Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-07

1t was a somewhat fantastic assemblage
Of theatric quantities that greeted the audi
tors who were attracted to the National
Theater by Miss Ethel Barrymore this
week After seeing this dainty and delight
fully youthful actress in so harmless and
pleasing a play as Captain Jinks," 1t was
q shock to encounter her in the midst of
a lot of more or less moral Londoners, who
spend the greater portion of their time
lodging about tea shops in Bond street to
meet one another's spouses. IA Country
Mouse is one of the bad old plays, with
out, of course, the courageous coarseness
of dialogue with which Wycherly and Con-
grove were wont to proclaim to their audi
tors the frank improperly of their literary
intentions. There are a number Of gilded
epigrams in the piece, but 1t is faulty from
a dramatic point of view. The heroine
ought by sheer force of innocence and ma
tive cleverness dominate the queer society
into which she is plunged, but simply drifts
with the tide and ends with marrying
dissolute old duke with persistent rasping
voice which tells the audience in every line
that he is no duke at all, but Harry Daven-
port, ex-musical comedian in disguise. And
the poor husband! How he is made to suf-
fer in these wretched little travesties on
human life, which are put forth as sat1res,
but which are in reality only clumsy bur-
lesques, for it is impossible to feel that
truth is being emphasized when the impress
sion conveyed Is one entirely Of the morbid
and the unusual. The husband In "A Coun-
try Mouse seems solid, substantial sort
OF chap, but he is at the mercy Of the play
wright, who leaves him at the final curtain
standing around with no room to doubt his
displacement in the affections of his wife,
and with no chance to exhibit the natural
fighting impulses Of man who finds him
self in such a situation. The story is badly
handled, but like so many of the plays
which are currently offered 1t possesses
good material. 1t is a pity that the man.
ayers should not take some of these promis-
ing works in hand and have them drama
tized.
"King Dodo'' returned jolly, complacent
and prosperous as of yore. This piece has
established Raymond Hitchcock as one of
the light opera comedians of the time. 1t
was a lucky combination Of circumstances
that placed Mr.. Hitchcock in this role,
lucky for him and lucky for the manage
ment. Miss Flora Isabelle still insists that
one of these days she is going to take
company of her own over to Turkey and
show her compatriot Armenians what an
American musical comedy Is like. The
sultan, of course, has not been consulted.
He has been prohibiting all public displays
and pictures and censoring the public prints
to such degree that very little can appear
with safety, excepting the grocery adver-
tisements and the Constantinople society
news. So 1t must be assumed that Miss
Zabelle's enterprise is attended with more
or less peril. Having harem Of his own,
the sultan, of course, cannot be bribed Into
complaisance by permission to drop behind
the scenes, and. like the selfish creature
that he has so often shown himself, he will
probably take very little interest in assist
ing his subjects to a display of the pirouette
and the Amazon march. The stately step of
Miss c. Simpson, as she walks down the
center of the stage, sword in air. lightly
CARRIED and splendidly beplumed. afforded
the patrons of the play last week the glad
assurance that one Of the revered tradi
lions Of the stage is still to be preserved.
The leader OF the Amazon march was. years
ago, an institution. Ten thousand dollar
prize beauties were employed to fill this
position of theatric trust and profit.
ethereal let US not forget that amplitude
and avoidrupois. properly distributed, still
have their picturesque value.
That fine actress. Mary Shaw. whose per-
formance of Ghosts In this city
made a very profound impression on a very
small audience. has been doing the play in
New York. AS might have been predicted
there was some protest against the intense
gloom with which rather uninviting sub
ject Is treated. While her welcome has
been hearty, there was disposition to
complain that the show is not nearly as
funny as some Of those which Weber and
Fields put up and the justice Of this criti-
cism cannot be impeached. Yet there is
hope. 1t is not long since a number Of New
Workers frankly avowed the opinion that
Shakespeare was a dead one;" that his Only
claim to note lay in the fact that he looked
like Hall Game, and that to profess any
real enjoyment Of his writings was to pro-
claim yourself a person who wore long hair
or at least who would willingly do so If ma
ture permitted. Yet the metropolis has been
dosed with Shakespeare until 1t Is begin
ming to like 1t. Mr.. Sothern's Hamlet
and Mr.. Mausfield's production of Julius
Caesar" have compelled a great deal of re-
spectrum CONSIDERATION. 81 uart Robson is NOV
ing on the town with ais Comedy of Err
rors' and Nat Goodwin will play Bottom
in midsummer Nights Dream" Possibly
the time will come when even Ibsen will be
regarded as having a right to exist or at
least when appreciation of his writings may
be confessed without inviting insinuations
as to ong-hairishness.
The 'professional's matinee, which is such
q distinct feature OF the theatrical season
In New York, Chicago and other large
cities. Is by no means unknown here In
Washington. The seven local playhouses
bring into the city each week q colony Of
theatrical people, not only numerous as to
quantity. but for a greater portion Of the
time quite distinguished as to quality. The
Columbia Theater's Thursday matinee
makes 1t possible for large number of the
visiting playfolk to indulge their favorite
fancy-going TO the show. The Columbia
players have their opportunity for visit
TO the other piayhouses on Wednesday aft
ernoons, but by far the greater number of
visitors are to be found at the Columbia's
Thursday afternoons, for Thursday is what
may be termed an off day In most theaters.
and more OF the players are free to follow
their own bent.
The fondness Of actors for the theater Is
proverbial, and yet bit strange for all