The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-31

tic OiilCi CNClilllSf W OAC VI AAioSN
dramas whose whole structure crumbles
upon the application of a little common
sense. 1t is the story Of brilliant woman
| deceived by a Russian by means of a false
marriage certificate-which she accepts up
on trust-and the question" is whether
| the Russians wife, when she discovers the
relations which have existed between her
| husband and the heroine, will expose the
| latter. Before she has made up her mind
on this point the wife dies of heart dis
| ease-the last resource of the feeble play
| wright. The moral seems to be that pro-
crastination is dangerous business
| For probably the first time in history an
I Englishman and a Frenchman are to col
| laborate on a play. Definite arrangements
have just been completed whereby Haddon
| Chambers, of London, and Francis de
| Croisset, of Paris, are to write a drama
which is to have it's production in America
| next season. The piece will not be an
| adaptation, but actual collaboration.
| Fortunately NJ de CrOisset speaks Eng
| lish perfectly and Mr.. Chambers is a good
| French scholar, so they will be able to
work tremendously in either language.
| Curiously enough, their association in this
undertaking came about by accident.
| Each had seen and admired the others
work and they were DESTROYS of becoming
| acquainted They happened to meet in
| Paris cafe, and in the course of their con-
Versation the idea of writing a play to-
| gether cropped out. Both men have
| achieved regulations as playwrights. Mr..
F., Chambers's best-known plays are Captain
| Swift, 1.-THE Tyranny of Tears" and THE
| Fatal Card" M. de CrOisset is the CO.
author of Marie Tempest's great success,
| THE Marriage of Kittie" and several COM
| edies which have been produced in Paris.
| r
Elsie De Wolf is to return to stardom
with the beginning of the next theatrical
season. The piece which will mark her re-
1
| is a five-act historic play by Pierre De
Courcelle, entitled Josephine" Miss De
Wolfe will continue for the present season
! in the cast of Augustus Thomas's latest
| comedy, THE Other Girl" and at the con-
! clusion of the run of that play in New York
| will sail for Paris, where she will consult
with the French dramatist regarding the
| new production. All scenery, cotumes and
| accessories of the new play TO be made
in Paris. 1t is said that there is some like
| lihood that the initial performance of the
| play Will be given in French in Paris next
summer, with Miss De Wolfe, who speaks
| French perfectly, in the role which she is
| afterward to portray in English In this
| country. There are precious few instances
| where American actresses have acted in
| French in Paris. and such an event would
| be greeted as great novelty by Parisians.
Beerbohn Tree, the distinguished actor
manager OF London, has just completed ar
rangements for the presentation of David
| Belasco's 1.-THE Darling of the Gods in
Australia next April. Mr.. Tree has been
| so pleased with the success attained by the
| play in London that ne acted quickly, and
| will form another English company to go
to the antipodes as soon as possible. Maude
| Jefries, a favorite English actress, will
| play Blanche Bates's character of Yo-San
| in the Australian production.
|
Billy B. Van, often seen in Indianapolis
| as a burlesque and vaudeville comedian,
| sends words to these columns that he will
be the star of a three-act musical farce next
season. He is at present playing a series
| OF vaudeville engagements with Rose Beau
| mont. In the third act of his new play a
| novelty scene will be shown-a dime mu-
| scum, with a whole collection of real freaks
Just wait till you see my tatooed man
| Billy, Ito say nothing Of the monkey-face
boy and the Albino beauty from Swingum-
| sing"
Audiences have no idea what troublous
times occur behind the scenes" said Arnold
DAILY to a New York newspaper man the
other night "At the first performance of
| Candida, for instance, it was discovered
about fifteen minutes before the curtain
rose on the first act that a copy of Titian's
Assumption of the Virgin which is one
| VI tlS hCSCSSdAy pIOpS III TACT, because II
was this very picture which inspired
| Bernard Shaw with the type of Candida
| had not been secured. i was too much ex-
| cited and worried to bother about it then,
so L dropped it out of my mind one of
| the numerous tragedies bound TO occur.
| assumed that Miss Donnelly and Mr. Carr
| would fake 1t somehow, and L turned my
| attention to the ninety-nine other details
| l had to attend to.
| Imagine my surprise when, during the
first act, my eye lit upon a beautiful Ma
donna, gorgeously framed and hung in the
space | naturally expected to find empty.
| blinked at it and wondered if there would
| be continuation of miracles. 1t wasn't I'll
| tians Assumption of course but it was a
'high-church picture according to Carr s
line, and it wasn't an empty space the
wall. Then l knew the scene was saved.
After the performance, / discovered that
Jack Shea, cousin of mine had been fool
ing around the stage. He had heard the
whole affair and dashed over to some art
store in Fifth avenue, mesmerized the pro-
prietor into lOaning one of his priceless
copies, and got back with 1t one minute be-
fore the curtain went up.
| That was close call, all right OF
course, now we have a correct 'AsSump-
tion, and it cost about s., O00, 900, too, added
DAILY, meaningly.
1t is understood that the light comedy by
w. S. Gilbert, which is to bring the author
of "Pinafore" and "Mikado" out of his re-
tirement, and which Arthur Bourchier the
London manager, has accepted for early
| production, is the same play which Nat c.
| Goodwin tried hard 10 secure three years
| ago while he was in England with Maxine