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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 1915)
The. Omaha Sunday Bee PAST TWO EDITORIAL PAGES ONE TO TEN PART TWO SOCIETY PAGES ONE TO TEN VOL. XLV NO. 10. OMAHA, SUNDAY MORXINU, AUdUST 22, 1!)1". SINGLE COPY FIVE CENTS. Tike furor created, hy tkis famous opera is deai:li of ITal: Britain -who I n I vVis recalled by the receive ! ... created the title role. I s ' VH -f-J II ' T . W ,7. B V I a II iv W v V 1 I I . . l5fatttS ? Ql ' I frail, 2Jri.mrti2t Calm, the prima 'P&: '" e doTina-SMoatehettmelylleyn.- . tSfJi WwXAfk. MT " INQ FOR A DAT" was never In it with "Mr. Sampson of Omaha." Tou re member the tremendous hit which was made by Archibald Claverlng Ounther's novel, called "Mr. Barnes of New York," which had uch a best-seller run as to lead to a follow-up called "Mr. Potter of Texas?" There were so many "Mr. Somebody's of Some where" in. those days that It became absolutely necessary to put a man on the literary highway tc fame carrying an Omaha tag- on big suitcase, ""Thaf "Somebody of Somewhere" was ohrlstened "Mr. Sampson' of Omaha," and instead of a hero of a novel, he made his debut in the principal role of a comic opera, a made-in-Oraaha, prodnced-ln-Omaha by Omaha talent comic opera at that. The story rt "Mr. Sampson of Omaha" is recalled by the death ten days ago of Nat M. Brlgham, who oreated the character and sang the part when this famous musical show was put on In Omaha for a run of four performances in June, 1883. But first let us get the plot underlying the words and muslo of the play. It was a thriller of the thrilling kind, combining lore and business, musio and adventure, tun and frolic Just trans port yourself In imagination to a comfortable seat In Boyd's old opera house, that stood at the north east corner of Fifteenth and Farnam, until It was burned down, and foous your eyes on the stage. The scene Is laid In Bulgaria. The king by prodigality has been brought to the verge of ruin. He Is harassed constantly by creditors, among them Teresa, a bad debt collector with whom he falls in love, and who tenderly loves him, but who re- fiiua m kvmu lila fla.nnA aha wonM h Inclined to treat his Indebtedness with a leniency that would amount to an Injustice with her employ ers. The prime minister is himself ambitious to wear the crown. A possible solution of the kingdom's t'ifflcultlties is suggested by the entrance of Vargaret, the beautiful daughter of the prime min ister, who has been reading Sir Walter Scott's VIvanhoe," and cherishes the wish to have a tourna ment. This wish she Imparts to the king, who at first discourages her, but finally conceives the scheme of offering her at a public tournament to the one who can show him the road to wealth. Of course, the prime minister objects strenuously, hav ing already promised Margaret to a wealthy Bul garian, but threatened with the publlo executiotw, he relents. The tournament Is duly arranged, and after several indifferent get-rtch-qulck schemes have been From Omaha or Omahay Prime Minister: This gentleman from Omaha From Omaha or Omahay . Proposes, as you all have heard To bear the tourney's prize away. The king Is pleased to think him quite The knight that he was looking for. Although for me I here may say All foreigners I do abhor. Kind friends, I'm loyal to our king, But If at any time the crown From that great head you choose to take, I know an able man in town Who loves his country as himself. And who. If he were acting king, Would ne'er a tourney's prise confer Upon a loathsome foreign thing! 'Tis not for me to mention names, "lis not for me this reign to queer, But were I called to show the man, I'd plainly answer, "I am here." Farewell, oh Jousters, you may go Unto your happy homes away The prize has gone to Omaha Or Omaha or Omahay. kk "Mr- smi,8on ot mha" You rKlnm WUwjK I r member the tremendous hit which ,"K ?'' Zyff '" 7&CA I V I t J i- f m mm m t J U 1 M m f f am OAST OF CHARACTERS Mr. Sampson Mr. Nat M. Brlgham King of Bulgaria Mr. B. B. Young Prime Minister Mr. Henry D. Estabrook Publlo Executioner. .... Mr. Charles I Deuel Court Crier Mr. W. B. Downing Margaret (daughter of prime minister) .... Mrs. Martin Cahn Teresa (a collector of debts) Mrs. II. D. Estabrook Helena Miss Bertha Baylies Messenger Boy , ...Miss Eva Goodall Stage manager, Mr. W. It. Ooodall Conductor, Mr. Martin Cahn. CHORUS. Sopranos and Altos Misses: Misses: Kate M. Ball May Dundy Anna L. Bishop Luna Dundy Rose H. Brady Ruth Kimball Mellona Butterfleld Florence Kimball Helen Copeland Claire Rustln Nellie M. Corby Mary Lake Edith H. Crandall Minnie D. Rhelnhardt Pauline L. Dewltt Julia Knight Mrs. Wm. A. Redlck Nettie E. Totman Mrs. O. M. Hitohcock Mrs. D. H. Wheeler, Jr. Tenors and Bassos Messrs: , Messrs: Edwin D. Arnold Orvllle C. Holmes Joseph ?. Barton James II. Merrlam Harry V. Berkeley William Peacock Revel France Richard J. Wherry Charles A. Harvey D. H. Wheeler, Jr. Oeorge W. Holbrook A. J. VanKuren THE "SCENES. Act Z -King's Palace. Act n Tent arranged with spectators for tournament. Act III Garden In rear of Royal Palace. advanced by the natlre knights, "Mr. Sampson of Omaha" suddenly blows in. Mr. Sampson Is a speculator on the Omaha Board of Trade who has been unfortunate in his ventures. Even while traveling In Bulgaria he is followed by telegrams from his Omaha house announcing that the grain market on which he has been buying for a rise, is constantly going down. Previous to the tourna ment he has met Margaret by chance while wan dering in the palace, and when he sees her at the Joust, the feeling of tenderness which be bad con ceived for her becomes intensified. After learning the terms and conditions of the contest, and re ceiving an exceedingly pressing notloe from bis brokers demanding margins on his grain purchases. It occurs to him in a sudden Inspiration that by inducing the king of Bulgaria to declare war be can make the price of grain soar in the markets of the world (including Omaha, U. S. A.,) and by renewed buying while a general European compli cation is threatened, realize a sufficient profit to satisfy the king and make Mr. Sampson a million aire, to say nothing of securing at the samo time the hand of the beautiful girl who had enraptured him. The king readily falls In with the plan, war "LOVE Vnfls by Fnr.i Nvt Slow Walt m Love rules the to high hides. Who has man so poor But lovo ly their peace an There is no maid i r.. I .. With in Where love la declared, and the financial result Is everything that Mr. Sampson bad expected. When the sem blance of battle had been maintained a sufficient length of time, Mr. Sampson directs the king to proclaim peace, at the same moment telegraphing Ms Omaha brokers to sell short for a decline, with the result of giving hlra as great a profit as a bear os be had secured as a bull. The fortunes of the King and Teresa naturally hang on the fate of Mr. Sampson. Terrified by the danger which she Im agines will surround the king, Teresa beseechos him not to go to war, and when he afterwards pre pares to take the field in perHon, she attempts to dostroy the bill which she had been trying to col lect from him, and which represents the barrier between them and the consummation of their love. From this rashness, however, she is saved by Mr. Pampson, who receives a timely telegram from Gmaha announcing the brilliant financial success cf his Bulgarian war. The portrayal ends with the liquidation of the debt, the engagement of the royal personage and Teresa, the engagement of tbe royal cf Mr. Sampson and bis bride, Margaret, whose hand he had won by his shrewdness and enter prise. Preparation for the production had absorbed tbe interest of local society, whose most brilliant Members were in the cast or choruses, for weeks and months. The mainstay of tbe organization was the old Apollo club, of which B. B. Young was ft that time the conductor, and he took charge of the staging of "Mr. Sampson," in addition to himself playing the role of king. Ills wife, known as Madame Mazzucato Young, had written tbe r.uslir the words belcg supplied by Fred Nye, one of tbe editors of the old Omaha Republican, the two catch melodies being "This Morning I Found a Bulgarian Pin" and a slow waltz, "Love Rules the World." It was a large and brilliant assemblage at tracted to tbe first night's rendition, looking for ward to a rare musical treat, and without disap pointment, and the contemporaneous report by The Pee's musical critic was lavish in commendation. "Mrs. Martin Cahn as 'Margaret' had a splendid opportunity to display ber wonderful musical and dramatic talent, and the manner in which she ac quitted herself was simply superb. Mrs. Cahn is lifted with a splendid voice, cultivated In tbe highest degree, and her efforts were satisfactory in the extreme. While she sang in ber wonderfully sweet voice, 'Oh Let Me Sing tbe Days of Old.' the audience sat in their seats spellbound, and as tbe RULES THE WORLD." Musio by Klisa Mazzucato Yoi no. world on land and sea From pla de gree. here love be tide There joy a not felt its toys ter y There is no and pale. There is no maid so wan and may rest With la Uieir breast and tea det - sail. There is no man so poor and pale so wan and frail. But love may rest Within their r- a r:i. i i ... i their breast And ten der- ly their peace as be tides There Joy bides. Ctfyrtght. 02 last notes died away a momentary hush fell over the vast assemblsge, which a few moments later . turned into a perfect storm of applause, continu ing until she again responded. Mrs. Henry D. Fstabrook as 'Teresa,' desperately In love with the king, richly merited the frequent approval bestowed en her. Her efforts were warmly appreciated, es pecially the dramatic ability which she displayed. While the construction of tbe piece did not admit of Miss Bertha Bayllss figuring as extensively as de Hired, she, too, was a great favorite and rendered her part with perfect facility. Nat Brlgham, im rorsonatlng 'Mr. Sampson' Is stupendous, and rep resents tbe average Omahan abroad to a dot, with possibly one slight exception, that he is possibly slow as a lover, but no doubt be will improve in this respect. Nat Is a singer, and his rendition of the selections assigned to him were more than pleasing. Mr. Young as the king made an ideal monarch, especially so when the position in which he is placed (over head and ears in debt) is con sidered. Mr. Estabrook Is an excellent prime min ister, while Charles L. Deuel as tho 'Public Execu tioner' keeps tbe audience in a roar of laughter by his oddities. The chorus is especially good, and ('id excellent work. The entire performance passed off without a single hitch, tending to show with what painstaking care those participating had been trained." So high did local enthusiasm run that there was talk immediately of sending a company with the c peretta out on the road to let the people In other cities enjoy it, to say nothing of the advertisement Omaha would derive. More sober Judgment, how ever, concluded that the setting was too much localized, and would have to be considerably changed before it would appeal to amusement goers elsewhere. Another performance, however, was flven the following spring while the "Bostonlaos" were here, in order that the heads of that great musical organization could see and hear It with a view to adding it to the repertoire. Still later "Mr. Sampson" was repeated out at Salt Lake City with Nat Brlgham and Charlie Deuel la their original characters b'lt with the other roles and choruses Ideally supplied. Brlgham afterwards located in Shit Lake City, where be was prominent in business end politics, and by appointment of President C leveland became United States marshal for the District of Utah. Still later he gave song and lec ture recitals at chautauquas and entertainment courses, and was engaged la this vocation at tbe time of bis death.' He was a big, magnificently unjnov uu( iuto uij rrew rvun-ia lueir urrasu dui iotv majy is. . - . . . . ;-i . . ;., , .' , ... . ', : . '. ' A v; r v. h 1 . The original "Nr. Sampson from a recent photograph. ii.lt, handsome man, an athlete as well as a singer. All those who knew him insisted that the character .f "Mr. Sampson of Omaha" fitted him almost as well ns he fitted into that character. . "I believe my acquaintance with Nat Brlgham dates back further than that of anyone else in Ornaha,' says Hal McCord. "He and 1 were class inutes' at Exeter academy in' IWt sd 1875, He M as a Massachusetts boy, born near Natlo. I cams home after my course there, while he went on to Harvard and graduated about 1880, turning up in Omaha 'a fw years later, w here we got together again. He was a Jolly good happy-go-lucky fellow. I remembc bim in tbe role of 'Mr. Sampson of Omaha' very well. He was the star of the per formance, and it was a star performance." It Is remaikublo that of the principals in the "Mr. Sampson of .Omaha" cast .Mr. Charles L. Deuel alone Is still here, and active in business circles, although he bus 'renounced the lure of the musical) arena In whtfh he used to ' figure.. Mrs. Martin Cahn Is residing in Chicago, to which city she re-! moved with ber family in the '90's. At last ac counts Mr. B. B. Toung was striking high notes as a Christian Science lecturer! One of Mr. Young's given names was "Brlgham," and be was supposed to be in some way connected with the famous headi of the Mormon bleracky, Brlgham Young, and' some of tbe fanc'lfUl admirers of both Mr. Young and Mr. Brlgham used to Insist there was a rela-' tlonsblp between the two, which, however, was never established beyond the similarity of the names. The .Estabrooks are heard from period-! irally from New York, ' where Mr. Estabrook let i (Practicing law between after-dinner orations and j occasional visits with his estimable wife to rela tives and old-time friends here. Mr. Fred Nye.i the word-artist of the operetta, became later thai news editor of the New York World, and was accl-' dentally killed a few years ago in a Brooklyn street' car mishap. Beware the Crafty Man Teresa: Bewore the crafty man From distant Omaha Who bids you, noble king. Unleash the dogs of war! His motives are not. pure, With guile his heart is filled. He wants to lead you forth To battle to be kUled. Margaret: Oh, list, your majesty, The voloe of wisdom true! It you his council scorn The deed you'll surely rusl He comes from out the west Like lovely Lochlnvar He knoweth what is besU This man from Omaha. Sampson: Your Majesty, I pray Permit me to observe That youll declare this war If you've a kingly nerve. x Your death you need not fear Nor e'en a loss of health 'Twill be amusement fine, And bring a pile of wealth. I plead you by my love that cries. Do net my tender prayers despise! Teresa : Margaret: And by my love I do adjure That 70a this fortune do tecura. Your fats and tnla banc oa tt Oh, 1st the role of wweo fcarI