Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-31

times, but the big fellow paid no attention.
| E1asperated TO an unusual degree, the
comedian, on this particular occasion antic-
lpating repetition OF the tenor.s violence
| the result was that Miss Cahill saved the
| scene only by refereeing the bout for the
| Denent OF the audience. While the little
| wrestling match afforded considerable
| amusement to the audience, 1t was not re-
| tanned as piece de resistance by the
| management.
The Empire is malmng preparations for
| another dash at the stock company system.
ana has arranged to bring back some Of
! the OLD, or, to be more accurate. the ia
miliar favorites who marched and danced
| ana sang Rosy Posy" with such heroic
ana picturesque industry. Manager Wege-
!artn mas so pronounced a success in his
dramatic stock company at the Grand
opera House in Philadelphia that there is
small ground for apprehension that this
new stock company enterprise will Lack for
sustenance until it grows into substantial
| ana permanent favor.
X X
Arthur w. Pinero the author Of Iris" it
| Is believed, had special motive In writing
| this NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. play. Iris is a
so-cailed problem" play, and of this class
OF plays Mr.. Pinero has written many-nota-
Dly, THE Second Mrs. Tanqueray" and
The Notorious Mrs Ebbsmith." AS is well
known, Mr. Pinero is one of the most cap
able playwrights Of many years. Some have
said or him that he Is the greatest play
wright England has produced since Shakes
peare-certa1nly g. strong statement. In
writing Iris" it Is said that Mr. Pinero
desired to create q problem play so force
ruI IN Its character, so appalling in its clir1
ak, that 1t would serve q lesson; that it
would put an end to desire for problem
plays In other words to educate the pub
lie mind up to that point that plays Of this
character would not be demanded by the
public. 1t must be admitted that Mr.. Pin
ero, Is himself a moralist. but not Of the
extreme type. He has written problem
plays because he believed the public de-
| manded something Of this kind Iris is
undoubtedly the extreme of all Of Mr.. Pin
eros plays, based upon social conditions, as
ne believes them to exist. yet, at the same
time, 1t Is the reverse Of nearly all of his
former plays. 1t portrays the rise and fall
OF beautiful woman, surrounded in her
early life, with the greatest of luxuries, and
who at the end becomes forgotten Great
ure, though not descending to the utterly
vulgar. Those who know Mr.. Pinero best
give him credit for saying that Iris is the
last play Of its kind that he will ever write.
1t is said of him that more than five years
elapsed from the time he began writing
Iris until he completed it. showing that
he gave to it unusual study,
Maclyn Arbuckle was in Washington this
ance IL Mr.. Robson's company, which he
has Joined. Mr.. Arbuckles starring season
in Skipper & Co, Wall ST." has been post
poned, owing to the interference Of at
| fractions which have had unexpected runs
and are monopolizing time which was to
be given him. Mr.. Arbuckle will resume his
| old part Of the f1nancier in THE Hen
rietta" when that play Is put on for a
portion OF the time in Boston and New
York. Edward r. Manson and George Hol-
| land also Joined Mr. Robson's company in
| this city. sA
| *sk y
Though Pat Rooney, the Irish comedian,
has been dead d number Of years. not many
/ who ever saw that quaint figure with his
| incomprahensible brogue and his uniquely
| unhandsome face. have forgotten him. Pat
| left behind when she died three talented
children. Matte and Katie are the best
known, and Pat Rooney, jr, better known
| In the variety houses. AL three have talent
| for dancing It is not that they have sim
ply become expert, but they are gifted with
| grace and skill peculiar to the Rooney
| family.