Show THESPIAN THEMES b Something About a French Opera Singer of a Century Ago THE SUCCESS OF JILLE HAILLARD A Story of an Awkward rosition Into Which Hiss Vokes Unwittingly Fell Other Dramatic Matter In Brief r The furious fun now prevalent in the 8 F crowded theatres of Paris naturally starts up reminiscences of the actors and actress of a hundred years ago Aud they had some good ones Indeed the French stage whether operatic tragic comic or musical was enjoying en-joying one of its rarest seasons of favor in 1789 The Grand Opera was burned on tho 6th of June 171 but Mario Antoinette donated do-nated tho ground and had it rebuilt in three months Tho noted singers of the Hmo were Messrs Lays and Chovon and Miles Mallard and Gavaudan but these wero second in public pub-lic favor to the wonderful dancers Guimard Saulnier and Zachuerio MIlo Guimard was tho reigning queen and lived in Oriental luxury in a fine residence of her own MIlo Mallard was not only a singer and dancer but had rare histrionic gifts mailing her the best all around actress of tho time Hoc first brilliant engagement was as a dancer at St Petersburg whence she returned re-turned to Paris in 1780 and entered n singing sing-ing school for two years At the end of that time all devoted to conscientious study sho made her debut and took the town by storm Her beauty though of a rather florid and lig 4 4 MLTE UAILLABD colossal sort her admirable voice imposing figure and majestic manner made her easily tho first in all grand > ersonations She was very eccentric but this in no wise diminished her popularity As her height made her somewhat conspicuous among women and she did not enjoy being pointed out on tho streets she habitually took her excursions in tho disguise of a mall Once in tho Bois de Boulogne a French oliccr insulted a lady in her company when sho promptly struck him with a whip A duel resulted the officer j Sas wounded and on learning that his an r agonist was a woman left the country A WW AnD FOn MISS YOKES I The story apropos of Miss Yokes great song His Heart Was True to Poll will be I read with interest She was playing in Salt Lake City at the time of the incident but sho shall tell it herself I I It was my first night there sho says according I ac-cording to Tho Stage Wo played at the i Mormon theatre and opened to a splendid I house In tho boxes were several high officials offi-cials of the Mormon church in attendance on numerous wives and in tho parquet wero many more who if not quite so numerously numer-ously were sufficiently blessed in a matrimonial matri-monial woy It was not until I had started to sing the song His cart was true to Poll that the awful significance of its moral flashed upon me I glanced at my husband who was sitting in a box and I saw that he too had suddenly appreciated the danger of I tho situation I felt as if I wanted to get on a trap and sink through the stage Very early in the song when the hero gets wrecked I f and is married to the dusky queen it is re latod She made him n present of twenty wives Their beauty now Ill not extol I This was bad enough but think of tho i I last verse when poor Bill is being tried and I the lines run But the sympathetic judge Wiped lib glosses of a smudge And declared with tho wisdom of old Sol Though the case looked like polygamy It wasnt even bigamy For his heart was true to PolL Well substituted slaves for wives and I cut out tho last verse altogether Tho song was ruined but our engagement was saved FAXSV DAVENPORtS HUSBAND Hero is a portrait of Melbourne McDowell the handsome leading man of Fanny Davenport Daven-port who was re < ntly promoted to the position of husband hus-band by that imperious im-perious actress Tho tt story of tho marriage mar-riage is an old one now as is the story I of Davenports I previous marital experience withEd with-Ed Price which r J 7 ended in divorce McDowell has been Davenports best t1ErIounr l1OOWILL support for some time and probably filled the place better than any predecessor except perhaps Robert MantelL TnEiTniCVI CHIT CHAT Vhile filling his Liverpool engagement recently re-cently W J Scanlan was entertained a I banquet by tho Irish National club of that city and was also a guest at tho annual din j ncr of the Liverpool Press club So successful I success-ful has the season been that Manager Gus Titou has extended the dates two weeks be I yond July 8 Tho other day tho advance agent of a Dr Jckyll and Mr Hyde company told a number num-ber of villagers in tho postofflco of a JIaino town where they were billed that their Mr Hyde was such a dangerous character that they were compelled to carry him around the country chained and in a special car and that frequently ho became so savage that it I was impossible for his keeper to go near him says Tho Mirror The news spread rapidly and tho advance man arranged on arrival with the comedian to fasten himself in chains put on a dog face make up and then ndo in a wagon to the opera house Tho spectacle of the wild Mr Hyde created tremendous excitement ex-citement and the theatre was packed that ufcht |