Part 360: Thomas G. Moses at the Pike Theatre, 1897
During the Pike Theatre’s forty-week season during 1897 and into 1898, Thomas G. Moses supervised the creation of settings for David Belasco’s society drama “The Charity Ball.” Moses, Ed Loitz and Fred McGreer also painted settings for “The Wife,” “Capt. Swift,” “Shenandoah,” “The Banker’s Daughter,” “Lottery of Love,” “Charlie’s Aunt,” “The Amazon,” “Trilby,” “Held by the Enemy,” and a few more shows. Moses recorded that it was a very successful season overall, writing, “The different newspapers gave our work splendid notice every week.”
Mid-season at the Pike, newspapers announced that the venue was no longer going to solely remain a vaudeville house (The Cincinnati Enquirer, 16 Dec., 1897, page 8). The house closed for the stock company to conduct rehearsals and “perfect all arrangements for its successful launching upon the field of comedy and melodrama that is to ensue at the theater.” David Hunt was the theatre manager who engaged James Neil as his stock company’s leading man and Edythe Chapman as the leading lady.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported, “For a holiday week and mid-season period the Pike presented a peculiar appearance yesterday. With the doors closed and not a light burning except a side reflector on the stage, the house was as dark and chilly as the day, when the new policy of the Pike goes into effect with the initial appearance of the Neil Stock Company in “The Charity Ball.” New scenery will be painted exclusively for the play and for all others that follow. For that purpose scenic artists will arrive from Chicago to-day. Thomas G. Moses, of the firm Sosman & Landis, one of the best scenic artists in the country, will be in charge of the work. In addition to the list of players in the stock company, as published in The Enquirer yesterday, the management of the Pike has engaged Miss Angela Dolores, formerly with the Girard Avenue Theater, Philadelphia, and a well-known actress in light comedy” (20 Dec., 1897, page 2).
Thomas G. Moses led a crew that included Fred McGreer and Ed Loitz. Moses recorded that he thoroughly enjoyed working at the Pike Theatre. Part as his reason was that he could return home every three weeks to spend a few days with his family. Of the project, he wrote, “I was anxious to do good work. It naturally meant long hours and hard steady work.”
Moses described, “Held by the Enemy” in detail. He wrote, “James Neill was a leading man, and Edythe Chapman leading lady. I worked out some color schemes by harmonizing my interior color decorations with Miss Chapman’s best costumes. There was one interior that I didn’t and here is the reason. Mr. [David] Hunt found fault with my neutral coloring and said one day, “Why don’t you make some positive color decoration like pink or green?” I had the first act of “Held by the Enemy” on the frame – a southern interior. I said, “Alright, I will make this a pink wall and cream colored woodwork.” “Fine,” said he. I did so. I did not consult Miss Chapman as usual. The scene was set. I was in front as usual during the performance. Miss Chapman entered. I saw her look up the scene and almost fall back. She had on a shell pink, deep flounced and a very full hoop skirt. I nearly fainted. I was sick. I rushed back at the close of the act and found her in tears. As soon as she saw me she said, “Oh, why did you do it – didn’t you know I was going the limit on my dress?” She had forgotten that I did not consult her, as I usually did. I pointed to Mr. Hunt. “There is the one I tried to please.” Hunt then realized he was wrong and I had been right all season. I painted out the wall color the next morning, for it simply killed Miss Chapman’s dress, as there was so much of it.”
To be continued…
