The Washington times., 1902-01-19
STAGE TALK
IN LONDON.
"FrOCkS and FrillS" the Hit
OF the Year.
MAGNIFICENT DISPLAY OF GOWNS.
\ Success with Boxes and Stall, But
Disgust of Gallery GOds-AdnptiOn
by Louis n. Parker of German
T1ay an ALA Padrida of Boccnccio.

! LONDON, Jan. 11.-If it were not for the
theatres the supply of social small talk
in LCndon would be more than usually
| limited in these days OF post-holiday dull
ness, when people are tired of discussing
the coronation and never ending war, and
the same old subjects have been talked
threadbare by politicians. Luckily the
theatrical manager comes to the rescue,
SO the play is the talk Of the town.
The hit of the new year. though it would
be folly to predict its span of life, is
"Frocks aand Frills," as played at the
| Haymarket. But, shades of Shakespeare
and Moliere, what prostitution of dra-
matte art there is in the classic Haymar-
ket! Even Sidney Grundy, who has writ
ten clever pieces, denied his production
when called before the curtain on the first
night. The gallery crowds were bowling
| at him, and when silence was restored
| enough to make himself heard, this is
| what he said: Ladies and gentlemen
| the authors of this play are Messieurs
| Eugene Scribe and Ernest Legouve.' Then
he disappeared. He meant that he had
adapted it from the French, though, bar
ring plot, it is clearly Grundy's piece.
| A Costumer's Piece.
But here is the cleverness of the actor
| manager, Cyril Maude. The play clearly
could not stand on it's own merits and
new plays that combine plot and interest
| are as scarce nowadays as diamond mines
Therefore, the manager converted
''Frocks and Frills'' into a dressmaking
| competition. Each one of the four acts
was given to a noted firm of costumers to
1 in RV.A
| latest style. The first act is dressed by
| Mrs. Nettleship. of Wigmore Street; the
second by Nine. Lucille. of Hanover
| Square; the third by Jays, of Regent
Street, and the fourth by Paquin, of
| Dover Street. Somebody has called the
| play a delirium of dressmaking, and the
plot has difIicLlt struggle lodging the
| long trains and frills of gorgeous gowns.
l CHANGED to be passing the Haymarket
| last night at o'clock. Carriages were
| pouring out throng of marvelously
| gowned women. From Carlton Just across
| the street dinner parties were coming
| every woman dressed in her best frock,
bent on comparing her own and her neigh
boris with the creations displayed on the
stage. The gallery boy cares nothing for
the dressmaker's art He is disgusted with
the play, but the boxes and stalls are
filled nightly.
There is another new play at the Duke
of Yorks theatre that is likewise not
original. Louis N. Parker, worthy play
wright, puts his name first on the bills and
then adds that he has adapted the piece
from the German of Herr Ludwig Fulda.
But this same Herr Fulda doubtless read
the Decameron of Boccaccio well before
he began to write, for the whole story
rests so clearly on the good tales of the
imaginative Italian that one racks brains
trying to figure out which particular tale
is stolen.
An Italian Hodge Podge.
However, it isn't one, but all that are
nodded into this play with the mod
ernized name, 1.-The Twin Sister" The
stately London Times" which is posi-
lively brilliant some days in its dram
attic columns, suggests that the title is
incomplete and should have the follow
ing addition: How the lady Giuditta
della Tore, being contemned by her Lord
Orlando, did counterfeit her twin sister
Renata. and how she did win her lords
favor in that guise" Which is not q bad
tabloid description of the play.
The lines are blank verse and In blank
verse one does not expect characters to
act like common-sense human beings,
otherwise the husband who could not rec
ognize the difference between his own
wife and another woman might be consid-
cred trifie idiotic, to say the least. But
the plot gives Miss Lily Brayton, who is
a good actress and possessed of that
double rare accompaniment to English
art, namely beauty, chance to play the
double role of wife and sister to very
good advantage. And it marks, too. a
remarkable innovation in the stride and
the uouthing OF words that characterize
the family of Irving.
For years 1t has been the regret of
managers that Mr.. II. B. Irving, son OF
Sir Henry Irving, could not act naturally
and forget that hesis the son Of father
who doesn't bear imitation. But here il
THE Twin Sister young Mr.. Irving gets
away from himself, his stiffness, and his
self-consciousness, and shows that he can
act I have a suspicion that some of Mr..
Charles Frohmans iconoclastic stage di-
rections have been pumped into Mr.. lr-
wing with considerable force. For which
the young actor ought to be thankful and
expect good jobs in the future.
Dan Lcno's Success.
During the past fortnight l have been
making the rounds of the Christmas pan
tomimes, and now I say let the Rogers
Brothers, Matthews and Bulger, and
Weber and Fields and all the rest of the
good American burlesque comedians come
over to London. Dan LenO is getting
81 ,l00 per week for dancing and singing
music hall acts in the Drury Lane panto-
mime and he is engaged for the next two
seasons to come at 1920 per week. The
time -honored and threadbare pantomimc
of past years is gone. The lines OF bad
poetry that always had to rhyme, regard
less of metre or meaning have been dis
carded for jokes and stories.
The impossible queen OF the fairies who
used to monopolize the centre of the
stage and wave wand. Is lucky If She
gets to show her gauZe skirts for five
minutes. The comedians and the pretty
girls in abbreviated costumes monopoiize
the whole performance with their dan
cling and their stage business, Just as they
have been doing in Broadway and Penn
sylvania Avenue theatres for years.
Dan ! emo has stolen Bulge:'s song
When Shakespeare Comes to Town" and
scores well with it in Blue Beard By
simply Transforming the name Shake
speare to Blue Beard. In one of the sub
urban theatres more than One-half thC
witticisms fell iamiliarly on American
ears. The best OF It all is that the pub
lie are delighted with the new and lively
turn pantomimes have taken, unconsciou
that this is merely the Americanization
of typical British institution.
A Dramatic Experiment..
Greek plays have always been relegated
to the college stage, therefore the pro-
duction of Ulysses" by Mr.. Beerbohm
Tree in Her Maiestys Theatre. the finest
playhouse in London, viii be an interest
ing experiment. The author, Mr.. Stephen
Phillips simply dramatizcd the Odyssey.
but he takes plenty of liberty with both