The Washington times., 1894-10-22
LONDON PLAYS AND DPLAYERS
Furious Mar Raging Over the Crusade
Of the "Prudes on the ProNl."
MRS. ORMISTON CHANT ABUSED
Actress Than as a Beautifer of Com
plexions-sardou's "Patrie" Suddenly
Brought TO the Front

copyrighted, 1894, by the Associated Press)
LONDON, Oct. 2I.-The past week has been
| principally marked by the furious debate on
the question of the Empire Theater license
and the strong criticism Of that place OF en-
tertainment by Mrs Ormiston Chant, of the
Vigilance Association.
In this connection the Daily Telegraph,
under the heading of 'Prudes on the prowl, "
has given up page OF It's space daily re-
Gently to letters for and against granting the
Empires license and TO interviews upon the
same subject with every class of society from
/ every point of view. Brokers, ballerinas,
/ ministers. demi-mondaines. politicians, fan
4 eurs. ETC., have taken advantage of this op-
portu nifty 10 defend or attack the Empire
Theat er. Mr.. Sydney Grundy, for instance,
writes:
"All that the impurists can do is TO make
others uncomfortable and themselves ridicu-
lous. The difficulty between the sexes will
only be solved by its creator The animal
universe hinges upon instinct which. per-
verted from its natural course, produces
either prohigate or a puritan. The pToiil-
gate should @ restrained as far as possible;
but the puritan would eXterminate him like a
wild beast. The proaigate Injuries himself
chiefly; the puritan makes the world un-
happy"
As one of the results of all this discussion.
an Amusement Protection Society is being
formed and action will be taken at the polls
in April Finally, it is generally believed
thOt the London county council Will upset
the action of its licensing committee in re-
fusing TO grant Mr.. George Edwardes the
permission necessary for him to allow the
sale Of drinks in the auditorium.
A GREAT SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION.
London, in addition to the Empire discus
sion, is threatened with an epidemic of Pa
trie,n sardous famous play, which, after
having lain fallow in managerial libraries,
has suddenly been brought to the front, prob
ably owing to the fact that in spite OF the
Berne convention and its adoption by Eng
land the drama has become anybody S
property.
London productions Of "Patrie" will, it is
understood, be followed by similar produc-
tions in the United States. Mrs. Langtry
takes version Of the play with her 10
America. The piece. which deals with the
Spanish occupation Of Flanders, has unique
popularity of construction, a grand process
sion which takes half an hour TO cross the
stage and is stopped at intervals by episodes
which carry on the story. As a costume
spectacle il possesses unlimited opportuni-
ties for a liberal manager. 1t is this feature
/ doubtless which attracted London amuse-
ment caterers.
Sir Augustus Harris had intended TO pro-
! duce Clement Scott's version of "Patrie" at
/ Drury Lane Iheater in the spring, out he has
i reconsidered his intention and sold his rights,
] as acquired from Sardou, 10 Beerbohm Tree.
/ All possible legal difficulties being thus
avoided. Mr.. Tree will probably produce Mr.
] ~
! in November, in which case il will be seen in
/ New York during Mr.. Trees engagement
/ early in 1895, that is if American managers do
not IN the mean time widely produce Pat
RE The play is a strong one and should
! pay well.
REFINED PANToMIME.
The success of Cinderella at the Lyceum
! Theatre last winter has not been lost on the
energetic manager of Drury Lane. ''Whit-
tington and His Cat, s. this winters pantomime,
at the same place is to be Every pretty and
| poetic pantomime" according TO the prelim-
| mary announcements. with plenty of fun
/ and fancy" The style Of rampant panto-
mime in which tremendous professions,
/ gOrgeously-costumed. alternated with inter
/ vals Of knock about music-hall songs and
antics is finished at the Lane. Something
more artistic. more poetic. is to take its place.
!
the reputation of the Lanes manager, who
| goes TO the United States again, later on
under arrangement with Henry Abbey. in
order to personally produce Wilmington, -
for which. in London by-the-by. seats are al
| ready being booked.
Mrs. Anna Ruppert's lll-starred venture at
| the Princess is closed. It has altogether been
a singular intrusion from the world of COS
metics into that of histrionics, and, perhaps
| the most singular complaint made in the flood
| OF London criticism was that Mrs. Rupert
was Deficient in makeup
That Clement Scott 5 version of "Odette''
| should have been used. is a detail, though
! the royalties We're paid to Sydney Bancroft
| and NJ. i. Mayer, who own the English rights
| As a compliment to Scott, Mrs. Rupert took
! an entire page in the Daily Telegraph, oi
! which paper he is dramatic critic. and adyer-
tised the piece. il is claimed precisely as if il
| was pot Of grease Then Scott rehearsed
the company, worked very hard at it, sent his
| own understudy TO write the notice. and the
said understudy damned "Odette" out OF
! hand. Gossip saws Mrs. Rupert expected
| different treatment from the Daily Telegraph
and she was proportionately sore at the re-
! suit
MAY, 1896, is to see contrasted with the lat
est fancies of Harris. Edwardes. Irving, Tree
/ and company the "Trilogy of Auschyus y
/ the father of the Greek tragic drama. consist
| ing OF the 'AgamemnOn, the 'CholphOrl,
and the "Eumenides. Prof. Villiers Stan
! ford, who composed the music for ''Eumeni.
/ des'' when it was performed at Cambridge
! has undertaken to write the music required
! for the first and second plays and to conduct
1 the whole trilogy. A guarantee fund oi
! 200 is being raised in order TO carry out
/ the work with archaeological accuracy The
moving spirit in this production is Yiscount-
ess Maidstone. The proceeds will 90 to the
! British school at Athens.