Evening star., 1901-10-12

{rsasp,.r S
swered. "a public does not care how much
or how little time a play maker may re-
quire for his work, so long the ma
teria1 itself interests
DO you care to indicate your method of
work"
eff you mean by method the geenral
process Of the evolution of story, plot,
situations and characters, 1 have none.
The ideas generating some plays are more
obsessfve than others Each fancy has it's
own exactions.'
What is the general scope of The Way
of the World?'" "
Mr.. Fitch's hands went to his mustacbe
again.
Il should prefer to have the players tell
it to you on Tuesday night"
VIII it prove a SUGGEST"
A twinkle in the eyes of the playwright
ed humor.
Il can only vouch for the success of the
star Beau Fitch answered gallantly as
he closed the interview.
There will be another Miss Simplicity
to claim Washingtons approval at the Co
lumbia Monday week. Not the Gemure
masquerador of Barnets musical comedy,
but the Simplicity Johnson of Clyde
! Fitch's much discussed and profusely her
aided Lovers Lane" This simplicity
is child of eleven, precocious and way
ward, who has been adopted into a New
England minister's household after having
been expelled as fncorrigible from every
orphanage in the vicinity. Simplicity
wears childish braids and torn, ragged
frocks, and has a penchant for climbing
apple trees and otherwise disporting herself
in tomboy fashion. She is but eleven and
wise beyond her years. Although not
central figure in the Clyde Fitch pastoral,
haS int
because of the assertive personality of Miss
Aillie James, daughter of tragedian Louis
James, who imperSOnateS her.
Millie James in private life is a petite
little woman no longer in her teens. She
Is chic, stylish, Self-cOntained, with the
poise and presence of a woman of the
world. 1t has been said of her that she
carries more dignity to the square inch
than the Columbia does spread of canvas
with spinnaker set. She is studous, Sc
date, serene and like most little women,
makes the average man in her presence
feel as overwhelmed by sense of his own
utter unworthiness and insignificance.
But Millie James simplicity Johnson
is quite a different proposition. In short
frockS, sprng-heeled shoes, and with her
luxuriant hair in pigtai braids. instead of
being piled i'll imposing abandon after the
prevailing mode, she counterfeits the slight
ness and immaterial of chldishness so con-
yincingly that she seems really one of the
brood of real children disporting themselves
y,
second act of the play. In fact it is re-
lated that even astute VIM. A. Brady was
himself de1uded at her first dress rehearsal
He had never seen her made up. and as
the hour was late he insisted that she
should run home before the hard all-night
task began.
Lovers Lane" from all accounts, is a
curious departure from Clyde Fitch's pre-
yious works. He has taken a short cut
through green fields and fragrant orchards
with as much celerity he leaped from
the Brummelian elegance of the Georgian
period into the frivoiities of modern fash
ionabe society. The result of his semi
rustic endeavor-for Lovers Lane" is not
a barnyard drama-wll be awaited with
curious expectation After all. there is one
convincing test of plays artistic and
commercial value. 1t draws or it does rot
draw. Lovers Lane drew for five months
in New York, and all through the broiIing
summer in Chicago. There be those shrewd
observers who think 1T will be yielding
him royalties long after his rehexes of
fashionable life have been laid upon the
shelf.
Julia Mar1owe has been asked since the
produced When knighthood Was in Flow
er' whether she had deserted Shakespeare
and the classic drama for the more mod
ern productions.
NO, no; you must not think that
Shakespeare is my pinnacle, and 1 hope yet
to make my grand effort-the effort of my
life-in the classic drama. Why, all my
training was in that direction. My adopted
aunt was an actress in classic drama
and l learned Shakespearean parts when |
was a very young girl. l first learnt my
Juliet when l was Juliet's own age-four-
teen-and before 1 knew what it all meant.
In those days my own desire was to wear
quaint, od-fashioned costumes. and al
though the desire to play Shakespeare is
as firm as ever, l find as 1 grow older that
l am more anxious to please the larger au-
diences. Some day, as l said before, |
shall again play Shakespeare, but when I
do hope to have a great audience which
will come to see me. Then to those who
come to see Shakespeare played l shall
play my very best, and among those who
come only out of curiosity to see Julia
Marlowe play Shakespeare l shall try 10
awaken love for Shakespeare which shall
surpass the feeling of interest in Julia
Marlowe or any other actress of Shakes
peare's work
The comedy triumph Miss Marlowe Is
said TO have achieved as Mary Tudor in the
new play makes her estimate of special
been stirred by her work in emotional and
tragic situations will be surprised perhaps
TO learn that she thinks she is a better
comedian than she Is tragedian
On this point she said: of nv own act
ing L can only say that / am best in COM
edy. The serious acting l give my very
best efforts to. but / feel that comedy is
my meter. But whether l am playing in
comedy or in the serious drama l recognize
my responsibility to the great public who
come to see me act. The sense of that re-
sponsibility must be before every one that
lives. SO to speak. in the public eye. When
/ see crowds sometimes standing at the
door of a. theater to see me go In or out
l cannot but feel that If they have Curl
osity enough for that 1 must make use of
that curiosity to hold them by the very
best there Is to give; that must send my
message on behalf of the things which
are artistic and good"
After the closing Of the Bellows Stock
Company In Denver this summer John T.
Sullivan spent fortnight hunting big game
In the Rockies. During rehearsals Of "Shen-
andoah" at the Lafayette last week Mr..
Sullivan had been entertaining the other
members of the company with a vivid de-
scription of the slaughter Of huge eriz-
ely bear Among his most interested lis
teners was pretty Httle Antoinette Walker.
the petite ingenue OF the company. Hiss
Walker regarded the doughty Nimrod with
iIutiS clIised aimira tfon for uoonnapt