The San Francisco call., 1906-11-26
Special Correspondence of The CAN

! LONDON, Nov. Sup to a few DAYS
ago. when she suddenly sprang a SEN
sation on theatrical folk generally and
on the managers of the London Vaude-
| Vile in particular the latest and by all
| odds most interesting announcement
regarding Edna May was one that real
ly had nothing to do with the stage
or the acting profession at all. 1t was
in fact, wholly concerned with a new
and, report said, bewilderingly fasci-
mating article of apparel which the for
mer Belle of New York had just had
constructed from designs conceived by
| herself and which took the form of a
dainty, alluring and, it was understood.
outrageously expensive COSTUME de
bain," or, in plain English, bathing
suit"
| do not know that Miss Mays friends
are correct in stating that this verita-
BILE confection in the bathing dress line
cost the fair actress nearly a hundred
dollars. AS it was made by famous
firm of court dressmakers, however.
that is not improbable. And certain it
is that the dainty trifle made tre-
mendous hit when worn for the first
time by Miss May at Cromer this year
during the actress holiday at that highly
fashionable British seaside resort. Then,
it is true, it was too late in the season
for this uncommonly fascinating gar
ment to be copied to any extent, but it
was generally prophesied that the sum-
mer of 1907 would prove the American
actress had succeeded in setting a new
fashion so far English feminine
bathing costumes are concerned, a con-
summation most devoutly to be wished.
MISS MAY BECOMES HUFFED
With Miss Mays American admirers
in mind then, ] recently besought of
her a photograph that would convey an
idea of the fascination of her new COS
tune de bain," but loi now that it has
reached me the interest which attaches
to the actress recent experiment as a
fashion maker is comparatively a thing
of the past. 1t has, in fact, been over
shadowed completely by that which
Miss May has aroused on both sides of
the Atlantic by throwing up her pagt
at the London Vaudeville on account
of the rash action of that theater's
managers in featuring another fair
American member of the cast.
! Of course, however, American read
| ers have learned already all there is to
| be told about the recent surprising
happenings at the London Vaude
Vile When the run of The Belle of
Mayfair began there some time ago
Miss May was avowedly the bright par
ticular star, while Camille Clifford, the
former Gibson girl of "The Prince OF
Pilsen," had the comparatively small
part of a newly made British peeress
from across the herring pond" AS
every one knows. however. not long
since the fair Camille left the Vaude-
willie for q space and soon afterward
promised to marry the eldest son OF
Lord Aberdare, and so, considering the
amount of attention the thing attract
ed, 1t is not surprising that when the
Gibson Girl returned to The Belle
| f.-S1 N n
Vaudeville advertised her reappear-
ance far and wide.
ENGAGES HER RIVAL
Thev gave her a new song to sing,
too. besides putting her name on the
bills in large, black type, and all of
sudden the public learned that these
various attentions to lesser member
of the cast of "The Belle" had put its
stars nose badly out of joint. Now,
moreover. Miss May has left the Vaude-
VILE altogether, while Charles F'roh- |
man. standing by his star, has with
drawn from his association with the
Gattis, who run the theater, and gen
orally there has been the dickens to
pay over the whole affair.
Now, however, for the sequel which
is infinitely more dramatic than the
original episode, and, incidentally, no
end of a feather in the cap or the
aStute managers Oh Ino uCScA tSu 'ouUo-
ville In fact, these gentlemen look
like scoring hugely oyeE the whole
affair, for not to mention that their
playhouse is now being packed to It's
full capacity to see Camille Clifford
thanks to the additional boom thus
given this actress-the management
has just brought off a real master
stroke by engaging Phyllis Dare to
play the star part recently relinquished
in dudgeon by the indignant Edna May.
Who is Phyllis Dare? Well, she is
the young woman of sixteen whose ap
pearance (while not perhaps in the best
of taste) is perhaps more calculated
to pack a London theater than that of
any other English player, for her name
and fame it was that were most d.
rect1y concerned in one of the most
sensational libel suits which have been
brought In England in the course of
the last twentyfiv years.
LEAVES SCHOOL FOR STAGE
Perhaps it is needless to add that the
case in question is that which was re-
Gently brought by Seymour Hicks
against defamer who called himself
the two famous sisters Zena and Phil
lis. and if SO. it will be needless like
wise to particularize as to the heart
less allegations which were made
against the pretty child who lately ap-
peared at the Vaudeville as the youth
full heroine of "The Catch of the Sea-
son."
The allegations were proved to have
not shadow of foundation, and If
there is any one who is sure of a
warmer ovation from London theater