Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-03
Pinero Celebrates
Silver Jubilee


Special Correspondence Of The Star.
LONDON. May %, 1905
~ LIEN Terry is not the only English
| r. stage celebrity who is celebrating an
| interesting anniversary this year. An
other is Arthur w. Pinero, who is now
| generally recognized as the foremost OF lIv-
ing British dramatlsts, and whose many
plays. from Sweet Lavender to THE Cay
| Lord Quex" are almost as renowned in the
| United States they are In this country.
| 1t Is exactly twenty-five years since Mr..
Pinero's first really important play was pro-
| duced In London, and having spent the IN
| tervening time in almost continuous work
the author OF The Second Mrs. Tanqueray''
has decided to celebrate his silver jubilee
by taking a rather long holiday.
Instead, therefore of setting to work on
a successor to His House In Order which
is now doing such tremendous business at
| the st. James. Mr.. Pinero is planning TO
| leave for the continent soon as the FL
| len Terry jubilee performance. OF which
| he Is chairman, Is over, and he does not in
tend to come back TO England or to do a
| single stroke of work until next September
| or October, at the earliest.
For which reason" he said yesterday,
| when I caught him for a moment In the
! foyer of the Garrick Club, Il can't so much
| as hazard guess when the new play which
| / have in mind viii be finished, to say moth
| Ing of being produced" And. of course he
| would give not an inkling of what his forth
| coming piece will be about He never
| breaks his rule of absolute secrecy on such
| points.
Well, there is little doubt that Mr.. Pinero
| can afford a holiday. for His House IN
| Order" the latest work of his pen is quite
evidently going to run for 200 nights at the
st. James, and probably will do as well in
| the United States when John Drew produces
1t there next season. No Pinero play has
pleased the public so greatly since The
Gay Lord Quex" and the dramatist has
] more than made up the ground that he lost
| when play goers here failed to appreciate
| Lefty and were shocked by "A Wife
| Without a Smile
| So Mr.. Pinero's twenty-fifth anniversary
| as a prominent dramatIst finds him decid-
| eddy in it." Oddly enough it was at the
| St James, where His House in Order IL
now being played. that this dramatist's
| hrst real success was produced back in
| 1881. This was THE Money Spinner" in
| which the Kendals and John Hare appear
| ed, and prior to its production Mr. Pinero's
| stage work had consisted only Of two cur
| tain raisers and a one-act farce. The first
! of these was put on by Sir Henry Irving.
| IN whose company the author was then
| playing as utility man." and the third was
| done at the Globe, when r. C Carton. now
! wen known as the author of Lord and
Lady Algy' and many other plays but then
| aDD9arel
| since The Money Spinner" over thirty
| pieces, most of them notable works have
| come from Plnero, which is a really amaz-
ing record considering the slowness and
GUIDED those famous comedies The
| Squire Dandy Dick" THE Cabinet Min
ister and The Amazons." and such power
| ful dramas the Profigate" The Mo-
| torious Mrs Ebbsmith' THE Second Mra
| Ianqueray' and Iris No man OF his
time mas done more to enrich English dra-
| matte literature. and so everyone will con-
! graduate Mr.. Pinero, and hope he may
nave golden dramatic jubilee as well as
| a silver" one
1t will be interesting to see what happens
to a play entitled THE Lonely Million
| aires, by Mrs Henry de la Pasture pro-
| duced at the Adelphi Theater this week
Except for performance by amateurs, this
| is the first time the author has appeared
| in public as a playwright. although her
novels now rival those of Mrs. Humphry
| Ward in success among the social elect
| The Lonely Millionaires' is not a dramas
| tiZation of one of the authors books, but
| was the direct outcome of Mrs. de la Pas
| lures love Of the stage. | understand that
| the financial results and personal prestige
of stage success not of much value to
| her, for she has about all that mortal could
| want already, she free to pursue
any Ideals she might choose. The result
| in the case of The Lonely Milionaires''
was not In the least 'highfalutin." On the
| contrary 1t was SO simple and gentle and
good-humored and ingenious that the gal
| lery booed at it. The story was the amiable
one of the rough, kindly old millionaire
| with the lovely, impulsive young daughter'
| the designing, oleaginous Italian drawing
| master who made love TO the daughter
| while he had wife in his garnet, and the
manly secretary who turned out to be a
| millionaire baronet in disguise. There were
no complexities and there was little excite
| ment, yet II was all done with such excel
| lent humor and good taste, with so many
| nice little touches of character and by such
| ar admirable company, headed by Oscar
Asche and Lily Brayton, that IT may prove
to be of Importance as an example OF what
| success may be achieved by good-natured
refusal to strive for effects.
| *
| e. w Hornungs "Raffies' came suddenly
| to the Comedy Theater this week in place
of the Barrie play, Josephine" which fall
| ed so disastrousy. and judging by the en-
| thusiasm with which II was received s
| likely TO stay long time. The American
version considerably modified for Eng
| lish use and was given the benefit of what
| might almost be called all-star company.
| Gerald du Maurier hasn't enough deviitry
| in him to be really good RafIies. and APP
| peared to play the part without much rel
| ish whereas Bunny, who cut a rather
| moor figure in the stories on which the
/ play was founded. came out unexpectedly
| strong IN the person of Grahame Browne.
| Dion B0ucfcauit mace tit OcclSSlifc Aof
| Inherent character from the ordinary stage
! detective.
| Walter Schultze of Chicago who was for
| four years first violin Of the Thomas or
| chestra, during the last two years of which
| he taught at the Chicago Musical College,
made his debut before a London audisnce
with the Symphony Orchestra this week,
and created a distinctly favorable impress
| sion He has been studying with Sexcik In
Prague for the last three years, and ex-
meets to go to Ysaye this summer for In
depreciation and expression. pave heard
AZ. hal IL Of the most nrnuiisinR of the