The Washington herald., 1906-11-18

son. There are fashions and fads in the
domains of the drama and music as
everywhere else. a few years ago Wash
ingtOn wanted a great deal Of heavy,
serious, II not tragic. drama to meet its
emotional needs during a season. 1t could
stand in succession two or three weeks
Of Shakespearean plays, or something
equally substantial without showing
the slightest signs of emotional exhaus-
tion. Now it takes TO the gay and frlv-
Olous with equal avidity and endurance.
The fCctuation in taste, no doubt. causes
the managers some slight worry now and
then. They are puzzled to know just how
10 assert their offerings for the season
whether TO increase the proportion of the
light. fluffy, and inconsequential and cut
down the serious, or vice versa. But
while managers may be in doubt as to the
sort and assortment Of entertainments
they shall offer, long experience seems to
prove that If they want to be sure Of
good business they must get the very
best to be had of the different sorts. 1t is
sometimes astonishing to what extent
Washington viii go in the generous
patronage OF high-class entertainments.
musical as well as dramatic. The fact
that there are two or three such offerings
simultaneously seems 10 make no differ
ence in the patronage Of any. Each gets
generous share. II a play or an opera. a
burlesque or an extravaganza comes here
with an established reputation for excel
lence, IL is very rare indeed that it fails
Of liberal patronage. even If more than
the usual prices are charged. Give Wash
ington performances of genuine merit
and the audiences are always OF hand.
The experiences Of the past week proved
this over again Each Of the leading
theaters had a frst-rate attraction. and
each had large and thoroughly appre-
ciative audiences through the week The
Columbia had a saurical English comedy
by an author who stands very high. but
Who does not enjoy wide popular fame.
and it was presented by company that
contained few players known TO Wash
ington theatergoers. Notwithstanding
these serious handicaps, the cleverness
and laughableness of the performance
became quickly known 10 the town, and
an excellent weeks business was the
gratifying result. At the National Miss
barrymore and the delightful Barrie play
were seen during the week by about as
large number Of people as could COM
iortabiy be accommodated. The perform
ance was refreshing and captivating
one, full Of that whimsical Barrie charm
50 hard to analyZe- but so much in evi-
dence IN al his writings. And for the
admirers Of Miss Barrymore, the fact
that she appeared as a middle-aged wOnl-
an added 10 rather than took from the In
terest and pleasure of the occasion. The
Sothern- -Marlowe engagement at the Be
lasCo was all that those excellent PLAYERS
o. the management could desire. both ar
Ustlcally and otherwise. Large and hign-
y appreciatve audiences witnessed the
performances Of the three plays presented.
ana the engagement, on The whole was
tne most successful in every way of the
season at the Beiasco.
It is evident Mr.. Sothern aims 10 be
sort Of Henry Irving Of America in the
matter Of making productions of high
class plays, If not as an actor. His
chances Of attaining his ambition seem
good He has marked ability as an actor.
though his waTmest admirers win hardly
claim for him the ability possessed by
Irving in many lines Of histrionic effort
But he is stil young. Probably at Soth-
ern's age the Englishman had not devel-
oped the power and artistic skill which
he manifested afterward. and which in
hls later years made him easily first in
certain lines on the English-speaking
stage. That Mr.. SOtheTn has intelligence
or a high order cannot be questioned. nor
that the exercise of 1t in developing and
training his powers as an actor will ad-
vance him steadily in his art as the wears
90 by. He also has unfiagging industry.
the best known substitute for genius Of
all kinds. This combination OF inteUi-
gence and love Of work, under an condi-
lions essential to success I'm art. should
go rar toward making Mr.. SOthern's ca
reer as notable as he seems 70 aim at
making 1t, not only as an actor. but as a
producer of plays that are worth while.
He is now engaged in the ambitious un-
dertaking Of supplying himself and Miss
Marlowe with a repertory Of no less than
fourteen plays of the best class. These
range through a wide field Of human in
terest and appeal TO intelligent audiences
wherever the English language Is spollen.
The list is known TO Washington readers
who have concerned themselves about the
Sothern-Marlowe engagement in this city
the past week. In some Of the plays Mr..
SotheTn has been seen here in previous
seasons, including one that he presented
last weeb-"The Sunken Bell" Two Of
the plays OF his recent local engagement
were new to Washington. Jeanne dare
and John the Baptist" both works of
merit and likely to wear well. He has yet
70 produce two or three on the list of
fourteen. and this he will do in the next
few weeks before opening his long annual
engagement in New York. All Of these
plays the young actOr-manager is mount
ing adequately. with good taste. without
subordinatiug the drama to the dressing
avoiding the mistake so many actors and
managers are making in these DAYS of
overmuch scenery and not enough dra-
matte substance. In Jeanne dare" for
example, there is no lack Of temptation
for the display of the most sumptuous
stage finery. In the hands of the ordinary
play-prOducer Mackayes drama would
have been overwhelmed with gaudily pic
turesQue settings, making Of it u spectacle
rather than a true dramatic production
Mr.. Sothern sets his scenes for the play
with due attention TO historical accuracy,
with unobtrusive beauty and pic
tUresqueness, but without lavish display
of what the stage craftsmen can do when
they are Eut on their mettle. The happy
result is that the play and not the scenery
is the thing. The audiences at the Befasco
last week were made TO feel that the stage
setting was adequate but their attention
was not distracted from the action by the
dazzling splendor Of the surroundings
amid which the players moved nor by
overshifting light effects. This scenic
moderation is not exercised by Mr.. Soth-