Evening star., 1901-08-31
| NOT TO BE A DOG TOWN"
WASHINGTON WILL GET FEW, IF
ANY, FIRST PRODUCTIONS.
Don Caesar Revival a Leading Fea-
ture of the Metropolitan Theat-
rical Season.


fact that they invariably present many
| crudities and deficiencies which disappear
as the piece becomes more familiar to the
players. The patrons of the play whose
delight it is to overlook defects and make
up for artistic shortcomings by their own
enthusiasm, will be disappointed on OBJ
serving how comparatively few new pro-
ductions are now scheduled for this city.
The bookings for this season remove Wash
inSton absolutely from the category of
what professional parlance knows as 'dog
towns" and the playgoers who delight to
call for the authOr-and these include
about the entire playgoing population-will
| sincerely wish it otherwise A number of
later ventures will possibly select Wash
ington as a place of premier exploitation.
Managers are courteously agreed in saying
| that there is no city in the country where
a finer first night audience can be assem-
bled. All of which, considering the fact
that Washington is the Mecca of scientific.
judicial and legislative talent may be ac-
copied as a sincere compliment.
The practice of dramatizing novels led
publisher to remark recently: Anything
is liable to be dramatiZed nowadays, from
the Book of Genesis down." Publishers
are coming to have an exalted idea of the
Importance of their most obscure works for
dramatic purposes, and in many cases de-
mand enormous percentages for their
rights. This disposition will no doubt as
sist the impetus which the dramatized nov
el has already found in its onward course
toward decadence. There will never be
time when the public will not take delight
in seeing the characters of really great
literary works portrayed on the stage, put
the disposition to dramatize everything
that enjoys passing popularity has already
worked itself out into an artistic absurd
ity. The dramatiZed novel has served
purpose in inviting the attention OF man
thn tinCn of ha
lucrative exponent of true literature. Its
future effects are likely to be good. for the
public taste has been conducted to higher
plane of appreciation.
Among the things lately dramatized Is a
series of comic pictures which nave ap-
peared from week to week In New YORK
under the title of Foxy Grandpa w. b.
Brady. who does not hesitate to manage
anything from prize fight to Passion
play. is to put this whimsical creation be-
fore the public. 1t will utilize, of course
a liberal share of song and dance talent anu
the dialogue will be of the kind which gets
quickly to the intelligence of the average
audience.
A song writer also makes his debut as Il
dramatist. Every person who is afflicted
with a susceptible ear for popular melody
will remember the pathetic story Of The
Organ" and the organist who volunteered
to play. The song was written by the pro-
life w. 3. Gray, and had a very extensive
vogue. Mr.. Gray thought over it's pOssibil-
tiles until he decided to make play of it,
introducing the volunteer organist whose
marvellous music surprises those who sneer-
ed at his shabby attire as the clergyman's
lCng-lost brother He organized company
and played it for several weeks with great
box office success. Mr.. Gray does not lay
any strenuous claims to originality. He
says he has followed the example Of Hall
Caine and tried to write play that would
interest the clergymen. He has secured a
number of clerical Endorsements for his
pastoral comedy.
Another of the curiosities of the season
will be the production of that old-time play.
"Mazeppa," by James Lederer and NJ. B.
Leayitt. Verona Jarbeau will play the role
of the youth who is bound to the back of
the fiery, untamed steed, and the old-timer
who insists on telling how much better the
good old plays We're than the present pro-
duct Will nave another chance to demon
Strate.
D'Artagn,n has been shelved. and there
is an effort on foot to make Don Caesar
the SwaSh-buckling hero of the hour
Hackett and Faversham are now busily en-
gagged in cavalierly sentiment and sword
play. with others yet to be heard from. The
Rogers Brothers are expected to eclipse all
their former successes with Rogers Broth
ers in Washington" 1t is reported from
BOSTON that they have drawn a picture of
life at the capital which is calculated to
allure acceSsions to it's population from the
remoteSt parts of the country.
The Liebler management is expecting
great things from the new play by Zang-
WILL THE Mantle of Elijah" George c.
Tyler, who is leading factor in the Lieb-
Ter enterprise, has never for a moment
wavered in his conviction that Zangwll is
a great playwright and that THE Children
OF the Ghetto was a great play, so far as
the treatment was concerned. He attributes
the plays failure to the peculiar nature of
its theme. The quarrel which Zangwill
had with the newspaper reviewers is not
| regarded calculated to initiate against
the success of another play by him. In
deed, the enmity of the critics, if the con-
fidential confession of one Wilbur Bates
now In charge of Klaw & Erlanger's lit
erary bureau, may be credited was delib-
erately courted. 1t was he who suggested
to Hall Caine the personal abuse of William
Winter which appeared over his signature
and which was sent to all the newspapers
of the country. Hall Caine was assured
that the Indignation he aroused represented
good advertising. and he accepted it as a
part OF the managerial policy. One day
when the harvest of retaliation following
his own seeming vindictveness was at its
height he came into the office of Liebler
Co. and with quiet pathos said:
4 say: this may be good advertising
But isn't it just a bit rough on Han
Caine?"
Every one who ever came into contact
with Caine describes him as one of the
mildest men alive; one whose self-esteem is
due simply to his credulOuS acceptance of
every personal compliment The asperities
which emanated from his pen were simply
inspired by restless press agent who had
"edTleu oI the per1unctOry DlatltudeS of
praise. And We provincial dramatic edi-
tors took it all so seriously!
Another author whose personality is at
total variance with his literary style is
Charles Henry Meltzer whose latest play
The First Duchess of Marlborough" has
all the earmarks of success. AS a reviewer
of the drama he has been unsparing and
incisive; he has made many enemies by his
relentless trenchancy. Imagination would
picture him as person of the fighting
editor type. He is in propria persona as
gentle in speech as a woman. He has the
traditional thinness of the thoughtful man.
and shares with a number of well-known
and otherwise esteemed writing men the
cigarette habit. He chanced to be standing
| in draught while lighting cigarette. lie
made not the slightest effort to shield the
match from the wind. He destroyed an
entire box of matches during a conversa-
tion in which he avoided all reference to
his present venture, and spoke only of his
hope to establish an Ibsen cult and to make
series of literary plays such as Washing
ton enjoyed in common with several other
cities a season ago. When he wandered
away toward the managers office his cigar
cite was still unlighted. PC j.
The Horseshoe Superstition.
From the London Chronicle