the music for the opera and who said to have been a good musician, was the son of Augus tus H. Garland, an ansas man who served as Atforney General in the administration of President Grover Cleveland As ic lly the case, after quitting the public service both father and son remained her and engaged in the practice of law, end the son quite lik gave up the wTiting of operas. by N TALKING over this opera Mr Grimes, in the atmosphere of h beautiful garden, said that it drew a good house and was a box office suc- cess to such an extent that each of the principals received the magnifi- eent sum of /$50. However, though the audience may have been well pleased and happy, yet the dramatic | the boxing championship of the Co- critics did not go into ecstasies over the show, as the following write-up of the opera will indicate, and gen- | erally the press seemed unanimous. Bays one critic “‘Si-Lootah,’ Indian opera and Taylor Gri was given baugh's Opera House terday a ernoon before a good audience by company of Wash at Much had been e formance, but statement that i the excellent reports of progress at rehearsals and the prophecies of per- haps overenthusiastic friends. There inal American C. Garland a compels the not come up to were several mishaps which combined | Charlatan,” and to this end, the principal one being the illness of Theodore Friebus, jr., Miss re- | we do | 1mes at his Brook- ! which at the last moment left vacant an important part. Mr. James Ma- honey attempted it on short notice | and did the best possible under the circumstarces, but amateurs are not accustomed to gloss over breaks of | this kind like professionals, and the example was contagious to the com- pany and destructive to the cone tinuity and harmony of the perform= ance, “It is perhaps unfair to pass final | judgment upon an opera produced under these circumstances, but even | under favorable auspices it seems doubtful if ‘Si-Lootah’ would prove a greater success than ‘The Ogalallas, which it is claimed was pilfered from it. The feat of making the American | red man a hero in romantic opera | Will probably not be accomplished until he has passed away and only the memories of his poetic qualities remain. At present the realistic In- dian is rather too redolent of rum and Government rations to figure in | anything more elevated than a dime | novel. “In this instance Mr. Grimes has endeavored to combine the romantic | Indian of Cooper with the modern | dependent on Uncle Sam's agencies, | and the result is not harmonious. At | times he attempted to justify the savage, as was suggested in ‘The Qyrl I Left Behind,' but immediately his low comedy braves counteract the chief’s heroics. “l\iR' GARLAND has written some tuneful music for the libretto, but it is entirely American and up- to-date, very seldom suggestive of the | aboriginal theme. There are Indian | motifs and wild melodies, which, per- | haps, the genius of a Dvorak might ! weave into a symphony, or around which some American Wagner may build an opera, but Mr. Garland | has not done this. On the con- | trary, his Indians disport themselves | Yy modern marches and waltz | melodies. In fact, in his dance music, N Garland is must felicitous for | serious themes have a flavor of rch rather than aboriginal chants. | ballads are pretty, and several of the choruses, particularly at the climaxes of the acts, are excellent, and altogether, it is a tuneful if not pretentious score “From a spectacular point of view the production was quite effective, e bright-colored costumes of the aves and Indian maidens blending into striking if barbaric stage pictures Some of the dances, too, were quite taking, and a military climax was furnished by the National Fencibles in the last act. The case was selected for singing rather than acting ability, | and shone best in that line.” l.\' the cast of characters, James Watson took the leading role of Si-Lootah,” while Frank Rebstock still remembered by many as “Rebby,” by which nickname he was called by those who knew him best, took the | part of “Yellow Bear.” Wiliiam M | Mooney, Washington City postmaster | for many years, and now assistant postmaster, acted well the part of “Harold Byrne,” the hero. Few today would suspect Mr. Mooney of being a great athlete, and yet vears ago, when he was a younger man, he held lumbia Athletic Club, gaining that honor when he defeated a boxer named Von Lendgren. | Miss A. May Rogers, who, the writer | believes, is the sister of the late Dr. | | Rogers, noted Hvattsville electrical | inventor, played “Rose Garden,” the heroine; Alice Judson was “Laughing | Eves," and was praised by the press. | later went on the professional tage and appeared here a number of times with the Castle Square Opera | | Company and in other shows. When | Katherine Lackey, contralto, who played Woman Who Winks in the opera “Si-Lootah.” she was with the Castle Square com- | pany, the writer saw her in “The Gondolie “The Gypsy Baron,” “Pinafore,” and the “Mikado." She was with De Wolf Hopper in “The took the role of “Mlle, Fifi" in the comedy of that | name. She had a magnificent voice ‘ths part of the | boy soprano of Christ Church, Geo: Will Mooney, tenor, “Si-Lootah.” who sa @ | | well, especially | . R. Doolev, ng the role of Harold Byrne in and was a clever and charming actress l It is believed she has passed on | George O'Connor, who really needs | no introduction to the people of Washington, especially to those who oc. casionally attend a banquet and hear him sing, took the part of Edward Callisford-Garden. Felix Mahony one time cartoonist for " served as & cowboy named “Bristling Bob,” and Master Arthur Clifton, the e- it he is still living—charmed the | audience with his rendering of “'Sweet | Mabel Moore.” | NTON A. SOUSA, brother to the celebrated John Philip Sousa, who portrayed the low comedy part as- signed Heap Jag, is said to have given a funny example of the effects of fire water on the red man. He was then employed in the City Post Office, but has been dead some years. Charles F. Roberts was Tonic Bear in the play. He is well known as & past grand master of Masons and has had many other Masonic honors. Lillian Sefton was the First Maiden, and James A. Mahoney, who took the part of “Lump-on-the-Top-of-His. Head.” relinquished by Mr. Friebus on account of illness, subsequently ap- peared in the Lafavette Square Stock Co. at the Lafayette Squi Opera incle Tom's Cahin,” and is, ir., was in the same v. This was in 1901, Naturally, there was a chorus and, judging by the names, a very good one. The ladies included Miss Nellie E. MacNulty, Miss Bessie Driver, Miss Lucy Mortimer, Miss Blanche Muir, Miss M. Mundell, Miss Bessie Skelly Miss Blanche Higgins, Miss Bessie | Hazael Hobson, Miss Margaret Mec- Alwee, Miss Eleanora Arendis, Miss Maud Sharpe, Miss Ina Corinne Em- ery, Miss Bessie Cook, Miss Marie De Ronceray, Miss Marie Triplett, Miss Daisy Joyce, Miss Belle W. Smith, Miss Nannie Callan, Miss Jessie Kappeler and E. Cotterill. The men were Frederick Sillers, Charles S. Ramsburg, James Nolan, William Watson, Henry A. Conner, Charles W. Eliason, Alfred T. Clif- | George H O'Co | sang “Asthore’; ton, Sam Bruckheimer, T. A Fitz- gerald, Charles Murphy, H. K. Hodes, Willam C. Looker, S. Hartley Wheatley, F. L. Wollard, R. C. Kirt- land, Willlam P. McKee, Fred Kap- peler, Paul Evans, C. Haight, Edward | Turpin, C Thornburg, S. Kirtband and B. Stuart. IIENRY DONCH'S orchestra fur- nished His band at period was quite popular at the | resorts dance music and for concerts on the boat. A year bef: “Si-Lootah™ was per- formed in Washington one of the best dramatic organizations that ever | existed here was formed and called the Carroll Institute Dramatic Club. | From the very first it was kept busy | | enacting plays, and it did not stop | short of anything except grand opera, | the repertoire even including some of Shakespeare's best plays. This or- | Ranization, which was founded in | 1893, grew out of the Lawrence Bar- rett Dramatic Club. One of its ear- liest ventures was a minstrel per- formance given in 1895, and the songs they sang will still be recalled by many an old-timer, for we must re- member this was 42 vears ago, Of the minstrels, Phil E. Baer was the interlocutor, Percy F. Leach, | Bones, and William W. C or and Ben Juds alternated as Tambo. George T. Cox George H. O'Connor, | “I'll Be True to My Honey Boy'; L. | E. Kaiser, “My Pretty Irish Maid Percy F. Leach, “Oh, Uncle John Charles Moore, “I Live in the Heart of the Storm”:; Will Cullison, “He | Didn't Split the Wood"; Phil E. Baer, “Mary, My Love” and Ben Judson, | “Little Johnny Fraser.” | One of the closing features was a song and dance entitled, “The Wed- ding of the Lily and the Rose," which was interpreted by Messrs. O'Connor and Leach in female attire and Messrs. W. S. McCarthy ard Jasper as their escorts. To the writer's way of thinking, one of the best shows the club ever put on was a two-act burlesque, with four scenes, called the “Hula Girl,” the music er for | Geo D. C, AUGUST 1, 1 9 Members of the old Carroll ing, left to right, George H. O'Connor, Percy Leach. Institute Dramatic Club, show- W. S. McCarthy and the words and music of which were written by the Harris brothers—W. H. and A. P—two Washington boys— and enacted at the Columbia Theater. 'HE writer happened to know the Harris brothers, heard the inci- dental music to this burlesque re- hearsed at his own home upon more than one occasion, and saw some of the parts even acted out there as the dance given by later well known in banking circles here. It was as clever a burlesque and the music was as tuneful as in many of the best pieces that came here, and the wonder is that it was not taken up by some theatrical producer and put on tha road. As it was, it ran here during the entire week of September 12, }898 It had a large cast for an amateur production, and included the follow- | ing: Lily-0-Killarney, queen of the Sandwich Isles (green by name, but black by nature), Mr. James Cathell; Princess Koylani, heiress-apparent to the throne (Americanized expressly for this occasion), Mrs. Thomas C. Noves; Kaplolani, & taro-beat love with Koylani, Miss Marie Howe; Ko-Dak, Governor of Oahu, of the princess town), Mr. W. H. Harris; of the firm of S. B (professional Shade. Rover (of the firm father S. B. Jole Jole & Co., Ltd. dethroners), Dr. E. C Greveland, P. D. Q. of Greveland, Freshan & Co. (professional rethroners), Mr. W. A. Morsell; Baby Truth, Rover's daughter, grown to womanhood, Witk yachting proclivities by inheritance, Mr. George O'Connor:. Spreckticles, proprietor of he ‘Sugar Trust’ Hotel, Mr. William S. McCarthy; Officer O'Hooligan, the police force of Honolulu, Mr. W. H. Conley, and Fijii, small boy, Master William Mor- sell. AN UNUSUAL feature of the pro- Rram is that the cast was changed for each performance. The cast for Monday, the first evening, was: “Queen Lil, Mr. James H. Cathell; Koylani, Miss Edna Scott Smith; Kapiolani, Mr. Melville D. Hensey; Ko-Dak, Mr. Paul W. Evans; Jole, Mr. W Rover Greve- land, M: Baby Truth Mi: Marie Howe C. V. Howard Dooley; Pep: William C baugh; Kis-Mu, Dr. E. Clyde Shade: Tu-Lu, Mr. A N Kuka-Ta Mr. Karl Daniel; Herald, Mr. Johr son “For Tuesday evening—MTr. Cathe! Miss Tvy ‘lerriott, Mr. Hensey, M: Ar* Tainest, Mr Clabaugh, Mr. nnor, Miss Eva Whitford, Con.ey, Mr. Dooley Dr. Seibold, Mr. Harris, Mr. Danu and Mr. Harry Morgan. “Wednesday matiree—Mr. Cathell, Miss Herriott, M. A. Bertrand Shader, Mr. Evans, Mr. Clataugh, Mr. Harris, Miss Howe, Mr, Hoxard, Mr. Daniel, Dr. Shade, Mr. Se bold, Mr. Morsell and Mr. Boyd. “Wednesday Miss Smith, Mr. Mr, night—Mr. Shader, Dr. Cathell, Shade, (the biggest coon in | !Mr. Morsell, Mr. Harris, Miss Howe, Mr. McCarthy, Mr. Conley, Mr. Cla: baugh, Mr. Dooley, Mr. Seibold, Mr. | Daniel and Mr. Johnson. “Thursday night—Mr, Cathell, Miss Herriott, Mr. Rench, Mr. Earnest, Mr. Morsell, Mr. Harris, Mrs. Paul W. Evans, Mr. Mahony, Mr. Dooley, Mr. | Clabaugh, Mr. Seibold, Dr. Shade, Mr. Daniel and Mr. Boyd. “Friday night—Mr. Cathell, Mrs. Thomas C. Noyes, Mr. Harris, Mr. Evans, Mr. Clabaugh, Mr. O'Connor, Mrs. Evans, Mr. Arthur Middleton, Mr. Morsell, Dr. Shade, Mr. Seibold, Mr. Dooley, Mr. Daniel and Mr. Boyd. “Saturday, gt the matinee—Mr. Ca- thell, Miss Smith, Mr. Shrader, Mr. Earnest, Mr. Clabaugh, Mr. Evans, Miss Blanche Wood, Mr. Howard, Mr. Dooley, Dr. Shade, Mr. Seibold, Mr. Morsell, Mr. Daniel and Mr. Morgan “On Saturday night—Mr, Cathell, Mrs. Noyes, Mr. Harris, Dr. Shade, | Mr. Morsell, Mr. O'Connor, Mr. M- | | Carthy, Mr. Conley, Mr, Clabaugh, | Mr. Seibold, Mr. Dooley, Mr. Daniel | {and Mr. Morgan were scheduled to appear.” | .}REFERRING to this performance, | i an old actor is reported as hav- | ing said at the time: “As an amateur performance this production has not been equaled in Washington at any time within the territorial limits of my memory, which is pretty big, too, I might add.” In commenting on the performance, one writer, speaking of the work of the Harris brothers, had this to say: “First come the Harris brothers them- | selves, whose work as author and | composer was for the first time ade- quately presented before the public | and who, furthermore, distinguished themselves as orchestral conductor and comedian, respectively. Indeed, W. H. Harris is one member whose talents as actor and singer would prob- ably win him a professional engage ment without difficulty, but he wisely prefers to continue the creative part- nership with his brother rather than attempt the purely imitative work of the average musical farce comedian Compared with s\ne of the people in ‘The Girl From Paris,’ No. 3 company, | at the National last week, an unpreju- diced spectator would probably take him for the professional.” F THE many persons who took part in the performances of the Carroll Institute Dramatic Club, or who were singers, the following is & Judson, Percy F. Leach, William W. Cullison, George T. Cox, L. E. Kaiser, Charles Moore, Will Cullison, Phil E. Baer, J. J. Fisher, Elmo Jasper, Wil- liam H. Lepley, William S. McCarthy, Wallace G. Orme, Robert Bruce, Ar- thur Plant, William H. Conley, Frank Howard, Charles L. Sully, Arthur Gardner, Frank H. Paston, Charles F. Locraft, John S. Tyler, John P. Baer, Harry Leigh, William O. Downey, Ed- ward J. Walsh, Felix Mahony, John J. CROWDING PEONS SEEM Deserted Areas in Mexico | Are Suddenly Populated When Paints Appear. By Rowland Lyon. ROM time to time I have en- deavored to give to a waiting | world the artist's point of view | on sketching in public. Many | times the artist is not an exhibitionisc and would like nothing better than the cloak of invisibility while painting | in the market place, but he is doomed to the glare of publicity the world over. Having just returned from a water color trip to Mexico, that popular meca for brush wielders, I speak with some slight show of authority. The Mexican peon is reputed to be a sim- ple fellow, dozing in the sun wrapped in a serape under a tentlike som- brero. This, in the main, is true, but let a painter set up an easel near his recumbent figure and the change is electric. The slumbering form leaps to his feet, lets out a yell in Spanish to his friends and relatives—of whom they are many—that the show is on, and a moment later the artist is the center of a throng as large and eager a8 a bunch of autograph hunters around a movie star. I have told of the gum chewers near the painter's ear in the United States. I have told of the children who climb upon his shoulders to get a clearer view, and the people who stand in front of the object that he is paint- ing, but these things are as nothing in comparison to what a Mexican crowd can do when it really gets in form. REMEMBER the occasion of my painting a water color of the Church of Saint Caterina in Mexico City. The church is a beautiful ex- ample of Spanish architecture, facing a little park near the center of the city. One of the cruise passengers named Althouse wanted to go along with me and watch me work. When we arrived in astaxl, the park was empty except for the usual one or two peons asleep on the grass. “This is luck,” I said to Althouse. “Maybe we won't be noticed.” Vain hope. I had no sooner opened my paint box and seated myself upon & camp stool than the rush was on. Where so many people of all ages and sizes could have come from I do not profess to know, but that they were there I can vouch for. Mexican children, who had never bathed since they were born—the average age was about 10—pushed against me from all sides. Althouse was shouldered to the rear and was unable to get so much as a glance at the picture.. Two tiny urchins en- gaged in a spit fight across my work. Now any one who knows anything about water color knows that his is slmost & jatal handicap for an artist ey to overcome. The fact that I needed room to flip the paint brush did not occur to any of them, and, after ex- plaining 12 or 13 times in the hope that some one could understand Eng- lish, I gave up and flipped right and left. Getting water on them seemed only to amuse them the more. I sup- pose that was the novelty of the thing. Every child in Mexico has a cold and none has a handkerchief, so the snuffiing, coughing, sneezing and hacking played bass to the shrill so- prano that dinned into my ears. The only person who departed was an In- dianlike peasant, who was sitting in the foreground of my painting and whom I wanted to include in my com- position. He left when I had him half finished. One small ragamuffin, sit- ting beside me, fell asleep and snored faintly. ‘An old man set up &s & rival DRAG ON ART ;Native Customs Retained in | Presence of Work Under Inspiration. attraction and drew sketches of both Althouse and me, which the small fry shoved under my nose with much laughter and yelling in Spanish. The sketches weren't awfully good. EASANT women In shawls, which were also wrapped around babies in the manner of a sling, stood be- tween me and the church, and stared Boggled-eyed at my picture, which was upside down to them. Some of the small boys became so entranced in explaining to their friends what I was doing that they their pointing fingers into the wet paint. crowd, would call over to me from time to time, and suggested that may- be if we passed the hat the park would be cleared. I was afraid it might give them some ideas on the subject. Tt was getting near lunch time and the sun was beating down flercely on the back of my neck, s0 I told Alt- house that I would hurry and fin- ish it. “Take your time,” he ' replied, “there’s not room in this small park for any more people.” ‘The picture, however, was almost done, and as I put on the last strokes I realized that I had completed it none too soon, because the small boys who had eaten mangos in my ear all morning began to have a battle with the seeds, and Althouse and I were testants. As' we strode out among the flying mango seeds, which are very juicy an.l work?"” “It's always & holiday when an artist appears,” I replied, as I hoped & taxi would appear; there was a gasoline strike on at the time. “I guess being an artist ain’t such & cinch, after all,” said Althouse. practically stuck | Althouse, at the outskirts of the | in no-man’s-land between the con- | soggy, Althouse observed, “Don't lny: of these, people ever have to go to Paul Grove, tenor, an Inawan scout in * Nolan, Miss Anite Hendrie, Miss Nora Cocker, Miss Teresa J. Machen, Percy Winter, Joseph A. Burkhart, W. E. Dieffenderfer, H. Bredekamp, 5. Min- ster, J. Travis Cocker, John S. Mo- ran, Matthew F. Halloran, John F. Pearson, Vincent E. Lynch. Mrs. Gay Robertson, Cornelius T. Daly, Miss Helene Lackayve, Thaddeus Sea Miss Ann M. Hathaway, Charles Mey- ers, Arthur Middleton, Frank Howard, Charles Green, Charles Bechte! ville Hensey. Daniel T. M 4 Seaman, P. W. Evans. Finley S. Hayes, Miss Nettie Paige, Miss Florence B. Leach, Miss Alice K. Irwin, George Harris, Frank W Miss Abbott, Mrs. Ivy Herriott, E. | Clyde Shade, Miss Laura Eichelber- | ger, Miss Myra Lee Civalier, M Kafhleen Chambers, Miss Rita Grane- wald. Miss Catherine Loughran, James | | A. O'Shea, Sue H. Murray, Jokeph | | Sheridan Knight, Miss Annie Lepley ] Francis J. P. Cleary, Leo P. Harlow. | Joseph D. Sullivan, Ignatius J. J. Cos- | tigan, George E. Sullivan, Jamese B | Harrigan, William B. Bagman, J. Y. | | Sneedon, J. L. Hickman. Keeler and Robert | QL’K’]‘E a number of those mentioned | in the foregoing list are still living in this city and are of our foremost citizens. Several are -prominent law- vers, while others are engaged in the various professional occupations and other pursuits. | Some of the pioneer members of | | the club included Edward J. Walsh, | Percy F. Leach, George H. O'Connor, Tl sy Georos 140 ' Ben | Matthew F. Halloran, C. T. Daly, | the B vartial s Sorge HaQicannor (Ben John S. Moran, J. Travis Cocker, John | in the United Gay | showing d J. Nolan, John F. Pearson, Mrs Robertson, Miss Helen Lackaye and | c James Watson " duction, “Si-Loota troubles its predecessor, Club, because, of the members went into the ranks Leach, J. E. Bean, John H. Zable |of the prof . Miss Hendrie wit | C. L. Mahony, John E. Knight, Samuel | Frank Col with account printed the club also had i the the Lawrence Barre! uring that year, “thri S8 Daly Augustin and Although temperature extr sh Isles are not so emes previous year, as had in ts te e th Ann Hathaway Travis in ed Foot in the amateur proe N