Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-07

spearean productions In the United States
at the time when Shakespeare had many In
terpreters, and now thai the bard of Avon
is once more in vogue his services are in
much demand. y
A POET AND A PLAY.-Ezra Kendall
visited Indianapolis seventeen times In
fourteen months to induce James Whit
comb Riley to write play for him, but the
poet was always firm in his declaration
that he could not do it. The comedian Of
fered Riley 5000 down as an advance and
further guarantee that his royalties
would amount to $4,000 or more within
two years. Not even that tempted him to
change his mind. If Riley had accepted
KendalPs offer his royalties for the past
five weeks alone would have amounted to
$4,000 at the rate of 5 per cent of the gross
receipts. which is the ordinary pay to the
successful playwright. Last spring Mr..
Kendall made final attempt by visiting
indianapolis and spending a week there,
but was met with Riley'S refusal and
firm and decided decision that under no
circumstances would he consent to write
play The conversation between the poet
and the actor drifted to some of the curious
old Indiana characters Mr.. Riley had cele-
DRAFTED. Did you ever read my poem of
Jap Mller?' he asked Kendall. Kendall
never had until given a copy. During their
conversation he found the poem extremely
suggestive, and told the poet SO. Riley
in few moments the comedian broke in on
him with the remark that he was at that
very minute writing play without know
ing it, That is the way 1.-The Old Vinegar
Buyer came into being, only Herbert Hall
Winsow, who was engaged to fix it for the
stage, draws the royalty, and Liebler &
co. and Ezra Kendall divide the profits
Riley will probably get something on his
next birthday.
WRITING A FITCH PLAY. - When
asked concerning the accuracy of his
pictures Of American social life apropos
of the "Stubbornness of Geraldine"
Clyde Fitch gave a few days ago an
inkling of his methods of work: IT never
car1cature particular society people in my
comedies. 1t would be bad art as we'll as
a, Well-rather vulgar thing to do. You
see, as art, 1t ties one to some one or two
marked traits or mannerisms, and if you
have smiled at them once they bore you
ever after. No. society resolves itself in
TO individuals and the best you can do is
to make your society individuals in a play
typical of the time and place.
draw types Of the people as I find
them. II l have any success in modern
plays it Is because I seek to set forth
what see and know in New York, New
port Lennox, on shipboard, or wherever
ones fancy impels one to follow in the
footsteps of fact.
beings TWO years ago Mr.. Mckee came
to See me about play for Miss Mannering.
He made no conditions except that it
should be a story of present day social
life and as he phrased it Should be abso-
Iutely clean! Soon after the idea of a Wo-
man in novel situation occurred to me-
Generally the young woman in a play
whose lover is abused to her or shown nv
suspicious circumstances to be untrue to
her, ends by doubling him, and the play is
brought to climax by convincing her that
ne Is all right. My girl should believe in
her lover against all and every conner
stubborn Geraldine. 1 thought that would
suit the cheerful and wholesome humanity
and fine personality of Miss Mannering so
tofd MI Mckee had play in mind for
her.
Then, when the idea is started, it keeps
in my mind, working in a circle and con-
t1nually taking on more material until the
and a half before thought Of touching
Miss Mannerings play, and then 1 sat
down and wrote it In about two months
MIR. NORRIS IN COMIC opERA-MIn-
ME Ashley and William Norris are said to
be making the distinct hits of their re-
spective careers in "a Country Girl" in
which they have been the principal figures
since the production was made in this
country at the beginning of the present
season Miss Ashley has long since estab-
HShed herself as favorite in musical
comedy, but the appearance Of Mr. Norris
| In this line Of stage work is looked forward
| to by the Washington theatergoers as a de-
cided novelty. As character actor in se-
rious plays Mr.. Norris is well-known here:
as light opera comedian his coming is
fraught with unusual interest In "A
Country Girl Miss Ashley who has been
conspicuouSly identified with several Of
| the previous productions at Days, pIays
! the role of Mime. Sophie. a sprightly young
flrns. liar rln hos
! the story, and whose songs and dances and
| gowns, the latter fashioned by Mrs Rob-
| ert Osborne, the famous society and theat-
| rical modiste of New York, are features Of
| the production Mr. Norris is her COM
panion in the comedy scenes and dances.
playing the role of Barry. Although Wash
| ington has never seen Mr.. Norris in comic
/ opera, he is by no means a stranger i'm
| that field. He has had former comedy
| triumphs as the original "Burgomaster',
and king Dodo,' in those two comic
| operas.
MISS MANNERING ON MARRIAGE
! Judging by the number of questions I
| have been asked about my opinion on inter-
! national marriages since the beginning Of
| this theatrical season." said Mary Man
| nerng recently, 81 must be regarded in
some quarters as an authority on the SUBJ
ject. Whether it is that The Stubborn
/ ness of Geraldine hinges on one internal
| tional love match, with another In the
| background, whether because it is known
that l have some experience of that sort of
! thing in private life, I cannot say. Per-
| haps the combination of my stage and real
circumstances pique curiosity little In
any case see no reason why the public
should not have the benefit Of my Thought
on the matter; only, what may have to
say must be taken simply for what it is
worth, and If 1t amounts to just what the
reader already thought, the reader must not
turn and revile me for a commonplace, dis
appointing person. Actresses off the stage
very often, l am happy to say, are lust
average women, with the average woman's
ideas about marriage and such things
"Off the stage I am American through
and through. That boast brings me to the
first remark that occurs to me about in
ternational marriages. In some of the mar
riages between Americans and foreigners
that the world hears much. of, 1t Is the wife
who is the American. This being so. 1t
is only natural for Americans to forget
that priciple of international law which I
have always tried to bear in mind; the
husbands flag covers the wife, no matter
of what birth she may be- / do not claim
any very high merit for having done my
duty in this respect and become-asr every
one who knows me knows-an out-and-out
American woman. 1t Is really not so very
difficult for an Englishwoman to accom-
DliSh this change of heart To he an Amari-