Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-24

just beginning his stage career, and not
earning money enough to see him through
the summer. Perkins, who is not too PROUD
to work, took up the trade of telegraph
er's assistant. 1t was In this office that he
formed the acquaintance of Du Souchet.
who, between ticks of the receiver. had
written farce which he submitted to Per-
kins. Perkins thought it good, but both
found difficulty in persuading any one else
to see the piece in The same light. Du Sou
Chef paid postage and express charges on
his manuscript until it had been returned
by every prominent manager. and then be-
gan to grow discouraged Not so Perkins
Taking the play under his arm, he prone
naded Broadway between office hours and
read it to managers on street corners when
he could MOI get at them in their offices.
Still, hope was long deferred. the manu-
script was getting dog-eared and Perkins
shoes were perilously thin as to the soles
before he succeeded in finding willing lis
teners In Smyth & Rice. a newly formed
firm of managers. They produced My
Friend From India" with Perkins as the
theosophical barber, and made fortune
Perkins put his profits into another comedy
by Du Souchet, The Man From Mexico"
which both he and Willie Collier played
successfully. But Perkins early training
was under James A. Herne, and he aspired
to something better than farce. Accord
ingly he secured the dramatic rights to
Miss Wilkins most successful novel, and
after many trials and ulsappointments man
aged to get it put into play form. This
was largely done by the eclectic process of
trying it out on various dogs through
out New England, where the public was
naturally most critical, and the net result
of Perkins labor and patience is on view
at the Lafayette Monday. The moral may
be drawn by those VINO pay the price of
admission.
= = *
There are occasions when the chorus girl
does not have all the best of the perform
ance. when she is not permitted by mere
force of numbers to overwhelm all other
artistic considerations than those of smiles
and millinery mysteries. But these coca
sions unfortunately are not within the realm
strictly speaking. of popular amusements.
The production of Philemon ct Baucis
brought the members of the company well
to the front and the chorus was obliged to
do its singing behind the scenes. The opera
proved delight to musical Washington
and was also, and perhaps even more SO,
social event of great vogue.
=
Mr.. Lee Arthur who has collected a
number of plays under his authorship, has
been in the city for some time. He is work.
ing on new piece which will deal with life
In Louisiana. Mr.. Arthur is quite candid
in not claiming strict originality for all the
good things which get into his manuscripts
Like Moliere, he confesses to. taking what
he needs where he finds it. He tells of a
brother dramatist who was deplorng the
manner in which playwrights appropriated
ideas from the old plays which have been
collected and published in what are known
to theatrical people as yellow backs,' be-
cause of their distinctive paper binding
This dramatist complained that other men
were reaping fortunes from plays which
they had dug up from tombs Of antiquity
While he who was trying to be original was
disregarded and almost spurned. When he
had concluded his jeremiad, he remember
ed the demands of hospitality and remark
ed, Have a cigar" Mr.. Arthur accepted.
open drawer and out tumbled a small
shower of these same yellow backs"
Here endeth the story. The moral is that
you cannot always believe what a drama
fist tells you, either privately or in the adj
vertisementS.
Charles B. Hanford intends to move on
San Francisco in the spring. Mr.. Hanford
while an eminently popular star in the
south and in the northwest, and player of
whose scholarly attachments there is no
doubt anywhere, has not made conspicu-
Gus record as yet as an Independent star in
the east. 1t is entirely probable that sue
cess in San Francisco for his production
of Much Ado About Nothing and the
Tanning of the Shrew'' will lead to the
recognition in New York which is always
SO much coveted by actors, although some
very successful ones, such, for instance, as
Sol Smith Russell. have completed very
favorable careers without it. San Fran
cisco has developed a number of conspicu-
Gus people in the theatrical world Miss
Blanche Bates is a shining example T.
Daniel Frawley, Washingtonian, went to
San Francisco, which opened up to him a
| career that brought him back to the east
a recognized and highly successful actor
manager. Mr.. Frawley is now away over
In the Philippines conducting a highly sue
cessful monopoly in legitimate theatricaIs
Mr.. Hanford has not merely duplicated the
extraordinary success which attended his
tour last season, but has improved upon it.
and as he is now his own manager the re-
suits are highly satisfactory to him. Miss
Marie Drofuah is meeting with remarka BILE
praise as Shakespearian coincidence. The
american stage owes a good deal to Wash
ngton, and Charles B. Hanford is far from
being the least pra:seworthy of this c.ty's
contributions.