The Washington times., 1894-10-29
LONDON PLAYS AND PLAYERS
Initial Production of Mr.. Gilbert's S
New Opera, His ExcellencY."
ITISANELL ADVERTISED PIECE
Beerbohm Trees New Play Will Be Included
in His American Repertoire Lillian
Russelrs queen of the Brilliants" Re-
written by Mr. Dam-Langtry's Plans.

copyrighted, 1894, by the Associated Press,l
LONDON, Oct. 2s.-After period Of wintry
weather, London has recently been enjoying
a few spring-like days. This. cou pied with
the fact that people are nearly all back from
the country, has served to crowd the leading
theaters At the Criterion, for instance. it
has been impossible to buy seats. except in
advance, and the same may be said of the
Comedy Theater, the Court Theater, Adelphi
Theater, and few others. In fact at some
of these places of entertainment it has been
impossible to buy seats few days ahead.
The principal dramatic event of the week
was Saturday nights premiere of His EX-
cellency" at the Lyric Theater, and it may be
added that Mr.. W. S. Gilbert provided plenty
of stimulating advertisement for this comic
opera. which he has written in conjunction
with Dr. Osman Carr
The production of 'His Excellency' has
been awaited with considerable interest upon
the part of those who are desirOus OF know
ing how Mr.. w. S. Gilbert and Dr. Osman
Carr will work in double harness. Suppos-
ing the attempt should be failure, perhaps
the production Of His EXcellency' may be
Immediately precedent to reconciliation be-
tween Gilbert and Sullivan. Below the sur
face there is much moving in this direction.
The action of the story passes ut Elisnore,
Denmark. and deals with a freak OF the
Prince Regent, who palms himself off as
strolling player, and in tnat disguise plays
many prank upon the people over whom nc
ruled, naturally in strict accordance with the
laws of a country lying within the domain Of
comic opera. The romantic interest, which
is dovetailed into the satire Of tho piece, is
concerned with the love OF young sculptor,
Erling, for ballad singer. OF Erling's han
,pfva iA
seuted on the stage. Ii is said TO have cost
900 TO construct il.
The opera is. OF course, in the Gilbertian
tWo-act form. the scene OF the first being the
market place, ElisnOre, that Of the second the
court OF the castle at the same Danish town.
For historical reasons the period Of the play
is fixed in 1907. There are in the cast Rutland
Darlington. George Grossmitb, Nancy Nc
Intosh, Jessie Bond, Elaline Terrlss, Alice
Barnett, and Gertrude Aylward. The latter
has a part originally intended for Ada
Jenoure.
Beerbohm Trees next production at the
Haymarket Theater viii be Haddon Cham
bers new play, which the London press have
announced as Two Men and u Woman.
but which. Mr.. Tree writes to the Associated
Press, ''Will be called when produced, on
November or Z, John ODreams The
play has a particularly strong part for myself
and an equally good one for Mrs. Patrick
Campbell, who will, with this production,
make her first appearance at the Haymarket
II il is a success-you never KNOW shall IN
cude it in my American repertoire. Although
] have not decided think it not improbable
that I shall open with the Ballad Monger
as PLAYED before her majesty. Later IN the
engagement | shall be seen as Hamlet and
Fa.statT as well as in several other characters
familiar to London. 1 am not going to Amer
lea simply for dollars. / want TO conquer
,,FA ar.lgr
Mrs. Langtry and her company left for New
York Saturday on board the American line
steamship Paris. Among the members Of
this company are Misses Beatrice Selwyn,
Leclercq, and Hall, and Mrs. W. L. Lowell,
Frank Fenton, EIvan Watson, Oscar Adye,
Williamson, and Neatherby.
During her American tour Mrs. Langtry
will rely upon society plays at first, and later
upon Shakespearean productions She hopes
to open in New York. if it IS possible to get a
theater there, but her programme is still un-
settled
When the "Queen of the BrilIiants'' is seen
at Abbey's Theater. New York, it will practi-
calIy be a new piece. as far as the libretto is
concerned and there will be some new num-
bers by Jakobowski.
When Mr.. Abbey found upon presentation
of the piece here that the book was practically
a fat failure he commissioned II. j. W. Dam
TO rewrite it. In this connection Mr.. Dam
writes 10 the Associated Press:
Correcting another mans work is a deli
cate matter, and / have no desire to make
capital out of it. I have reconstructed the
Queen OF the Brilliants.' putting in q strong
dramatic plot such as the spectacle needed.
The new numbers include two solo songs for
Miss Russell. one of them being a slumber
song. to which she goes to sleep before the
tableaux. There are also two new solos for
Hubert Wilke. and new duet for him and
Miss Russell My changes have not inter
fered with the Spectacular groupings and en-
semble movements which will be given in
New York Just as they were first seen in Lon
don. The piece looks we'll in its present
shape. if [ may say so, and Miss Russell and
IL ~ ~. LII ~ ID -.-ith n >,