Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-04
THINGS THEATRICAL ABROAD.
The Plays and Play Houses of the English
Metropolis.

the house of commons appointed to consider
theaters and other places Of amusement, which
has been sitting for some time past, presented
its report to parliament yesterday. 1t is COM
promise ON the rival claims of the London man
| ayers and the county council. The committee
rejects the pretension of the county council that
il should have the censorship of all plays. &c.
| produced in London and leaves the censorship
where it has been hitherto in the hands of the lord
| chamberlain. Ii gives joint committee Of the
! county council and the quarter session control
OF the licensing Of music halls and all music
halls to perform dramatic sketches that do not
occupy more than forty minutes in the repre-
4 sentation.
This latter concession was strongly opposed
] by Mr.. Henry Irving, Mr.. J. L. Toole and
Others as trespassing upon theaters. while the
county council urged that it would tend TO raise
the tone of the music halls. Nearly all the Lon
don theater managers gave testimony before
the committee. They nearly all agreed that
| they suffered more or less from the music halls
| which they claimed took the ''plums out of the
| pudding and interfered with their business.
Mr.. q. Conquest. manager of the Surrey
| Theater, in the East End. was one of the wit
| nesses. He said there are about fourteen thea
tiers in London which would not care to avail
| themselves of the proposed permission TO smoke
and drink as in music nall. but he was of the
opinion that the other would. He felt that it
was not desirable that parliament should put
further temptsti tons in the way of the working
class by giving further powers in regard to
drink He did not think a long play in a music
hall would produce much drink: the more
! turns, he said. the more drinks.
| Mr.. Hare, the lessee of the Garrick Theater
! said he was more strongly in favor of the main-
tenance of the present functions of the lord
chamberlain and objected 10 their being handed
over to the county council.
London managers suffering from the
effect of the heat. which is driving the enjoy
ment loving Depple to seek al freseD MI rzp
tons. In the sultry weather prevailing no one
wants to shut himself up in stuffy theater
when other amusements can be found under far
cooler conditions.
cles at the imminence Of the general election.
which, if it occurred later in the year, would
seriously interfere with the provincial tour
The last matinee at the Criterion Theater OF
Mr.. Isaac Hendersons new three-act play,
"Agata. wasas crowded as the first Mr. Chas
Wyndham has purchased the acting rights for
London. and the American rights have been
sold by cable to Mr.. Field of Boston, who will
produce the play in the autumn.
Miss Estelle Burney's four-act play. 1.-The
Country. which was produced Thursday.
noticeable for its audacious motive, which was
that the only royal road TO success in society
lies through the divorce courts. All the char
acters in the play use notoriety the step to
wealthy remarrieges.
Sarah Bernbardt as Cleopatra at the Royal
English Opera House is drawing crowds every
night. The run of the play has extended for
week. special matinee will be given this
afternoon.
Hero and Leander" Kyrle Bellows play
met with a fairly favorable reception at the
Shaftesbury Theater. where it presented
Thursday. 1t appeals to those to whom elabor-
ate scenic effects and melodramatic acting COM
pensate for the loss of poetical grace in words.
The acting of Mrs. James Brown Potter Hero
was artificial The London papers, as u rule,
do not criticise the play the actors seriously.
The exception is the Telegraph, which states
Bellows blank verse.
Princess Christian, the Duchess of Westmin-
ster, the Countess Of Londonderry, the Duchess
of sutherland. the Countess of Zetland. Lady
Grosvenor. Baroness Burdette-Coutts. Lady
Stafford, Mrs. Lincoln. Mrs. Ronalds Mrs
Chamberlain. Mrs Balfour and a number of
Others, patronesses mostly, attended Mrs. Waldo
Richards recitation OF American dialect poems
in Lady Jeune's drawing room. Mrs. Richards
is likely to prove great success in aristocrstic
circles.
A new one-act opera entitled "Pagliaci," the
words and music of which are by a new Italian
| composer, Signor CavalIo, has met with enor-
nous success in Milan Signor Cavallo ia q
promising rival of Mascagni. His work has
strong dramatic interest and shows complete
command of vocal and orchestral writing.
Doctors in Paris failing to cure Paderewski of
the nervous exhaustion from which he is suffer
don for the purpose of consulting an eminent
specialist who is confident that he can cure him.
Paderewski looks i'll, but he is determined to
| play at the recital to be given at st. James
Hall on Tuesday, June IA. This will be his only
| appearance in London this season. Mr..
Beerbohm Tree, manager of the Hay
| market Theater, has loaned that building
! for a matinee that will be given next
Thursday for the benefit of the fund for building
new wing to st. Mary's Hospital Among those
| who have volunteered their services for this
occasion Miss Ellen Terry and her sister
Marion, Miss Winifred Emery. Miss Millward
Miss Kate Phillips. Madame Nordica Miss Silvia
Grey, Miss, Jenoure, Messrs. Beerbohm Tree
Geo. Alexander. Vim. Terriss, Lionel Brough
and Brandon Thomas. 1t is not yet announced
what the program will consist of, but the names
above given are guarantee that the perform
| ance will be most interesting one.
The season of NJ. Coquelin. the elder. at the
| Opera Comique here. under the management Of
Mr.. Nj. l.. Mayer. has been brought to a sudden
end by financial difficulties. When the people
who desired to see the French actor arrived at
the theater last night they were confronted with
poster on the door bearing the single word
| "Closed." 1t il stated that the salary Of NJ
| Coquein was allowed to fall in arrears and that
the actor sent an ultimatum to his manager
declaring that unless he was paid yesterday he
would not play. He apparently was not paid, for
| he removed all his belongings from the theater
| just before the time set for the performance to
begin. These were sent back to Paris and NJ.
| Coquelin will follow them today. The actor
has written letter. which is published this
morning. declaring that the entire responsibility
| for the sudden ending of the season rests upon
| the management. He declares that he rehearsed
| in ''Chamillac" yesterday morning and only
| learned at 6 o'clock last evening that there
would be no performance.
Gen. Palmer Stands by the Coiored Posts.
ALBANY, N. T., June 4.-Commander-in-Ch Chief
Palmer of the G. A. R. yesterday issued a POI
litical order which shows that he is determined
that the colored posts in the Department
| of Louisiana shall be recognized by the
| posts composed of their white comrades
The order suspends the junior vice commander
Of the department of Louisiana and Mississippi
and appoints Comrade Badger in his place
The new commander is ordered to inspect the
colored posts, and If the situation in any Of
| them is shown to be as has been claimed steps
be at once taken to annul the charters of such
posts.