The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1905-05-14

remembered, played Hamlet once
and the spirit of emulation might in
duce her to play it again. There is
some anxiety, too, lest William Gill
lette, who recently arrived in London,
should be tempted by the general ac-
tivity to make that production of
Hamlet" which Ire promised So long
ago.
With all due respect to Clyde Fitch
talents it would be better for the rep
utation of American dramatists in gen.
eral If the managers would stop try
ing to please London audiences with
his plays. The thing cannot be done
and Her Own Way" is further proof
of 1T. Even Maxine Elliott's personal
charms fail to distract attention from
the thin theatricalness of the play,
as seen through London eyes The
first night performance at the Lyric
was warmly, even enthusiastically, re-
ceived by the Americans in the stalls,
but the Briton in the pit said boo
at the final curtain call and the British
critics mostly said boo" in the papers
next morning, although there were
many kindly words for Maxine Eliott,s
beauty. There is an unfortunate tend
ency here to accept the vulgarities sat
irized in the play as typical Ameri-
canisms, and the sardonic Times critic
gets almost column of amusement
for himself in viewing the whole thing
as an entertaining chronological exhibit,
not to- be discussed seriously as drama
"EvERYMAN" IN ENGLAND.
One wonders on what the feelings of
that anonymous old author of Every
man" can be If his spirit, departed
hence these many centuries, is cogni-
Zant of the fact that his fine morality
play has been successfully revived yet
again, after prosperous runs last year
in both England and America. Tita
Brand interrupted her season at the
Shaftesbury to put "Eyeryman'' on
during Holy Week, with herself in the
role OF knowledge and Edith Wynne-
Mathison as Everyman, the part
that made her famous. The simple.
sincere, solemn cid play seemed all tn.
more effective by contrast on the very
boards once sacred to THE Belle of
New York" and THE Prince of Pilsen.''
This is Sousa week again in London.
The agile conductor is beginning to be
looked upon as such an established
British institution that, if 1t were not
for the Stars and Stripes and the
Washington Post, and similar patriotic
outpourings, the average British con-
cert-goer would soon be pointing to the
indefatig BILE John Philip as a prime
product of British art and exemplar OF
the supremacy of music made in Eng
land.
Americas foremost purveyors of
vaudeville enterprises are now in Eu-
rope preparatory to the establishment
of houses of entertainment in London
similar to those which have been so
successful in the United States B. r.
Keith, his son, Paul Keith, and r. f.
Albee, general manager of the Keith
system, and Fred Proctor, son of r. r.
Proctor, have just passed through Lon
don to the Continent on still hunt"
I am told, for talent with which to en-
ter the English field. Their presence
on this side has not been made public
here and their operations are being
kept more or less under cover. Keith
has bought the Princess Theater on
Oxford street, but re arding Mr.. Proc
tors negotiations such complete Sc
crecy Is being observed that the theater
which he has In view is not known.