AMUSEMENTS.

  DeWolf Hopper: William DeWolf Hopper (1858-1935) made his stage debut in 1878. At 6 feet 2 inches he was considered too tall for serious acting roles, and his big bass singing voice drew him to musical theater; he starred in The Black Hussar in 1885, and had his first pairing with Della Fox in Castles in the Air in 1890, followed by Wang in 1891 and Panjandrum in 1893; he starred in many more Broadway shows. One of his most popular acts was his recitation of Thayer's poem, "Casey at the Bat," which he helped to make popular; he recited it at curtain calls, recorded it in 1906, and performed it in a silent movie in 1916, and on the radio.

Hopper married six times, most notably to actress Elda Furry, best known as the feared gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. His son by her, William DeWolf Hopper, Jr., played Paul Drake on the 1950s Perry Mason televion series.

  Panjandrum: Panjandrum (1893), with music by Woolson Morse, libretto by Cheever Goodwin, was the third production starring the combination of the petite Della Fox and the very tall DeWolf Hopper.

  Lansing Theatre: The Lansing Theater, on the southwest corner of 13th and P Streets, was built in 1891, displacing the Funke Opera House as the largest and finest theater in Lincoln. The owners were J.F. Lansing (b. 1842), a Lincoln real estate man, and his brother-in-law Henry Oliver (b. 1857); Edward A. Church was the manager. According to the program of the opening week (November 23-28, 1891) the auditorium consisted of the orchestra and parquet seating on the main level, with dress circle at the rear and sides; three tiers of five boxes each and six loges were at the sides. Above were the balcony and the gallery. With standing room, about 2500 people could be present.

The building also housed offices, including that of Cather's friend and fellow reviewer, Dr. Julius H. Tyndale. It was renamed the Oliver Theater in 1898.

The Oliver Theater, Lincoln, Nebraska. The theater was originally named The Lansing Theater.

  The Fencing Master: The Fencing Master, with music by Reginald de Koven and libretto by Harry Bache Smith (who had also done the book for Robin Hood), opened 14 November 1892 at the Casino Theatre in New York, and ran for 120 performances. The heroine, Francesca, is disguised as a boy for most of the play; she sings one of the more popular songs, "Ah yes, I love thee."

  Della Fox: Della May Fox (1870-1913) was born in St. Louis, and played in children's theatrical productions, and as a child performer in a James O'Neill play. She starred as the child heroine in a touring production of Editha's Burglar, based on a Frances Hodgson Burnett story, then her soprano voice enabled her to join the Bennett and Moulton Opera Company. Her voice and small size made her the choice for the role of Blanche, opposite the tall, bass-voiced DeWolf Hopper, in Castles in the Air (1890), and she became one of the biggest stars on Broadway, with Wang (1891), Panjandrum (1893), The Little Trooper (1894), and The Wedding Day (1897) with Lillian Russell. She was famous for 'boy' roles and later as "the girl with the curl"-a spit-curl in the middle of her forehead. A serious illness about this time (rumors of alcohol and drug abuse also circulated) took her from the stage for a time before she returned in vaudeville in 1900; that year she married Jacob Levy, a diamond broker, and retired for a time. She returned to the stage in 1912 and gave her last performance in April 1913, two months before her death in June 1913.

  awful: Cather uses the word in its older sense, as something inspiring awe by its grandeur or power.

  the Dramatic News: The New York Dramatic News was published from 1875 to 1919.

  Grace Golden: Soprano Grace Golden (1867-1903) was born in Indiana, of a theatrical family. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1883, at the age of sixteen. In 1889 she became a regular at the Casino Theatre in New York, subsequently appearing in light opera with Lillian Russell, Marie Tempest, and in De Wolf Hopper's company. She sang the lead in the first New York production of Cavalleria Rusticana in 1891. She joined the Castle Square Opera Company in 1897, where she sang many lead roles, creating that of Esmeralda in Goring Thomas's opera of that name. She died of tuberculosis at the age of thirty-five.

  "Carmen": The opera by George Bizet (1838-1875) was first produced in Paris in 1875; the libretto, by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, was based on a novella by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was unsuccessful at first, but gradually gained popularity. The plot concerns the fiery Spanish gypsy cigarette girl, Carmen, who fascinates the young soldier, Don José, though he is engaged to a young country girl. When Carmen wounds one of her fellow-workers, he helps her escape from the law, and is imprisoned himself. Carmen and the gypsies help him escape to the mountains, but Carmen begins to tire of him and turn to the toreador Escamillo. When she finally rejects Don José, he kills her.

  Miss Ida Fuller's: Ida Fuller was a well-known skirt (or butterfly) dancer, like the more famous Loie Fuller; she advertised herself as Loie Fuller's sister and pupil. The announcement preceding her appearance in Lincoln said she came "direct from the Follies Dramatique Theatre, Paris" (April 5, 1894). According to a (perhaps satirical) interview published in 1893, she had once been with Buffalo Bill's company, surviving shipwreck on the Mississippi River and a hotel fire in New Orleans.Her collection of theatrical memorabilia is in the Mansion Museum, Forest City, Iowa.

  Miss Marie Tempest: Marie Susan Hetherington (1864-1942) was born in London. She studied singing abroad, then returned to study under Manuel Garcia, who had taught Jenny Lind. She made her London debut in 1885, then took over the lead in Erminie (1885). She became famous when she took over the lead in Dorothy (1887) turning it into a hit that ran for 931 performances. She took The Red Hussar to New York in 1890, and toured the U.S. in operettas, including The Pirates of Penzance, The Bohemian Girl, and The Fencing Master. She was considered one of the few who could rival Lillian Russell. Tempest ceased singing operettas in 1899, devoting herself to comedy. Noel Coward wrote a part for her in his Hay Fever (1925). She toured until the year before her death, and was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1937. Marie Tempest

  Miss Lilly Post: Lilly Post starred in the title role of the McCaull Opera company's production of Indiana in New York in 1887, and in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1888. She appeared with Marie Tempest in a benefit performance in 1892; after Tempest left de Koven's The Fencing Master in 1894, Post shared the starring role with another actress. Odell's statement that Post was "wonderfully surviving the attacks of time" suggests both her beauty and experience as an actress. (Annals of the New York Stage)

  Mr. Julius Steger: Julius Steger appeared in a number of New York productions between 1894 and 1914, including In Gay New York (1896), The Geisha (1897), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1898), de Koven's The Man in the Moon (1899), and Sally in Our Alley (1902). Although Steger was not in the original New York cast of The Fencing Master (1892), he played in Marie Tempest's company in de Koven's The Algerian in her 1893-94 tour. He is listed in the New York Drama Reviews Index as the musical director for an 1899 production, A Dangerous Man; he may be the same Julius Steger who was associated with Florenz Ziegfield's Follies productions, and the director of a silent film, The Law of Compensation (1917).