Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-13
London Theater Gossip
Special Correspondence of The Star.

LONDON, July %, 1905.
Gerald Du Mauriers recent selection to
succeed Cyril Maude at the Haymarket is
another feather In the cap of this compar-
atively youthful actor, who is a notable
ception to the rule that the son of a great
man must needs be medocrity. OF course,
young Du Maurier owed his first engage
ment. which was by Beerbohm Tree, chiefly
to the fact that his father was the famous
cartoonist and author of "TriIby' but from
the first the son showed that he was able
to stand on his own legs. Appropriately
enough, his debut with Tree was made as
Little Billie" and his successful work soon
led to his engagement by Charles Frohman.
with whom he is now parting.
Du Maurier made a distinct hit in THE
Admirable Crichton." as the young aristo-
crat whose head had to be frequently i'm
mersed in pail of water, and improved his
reputation still more by really exceptional
acting as the son Of Little Mary" In
fact. J. NJ. Barrie wanted young Du Maui
rlers services right along and he played
the pirate chief in Peter Pan" which Maud
Adams is to give in the United States next
season. and has recently been playing in
Plantation" the little curtan-raiser which
Barrie wrote for his play. Alice Sit-by
the-Fire," which Ethel Barrymore is to
have at home. Du Maurier and his WIFE
who was Muriel Beaumont, one of the pref
test girls on the London stage left town
a few days ago for Dieppe, the French sea-
side resort, where they are going to pass
the dog days. At the Haymarket Du
Maurier will be seen in The Love Path"
the new American comedy by c. NJ. S. Nc
Lellan. He has got to be SO great a man
that almost every one has forgotten that
he is his fathers son.
]. M Barrie states that the report was
mistaken which affirmed that he was about
to visit the United States In reply to a
written inquiry-Mr. Barrie objects to in
terviews-the author replies briefly: II am
not going to America this year, though /
once thought of doing So
That distinguished poet, John Davidson,
harbors rather uncommon grievance
against theatrical managers He is sore
over being regarded by the public I'M
successful playwright-or, at best. one
play man"-notwithstan the fact that
none of the several original plays of which
he is the author ever has been produced.
1t will be remembered that Mr.. Davidson
made the English adaptation of Pour la
Couronne' which Forbes Robertson gave
over here and which was also performed in
the United States.
ne success OF lnlS play, says DAVIDSON,
attracted the attention of managers to the
adapter, and various proposals for versions
were made, but no one has yet thought of
giving me commission for an original
play; an adaptation of mine had succeeded,
seemed to succeed, therefore l was to be
an adapter. SO l began again upon a
French play with considerable license of
adaptation, but this license l overstepped
and the matter fell through
Il then wrote a play of my own and
read it in succession to three managers, who
listened politely. l afterwards published
this play. Again 1 made play of my own,
this time upon commission, for the theater
is gallant and likes perseverance; but the
actor-manager for whom / wrote 1t deemed
1t unsuitable. and again / published. Be
ing now once more modified, not by success.
l accepted commissions for adaptations, and
in due course made versions OF several for
eign dramatic pieces, besides, at my own
urgency, two original plays
Mr.. Davidson does not specify but one
recognizes of these as the adaptation
of "Ruy Bias" which Lewis Waller pro-
duced at the Imperial 1t was not a sue
cess, and evidently the other adaptation
mentioned had the same fate.
This" says Mr.. Davidson. is an unusual
record. and the comedy of it lies here-not
one of these adaptations was in any degree
of my own initiation, nor, although pre-
pared all of them faithfully, and some of
them con amore. would | have chosen any
of them. Yet it is by them my ability as
a playwright has been tested, and it Is
upon their failure l have been condemned,
while my own plays, 'Godfrida,' Sells the
Man and The Knight of the Maypole, re-
main unproduced.'
Mr.. Davidson's best known book of poems
is, of course, his Fleet Street Ecologues,"
while one of of the best of his shorter
works is The Testament of an Empire
Builder
William Shakespeare is to be given
other chance in London next fall. Arthur
Bourcher, who must have made barrel
of money out of The Walls of Jericho" Is
going to risk losing some of 1t by putting
on Il revival of The Merchant Of Venice"
In which he and his wife. Viola Vansburgh
will play the principal parts. There are
few more capable character actors than
Bourchier on the stage at present. and his
Shyiock should be a striking figure; but 1t
takes a really sensational production of any
of Shakespeare's plays to draw the London
public nowadays.
London is at present the abiding place Of
a monkey who has the distinction OF once
having assaulted the Sultan of Turkey.
This is Fasolin, an italian rained ape, who
is now appearing at one Of the London
halls" Two years ago. when at Con-
stantinople, Fasolins manager, Sfgnor
Volpi. received a command to perform at
Yildiz Kiosk. During the performance Fas-
olin became frightened. and instead Of
leaping from of his trapezes to the
other, he swung to one Of he great chande-
liers with which tho saloon was decorated
from which fastness he pelted the sublime
porte with the lusters one Of which black
ened Adults eye. Great was the consterna-
ton of all present but the sultan laughed
heartily, and, far from being angry, pre-
scented the simian 8 trainer with the Order OF
the Medjiddie and a splendid gold watch