The times., 1901-03-31


town. 1; is in clyde Fitch's merriest and
most brightly setirical vein and has a
| love story or Infinite charm The produe-
| tiou. as devised by William a Brady Is
without a flaw Every player fits the char
/ acter assumed. but special honors fall 70
/ Ernest Hastings rs the minister. Millie
| James as the little h0ydeu. simplicity
| Charles w Swain as the opera house man
ager and bill poster. Nauette ComstOck
I as the cergymans sweetheart. and Emily
| Wakeman as the schOolmistress-
The apple orchard, the lovers walk. and
/ the quaint street scene in Eddysville are
| Very beautiful stage pictures. In Low
ers Lane Mr. Brady has found "a play
as pleasing and popular as Way Down
| East"
| "The Silver Slipper, new musical
comedy by owen Hall and Leslie stuart
| composers of "Florodora." will be pro-
duced in London Tuesday night The
| American rights 10 the piece have been
! secured by John T. Fisher. manager OF
'FlOrOdora.' who viii bring it over here
| next season.
| Nell Gwyn has been used as the central
| figure Of several stage plays. well
/ In Paul Kester's comedy drama Sweet
| Nel OF Old Drury, IN which kiaw <
| Erlanger present Ada Rehan IN the title
! role. The hrst Nell GWyn play OF which
I there Is any historical knowledge was en-
/ titled Nell Gwyn; or The Prologue,
/ written by Douglas JerrOid and presented
| at Covent Garden. London. in January.
1 800 ! re dulHof III MS DTeE4Et 10 the
| play says; While we may safely reject
as unfOunded gossip many of the stories
| associated with the name of Nell Gwyn,
1 one cannot refuse belief To the variOus
/ proofs OF kind-heartedness liberality and
taking into consideration her subsequent
| power 90 do harm-absOiute goodness OF
I Il woman mingiinS from her earliest years
| IN the most depraved scenes OF a most
| diSsoiute age.
This play was founded on the famous
| Hat incident. The second play on the
1 subject a musical pSTTTVdU0nZa acted
/ at the Royalty on January L. 1871. with
! Emmeline Cole as Nell, Pose Coghlau as
/ Charles, and Arthur Williams as the
| Duchess of Cleveland. on May !. 1873 at
| the same theatre, Emely Fowler appeared
| as Nell in the first representation OF the
/ play by w. G.. Wills. The comic opera.
! music by Robert Planquette. with d IL
hrettO by III. p. Farnie. was given at
! the Avenue Theatre, London, February
| !, 1884, with Florence St John as the
heroine. These various stage representa-
| tions were more or less successful. bat
| it remained for the first production OF
/ Mr.. kesterS s play at the GarTick. Lon
| dor. last season. with the beautiful Julia
| Nelson IN the title role TO set all England
| talking and to start a veritahle Nell
Gwyn craze. The play ran all last sea
| son to enormous houses. klaw q Err
LANCER discerning that the character OF
| Nell Gwyn as drawn by Mr.. kester was
| one peculiarly fitted to Ada Rehans IN
deniably great dramatic gifts, secured the
American rights
| title role when William A. Brady and
Joseph r. Grismer produce Betsy Ross
| in Philadelphia, April 10, has been max
/ ing exhaustive research and has formed
| personal acquaintance among the Clay
| pools and AShmOreS. who are Ineal de-
| scendants of the fair QuakereSs who
| made the first American flag. One de-
| lightful old lady, granddaughter OF
| Betsy Ross, remembers her distinctly,
| and detects a striking personal resem-
| blance between her and the actress who
| is to impersonate the mimic character
| Like the famous heroine or Revolutionary
| times Miss Davies is petite of figure.
| with the same dark brown eyes and hair
| Klaw & Erlangers revival of The
/ Merchant of Venice in which they will
! present n O. Goodwin and Maxine Ell
| lott as Shylock and POrtia. respectively,
/ for spring tour of twenty cities, viii
| be played but twenty-eight times. This
| attraction Will be seen IN THIS city but one
| time only, at the National Theatre, Tues
| day evening, May Il
| The announcement that Manager Frank
! Mckee has engaged Augustus Thomas to
| write new farce-comedy for Peter F.
| Dailey's use next season, shows very
| clearly which way the wind is blowing in
| this department of the theatrical world
| Mr. Mckee, who through his long asso-
] citation and partnership with the late
| Charles Hoyt. probably knows more ABOUT
1
was quick to realize that the day when
| bright star can carry a trashy fourth
| rate play is over.
| on account of Hodge, Podg@ * GO.
| but in spite of it. and owing to the tact
| that Mr.. Mckee had surrounded MIN
with a good company
Next year. with a man of Augustus
| Thomas powers TO write for him. Mr.
DALEY ought to prove greater a; rs, Success scT5
| of the farce-cOmedy stars had not Sc
cured Mr Thomas services before OI
course he Is expensive and demands the
same royalties for farce-comedy tnat
| he receives for a serious play; but even
| so. il is better 10 pay little more money
| to see not only once, but many times,
than to play to almost empty Oencnes IN
| q play that costs mere song
| The same is equally true or the draIld-
tized novels 1t is safe TO say that If Mr.
/ Thomas Mr. Fitch. or some other nrst-
| class dramatist had been engaged 10
| Gramatize some of the novels which nave
| been so butchered this winter, the result
! at least would nave been something tnitt
| bore some semblance to play Inc
only time when this experiment Was trlcu
this wear il proved a great success. Paul
NJ Potter. q practical playwright, was
| engaged to dramatiZe ndeT Two
Flags Inc result was a melodrdmft
| hich. however it may offend some o.
Cuidas adherents by the way IN whlc9
| il has twisted her story, is a ripping 6oyu
| sensational drama, and one Wnich, IN ths
| long run will coin more money than ali
a
| the lame halt. blind, and knock-kneed
dranatiZatiOuS put together
| But it is not quite fair 10 hold the the
atriccI mana gers responsible for these BAD
! fr. maj fzstions The publishers of the
novels are more at fault The enormous
success which "TrilbV' scored when Mr..
Potter dramatized il has made the man
egers demand such enormous ROYALTIES
Tor he use of their successful books that
/ after agreeing To pay them the manager
| who secures the order finds that, TO keep
| bis tXpeuSeS within bounds. it VIII be
| iutuossible for him to pay the price OF q
| really good pla wright. This is Il matter
| which the publishers would do Wei 10
| turn over in their minds, for unless tu-
| ture dramatized novels are turned into
| v.eII-rnade PLAYS which can stand on their
| own legs publishers will have TO whistle
/ for their royalties and managers FOR their
! audiences.
| The stock company which ran for two
| seasons at the Lyceum Theatre. BSlti-
| more. under the direction of J. W Al
| haueh. jr.. viii be revived for a summer
| season. with as many OF the original
| members as can be secured. The house
| is lessed for term of years by Man
| ager Chase. of the Grand, of this city
| Charles Dalton. the English actor who
has been at the head of the Sign of the
| Cross company for the last five sea
sons. will star in q new play next fail
| The announcement that he was in search
| of a new play was made in a New York
p9pel- not long ago. and must have been