The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-12-30

~HE Washington theaters have
come through what are regarded
as the worst two weeks of the
regular season in a highly salts
factory manner. Most of them did a good
business during the dreaded week before
Christmas, and the past week their pat
ronge has been large, or at least fair.
The Christmas shopping had far less
effect on the local playhouses than it
seems to have had in other cities, and
has had in Washington in other seasons.
And Yet there was no falling off in the
Christmas trade. which shows the com
panies and productions at the theaters
during this holiday season were SO at
tractive they Induced people 10 hurry
through their Christmasing in the stores
in order to have time to go to the thea
tiers. The imposing presentation Of The
Prince OF India" at the National the past
week was witnessed by audiences that
grew steadily in size from Monday night
forward. with the exception Of the Christ
mas matinee, which was not well at
tended, for reasons that are rather mys-
ferrous. The play is Of the very sort that
is supposed TO appeal to holiday audi
ences-pictorial, full of action, and Of
lofty interest Puzzling. and therefore
rather unsatisfactory as Dr. Conan
Doyle's .Brigadier Gerard" was, the
clever acting Of Kyrle Bellew and his as
sociates attracted good houses TO the
Columbia. 'Brigadier Gerard" viii be
shelved by Mr.. BelIew. no doubt per
manently, in a few days. 1t has not been
a success, owing to a lack of clearness
and distinction in its construction. The
holiday desire for music combined with
fun also gave the Belasco a reasonable
patronage the past week, and The Rose
of the Alhambra" seemed TO give a mod
crate amount of pleasure despite its very
obvious defects.
After PLAYING rather evasively through
two columns of the ornate Christmas
number Of the Dramatic News with the
problem OF How to get rid of bad
actors" Mr. Frank J. WIstach seems 70
conclude that you can't He is consid-
crate enough of the long deferred but
still persistent hopes Of the public not 10
say this in so many cruel words. But
plainly that's how he feels about it
after taking a hop-skip-and-jump glance
down the line Of possible solutions Of the
problem offered in times past by divers
and sundry geniuses who preceded him IN
making a feint at tackling il. He briefly
recounts how some have suggested ban
ishment; others. the guiIloune; still 9TH
ers. more Uufccling yet the rack and
spiked barrel. But he points out that
none of these viii do, owing 10 the fact
that we don't happen TO be living in
5fteclth-century Spain. Then he reveTIs
TO the suggestion of a French physician.
based on Diderots theory Of acting, that
if you could inoculate bad actors with
the idea that they must imagine them
selves actually to be the characters they
represent. and cast them for tuberculous
or bughouse roles, the trick would be
turned. They would go into a decline,
and put off for Arizona or get bats in
convenient sanitarium. But Mr. Wustach
admits this ingenious and delicate sug-
gestion is hardly within the realms of the
practical, and owns up that SO far as he
is concerned he doesn't know the answer,
andt doesn't expect ever to guess it or
otherwise find it ont. He covers his re-
treat by undertaking TO demolish the
DiderOt theory of acting, on which the
French physicians scheme was based. IN
sisting that the actor should not eudeavor
10 imagine himself really and truly the
character he represents. But the burn
ing problem of how to get rid of bad
actors Mr.. Wilstach leaves just as far
from solution as ever.
Some recent events in the stage world
suggest possible solution of the problem
by means Of the incubation scheme more
humanely applied. There can be little
doubt that all actors have somewhere
concealed in the convolutions of their
brains the germ of an idea that they can
write plays. Large numbers Of people
who have never had closer connection
with the theater than 10 file futile appli-
cations for deadhead tickets are troubled
with this idea That it pervades the gray
is indicated by the frequency with which
actors burst into playwriting. OF late
several good actors of our own stage
have written bad plays, while a few bad
actors have written good ones. The peo-
pie who are anxious TO rid the stage OF
the bad actors may find right here the
true way of accomplishing. their benef-
cent purposes. Let them craftily and
assduOusly instill into the minds of the
bad actors the idea that they can write
plays-or, rather, let them stimulate C
the point where they set about realizing
themselves such ideas presumably already
present in the minds Of the bad actors
No doubt. in a very large number OF
cases. the bad actors viii turn out play.
OF musical comedies or comic operas GOOD
enough to secure production. It is hardly
conceivable that any considerable number
Of them viii evolve worse pieces thar
some that have been thought worthy o.
production by experienced managers o.
late. A success now and then viii beget {
stampede of the bad actors into play
writing, and there you are. The problem
viii be solved to the general satisfaction
and no cruelty viii be involved in tn,
process. Mr.. Wilstach ought to givt
serious thought to this suggestion.
Come 10 think Of It, who are the ba,
actors, anyway? Who is to settle thi
important point, which. of course. mus
be settled before a step can be taken il
the reform Mr. Wilstach proposes bu
fails TO help along? The critics can't b.
trusted to pick out the bad actors. I
half a hundred of them were gathered
together for that purpose the meeting