Omaha daily bee., 1906-05-13
Gossip About Plays and Players

ing fame behind the footllghts After Lady
Angela had tried a half dozen or so re-
hearsals she concluded that she would not
be an actress after all. There Is a story to
the effect that the real reason for her re-
tirement was the discovery that she was
not much better as an actress than her
brother was as an actor.
In the Forthcoming London performance
OF THE 1Aon and the Mouse" to be pro-
duced there next month by Charles Froh-
man, Miss Margaret Ellington Will play the
leading female part and Messrs;, i Edm Md.a
York cast will resume their original char
acters. Charles Klein, the author who Is
I'm London. will rehearse the piece.
Maud Jeffries. the American actress, who
has long spent her time In England and
Australia, will close a tour In the latter
country next week. II is said that Miss
Jeffries has decided to abandon the stage
and will spend the remainder OF her days
in Australia. The beautiful southern girl
started out in small repertoire company
Barrett She became his leading woman,
and created many Of the important temi-
nine roles in the different Barrett pro-
auctions, her latest and most notable one
perhaps being the part of Mcrcia In Bar
rett's play, THE Sign Of the Cross"
oscar Hammersteln Is home. He. is
happy and busy. II he does not give Herr
Conried a sharp fight for operato supre-
macy next season the signs will all go for
nothing. The roster of his company -
enough e MAKE s ne 81 Mme MSa
Nine. Tetrazini, Nine. Gilbert Lejeune,
Mazurin, Louise Grandjean and Farnetu;
contraltos, Mines. Bressler, Gianoli, Flea
nor de Cfsneros, Zella Gay and zaccarioi
tenors Signors Bonci, Dalmores, Bassi and
Alscheffski; baritones' Jean Renaud,
and Meldilf; bassos, Edouard de Reszke,
Anton Brag. Giuseppi MuguinoZ and Guild.
Nine. Kalich, as announced previously,
will remain under Harrison Grey Ftske's
management next season and will appear
early next autumn I'm a new modern play,
after which she will make another tour Of
the principal cities. Before coming under
Mr. FTskes management she was under
contract to produce, in Yiddish, during the
present year, play entitled The Sisters, "
by Mr.. Peretz, a Jewish poet who lives in
Warsaw. 1t has been arranged that at the
close Of her present tour she shall appear
for fifteen performances at the Yiddish
theater in New York in this play and in
several other of her favorite Yiddish parts
This will mark her permanent farewell to
the Yiddish stage.
Florence Roberts has made Father
Knickerbocker sit up and take notice. Her
opening at the Liberty theater In The
Strength Of the Weak" was a genuine
artistic triumph and is likely to result in
financial success as well Inc New York
critics admit that she has power and a
talent for emotional expression that Is only
equalled by Mrs. Fiske and Mrs. Carter, but
they raise, the old Objectionable comes from
the west. FTanklyn tyles, with polite
sheer, says Miss Roberts is already fat
and that New Workers prefer to have their
favorites grow fat in their midst. Miss
Roberts in the Sunday Times very frankly
tells the New York folks that west of the
Missouri river people do not look to New
York for their standards.
Mr.. Charles Frohman has Just acquired
the English rights in Les Plumes du
Geai," M. Jean Julien's four-act play, pre-.
scented for the first time in February last
at the Theater Moliere, Paris. The story
shows how a Woodworking millionaire,
crowd of flatterers by whom he is sur
rounded is suddenly moved to envy by the
contented and happy life led by one Of his
clerks. lie accompanies the latter to his
humble home, where he is cordially re-
ceived as a welcome guest Naturally, he
falls in love with his hosts pretty cousin
attractive scenes of the simple life. But
when at last the hero reveals his identity
as the millionaire Martha turns upon him
and obstinately refuses to become his wife
This ending Mr. Cosmo Hamilton is to
modify in accordance with the British play
goer's prejudice in favor of happy ending
with wedding bells. When the play comes
to New York it is TO be hoped that 1t may
be given in its original shape.
The latest diversion Of the London stage
society was a performance of the Mater
Mite of NJ BrieuX. This is a piece which
may be salutary in intent and unimpeach-
able in respect of its social philosophy, but
deals with theories rather than persons
and is, therefore, deficient in human in
terest, while its Illustrations are, for the
most part, malodorouS and depressing
What good object can be served by a pTi
vate performance before a select audience
needing no information nor instruction ir
the matter, il is difficult TO guess. One OF
the invited guests. at least was not en-
chanted by the entertainment offered him
for he wrote concerning it: TO ask for ar
idea in play is not to ask for 1t at th'
expense of the characters. Some Of Vi
still go to the theater in order to see, more
wildly than we can see them anywhere
else, men and women and feeling and do
ing, and unless the men and women come
first and the idea second we regard thu
play precisely as we regard the temperance
for the same reason. The man is gettinI
at US We forgive him If he amusas Of
impresses-but NJ. Brieux does not amus
nor impress"