The Washington times., 1901-09-22

Tomorrow night will see all of Wash
ington's playhouses open. with the excep-
tion of the Lafayette, which will be taken
possession of by the stock company under
the direction of Messrs. Bellows and Long
few weeks hence. The Columbia's sea-
son will be inaugurated by the new Klaw
d Erlanger musical piece, "The Liberty
Bellies which has had a very successful
production at Philadelphia during the
past fortnight. The National will also
present piece which had its premier at
the Quaker City on the same night The
Liberty Bellies was initially viewed. 1t
is the latest product of that brilliant
young dramatist-actor Leo Ditrichstein,
and is called The Last Appeal" The
Philadelphia reception of the play was
most cordial. and from the newspaper re-
ports of the performance Mr.. Ditrichstein
has surpassed in point OF excellence all
of his earlier efforts. Manager Chases
q deferred season will be started tomorrow
afternoon with a vaudeville bill for which
much promise is held out. The Acad-
emy's offering will be a well-known melo-
drama, Through the Breakers" which
enjoyed considerable popularity here last
season. The season of the Bijou stock
buriesque company will be inaugurated at
the matinee tomorrow. while the Lyceum,
which will be the only house in the city
devoted to travelling burlesQue organiza-
ions during the year, will present THE
Twentieth Century Maids" The variety
of the offerings and their general merit
should attract many large audiences.
Contrary to the general belief. the death
of the President did not affect those the
atres that were open TO the extent it was
thought such sad event would. Chases
remained closed during the week on ac-
count of the demise of Mr.. Mckinley. but
the National, Academy. Kernans and
Bijou enjoyed large houses Every the
atre in the city was closed Tuesday aft
ernocn and all day Thursday. in accord
ance with the action of managers through
out the country.
The NntiOnal-'The Last Appeal"
Tomorrow night, at the National Thea
tire, will be seen a new and original ro-
mantle drama never before seen on a
Washington stage and but recently pro-
duced at the Broad Street Theatre. Phila-
delphia, entitled The Last Appeal" This
work is from the facile pen of that bril-
liant young Hungarian actor-dramatist.
Leo Ditrichstein.
THE Last Appeal is the first independ-
ent venture of new producing manager,
ness manager for Amelia Bingham. Mr.
Harris is filed with faith that not only
is the play the thing" but that Mr.. Dit
richsteins The Last Appeal is doubly
this. Judging from the concensus of
Philadelphia newspaper comment, this
managerial faith would appear to be well !
founded for. without dissenting voice, I
THE Last Appeal" was adjudged by the
Quaker press to be a powerful interesting
love story. full of color and remarkably !
well played.
Mr.. Ditrichsteins new play was origi- 4
nally inspired by the romance of Crown I
Prince Rudolph of Austria and the Baron |
ess Netsera. a beautiful young commoner
of Vienna. All society will remember the
sad elimination of their hapless love. !
They were found dead together-suicides-
at the Princes castle at Myerling. one
bleak winters night about twelve years
ago.
The Ditrichstein play, however. averts ]
this tragic ending. When Ferdinand !
D'Estes, the present deposed Crown
Prince of Austria, renounced his position
at Court and his rights to the Crown of
Austria three years ago, the dramatist !
was enabled to complete this play-long
suspended on the stocks because of it's /
uncommercial tragic ending-and in a way
not only consonant with an established |
precedent from real life, but in way
that would prove particularly gratifying |
to an American audience. AS is well /
known, for an Europeas prince of royal |
blood to marry commoner is quite as