Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-19
DRAMA

Se'OiiiS q pt'ii Iolti'
Mr.. Chase's anniversary bill was a no.
table one. In providing Polite vaudeville
for punctilious patrons Mr.. Chase has
achieved personal eminence such as can
be gained only through earnest and ntelli-
gently directed effort The impersonal title
of the New Grand has been gradually eff
faced from the public mind. and 1t now
stands simply as "Chase's." He has made
himself figure Of interest. People hear of
him constantly, but seldom see him. The
tate 2. I. Barnum on one of his tours real
zed his own value as a well-advertsed
quantity and appeared in person twice a
DAY as feature of his own pr, gram. Some
Time when he encounters one of the disap-
| pointments that sometimes occur in MAX
| ing up bill Mr. Chase might put his own
name IN and deliver a lecture on What
l know about polite vaudeville" or 1.-The
| Last of the Hashims," or something of
that kind. The public is much indebted to
| mr Chase for some very delightful AMI
unique entertainment, and it ought to wei
come an opportunity of seeing him per-
Sohaliy, If he can overcome naciYe modesty
sufficiently to face an audience
! Inc good feeling and esprit de corps pre-
Nalilng in comDanies of which Charles B.
| Hanford has had the Stage direc ion have
! been matters of proverbial comment in the
MI Hanford experiences very little dill cuI-
| ty in securing the co-opera ion of COM
! petent people in any enterprise he decides
! to launch. Only two changes have oc
| Cured in the cast of Private John Allen
| the play which has fully established Mr..
! tlanfords career as an actor manager. and
i these changes were due to considera ion of
! mutual eApediency and not TO any misun-
4 1t5 'ahalhgs' Like most actors Mr. Han
loIu vas IN ms youth member of an
! amateur dramatic organization, The Law
| renee Barrett Dramatic Cub of this civ
Inc ciuo enjoyed the personal encoura ge-
! Hheit OF the great actor after whom it was
Iiailieu anu developed a number of players
""ose regulations are now national 1t
was not long before Mr.. Hanford was made
! the manager and his address TO his fellow
| payers IN those boyish days expressed he
| IDEAS or Stage discipline which he has since
! put mo practice throughout his profess
Sloha! NE In carefully prepared speech
| he said: pow"
his absolute power which is necessary
10 d manager is APT at times to make him
| appear oFerbearillg or presuming; and in
/ TINS connection LEI me say | hope if anv
| Sucn spirit should seem eXiS en- in the one
you nave selected to perform the duties of
tctihS manager you Will be chart able
! enough to overlook it. Lay it rather to The
| ONCE man 10 any intention of his to wronf,
| any member
COO ELM AS CYRANO.-Cyrano do
befsefac, Cetormed in features and of I'M
! coulh habit A generous heart made cvni
| car py me uhcohsldered sights of the wit
! less, Gnd the direct thrus.s of the inten-
tunaily malicious. Friend and Dhllosonher
SWoroSman ana warrior, lover and poet
NJ. Cuqueiln 3 presentation of Cyrano en-
bodies every phase of the character as can
! be achieved only by master Last night =
| performance was Il distinct personal Occa-
| sion for him. Nine. Bernnardt evidenced
her artistic equ.poise by the manner in
; which she subordinated Roxane In her
! skIliiui hands it is a pervad4ng, ha-----..-
| Gus obligato. She held the interest of the
/ audience almost unconsciously, and Roxane
/ lived, loved and suffered as only the hero
| mes OF Bernhardt can. Coque-in is a come
! dian and pan .oml mist, yet near to ro-
| mantle genius that he can dim the eye by
| a word or thrill to intensity by the fiexion
! of a hand. Without comparison CoQuel. n
is undoubtedly the Cyrano of Rostand. and
| as near as is possible in giving body 10
I so essentially poetic a character he is the
| Cyrano of reality. On the whole. the
| French production does not appeal to the
| Scenica.ly, it lacks somewhat in color and
/ completeness and in the matter of stage
! detail. Al times the movement halts and
! there are minor evidences of stage manage
| ment below the American ideal.
! But this Is aside from the intellectual and
| poetic beauties of the play, and are for
| gotten they pass.
| The supporting company is individually
I ttpdDIt anu inc lie ShICiie VI bcSJdEuiil
| notably strong. But there is evident a
| lack of what might be termed esprit de
corps and a failure at times to support the
| star This was especially noticeable last
! night when Cyrano, engaged in duel, COM
! poses the famous ballade of the sword as he
i parties and thrusts 1t seemed to create
| but little interest in the onlookeis. They
| appeared to take 1t all a very common
| occurrence. and climax suffered from
| their indifference. Last nights audience
| was notable one and the interest was ev-
| ident by the frequent and generous APP
| plause.