Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-26

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half what my present line pays me- and
then l have not been able to secure play
tnat would suit me. My secretary, VINO
travels with me. Miss Payson Graham
Genes from literary family, and is at the
present time engaged in framing what be-
IleVe Will be play with a part that Will
suit me FAR better then anything l nave
ever undertaken. Although 1 am under
contract with my present manager for a
space or two years yet to come, there Is q
provisional clause which will admit of my
again resuming starring tour In the
legitimate field. My real name is not john
stone Bennett. dear me, no. When I was
born In Cadiz, Spain, Of French-Spanish
In those days, that is, when I lived In
Spain, used to smoke cheroots. No have
never smoked a pipe. But to return to
names. After my parents died was
adopted by family by the name OF john
stone; subsequently l went to live with a
dear lady by the name of Mrs. Bennett. and
when the stage fever struck me 1 thought
to immortalize the names of my benefac-
tors, and thus the name of tombstone Ben
nett My real Christian name. unfortu-
Eately. was intended for boy, it being the
name really Of my fathers business part
ner. The fact that l made my worldly de-
put as girl did not appeal to them in the
least and the boys name was hung on me
just the same"
The neither side of great theatrical pro-
duction-or small one for that matters
a mine Of wonder and disillusion. The roar
ing lion in Quo Vadis" is a megaphone.
The stage rain storm, into which the hero
inc peers through the drawn curtains and
says. Heaven help the poor on such a
night" is produced by shaking box full
OF beans and the accompanying wind,
whistling dismally and rafting the crazy
shutters of the hero's garnet room. is the
work OF an energetic stage hand, who
forces current Of wind from a bellows
through a revolving wooden drum covered
with silk. In the Bernhard production OF
"L'Aiglon'' the scene on the field Of Wag-
ram, with its trooping phantoms and ghost
ly walls, Ia weirdly impressive and a Won
derful piece Of stagecraft. The wailing is
the joint effort Of company Of capable
supernumeraries directed by a chief groan-
er, who regulates the volume of sound to
be produced by motions Of his hand. From
the front the effect Is very narrowing: a
weird chorus of heartrending lamentations.
The choice of words Is left to each indi-
vidual groaner. but they must be 80 de-
livered that they cannot be distinguished
above the general effect. The cries of Ma
National last week were melange OF
Give me three grains Of corn, mother
How would you like to be the property
MANI" Mother. hold my hand" and SO
on. but the stage manager. being French
man, did not understand. and probably
would not have objected anyhow. 1t was
not what they said. but the way they said
it that he considered
Coquelin Is short OF stature. on the stage
he is a roly-poly little man and unimpres-
sive. 1t Is on the stage that he lives. and
through the lens Of his genius he is mag
nified until the opera glasses that nightly
behold him can see naught else at the same
time In "LAiglon" Coquelin is required
in one instance to reach the stage through
a trap by means of ladder. One night
last week the LADDER was missing. The
comedian was in despair From the stage
above came a preliminary cue. Somebody
placed a chair for him. Cant do: can't
do" he said with despairing look at the
trap overhead. "Whar is mistair re lad
der man? I can't do" By this time ne
was trotting up and down in great distress
The suggestion that he try table was mel
nv the same Cant do Then big stage
hand in oyeralls said. Here, Mr.. Coquelin,
IN fix YOU" and, grabbing the comedian
he shot him up through the trap and onto
the stage. where he needed no chairs to
sunnort him or ladders to help him rise,
where he was every inch hero.
"Tbe Battle of the Strong is very likely
n he heard from again in short time,
Mon.oer Daniel v. Arthur has assurances
that time will be secured for him in New
york Augustus Thomas has been at work
on the last act of the play. and Miss Bur-
rougns Is as confident of its merits as ever
The niece was originally produced under
diHculties. There was misunderstanding
between the star and the dramatist as to
certain lines to which Miss Burroughs OBJ
iected and the dramatist withdrew from
the rehearsals. Mr.. Barrymore is now pre-
senting a one-act play, Burglar and
LADY, and Is making preparations to stage
an original emotional drama, so then 1t Is
nTohahie that a new leading man will be
Secured The fortunes Of THE Battle OF
the Strong" will be watched with interes,
as the play gave general satisfaction In
this city. 80
E. H. sothern bad had more than his
share Of ill-luck Of recent years. 1t Is not
so long since he narrowly escaped death by
drowning. Last yeaH he had to postpone
his washington engagement in 1.-THE sunken
Relr' because Of Illness. This season he
was 80 seriously injured by a sword thrust
in the foot that he had to spend a large
portion of HIS time In, the hospital. He was
recently betrayed into an acrimonious per-
sonal controversy with. Chicago critics who
did not like his Hamlet. and. to cap the ell
max. fire has just burned out his entire
souipment for Hamlet in Cincinnati. He
went pluckily on. however. playing in the
h,r Music Hall in that city, and arrange
ments have been made by which he is to
complete his tour, A. M. Palmer recently
Expressed an admiration for Sothern's act
ing. and this has been seized upon by peo-
ple who watch straws to ascertain the d.
rection of the wind as indicating a possible
change OF Mr. Palmer's attention from
Mansfield's interests to those Of Sothern.
AL Wilson, the singing star Of the "Watct
on the Rhine" gives the following account
tiynas