Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-08

| pretty laundress before the footlights.
| Miss Bates was scarcely less Mime. sans
! Gene Off the stage than she was during the
| performance. She is never at rest Tor mo-
| ment; her movements are so graceful ana
her changing expressions of face so lnvarl-
abe In their charm that she Is scarcely less
| interesting in conversation than in set dia-
| loSue. 1t may be that she 50 completely
| lmoues herself with the part she is playing
| that she carries the spirit Of 1t with her
even between scenes. If this is the case, 1t
| would scarcely be a comfortable experience
to meet her when she had been playing
| Lady Macbeth, or some such ungentle
| Characterization.
Miss Bates leaves for New York tonight
| to make immediate preparations for her ap-
pearance in new play, under the direction
of David Belasco.
| Percy Haswell the permanent leading
| lady of the Lafayette Square Stock Com
pany, who will make her first appearance
| next week, reached Washington on Monday
afternoon after thirty-six hours ride from
| Milwaukee, where she played with Otis
Skinner Saturday night. Her coming had
evidently been anticipated by some Of her
| feminine admirers who had deluged her
| apartments at the Normandie with flowers
Il came east part Of the way with Mr.
SINNERS company" said Miss Haswel be-
| tween reheasals of Rosemary" MY place
| with the company was filled by Mrs. Skin
! ner, who plays under her stage name of
| Maud Durbin. She has been playing Minna
the peasant girl In prince Otto and Mr.
| Skinner decided to have her play the Prin-
| cess Seraphina~ Asa matter of fact. she
| had played the princess last season when
| Mr.. Skinner tried the play out west l have
! beer told that she pays it beautifully, and
| am not surprised to hear 1t. because she
! IS such a talented and conscientious actress
l was very sorry to leave the company, be-
r.; in f1 M
| lily. Our parting Saturday night was really
| affecting, for me. at any rate. MI. Skin
/ ner said to me oh you. Will come back to
| US sooner or later. You Will soon get tlred
| of the hard work OLA stock company. Per
| haps shall, but anticipate avery pleas
ant season in Washington just the same
Before leavinggAif. Skinner maAe me an
| offer to go with him on his Australian tour
newt snrfnp The matter is still undecided
| and 1t is possible that may make the trip.
! The real D. l.. Don and the stage person.
age are two very different people. A SLIM
| boyish figure. Juvenile but thoughtful
countenance, apparent indifference to sur
roundngs seldom speaking except When
| addressed and then in quiet, subdued
| tone always reading either a classic or
reputable paper, he is the very last man
| YOU would pick out for ID. l.. Don OF the
| stage, after seeing him in some of his ex-
| traordinary antics AS soon as you realize
| that you are actually looking at D. l.. Don
| in reality q sense of indignation seizes you
| because You feel that you have been so
utterly deceived by the man. and you are
| almost imnellad to return to the theater
| and demand your money back. But the
| stage d. l.. Don comes to your mind ana
| sets you laughing within yourself again
| as YOU did within the theater. You recall
| that weakened shriveled little face Of the
stage Dan his restless A'b ~ eyes, his
| jaws. tongue and lips In perpetual motion.
| punctuating his every speech and gait
| and the gait of his legs: For exclamation
| points how his nimble fingers would first
! titillate the shrub of hair upon the edge
| Of his chin then scamper about his mouth
next dart up alongside his nose and around
| 1. and finally pirouette the extreme
! summit of his bald pate as only Don's fin
gers could do! Imagine such individ-
| ual being addicted to reading the classics
when off duty.
II have been having some correspondence
with Olga Nethesoles management about
| playing 'Sapho' during her engagement in
| this city," said Manager w. H. Rapley of
| the New National Theater. I'VE have about
! decided to put the play during Miss
Nethersole's engagement and let 1T share
| the week with "Magda." Washington APP
| preciated the piece, as work Of art. The
objections that I heard to 1t were directed
| rather 10 the UldIttSI Ill WHICH the DRAMA
fist had handled Daudet's masterpiece
[ than to the subject itself; for the character
| is type with which the public has long
been familiar as one which the repertoire
| of every great emotional actress includes
| 1t was not until the play reached New
| York that the sensationalism which at
| tached to tSapho developed. 1t may be
| that the management at first welcomed
| this outcry as means of advertisement.
| II this Is the case, the production has
L cr1a rp}Y
! In which sensational advertising may break
loose and get beyond bounds. The turmoil
| seems to have been one of those waves of
! emotional insanity which so often sweep a
Nethersole doea not aeel like dropping the
| character from her repertoire because of
| what she considers popular attack of hys-
! teria.'
The number Of chsaracter parts in ..Pr,-
vate John Allen has given rise to all kinds
| Of requests from the company supporting
Charles B. Hartford. some of them face
| tious, others perhaps just a little sincere.
| John w. Bankson. who plays Old 81. has in
| timated that coon song and a few cake
| walk steps might not be out of place in
| connection with his representation Of this
| old colored servant. III
John Burnett. who plays BILLY WATSON"
| thought OF rectetng dialect poem. Elsa
ventures who makes her living BY gam
bling naively limited that few tricks Of
! legerdemain, to show her expertness as q
card sharper. might add corroborative de-
| tail to her performance. Marie Drofnah,
| the leading lady, whose treasures include
| many yards OF the rarest laces, capped the
| climax by remarking that II Innovations
| were in order, she might have some magic
| lanterns and mirrors built and do a spectac-
| ular dance. Mr.. Hanford assured the vari-
| GUS members of the company that their
work was entirely satisfactory as pursued
| on legitimate lines. He bills Private John
| Allen as strictly modern play But he
| does not desire 1t to be too modern
James X. Hackett has no ambition to be
| known as q matinee idol. On this topic he
says: II want to feel that the people, boil,
| men and women. like me because I am a
good actor df they can bring themselves to
| feel that. not because they think, Door
| things. that am good looking. I want
them to ap4rovs OF my art, not oe my