The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-02-21
Dismal Musical Comedies and Various
Other Topics of the Theater
SketChed in Brief.

Lyceum as Clara Dexter in Jerome X
Jerome's THE Master of woodbarrow'
This was in the late summer OF 1889.
and she remained with Mr.. Sothern un-
til she created the title role in 's'Trilby''
i'm 1856. A few years later she became
his wife and leading woman again.
appearing with him at the Knicker-
booker in The Sunken Bell at Days,
in The Song of the Sword and at
the Garden as ophelia in Hamlet"
After that. for financial reasons. it
was deemed advisable for the two 20
star individually. and Miss Harmed
started out with Alice of Old Vim
cennes," having William Courtleigh FOR.
her leading man. The play was not a
hit and last season she startled the
country with Pinero's Iris" charac-
ter not particularly suited to her tenn
permanent. The piece caused a good
deal of talk. although the hit in it was
made by the English actor, Oscar
Asche, he doing the heavy
OF William Courtenay.
For the past two years Miss Harned's
leading man has been william Courte-
nay who came out OF the Dan Froh-
man Stock Company when that or
ganization was housed at DaIy's. Like
Miss Harmed. Mir. Courtenay is ma
tive OF Massachusetts. and started play
ing wher he was sixteen.
His first part was Willie Hammond
in Ten Nights in a Barroom." essayed
with a company in Portland. Me. Then
for a while he did Fritz Williams roles
Jack Dexter in The Wife" and Alec
Robinson in The Charity Ball" Will.
small troupes. Finally he secured a Do
sition as juvenile with Manifold. and
remained with him for three seasons as
Reginald in Beau Brummell' and
Christian in "Cyrano
A few years ago Courtenay took young
Wheelock's place in the Empire Stock.
Here. in the season of lsO1-O2. ne was
Jack KennerIy in The wilderness.
and also played "A leading part in .-The
Importance of Being Earnest" Last
winter he was the young lover who is
In the present play he is the returned
Arctic explorer obliged to make love TO
blind girl he has never seen before.
An actress with a good deal 10 do in
Mr. Sothern's play is Margaret Gordon.
who. in the original production of THE
Little Minister" created tho role Of
Felice. the French maid She was with
Miss Adams also I'm L'AigIon." and
when Alice Of Old Vincennes" was
drsmatized for Miss Harmed. the part Of
Nannette was written I'm for Miss Cor
don. who began her career with william
Gillette in TOO Much Johnson" When
Clara Bloodgood left the Annie Russell
company, II was Margaret Gordon who
took her place as Mrs. Percival Kings
earl in Mics Hobbs.
Poor Musical Comedy.
The most awful thing about this try
ing season IS the dismal procession OF
musical comedies that passes across the
stage from wing to wing without ever
getting over the footlights in any CO.
herent shape. Because an unusu.3 num-
Der Of this type of offerings has round
favor with the public we are being
deluged with them. But New York does
not kick alone at the infiction; London.
too. is Iamenting the fact that musical
plays are in fair way 10 drive straight
drama from the boards.
To the Casino came a formless affair
Of the sort which Weber & Fields for
some unknown reason, imported from
England. AS matter OF fact. the best
things in the piece were supplied by the
Americans who fixed II up for this mar
ket.
The booRof AN English Daisy is by |
Hicks. who is far cleverer as
a player than he is as a playwright, and |
with the perversity Of mankind, no