Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-29
The London Theater.
From stan Correspondent.

From a stan Correspondent.
LONDON. October Is 1900
AFTER a career OF over seventy years the
e.r.,d 'rbe,tcr. which is one of the most
famed ms well as one of the Oldest OF Lon
Jn, rIav houses is marked out for destruc-
zion. Its site is wanted by the promoters
OF one OF the new tube railways, VINO
arc willing to pay more for 1t than could
he made out Of a theater in fifty years, and
so the merry little Strand" as 1t used to
be called. will have to go.
The Strand has the distinction of being
probably the only London play house to
which admission has ever been gained
through the purchase of confectionery
Several years after It's opening, in 1871 py
Ben Rayucr. a popular impersonator OF
Yorkshire characters. the Strand was taken
10y an actress named Waylett, who, OWING
10 technical dispute, failed to OBTAIN
,hcater license. Accordingly during her
regime patrons Of the Strand PAID dolldr
al an adjoining confectioner's for box Oh
lOZonges and were presented with q poN
ticket while half an ounce OF peppermint
drops carried with it admission TO the
pit"
I'm reccn, years the Strand has been the
scene Of some lengthy runs-lengthiest or
all that of ~ Chinese Honeymoon. which
was played FOR over l.pDO nights ana tS-
tabllshed a record. Toward the end OF us
"a
play house which read: Established
MCIXII" THE BriXton burglary and
"DUr Flat were two notable strand sue
,ssscs, another being Broadhursts famous
American farce, What Happened 10
Jones.
Il. c. Cartons chariot wheels ran off the
truck Of success for a while but they got
back ON again with Mr.. Hopdnson." and
continue TO run smoothly with Public
Outuiou." an out-aud-out farce played for
tuo first time on any stage at Wyndham'
Th,atsr this week. According to this play.
music hall favorite is bringing the usual
breach Of promise suit against an amiable
and imperuulous visCOunt. The secret ar
rauEemcnt between the precious pair is that
they shall get married if "PanSy' wins the
suit. and that the vScOunt'S contribution 10
the cNuhequer shall be whatever "Pansy
can extract from his family by means OF
the suit. while "Pansy's' contribution shall
be Whatever she can extract from four dls-
tiuguiShcd admirers who In earlier days
have written compromising letters to her
The farce is chiefly concerned with the lat
ter phase Of the scheme. and with the wild
efforts Of the four eX-admirers Zone or
whom is the very judge who Is trying the
breach Of promise SuiO to get hold of the
letters. They come together in "PauSyS
fiat into which each has broken in the hope
of stealing the letters he has written: and
then they all come together in the home of
an innocent hut irascible man whom they
suspect Of having obtained possession of
the letters. 1t would be rather elementary
fun if 10 were not for the wit of the dia-
lugUc and the continued ingenuity of the
business. For the most past there Is sur
prisingly little vulgarity in Cartons treat
mcut of a subject that easily ight have
produced humor of the cheap and nasty
sort. But every important character in the
play is either a hypOcrlte or else disrepu
table or unpleasant for some other reason.
The same was true of Mr.. Hopkinson."
The authors wife Miss Compton. has her
usual part Of a slangy, good-natured, easy
going lady of fashion Nearly every mem
Der of the company is of stellar rank, and
the success of the play was never for
moment in doubt
Every one thought It queer that Arthur
Bourchler should transfer to another COM
pany his amazingly successful venture
THE Walls of Jericho while public inter-
est in Su,ro's play was apparently about as
strong ever, in order TO put on at his
own theatcr. the Garrlck. a production of
The Merchant Of Venice" But Il seems
that Shakespeare can compete even with
Su'ro. for the Bourchier Shylock is an un-
doubted popular and artistic success and 50
Is Violet NanDrugh'S POrtia. Excellent
taste In details and emphasis on the gaiety
Of the Venetian young folk We're perhaps
the DISTINGUISHING features of the prOduc
tion. Rarely have supernumerares been 50
carefully drilled as those crowds OF merry
makers who danced before ShylocA house
or as the sailors and market girls who
turunEeG the streets of Mr. BOurch!ers
Venice. This Shylock is neither a demon
nor an embodiment OF pathOs. but Wig
Orous incarnation of passionate and poetic
race hatred. There was unusual amount
of incidental music and many another evil
deuCe Of the actor managers intention to
make the play enjoyable for its own sake.