The Saint Paul globe., 1904-07-17
LONDON WAITS FOR
CILBERT'S BENEFIT
Eager to See Famous Dramat-
ISIS Assume Roles in His
Parody on "HamIet''
a Staff Correspondent

From Staff Correspondent
LONDON, July 16. - Heath Cottage
hospital is lucky in having w. S. Gil
bert for a friend. For it is doubtful If
anyone IN London with less personal
influence than the author of Pima
fore" could have induced practically
every British dramatist of real promi-
nence to appear at a benefit perform
| ance, as Mr.. Gilbert has done in be-
half of the Bushey institution Mean
While, playgoers here are waiting i'm
patiently for the coming special matt
nee at the Garrick, in which the great
lights of the dramatic profession are
to take part.
AS Americans may possibly have
heard, the chief attraction at this mat
inee will be parody on Hamlet
written by Mr.. Gilbert and called "Ro-
sencrantz and Guildernstern." Therein
Mr. Gilbert himself Henry Arthur
Jones, Capt. Robert Marshall, author
,, of His Excellency the Governor"
Leo Trevor, and Mrs. Ryley. who
wrote Mice and Men, as well as Sir
Francis Burnand, the editor of
punch" already have promised to
appear, and at present it is almost
certain that j. M. Barrie and George
Bernard Shaw will on this occasion
M L.,
Pinero felt that his dignity would not
allow him to join even so distinguish
ed cast. Anyhow it is pity that
ne will not be seen, for as a former
actor he probably would have given a
better account of himself than any of
his confreres, with the possible excep-
ton of Mrs. Ryley. who. of course,
| was once player too.
Gilbert to Play the King
In Mr.. Gilbert's travesty she will be
! the Ophelia, Lady Colin Campbell the
| queen, while Mr.. Gilbert himself will
undertake the part of Denmark's
! king. If one remembers rightly this is
the first time that the somewhat testy
coauthor of the Savoy operas has un-
dertaken anything as altruistic as the
arrangement of a benefit, but perhaps
Mr.. Gilbert is feeling good over the
success of hfs new comedy at the Gar
rick, A F'airy's Dilemma" having
passed its fiftieth performance
This piece also will be played at the
Garrick matinee, which takes place on
July 19. 1t will be surprising if it does
not prove one Of the most popular
benefits ever given in London Inciden-
tally. 1t will be capital advertisement
for the Garrick, which has had a good
many such recently, thanks to the in
genuity of Arthur Bourchier. There
was the small episode in connection
with the Times critic, Mr.. WaIkley:
not to mention the piquant mystery as
to the new Gilbert play and lastly the
agreeable little incident of the curtain
| raiser which the poet laureate sent in
anonymously
, A week or so ago it was limited in
these letters that there was quite a
good chance that Edward Terry would
pay the United States a visit soon with
THE House Of Burnside" It has now
been definitely arranged that this act
or manager will leave for America in
the last week of the present year for a
tour which opens at the Princess the
ater, New York, on Jan. 9, under the
management of the Shuberts.
Capt. Basil Hood, whose luck in the
United States never has been very
good, has been rather unfortunate at
home lately, too, for his last musical
play at the Savoy was only a halfway
success, and his comedy, Love in a
Cottage" a complete failure However
the captain is going to try it again with
new musical play which he calls "The
Golden Girl For this, however, his
former partner, Edward German, will
not furnish the. score which will be
composed instead by Hamish MacCunn
1t is rather doubtful if any city has
SO many theatrical "deadheads" as
London-where first performances are
almost always invitation affairsNand
SO it is appropriate enough that from
London comes the first proposition to
make such guests show their apprecia-
ton of the hospitality granted them.
Robert Arthur, who controls quite a
| large number of suburban play houses,
means hereafter to make every dead
head pay tax of cents on his ticket
the proceeds to go to a theatrical
charity-and London managers are
awaiting curiously the result of his
scheme.
Every now and then some society
woman or other perpetrates a play
Lady Troubridge was one of the last
which usually is given at a special
matinee and then heard of no more
Most people expected that such would
be the fate of the Hon. Mrs. Lyttleton's
piece, Warp and Woof," especially
when it was produced at distinctly