The Washington times., 1901-10-13

first rehearsal of the day ends at fs.a
Worf vnsl Il ah NE nGaf E nnShsGJ e bas SsS
| This Is the time when anxious youns
| women OF the company group themselyes
around their mistress to assure her thai
| they do not look well In the gowns thai
have been designed for them, and ask Il
the dresses cannot be changed in this OF
that detail. and II not, why not, and Il
| tney are not, the wearers will be broken
| With infinite tactfulness Miss Mariowe
smooths away difficulties and I.3(
nnos her directing the rehearsal once
~ NOR, rms one. II IL be matinee day.
is very brief and at 2.l5 the actress will
] emerge from her dressing-room garbetl
~ N tne beautiful robes of Charles Major s
| played reheaTs sails run steadily up 10 q,
! or o'clock. Now and again the mistress
/ or the company will be interrupted by
| interviewers
At $50 o'clock Miss Marlowe induIges
IN her sole period of play time, and II is
an event which she never permits herself
| to overlook. believing 1t positively es
sentiaI 70 her health: That is her auto
mobile ride of a half hours or even an
hour duration After an hour facing
Wlnd and weather. the actress returns TO
her hotel in a glow of health and spirits
TO eat light supper and prepare for the
tons during the play are visits from
friends who troop back on the stage from
boxes and the body Of the house to pay
their respects to the star.
AT the conclusion of the play there are
as-i';i.y three or four friends waiting out
slde Miss Marlowe's dressing room and
visits with them are good for half an
hour of the weary players time Eleven
o'clock. however. usually sees her back
In her apartments where a supper is
served. Sometimes this, too is turned
into social function. and a few friends
iinger until long after midnight to talk
Of books. plays and pictures When they
depart they doubtless believe that their
hostess promptly retil'es, and she would
like 1t If such could be the case, but there
are many letters to oe gone over with
her secretary and, more likely than not,
a consultation with the playwright, who
Is shaping up the next drama that will
fgure.in the Marlowe repertoire.
More often than the maids vino are
responsible for Miss Marlowe's health
wish it so, II is o'clock in the morning
before she finally retires. having put in
an eighteen-hour day. but by no means
dismayed at the prospect of another like
ii on the morrow.
IAN interesting feature OF our work at
the Lafayette this year." said Walter
Clarke Bellows during a hull in the re-
hearsals of Shenandoah yesterday.
will be the production of several plays
for the first time on any stage. 1 have
under consideration, too, the manuscript
of play by prominent. if not the most
prominent, English author, which / mean
to produce some time during the winter.
1t has already been done in England,
where it has achieved a pronounced sue
cess. but it has not yet been played in
America.
Il am not at liberty to announce the
play or mention the authors name at this
time. 1 am also negotiating with a prom
inent New York manager with view to
producing at the Lafayette several new
plays which he has on hand. He thinks
very well of the manuscripts, and would
have produced them himself before this
time, but the multiplicity of his other
ventures has made 1t impossible. l am
always glad to have new manuscripts
submitted to me. and am considering one
or two plays which have been offered me
by local authors. We have of course al
ready contracted for long list of roy
atty plays, which wiz be revived from
week to week. There are various reasons
why l cannot make this list public now.
Suffice it to say, however. that we will
produce only the very best society plays
and comedy dramas obtainable. We pro-
pose pursuing a liberal policy in this re-
sfesct- and the question of expense will
not be flowed to stand in the way of
securing desirable plays.
OF the present company / think / may
truthfully say that il is the best and the
most evenly balanced organization of
players / have ever gathered together for
stock work. The rehearsals have been
progressing nicely. and the members of
the company show decided disposition
to strive for the best general effect rather
than individual hits"
Among the dramatic copyrights taken
out at the Library of Congress last week
was one for ''The Virgin Queen" a four
act drama by Edythe Totten
Patrons of the Academy of Music will
recall Miss Totten as the actress who
gave such charming portrayal of Grace
Barrett, the tavern keepers daughter in
The Volunteer Organist," which occu-
pied the stage of the Stair house last
week Miss TOtten is old in the profession,
but young in years. having made her stage
debut at the isping age with Mary An
derson, and she is not only stage beau
ty, but her personal charms bear close
inspection in the absence OF grease paint
ard the kindly limelight. She is a bright
full of vivacity, and
tion, so that her work in THE Volunteer
Organist" deserves all the more COM
mendation, for the role of Grace Barrett
is purely and strictly emotional. with few,
if any, opportunities for comedy.
The play which Miss Totten has writ
ten and copyrighted deals with the reign
of Elizabeth, covering the time from
when the virgin Queen" ascended the
throne in all her youth and beauty until
the end, when both had fled and she was
a wrinkled, decrepit old woman. The sub
ject and period which the young play
wright has selected offer boundless possi-
bilities for dramatic treatment and COS
tuning, and the work itself is a rather
pretentious effort for so young writer.
but Miss Totten has studied her subject
and believes she has a play
n fr7ra
est, and a close adherence to history
There is an elaborate coronation scene
that will require over a hundred people,
and altogether the production is one that
may well be anticipated with interest
Miss Totten plans to star in the play, as
suming the role of Elizabeth.
II am naturally very much concerned
about the play" said the actress last
week to a Times representative, and
am so glad TO be able to talk Of il to
for 1 have been keeping very
quiet about it until it could be copy
righted. 1t was an awful strain not to
discuss it. and | have declined to be in
terviewed several times because L knew
that just as sure as | should talk 1t would
be about the play. But now it's out, and
| feel relieved And still they say that a
woman can't keep a secret The details
of the production are very meagre just
yet for it will not occur until next sei--
son, and 1 have just started with Tie
Volunteer Organist.'
Il was with Charles Frohman for sew
raj seasons, playing in The Con-
luerors,' the original production of
Jane 'CharIey's Aunt, and several
others. Then / went TO London with
William Gillette and played Edith Var
ley, in Secret Service l was here a
-ew years ago with The Cherry Pick
,rs and My Friend From India so
you can appreciate the variety of parts
that I've played. | hope to be here next
year in my own piece, and then l believe
nv ambition viii be satisfied.
10 ufgfu nf nVNf1
.en. the well-known comedian who was
lssncinted with Charles Frohman,s COM