THE LATE JOHN F. SHERIDAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2860, 6 January 1909, Page 69

THE LATE JOHN F. SHERIDAN.

THE CREATOR OF WIDOW O'BRIEN. HIS EARLY EXPERIENCES. "Was I born of theatrical stock?" The speaker was Air John F. Sheridan, tha wcl.-knoYVii comedian, whose su-dden death at Newcastle op Boxing Day on theeve of a new production, was tragic- in the extreme. "Oh, no ; lam the only one in the jjusiaiess. My name is John Francis Sheridan. I was bom in America of poor, but Irish parents." "I have been told, and my mirror convinces me of the fact, that have a big nose. But a man may have big feet ami yet not be a policeman. If I were a Jew I would not be ashamed to admit it. I have many gooc friends amongst tile Jews, and if I had r -been one I would ha\e had many of their excellent qualities. The fact, however, remains that I am an IrishAmerican. But all that is by the way. You want to- know how I begati. "Well, at the school which J attended in Providence, Rhode Island, there was an entertainment in. connection with the yearly examination. A sketch was usually put on, and in this particular one I played the Widow Mulvaney. I did very well as the Widow Mulvaney, and made the other kids e/hriek with joy — or something else maybe. Of course I dressed the Widow as a woman. After that, great things were jsredicted for me." ' "What then? Well, after I left school I went to work in a gun factory, and I developed a great liking for clog -dancing. I used to prat-tise every chance I got. I well remember climbing up to the top of the great building to do it. There was another young fellow and we — Mac — and we practised together. A minstrel show was being got up in Providence, and Mac and I applied for a triaL We were engaged as the Sliter Brothers — for we were doing it without our parents' knowledge — at the salary of 30e a week each ; 'but,' said the manager, 'you will have to 'ook after tho baggage.' Properties, etc., you understand. When the show got going we found v,-e were the stars, and we declined to do any baggage work, replying to the manager's orders with a fine air-of independence, and our thumbs in our armpits, 'Not much !' If hs didn't like it, of course he knew what to do, «od so on like that. But it really did not matter anyway, as the 3how soon petered out. Our next move was to Now York, whero we went to W4- Broadway. A vaudeville theatre, and one of the best, although it is alway3 known as 444. Hero it was that we dropped our assumed names, the Slitei- Brothers, for our own. I'll teli you sonTiOthinsr strange about that. Thfl American war was in full swing at t-JV3 time, :ind thrie wcra fighting i-.\o gf-v-'o-rals, Sheridan and Mao. Thes<? were our names, and it was thought we had taken them because of the stir the othors "."ere making on tho battlefield. Prior io New York we were simply clog-dancing ; but now we added singing." Passing ovi-r a period at 712 Broadwa*-, a 12 months' i.'-.)gagement with Tony Pastor, and two yeara with the Morris" Brea.' Minstrels at Boston, during ail of which "Johnny"' Sheikian wus building iip ior greater things, what was praotieahy the turning point in his career was reached. "Jarret and Palmes," went on the Widow, "were a big firm just about to opon in New York a. gigantic hall, on the same lines as the A4hambra, with fine ballet*, etc., and Sheridan and 1 Mao were- engaged to do eongs aiid dances in black faoas. But at the last moment the management decided to make a change, from black to ivhite faces. I went to my partner and 1 'broke fchs news gently. He was knocked back when I told him we would have to do the turn white face or the contract would be cancelled. Full of hope, 1 said, 'We can do it,' and Mack, glumly enough, chipped in, 'Why, they'll never stand .is!' 'Never mind,' said I, 'it's worth rryinp, anyway!' And it was; for we went big. »So j'ou see, we were the first to introduce the white-faced song v and dance. Shortly after this I parted with Mac, and was associated with a lady as a partner, doing sketches. SII3 impersonated th<- man ; I played the woman. I remember I wrote a sketch called 'Romeo and Juliet' in which I was Juliet." It is interesting to h<?ar that "Fun en the Bristol." with which Mr Sher'dan's name i= inseparable, was no fictional cieation. The Bristol was a majjnificeni pleaeure steamer, plying between New York and Boston, but the frenesis of llie play is best told by Mr Sheridan himself. "I was. as I told you," remarked the genial come dian, "rather cut up at the thought of going back to vaudeville, and Rowe, to appease my regrets, said, "Never mind, Johnnie, I will wiite you a play with an Irishwoman's part in it.' I was -delighted. Weeks and months went by, but the- re wa« no appearance of the play, and probabh wouldn't have been but for coincidence. It so happened that I was playing in a variety tKcatiiin Brooklyn, and in iho=e days there was always a sketch. The skeiches were just concocted, no paiU being <rncn out, all the performers having to make tneir >wn lines ana Lasiiicsa. Weil, one of these

was 'Mrs Muldoon's Trip to Boston. I was Mrs Muldocn, and the idea, of the sketch was this: Mrs Muldoon had a crazy daughter, whom she was- talking to aii asylum. The girl was mad oh 'Pinafore,* which was all the rage then, and during the trip we gave a concert. This farce, instead of goirig one week like "the others, caught on for two or three weeks. One day I ran across Rowe, and in the course of a chat said, --'What about the play?' He said he had an idea, so I persuaded him tc come along and see 'Mrs Muldoon.' The result was that I went along to his rooms. My word, he was a big man, and had sumptuous apartments in New York. ' Then I would talik it over and give him ideas, for he could not write my business. Finally, we fixed up a play that looked all right. Instead of Mrs Muldoon, I was Mrs O'Shannessy. Jarret was 6ent for, and he agreed to give it a trial, and told me to look up vaudeville artists to fi r the parts. To make a long story short, they were engaged for two weeks sure, and rehearsals took place at Rowe's rooms. • - "Finally 'Fun on the Bristol' was produced at Newport, Rhode Island. The swell watering place? Yes; that's it. It h high-toned. The piece was an awful f ro,3t ; and I know you will like- to know this— it was crucified by one little thing you would never dream of. You know the scene where Tommy Cra-nberry declares himself to Norah? Yes. Well, in the dialogue was an adjective which, it seems, was applied locally a notorious person, and out came~-the papers with a terrible condemnation. The play was damned. "When the notice wenr, up to close. Jarret, who was a good fellow, was about to take train to New York when he met E. E. Rice, of ' Evangeline ' fame. Jarret asked him to looik at the show, and subsequently he came, in as a partner. The piece wits altered a gocd deal. Mrs O'Shauncssy became Mrs O'Brien, and so on. 'Fun on the Bristol' was then taken round the smalls until it was well worked up. Then New York w<is etormed." It was in the 14th Street Theatre, New York, that the "Widow made his bow in 1880. "And w*-om do you think was waiting for us to get out? Why, Nellie Stewart. The .Stewart family were then travelling with 'Rainbow Revels.' By tho way, Charley Hams ('Gus's brother) and Henry Pettitt, the dramatist, came to the show, the latter speaking well of me and saying, 'If that boy' — I was only a boy— 'comes to London ho will make a eensation.' It wa-s in 1884 chat Arthur Garner, representing tho old firm cf W., U., and M., engaged the Widow for an Australian tour. H« opened ;n; n Melbourne at the Theatre Royal on April !?, 1884. and was an instant success. His en fHgeniont was for six ■months, but he renitliiPfl t.vo years. Since then the penip.l z-crpfA'Z-> "has been to England, America, Irdiu. C'iina, British Bur*rah, and baok ~.0 A'siir-xlia, v. hlch has the vv ■!)•>'. <isi corner >n iii* I;enrt. ">!>>•«, »'.'".t> do vcu ilih'k was my dresser ii M«<ru'h«'*er? You wouldn't gues*. Why. Tote Uug'bes ! Y-:3, poor chap, he's dead now. Y^s. Peti> toe my dresser : and I'll <v>'l yr.t: !-ow ':*• g-ot in front. 1 had en-gatr.-u Ki»of;h (o r^pre^nt me in Australia, but :.( ih'i lush n-.-o.^cit he took an enga^em. sn'5 n' v/r>'h Mr< T>.siß*ry. I was in a fix; the bv><if "/a-? Nt once, so I said to Vct'j, 'Pots. -&««'•-{« o;ot to po- to Australia as :nv agent.' 'lior-!' rrp'ied Pete, 'I know nothing abou f agents. I can't go.' 'Never m>nd.' said I: 'you've got my printing, haven' r you? and you know my bills, don't you? Then you can give them to Mr WilJiamson.' Anyway, Pete went as my agent, and that was the turning point in his career. Oh ! Now. who do you think was my conductor in England? You won't guess. Well, ie was Sydney Jones, the man who wrote 'San Toy' and 'The Geisha.' He came to me in York, where I had advertised for a conductor. He had no experience, but Tie said he knew the business — Ins father was conductor at the Prince of Wales; io I gavp him a trial. He A\ould not come to Australia beoau«e he wa= about to be married. And who do you think was mv conductor in Now York? W]iv, C!u« Kerker. who wrote 'The Bell of Xew York.' "What is mv favourite character'' — 'The Widow ?' I am sick of it ! It made rnn, did it? Well, don't you forger ihat I made her ! Lurcher, in 'Dorothy.' is one of mj-be-t ant] favourite parts. G-aspard. in 'Les Olorh-es de Ccrnp\ille.' i= anofl cr Xo ; J suppose many pcoplf Wo not* know T p[;v\c<l jn opera. J payed Lurc^rr for thp fi\~t lime in the East. Other charactn- of min^ are Captain Cro'stiae. in 'B'-^ck r^yed Su>-an' : Blueikin. in 'Little Jark Sh«--p-r>ard" : Tid heap* morf." Now John F. Sheridan >'* uec'J!