Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-18
LONDON THEATER GOSSIP.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

| strong for stage realism must look sharp
or Cecil Raleigh will get ahead of them.
Raleigh, who is the author Of those famous
Drury Lane melodramas 1.-The Great Ru-
| by" Hearts Are Trumps'' and THE Price
of Peace" always has been great on ''ac-
curacy OF detail'-and incidentally on ad-
vertising-but he has just eclipsed himself
by rehearsing play on a railroad track.
A much-used track, too, over which trains
| were passing every ten minutes or SO!
| Raleigh's play is called 1.-The Diamond
| Express" and Is to be given at the Lon
don Coliseum. One of the scenes shows an
| attempt at train wrecking and it is this
| episode which the playwright got permits
| sion to rehearse on the line Of the South
| eastern and Chatham railway. The first
performance of THE Diamond Express
| will be for worthy cause, which is prob
| ably one reason why the Southeastern and
Chatham Company proved SO compfaisant
| In the matter. They not only placed the
country station of Knockholt at Raleighs
! disposal. but gave him empty train to
/ play with.
| One morning last week the playwright,
the actors who are to take part in the
wrecking scene and several railway officials
I went down to Knockholt when the RE
| hearsaF' took place. Going to the line
| the playwright who proved to have in
| formed himself pretty accurately on the
| subject, explained to the Villains the
| character" railway porter and the other
| members of the company how the signals
| and switches were worked. and instructed
| them in other business while the officials
| stood by and made useful suggestions. On
| the platform another official armed
| with time slip, who gave warning to the
company when trains were due.
Another of Raleigh's ideas was to add to
| the realism of his scene by means of bio
or yahY aiN frIra Of 1Yya oh;
| top speed 1t was for this purpose that the
| special was given him. incidentally 1t
had required several hours of calculation
and full page of typewriter instructions
| to fit this property train" into the ordinary
| traffic. First 1t Numbered along the up
track and was biogra phed, and then came
crashing along in the other direction with
the intelligent engineer and fireman waving
frantically from the window, and thus pic
lures were secured which should be rather |
effective as part of stage scene. Alto |
gether 1t was quite enterprisng on RAJ
leighs part, and will take lot of beating |
by American purveyors of melodrama.
1t seems that with the exception of one
which he has just completed we are to
have no more poetic dramas by Signor Ga
briel dAnnunzio. Speaking to a French
correspondent the other day d'Annunzio de-
clared that he had forced his way through
the trammels of verse to prose-" and an
| nounced that his next work for the stage
would be in the latter medium
As yet not line of this masterpiece
as the author described it, has been writ
ten, but dAnnunzio has got far as the
purchase Of fifteenth century inkpot of
! white porcelain, in which the heraldic lions
hold the vessel for the sacred ink.
incidentally the dramatist declared that |
the poetic cure which he had undergone !
for the last seven years had freed him of
all egotism." Then he went on to describe |
the unparalleled beauties of his new poetic
play, which is called The Ship" and is |
concerned with the birth of Venice
1.-THE manners set forth In my play are |
superb In their violence" said dAnnunzio |
with modesty becoming one freed from all |
egotisn, and l have. 1 think, written a |
! work which will prove epoch making"
The dramatist Is now seeking a composer |
to frame his masterpiece in music" and |
for an Italian theater large enough to stage |
the play. which will call for at least four |
hundred supers
Maxine Elliott's plans now complete, |
except that it isn't settled yet how long |
Her Own Way" will be continued at the |
Savoy. At present the piece is doing well, |
but the star needs rest badly so she will |
probably finish. at the end Of the month |
and then go either into the country or over |
to the continent. After that she will re- |
turn home to begin rehearsals of the new
piece which Clyde Fitch has written for |
her. She got the manuscript of 1t from
Fitch, who Is in Venice, only few days |
ago. The piece is called MY Girl joe" |
and is comedy In four acts. Miss Elliott |
likes 1t all but the title, which she will ask |
Fitch to change
Edna May is busy rehearsng 1.-THE Catch |
of the Season." the musical play by Sey- |
mour Hicks and Cosnlo Hamilton in which |
she will be seen in the United States next |
season. The piece which is sort Of a |
modern version of Cinderella" has been
a big success in London. 1t has been played |
over 200 times at the Vaudeville, and is |
still going strong. Her London rehearsals
over, Miss May is planning to go to Paris
to buy some frocks, after which she will |
SDend a fortnight or so in Switzerland and