The evening world. Newspaper, May 14, 1904, Page 11

ia There Is Mutual Regret. —FIELDS. WENTY-SIX years ts a long time T for two men to remain together in professional capacity; but We ave agreed to separate, and that is all ere is to it. There is a mutual regret; but we have cast our lines, and must labide by the haul. What it may bring orth we cannot say. To ask me to say what I think of the ublio 1s to ask me what I. think of r success, It has been unusual, and were it not that the public cared for pur style of entertainment such @ suc- fees would not even have been pos- pible, In all the innovations and siage Rovelties which wo may have given tho bio I had the heartlest support of . Weber, and he and I and others al- ways worked in unison. There never Were any differences that amounted to . If Mr. Weber said ‘yes’ and ways managed to get re than to any e the rise of the Weber & Fields company to prominence. But ft must never be forgotten, that we owe this, not to ourselves, but rather to the persons who came to our ‘aid when they sorely were needed. It has been said that the Weber & Fields oom: was the best ever organized and that tt stands uniyuc in the theatri- Sal Mstory of New York, don't forget. that it ts the per- ps who came under the Weber & ‘elds banner that made Weber & Fields. what they may be to-day, Wore it not for them, you could not reason- @bly ask for such an expression of opinion as this from me, AMUSEMENTS. __ LYRIG?’ Sous Wot" HOPPER m “HANG CASI Bway & doth at. Tele. Tasty, CASING CAR PAE BOGE EXtNetine Woke Last Mat, ‘To-day. of Bollchinelis: 9. ie As HERE dwelt next door to Meyer and Mike a Falr/Prophetess, with powder puff—and a Japanese poodle, pronounced ‘\Mopocha.” Spoke the Fair Prophetess: “This separation of Weber & Fialds is a mistake and I predict they will get together after a year apart.” The Fair Prophetess spoke in low Wolce, for, be it known, Lillian Rus- sell’s dressing-room was next to that.of Weber-and Fields. Was Lillian Rugsell “next” to Weber and Fields? As Mike might have sald to Meyer, “It listened so” There was a vague, Bar Rockaway look (with apologies'to “Whoop-Dee- Doo") in Miss Russell's eyes which made me wonder whether she was clairvoyant or merely Morris Parking. “Iam satisfied that the whole trouble—if trouble it can be called—ts due to some trivial misunderstanding which might have been explained and-remedied Jn.a few words at any time, I believe that both Mr, Weber and Mr. Fields are sorry the split has occurred, and that once they are away from each other they will become convinced that they ought to be together. I am confident they will come to recognize that they are neces- sary to each other. They have done a remarkable thing in the twenty-six | years they have been together. They have. buflt up an institution that has made them famous and given pleasure to thousands, New York needs just j Such an institution. It needs a place where it can sit down and smoke and needs, and while perhaps what as been done canbe done, I’m afratd that @ music hall by any otier name would hardly sound as sweet. It’s too bad, and when 1 say this I express what every member of the company feels,’ a a s a s s o 18S RUSSELL'S regret seemed 60 true, so Personal, that I asked her $f she would have been content to remain the firm to continue. i mee Weper & Fields wore “No, I don’t know that I should,’ she replied, “I thing more than I have been doing—I want to. rey ae ee area farce, adapted by Cosmo Gordon Lennox, which I hope to produce. I fond. believe it is a second ‘Marriage of Kitty.'" 7 At this point there wasa rustle of skirts and a merry salutation. AMUSEMENTS, THOMPSON & DUNDY’S GREATER LUNA PARK. | | Monster Three-Ring Mid-Air Clroun } the tar - } | | | don Hippo Grinteat ISLAND’S MYSTIC CITY OF THE SEA OPEN. 1-DAY CREATED AT A COST OF $3,500,000, > ng Hears, froth | Nouveau Cirque, “Paria: Tlassan fi <robate trom the City of Fen, Morocco, and Great RBAR OF INDIA. herd of elephagts in the world; Tal DU Lass and ‘trappings in value ransom; 300’ Oriental peo- FLAMES. hharsemen. bie, 100 FIRE AND * The gre a iY n cy bh examina’ Under 300 Origingl and world’s famous Sum: Servic Pee 1 Beta, 203, BES Sie Se CX Maio ara ROR 08, 7, Ha her handmatden—a willing worker with needle and thread and listen to a quip and a song. Weber & Fields have given it Just what it’ a the | STREETS OF DELHI | EVENING .¢ WORLD'S w HOME w 4 ————_ = Beauteous Weberfields Star Anticipates : Reunion of the Favorite Comedians Ulf Within ferhaps nother Year. Ife “My sister,” said Miss Russell, by way of introduction. “Sister” picked up the poodie—as homely a purp as ever was fondled by lovely woman—and gavo it a hug. “You were speaking of the play?” she remarked. “I have just been reading it again. It is capital. And,” to Miss Russell, with a laugh, “I) have this day engaged Ed Stevens.” “You see,” and Miss Russell laughed, too, “my company is already] being organized. Seriously, I do hope to bring the play out next season, though, of course, one never knows what may happen to one’s plans. As 1 said, I want to act. I want to leave off wearing fancy costumes and doing a bit of burlesque. I want to wear a lady's gown and play a lady's part. [ want to escape the slavery which is the penalty of a woman who sings, For twenty-three years I have been in constant training, so to speak. [| mustn't do this and I mustn’t do that, because it would be bad for my voice.| I must not wear low shoes in the afternoon, for fear my ankles may swoll, EE RT MAGAZINE. “Perhaps one or two, The public might not accept me without a song to my name on the programme. and Uits of burlesque worked into the play. It would be much less of an effort to sing where there was no smoking, I found that out on the road.” “And other things?” Miss Russell answered with a look of horror. “Too many and too horrible to mention. That's why if ever I go on the road again I want to have my own company and work for myself instead of for others, And let me tell you the first thing I’d do: I'd get the best press agent money could buy and instead of giving a percentage of the profits to my manager I would give {t to my press agent. Nothing, in my opinion, makes for theatrical sucvers like the right sort of press-agenting. It’s half the battle, especially on the road. A strange phase of the Weber & Fields’s tour was that in many places—even in San Francisco at first— the people were sceptical. They had grave doubts as to whether they were and at night women in the audience may say, ‘Goodness, what thick ankles she has!’ Oh, to escape high ehoes by day and gargles and sprays for my; throat at night!” “Acting would be easier?” ‘With deop feeling Miss Russell replte@: “It would be a cinch.” Riis Bad a a Rad Rod od os GAIN f believed Miss Russell. Often have I sat and watched “acting” and thought, “Oh, how easy!” And sometimes I have wondered that managers did not simplify the economy of the demnition “drammer” by playing principal parts themselves and apportioning the other parts of a play among the members of thelr office force. Imagine the perfection of a system expressed in an “sd.” something Ike this’ ' WAN‘SHD—Boy to maintain the dignity of the office and double in juventles; stenographer on the water wagon, and with small appetite, who can play mille, Address ‘Thrifty é& Rich, Theatrical Managers, “Did I understand you to say it was"—— “A cinch,” fearlessly and fervently repeated Miss Ruseell, “Singing is the hardest work a person can do, It makes a perfect slave of one. It woul! be like really enjoying life just to play # part.” “With nary a soni also Can going to get the ‘real thing.’ They seemed to suspect that none of us was just as advertised. I shouldn't think of saying that I ‘appeared’ in many of the towns we visited. Ishould say ‘exhibited.’ I had the sensation of be- ing on exhibition, I would come on and veritably feel the glasses which were levelled on me. Occasionally I would hear something like this: “Do you think she’s really Lillian Russell?’ “*W-well, she looks like pictures of Lillian Russell that I’ve seen.* “Is she as good looking as you expected she'd Le?” “Sometimes I was nnd cnmetimes I wasn’i, and more than once as I un- derwent critical scrutiny and comment I felt like picking up my skirts and] scampering to cover.” s s a a o os ry seemed od to come out night after night before andiences in which there wasn’t a familiar face. Here in New York I’ve become so used! to seeing the same faces that when I have met these across-the-foot- lights friends on the street I have more than once caught myelf on the! point of bowing. I feol as if I should like to say ‘How do you dol’ But, of course, I never do.” ae Certainly not. Convention, like consctonce, mal cowards of us all,| “T shall miss the old crowd,” sighed Miss Russell. “And the old crowd will miss Weber and Fields, It's too bad! Meanwhile, in the next room, Weber and Fields were making up—their faces. CHARLES DARNTOD ssyT AMUSEMENTS. AMUSEMENTS, | [evinprerescine seaeaseas PROGIOR'S. to-mst, ter 220 l pire "eas agg earuray To-night, Res., 75c. ri + in HERALD SO™" ca Lint TIMR |FROMKAY’S TO-NitHT| sam BERNARD. CRITERION, WILLIAM 5th Ay)“ EROU FROU. 125th SL“ IN MIZZOURA” 1Epecial! Next wk., Brillant Engagement of Hig Vaudeville Features | CHAKLES | RAW LEY, | 2 at, AMUSEMENTS. AUSEMENTS. «0 1 Hober’s Museom, | NEW AMSTERDAM otis, "3" of EY. t Night LAST Marr, baie "8 ‘Tro of =f TO-. a Educated Monkeys, “eo i" TWO ORPHANS, WIZARD OF 07 8 Mats, Wed. & Sat. > NEW MUSICAL COMEDY, i Han from China MAJESTIC MM. CHAS, A BIGELOW} LYNNE 8. 8.15. Ma Be EL ay Prt TWO LITTLE SAILOR BOYS, Prie , 79, $1. Mata To-day &/Wed,2.Bv.8,15 LYCEUM The Uther Girl DALY'S 3x8" KF B CROWN PRINCE. tat &. Last time ‘| PASTOR'S oD Al L abt PASTOR'S SNinitt | JOHNSTOWN FLOOD lem nesunaviutie ee a ata Sect CONEY ISLAND. 33.05 dani. ‘ ! Hear | BRST CHD ATLANTIC 1d. {BEST SHON rey ret’ Carela, NewGrouvs hea, Bwa 5 APH, ; Matinee af Attrastions. Magte Kettle. | prank 1 4 | BELASC ‘et CROSMAN: sw Gee TTAN ROMANCE 102d St. & J Bohemian Bi My idea would be to have a song or two - | Bast 14th Bt | Causes Me Sincere Sorrow, & WEBER. ; © N the many years we have Been gt: gether there has been nothing the utmost friendliness, ‘The fact that Mr. Fields and I are to. separate deep and sincere «Oe. a 4ration Is brought about’ be . Melds and I ould not'agree! on certain lines of policy. ‘That ts alk; For the public, which has eo, given us its encouragement, Iam volce the feclines of Mr. Fitids when Says’ that to the ~ubllc we owe thing. It was the publio which: ie our offerings when the Weber & es Music Hall was an experiment, 60 ~ Speak, and it was this same pul which encouraged us to g0, to lengths. What we may have done done because we had the éncotirage ment of the public. Withont titre jothing. Every thee izes this and 1 qm sayine nothing new. bai e Weber & Fields productiphia essed novelties not - noticeable: Olaer Koductions 1 think we may x to thank the persons with Whom.we were suirounded, They Were ever = de the path which ded to the. ws would be Idle at this time fom Mr, is or myself to enumerate the o.! isted us in our-emy partl ee sine our earnest and hour of with di Nai ao Concest, £744,,600, The GOTHAM . & 3d AM i St. Ladien’ [ta pm" i = To-Day, eVisit High, NAT.M, WILLS