The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-10-21
titled THE Moment of Death; or the


titled 1.-THE Moment of Death; or the
Never, Never Land.
A. Rostands drama 81 AiGlon is in
six acts, and it took six hours to. play 1t
when first produced in Parissat the Thea
tire Sarah Bernhard on the loth OF last
March Mr.. Louis N. Parker who is
responsible for this English adaptation.
has compressed the six acts into fVe,
and shortened the time of their presenta-
ton by something like one-third-
WagenhaIs & kemper are industrious
young managers, who used TO be pretty
bad actors, the former with Daniel Froh-
man, and the latter with Augustin Daily.
They fell together and hit upon the plan
of combining business men, and letting
others do the playing, and they have
made a pot of money in consequence
Nine. Modjeska, Odette Tyler, R. D. Mac
Lean Louis James, Kathryn kidder and
Henry Miller are stars under engagement
to this firm
OF the twenty-five London West-lInd
theatres now open, the Drury Lane and
the Lyceum are devoted to drama; the
Criterion and the Duke of York and The
Avenue. modern comedy; the st. James,
The Garrick. the Royalty, and Wynd-
hams, to serious plays; the Strand, the
Vaudeville and the Great Queen-Street,
to farce; Her Majesty's, classical drama,
and the Prince OF Wales and the Hay
market. the costume comedy. The Cal
ETY., the Savoy, Days the Lyric, the
Shafteshury and Terry's are occupied by
musical plays. The Globe is the only
theatre where a costumed drama is on.
The next production Andrew Mack is
to make is The pay ne has accepted by
Theodore Bert Sayre, the eN-druggist,
the present play reader for Charles troh-
man The title selected is Tom Moore.
and Mr. Mack will be called upon to
represent the famed composer OF softly
sentimental ballads-but he Will be billed
without recourse to the word Irish. Other
characters introduced are Beau Brunmel,
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the Prince OF
Wales and Mrs Fitz-i1erbert The play
is established on q somewhat higher plane
than its predecessors in Mr.. Mack's re-
pertoire Il is not a down with the-Ens-
lish' Irish piece, and there are not even
shiiIalahs.
In substance Mr. Frohman says that
he and his brother Charles have spent
thousands of dollars on American dra-
,natists with The last few years, only
TO find that they can't write Soou plays,
and that we have 10 so abroad for our
rlay material While it is true that
the Frohmans prefer foreign to native
plavs it is not true that they are obliged
to depend upon Europe for supplies. 1t
is safe, moreover, to say that they have
lost less money with home products than
with imported products, and that they
have had relatively fewer failures among
the former than among the latter. Ihey
believe it safer to reproduce English
and French plays that have been tested
on the other side than to make seiec-
tons from the original material avail
able here 1t is easier. certainly. and the
Lass IN Ct
ment and courage-ir short, less brains.
Yet Daniel Frohman-. secured his footing
as a manager by reason of his connection
with. the NalloryS and the MADISON
Square Theatre, which was then devoted
to presenting American plays After
he began his operations at the Iyceunl
for several seasons, he prospered with
PLAYS by Belasco and De Mile. and when
he launched T. II. Sotnern as star, It
was in plays of home Manufacture Chas
Frohman rescued himself from obscurltH
and failure with Bronson Howard
Shenandoah and he followed that W
with Held By the Enemy Men anc
Women, 1.-THE Girl I Left Behind Me.
"Secret Service and other profltapl
American plays. Fortunes have been
| made during the past fifteen or twent.
wears by American plays. and they are
being made to-day. in spite oil the HoStin
Frohman influence anu the tepiessi'is
trust conditions. which have combined Z
check the healthy growth of.the native
drama and have restricted its neid large
ly to stars and managers not directly
| connected with either. here are
! Twenty-Five successful pieces Of various
kinds and of American authorship ina
happen to come to mind but the list TO
he ner:od that they represent could readily
he uuadrupled. AS for the immediate
present, the bills offered by the theatres
of this city do not lend weight to Mr.
s-.o,,,,,e,,'s snnr7n' amt that" r1araserS
! must look abroad for p!ays.-Harriso1
| Grey Fiske. in Dramatic Mirror.