The Washington times., 1906-07-01
SUMNER DOlNGS III s.

r F one-quarter of the plsT.s now being
promulgated for next season are
i carried out~ it will be the maddest.
merriest winter ever the stars shone
on. in a theatrical way But they won't
be. For which the dear public may be
devoutly thankful Indeed, authorities
good authorities-dlffer !n some instances
as TO just what those plans are
For instance-from the Shuberts' office
recently has emanated a paragraph 20
the effect that Lew Fields will spring u
surprise when he announces the mem
bers of the all-star company that are
10 surround him in his Americanized
version of the big English success. The
Orchid at the Herald Square Theater
IN August Stars OF three nationalities
will be in the company-American. Eng
lish. and FrcnCh-Ind il is limited that
each is among the most famous in his
land. Mr.. Fields will make n definite
announcement shortly
And Mr.. Fields makes it. In an inter-
view with the Dramatic Mirror. he him
self Is authority for the statement that
he isn't gong to produce The Orchids
at all. There's a misunderstanding
about that 1 didn't buy the rights to
Tine Orchid" and I haven't any idea Of
producing it. I couldn't produce any
English piece that I didn't believe could
be localized and livened up by American
humor and business. And there you
are,
Then again. according to one au-
thority. Virginia Harmed is in England
in quest OF a suitable play for next
J season. According to another. an
: equally good one. she has gone TO Lon
{ don in .Fsn.
! her next seasons tour in The Girl in
f; Waiting and Will return early in
August to begin her rehearsals.
And, again. there you are,
There seems TO be no doubt that Miss
Harmed is 10 be under Shubert manage
ment. and the balance Of evidence Is In
favor of her appearing in n play TO be
entitled The Girl in Waiting" II IS
said to be n book" play but there is
considerable mystery as TO the book
The play is said to be a dramatization
. OF "A novel of some prominence" that
Is all. As to the man who is doing the |
dramatizing they are equally mys-
terious. Claiming Pollock has so many
other plays under way that he looks
wise and pretends he is not guilty. and I
the press agent at the Belasco Theater
insists that the work is being done by
David BelascO. So much for the en-
tente cordiale between the managers of
The Independent forces.
Speaking Of Claiming Pollock. the new
play. Clothes" on which he and Averev
Hopwood have collaborated. will be tried
out probably during the coming week
by the Davidson stock company. Of Mil
waukee. The play. IL is said. deals
with the mingled comedy and tragedy
3zE
Kemper expect to produce the play dur
ing the winter at their new Astor The
ster in New York. possibly with Annie
Russell in the leading role 1t is said
that Messrs. Wagenhak and Kemper.
as well rs Mr. Pollock, will be present
at and superintend rehearsals.
And speaking of Wagenhak and Kem-
per and their new Astor Theater They
are putting in that a stage of the kind
long known In Germany as a Dreh-
,hhGnre. on which three scenes can be set
at once ana revolved in turn into the
space just behind the curtain
That ought to help some,
And before quite losing sight of Lew
Fields-he and Jacob Stubert seem
singularly unanimous in their diagnosis
of the London theatrical situation. Shu-
bert was over there for six weeks-It is
he, by the way. who has the American
rights to The Orchid" and to Lady
Madcap." ard to Maurice Dounay's
-'Paraitrie,' and to SardOu's Ia Piste"
Fields made flying trip. twenty days
on the briny and five in London.
Fields says, as TO English audiences
being prejudicod against Americans and
American plays:
mot the hut ha
The English managers are afraid of the
Americans and their influence is hostile |
The audiences there are just like au-
diences everywhere else. They're salts
fed II you give them a good show q"
Shubert saws; Il don't believe there's
any prejudice whatsoever They don't
like our way of pronounCtng the Eng !
lish language and they don't understand
a good many of our ideas. ! think the
main trouble with the Lion and the
Mouse was that vast fortunes are so :
In England they find nothing
particularly interesting in a multimill- :
1onaire- You see. the subject matter
wasn't of the right sort to attract at
tention. They aren't fond of picturesque
and melOdramatic plays such as those
that are having particular vogue in
The United States. Drawing-room plays
are what they want-SuCh as the big
successes Of Pinero. Jones and Sutro."
The managers are more or less