The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-24

Mr.. Claiming Pollock. a former local
! dramatic writer. visited in the city during
a portion of the week Mir. Pollock 10 al
| of William A. Bradys theatrical enter
| prises, in which field he has won much
success.
Five hundred dollars a week is a large
| price to pay for a burlesque attraction.
| yet this is the sum the management of
| the BiJou Theatre AYERS is paid to Miss
| Hope Booth for her reproductions OF art
| studies, which she will display during
she present week. when she will be seen
| mere with the "Fads and Follies' bur
| iesquers.
| Miss Booths Offering is. furthermore.
| rsputed TO be one of the most elaborate
| OF Its kind. 1t requires six assistants to
| properly put on the series OF pictures
which have been copied from some Of the
most celebrated works OF art in the gal
| lerles OF Europe and this country. Three
| OF this working force are engaged in the
manipulation of the lights while the
others are kept busy arranging the poses
IN ADDITION to her own work Miss Boo<h
supervises that of her assistants, with
me result that she never allows the cur
6 Salh 70 ne hfted until she is fully salts
hed that everything is In readiness In the
| more prominent vaudeville theatres % the
country, notably the Proctor and Keith
houses hs, and Roster & Balls in New York,
MISS booth has presented her work with
SIeat success She is perhaps one of the
! best advertised young women of the ma
| i've stage, and this has been the means
| OF attracting large numbers of persons
10 witness her reproductions of some Of
the great paintings and statues and as
she has fully GENE up to all expectations
her audiences have been most agreeabIy
surprised.
Her management is responsible for the
announcement that arrangements nave
Deen made whereby she will present her
studies before life class at the Corcoran
Art School on Wednesday morning Prior
to her adoption of the stage, Miss Booth
was a prominent model in Paris and has
more recently posed for several of the
New York artists for some of their most
fascinating studies.
Capt. Robert Marshall. the author OF the
new comedy, "A Royal Family" found
1t difficult matter to secure recognition
for his first play, His Excellency the
Governor" After offering 1t to every man
ager in London, only to have 1t declined
with thanks. he produced 1t himself at n
seldom frequented theatre and at his own
expense. He awoke 70 find that In a
night, as 1t were, he had become recog-
nized as the wittiest dramatist in Eng
land since w. S. Gilbert, whom he most
resembles in STYLE and who curiously
enough, was a personal friend, and the
first to give him encouragement as to the
merit of his writing.
"A isoy2l Family" is Captain Marshalrs
second dramatic work to see the foot
lights, and managers clamored for the
privilege of producing it, so much had
His Excellency'' done for him. The ar
rangements were soon satisfactorily clos
ed, but Captain Marshall was never to see
its production. For just at that time the
Boer war in Africa became serious and
the dramatist. as an ex-army officer of
fered his services and departed for the
front before the first performance and
was not able to return until some time
after ii had run its course.
Whether there was really any founda-
tion for the belief, it came to be pretty
generally accepted that King Edward
VII, then the Prince of Wales. chose to
think that the clever. good-natured satire
against manners and customs of royalty
which is the central motive of the play
was intended to be aimed at himself and
his own royal family. This idea was
detrimental to the success of the play,
but those who witnessed its perform
ance were so thoroughly impressed with
the impersonality of its hits at royalty
that they laughed with frank enjoyment,
told their friends of it. and so the play
prospered in spite of the damaging ru-
NOR
A great stir has been created in the
atrical circles here by the much heraided
production of Henry "" which Richard
Mansfield made some months ago In New
York. and big things were expected from
this very eminent actor who stops at
nothing. The production has come and
gone. Washington has seen and ap-
of opinion is that Mansfield is not an
ideal exponent of Shakespeare. and that
Henry W is magnificent set of pic
lures, and as such will go down in the
atrical annals. BY far the best work and
one of the chief redeeming features of
the piece was the Rumor OF Florence
Kahn. This actress was entirely unknown
here until her appearance last year with
John Blair. in his course of modern
plays, but she leaped into fame through
her marvellous work at these matinees
and so succeeded in getting herself very
talked about. A Times repre-
met Miss Kahn one morning
last week, and questioned her In regard
TO her reported starring tour next season.
The report is entirely erroneous, said
the actress. My starring tour IL a myth.
In the FIRST place l dislike the word very
much. My idea has always been to have
q play and company in connection with
which the word star would find place
"a play of equal or almost equal parts
as regards merit and players to interpret
ii VINO would, through the excellence OF
their work, share alike in public ap-
prevail"
question of book plays, Miss Kahn said:
The idea is a very old one, you know,
dating way back to Shakespeare. But If
lends itself readily to dramatic pur-
poses, there can be no reason why the
bookplay should not live forever. Ibsen?
Well. l believe that Ibsen's future is fixed
In his present. He is undoubtedly one
IF the greatest men of the century. but
must confess that | cannot discover him
IN the dramatic future. The best play he
has written has, however, never been
produced. My plans for next year. as
ong | shall not star, have been COM
Dleted. and | shall support Mr. Hackett
n Don Caesars Return by Victor
Mapes, which will open the season. Later
Nr. Hackett Will produce an American
llay by an American author, which may
De rather interesting announcement"
Miss Kahn graduated four years ago
rom the American Academy of Dramatic
Arts, the Sergeant school in New York
md made her debut in THE Girl | Left
Behind Me This very interesting young
woman may best be described as "un-
usual. This particular trait, by the way
S one OF the chief and attractive features
If her acting. She is unlike any other
actress who can be recalled to mind Pro-
eSsiOnally and privately she is lust her
ielf. Her conversation is marked by fire.
luent pauses as to give one the idea that
she has finished speaking when she
hasn't, but it is only a natural manner
SIN and is quite fascinating Miss Kahn
s one of the few younger women of the
tage whose unquestionable skill deli
SIN will so far toward upholding the ira
litional dignity of the native stage
gainst the counter influences of impor-
atoms which are too often made and
90 readily accepted.
George w. Lederer has arrived in New
FORK from London. He will produce a
lew piece entitled THE Casino Girl in
,ondon'' and before the end of the season
will present a musical comedy adapted
rom the German by Harry B. Smith and
ludwig Englander.
Theatrical folk have strange expert
nces-some are funny, while others are
ar from it. They adapt themselves 70