Lizzie Evans was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio in 1864, although one newspaper report from 1879 already identifies her as touring with the Standard Dramatic Company in a lead role, suggesting an earlier birth year. She possibly was the daughter of Sarah Evans, a Welsh-born widow.[4]
She was the wife of Harry Mills, who was also a well-known comedian. At the time of their marriage in 1890, he was playing in her company. Miss Evans first appeared on the stage at the age of seventeen on August 25, 1882, with Barney McAuley as Clip in A Messenger from Jarvis Section. She was next seen with Milton and Dolly Nobles in their well-known play, The Phoenix. After leaving Mr. Nobles' company, she joined C.E. Callahan, in whose plays she starred for nine years in such roles as Chip in Fogg's Ferry and Jane in The Buckeye. Miss Evans also took the leading part in Our Angel and a number of other plays (see the list below). A reviewer for the New York Times observed about her acting:
Miss Lizzie Evans, who fills the part around which Fogg's Ferry is built, is a bright little person of the Lotta physique and school, but with less naturalness and more nasal twang. Her performance, however, is earnest and vivacious; she emphasizes her comic lines with her nether limbs and feet, more or less in accordance with Shakespeare's advice as to suiting the action to the word and the word to the action, but always with a marked effect upon the spectator, and her pathos, although scarcely profound, is a good deal more genuine and touching than that of her prototype. Miss Evans has no voice for song, and her cleverness as an actress is sufficiently appreciable to warrant her avoidance of vocal efforts.[3]
After severing her connection with Mr. Callahan, Miss Evans retired from the stage for two years. Afterwards she returned to play the part of Madge in Old Kentucky, meeting with great success. She was next seen in vaudeville until the 1900-01 season, when she was featured in A Romance of Coon Hollow. By this time she had formed her own troupe. She also returned to her favorite role of Chip, the character in which she had made her debut when she was only seventeen years old.[5]
Evans continued to headline into the 1920s; a review of her performance of the lead role Miss Cornelia Van Gorder in the mystery “The Bat,” in Knoxville, Tennessee, on October 29, 1923 was the last time she was mentioned in the media. The Bat was later turned into a silent film in 1926, starring Jack Pickford and Louise Fazenda.
List of vaudeville and theater creditsedit
Evans in Fogg's Ferry circa 1882
August 1881: Impersonation of "Chip" at the reopening of the Standard Theatre,[6] 6th Avenue between 32nd Street and 33rd Street, Manhattan (New York).[7] Evans was part of a show at Tony Pastor's Theatre,[3] East 14th Street between Irving Place and Third Avenue.
May 5 through May 10, 1884, National TheatreDewdrop – romantic comedy by Con.T. Murphy and C.E. Callahan. Starring Miss Lizzie Evans. Cast includes Al Phillips, George W. Deyo, [Harry] Henry Scharf, C.R. Burrows, E.D. Tannehill, Ed Clifford, W.T. Sheehan, Ida Burrows, Marie LeGros, Selina Anderson, Charline Weidman.[8]
January 1890: Haymarket Theatre,[10] 722-24 West Madison Street (Chicago),[11] Chicago.[10] She had a role in The Buckeye at the Windsor Theatre,[12] 1225 North Clark Street,[13] Chicago, in April 1890.[12] The following November she was again at the Haymarket, beginning a new rendition of Fogg's Ferry.[14]
In May 1891 she was featured in the same play at Havlin's Theatre,[15] 1838 South Wabash Avenue,[16] Chicago.[15]
Evans replaced Annie Lewis in the role of "Cinders" in A Nutmeg Match in March 1893. It was staged at the 14th Street Theatre,[17] 344 East 14th Street.[18]
Proctor's Pleasure Palace, East 58th Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue,[19] hosted a production of The Man Up Stairs by Augustus Thomas in January 1897. Evans was in the cast with Lucille Lee, William Ranous, and Maggie Fielding.[20]
She was leading her own theatrical troupe when A Romance of Coon Hollow was presented before an audience at the Grand Opera House in 1896,[21] 23rd Street (8th Avenue), Manhattan,[22] in April 1896.[21] Set in the mountains of Tennessee, two quartets and twelve African-American plantation singers embellished the performance.[23]
In July 1897 she was in a show with Phyllis Rankin and George Thatcher at Keith's New Union Square Theatre,[24] 50 East 14th Street (Manhattan).[25] Evans returned to the Pleasure Palace in A Strange Catastrophe with Harry Mills in August.[26]
She performed in a comedy entitled A Gay Deceiver at the Harlem Opera House,[27] 211 West 125th Street,[28] in February 1898.[27] In December 1899 Mills joined Evans in the comedietta, Two Girls and One Man, at Proctor's Theatre.[29]
She performed a sketch with Mills at the Union Square Theatre in July 1902.[30] In June 1903 Evans was part of a bill at Hurtig & Seamon's[31] (Apollo Theater), West 125th Street, Harlem.[32] The travelling troupe was directed by Florenz Ziegfeld and William A. Brady.[33]
She played a "comic servant" who bore the worst part of the comic relief in a production of Two Little Sailor Boys at the Academy of Music, in May 1904. Described as English melodrama, Evans depicted "Lucy Wilson" in the play.[34]
In September 1906 she appeared at the Metropolis Theatre, 142nd Street and 3rd Avenue[35] and Alexander Avenue,[36] in a presentation of When Knighthood Was In Flower. The show had enjoyed success in a previous staging at the Criterion Theatre,[35] 1514 Broadway.[37]
^"Notes of the Stage", New York Times, April 21, 1896, pg. 5.
^(display ad—no title), New York Times, July 18, 1897, pg. 8.
^Cinema Treasures, Union Square Theatre. Retrieved 12-24-07.
^"Theatres", New York Times, August 22, 1897, pg. 8.
^ ab"This Week's New Bills", February 20, 1898, pg. 5.
^Cinema Treasures, Harlem Opera House. Retrieved on 12-24-07.
^"Notes Of The Week", New York Times, December 3, 1899, pg. 18.
^"Vaudeville and Concerts", New York Times, July 27, 1902, pg. 10.
^(display ad 9—no title), New York Times, June 2, 1903, pg. 10.
^NewYorkvisit.com Apollo Theatre. October 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 12-24-07.
^"Harlem Opera House", New York Times, February 22, 1898, pg. 6.
^Two Little Sailor Boys, New York Times, May 4, 1904, pg. 5.
^ ab(display ad 12—no title), New York Times, September 16, 1906, pg. SM9.
^"The Real Estate Field", New York Times, Friday, October 3, 1913, pg. 17.
^Cinema Treasures, Criterion Theatre. Retrieved on 12-24-07.
External linksedit
from the early 20th century (Wayback Machine)
The Players Blue Book, Edited by A.D. Storms, 1901, p. 268
Romance of Coon Hollow with Lizzie Evans, Announcement in the NY Times, 1896
Lizzie Evans appearance notice c. 1893 front
Lizzie Evans appearance notice c. 1893 back
May 09, 2024
lizzie, evans, entertainer, vaudeville, musical, theatre, york, city, chicago, illinois, from, 1880s, into, 20th, century, york, times, article, described, bright, little, person, lotta, crabtree, physique, school, with, less, naturalness, more, nasal, twang, . Lizzie Evans was an entertainer in vaudeville and musical theatre in New York City and Chicago Illinois from the 1880s into the 20th century A New York Times article described her as a bright little person of the Lotta Crabtree physique and school but with less naturalness and more nasal twang 3 Lizzie EvansTheatrical posterBorn1864Mount Vernon Ohio U S DiedAfter October 29 1923NationalityAmericanOther namesMrs Harry MillsOccupation s ActressVaudeville entertainerComedianSpousesNelson Compton divorced 1886 1 2 Harry Mills m 1890 wbr Contents 1 Biography 2 List of vaudeville and theater credits 3 References 4 External linksBiography editLizzie Evans was born in Mount Vernon Ohio in 1864 although one newspaper report from 1879 already identifies her as touring with the Standard Dramatic Company in a lead role suggesting an earlier birth year She possibly was the daughter of Sarah Evans a Welsh born widow 4 She was the wife of Harry Mills who was also a well known comedian At the time of their marriage in 1890 he was playing in her company Miss Evans first appeared on the stage at the age of seventeen on August 25 1882 with Barney McAuley as Clip in A Messenger from Jarvis Section She was next seen with Milton and Dolly Nobles in their well known play The Phoenix After leaving Mr Nobles company she joined C E Callahan in whose plays she starred for nine years in such roles as Chip in Fogg s Ferry and Jane in The Buckeye Miss Evans also took the leading part in Our Angel and a number of other plays see the list below A reviewer for the New York Times observed about her acting Miss Lizzie Evans who fills the part around which Fogg s Ferry is built is a bright little person of the Lotta physique and school but with less naturalness and more nasal twang Her performance however is earnest and vivacious she emphasizes her comic lines with her nether limbs and feet more or less in accordance with Shakespeare s advice as to suiting the action to the word and the word to the action but always with a marked effect upon the spectator and her pathos although scarcely profound is a good deal more genuine and touching than that of her prototype Miss Evans has no voice for song and her cleverness as an actress is sufficiently appreciable to warrant her avoidance of vocal efforts 3 After severing her connection with Mr Callahan Miss Evans retired from the stage for two years Afterwards she returned to play the part of Madge in Old Kentucky meeting with great success She was next seen in vaudeville until the 1900 01 season when she was featured in A Romance of Coon Hollow By this time she had formed her own troupe She also returned to her favorite role of Chip the character in which she had made her debut when she was only seventeen years old 5 Evans continued to headline into the 1920s a review of her performance of the lead role Miss Cornelia Van Gorder in the mystery The Bat in Knoxville Tennessee on October 29 1923 was the last time she was mentioned in the media The Bat was later turned into a silent film in 1926 starring Jack Pickford and Louise Fazenda List of vaudeville and theater credits edit nbsp Evans in Fogg s Ferry circa 1882 August 1881 Impersonation of Chip at the reopening of the Standard Theatre 6 6th Avenue between 32nd Street and 33rd Street Manhattan New York 7 Evans was part of a show at Tony Pastor s Theatre 3 East 14th Street between Irving Place and Third Avenue May 5 through May 10 1884 National Theatre Dewdrop romantic comedy by Con T Murphy and C E Callahan Starring Miss Lizzie Evans Cast includes Al Phillips George W Deyo Harry Henry Scharf C R Burrows E D Tannehill Ed Clifford W T Sheehan Ida Burrows Marie LeGros Selina Anderson Charline Weidman 8 August 29 1887 Our Angel a drama at the Lexington Opera House in Ohio 9 January 1890 Haymarket Theatre 10 722 24 West Madison Street Chicago 11 Chicago 10 She had a role in The Buckeye at the Windsor Theatre 12 1225 North Clark Street 13 Chicago in April 1890 12 The following November she was again at the Haymarket beginning a new rendition of Fogg s Ferry 14 In May 1891 she was featured in the same play at Havlin s Theatre 15 1838 South Wabash Avenue 16 Chicago 15 Evans replaced Annie Lewis in the role of Cinders in A Nutmeg Match in March 1893 It was staged at the 14th Street Theatre 17 344 East 14th Street 18 Proctor s Pleasure Palace East 58th Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue 19 hosted a production of The Man Up Stairs by Augustus Thomas in January 1897 Evans was in the cast with Lucille Lee William Ranous and Maggie Fielding 20 She was leading her own theatrical troupe when A Romance of Coon Hollow was presented before an audience at the Grand Opera House in 1896 21 23rd Street 8th Avenue Manhattan 22 in April 1896 21 Set in the mountains of Tennessee two quartets and twelve African American plantation singers embellished the performance 23 In July 1897 she was in a show with Phyllis Rankin and George Thatcher at Keith s New Union Square Theatre 24 50 East 14th Street Manhattan 25 Evans returned to the Pleasure Palace in A Strange Catastrophe with Harry Mills in August 26 She performed in a comedy entitled A Gay Deceiver at the Harlem Opera House 27 211 West 125th Street 28 in February 1898 27 In December 1899 Mills joined Evans in the comedietta Two Girls and One Man at Proctor s Theatre 29 She performed a sketch with Mills at the Union Square Theatre in July 1902 30 In June 1903 Evans was part of a bill at Hurtig amp Seamon s 31 Apollo Theater West 125th Street Harlem 32 The travelling troupe was directed by Florenz Ziegfeld and William A Brady 33 She played a comic servant who bore the worst part of the comic relief in a production of Two Little Sailor Boys at the Academy of Music in May 1904 Described as English melodrama Evans depicted Lucy Wilson in the play 34 In September 1906 she appeared at the Metropolis Theatre 142nd Street and 3rd Avenue 35 and Alexander Avenue 36 in a presentation of When Knighthood Was In Flower The show had enjoyed success in a previous staging at the Criterion Theatre 35 1514 Broadway 37 References edit Music amp Drama 1882 The New York Clipper Annual Containing Theatrical Musical and Sporting Chronologies 1886 a b c Tony Pastor s Theatre New York Times May 20 1884 pg 4 Mystery What happened to this Mount Vernon star comedienne The Players Blue Book edited by A D Storm 1901 p 268 Amusements New York Times August 22 1881 pg 5 EJ Phillips Manhattan Standard Theatre Retrieved on 12 24 07 Cache past shows National Theater History of the Lexington Opera House Archived from the original on July 16 2011 Retrieved July 20 2011 a b The Chicago Playhouse New York Times January 28 1890 pg 9 Cinema Treasures Haymarket Theatre Retrieved on 12 24 07 a b The Chicago Playhouses New York Times April 14 1890 p 4 Cinema Treasures Windsor Theatre Retrieved on 12 24 07 Chicago Playhouses New York Times November 30 1890 pg 13 a b The Chicago Playhouses New York Times May 17 1891 pg 13 Cinema Treasures Wabash Theatre Retrieved on 12 24 07 Theatrical Gossip New York Times March 3 1893 pg 8 TheaterMania 14th Street Theater Archived June 30 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 12 24 07 Proctor s Pleasure Palace New York Times Wednesday September 1 1895 pg 11 Notes Of The Week New York Times January 10 1897 pg 11 a b Notes of the Stage New York Times April 19 1896 pg 10 IBDB Grand Opera House Retrieved on 12 24 07 Notes of the Stage New York Times April 21 1896 pg 5 display ad no title New York Times July 18 1897 pg 8 Cinema Treasures Union Square Theatre Retrieved 12 24 07 Theatres New York Times August 22 1897 pg 8 a b This Week s New Bills February 20 1898 pg 5 Cinema Treasures Harlem Opera House Retrieved on 12 24 07 Notes Of The Week New York Times December 3 1899 pg 18 Vaudeville and Concerts New York Times July 27 1902 pg 10 display ad 9 no title New York Times June 2 1903 pg 10 NewYorkvisit com Apollo Theatre Archived October 26 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 12 24 07 Harlem Opera House New York Times February 22 1898 pg 6 Two Little Sailor Boys New York Times May 4 1904 pg 5 a b display ad 12 no title New York Times September 16 1906 pg SM9 The Real Estate Field New York Times Friday October 3 1913 pg 17 Cinema Treasures Criterion Theatre Retrieved on 12 24 07 External links editLizzie Evans Photo from the early 20th century Wayback Machine The Players Blue Book Edited by A D Storms 1901 p 268 Poster of Coon Hollow Romance of Coon Hollow with Lizzie Evans Announcement in the NY Times 1896 Lizzie Evans appearance notice c 1893 front Lizzie Evans appearance notice c 1893 back Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lizzie Evans amp oldid 1194052428, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
