The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-12
Mr.. HOPP HAS A STRIKE PLAY.
NORE STRANGE DOINGS AT THE
BERKELEY LYCEUM.
george MOOre's "The Strike at ArlIngfOrd''
interpreted Win the Help OF a work.
ingman's Hand and a SteaMDIpe
Chorus MIR. HOpp Is stu Hopeful.

ngman Hand n a SteamDiDe
chorus MIR. HOpp Is stu Hopeful.
A sporadic audience of more than sixty
nersons and a cop assembled at the Berke-
lev Theatre yesterday afternoon to witness
JuIius Hopp's Socialistic Stage Society
nroduce THE Strike at Arlingford," by
George Moore. Back in the days Of MIR,
Hopp's Theatre of Labor and his Pro-
gressiye Stage Society he threatened to
produce the Irish authors drama, but Mr.,
Hopp's own work on his play The Friends
Of Labor" and his efforts to establish a
municipal theatre at Fort Lee have kept
him so busy that not until yesterday did
the Shakespeare of the Downtrod and OPP
pressed get up to The Strike at Airing
ford.
The audience and the cop came in out OF
the wet yesterday to find the theatre little
changed since the days Of May Yohe and
the Percheron ballet that recently held
forth there except that down in the orches-
ira pit the new Socialist oom-pah metal
hand glintsd and glowsd like a freshly
silded steam radiator. Leader Morton
stood at the throttle. Gathered around
him we're a number of musicians said to
be workingmen in private life, probably
boilernakers. With the exception OF the
base drum the band was furnished with
polished brass throughout.
As the play began the impression gained
ground that the band was still playing
and would continue during the first act.
Investigation proved that the musicians
had stopped playing. but that some steam
pipes of tbe stage had taken up the same
selection and were continuing it.
While the Socialists were gathering Mr..
Hopp stood in the lobby and greeted them
pleasantly. His arms were extended out
ward and upward like the branches OF
candelabra, as be held two great punches
Of roses, a pink bunch tied with light blue
satin ribbon and a red bouquet tied with
pink ribbon. The petals OF the flowers
mingled freely with Mr.. Hopp's curly
locks and the effect Of the entire group
caused many favorable comments.
Mr.. Hopp explained that many promi-
nent Socialists in the hall were. There was
Mr., John Martin, the municipal ownership
advocate, and Mrs. Martin. The Martins
entertained NJ. Gorky at their Staten Island
home during the early part of the Russians
visit. Also there was DR.. Andrews. who
a brother-in-lsw of Editor Mcdonald
Of the Truth Seeker is, il was explained.
Young Mr., J. Phelps Stokes was interested.
it was alleged, but could not be present.
Mss Bessie McIlvain, who is ever so in
terested in socialism. arrived early with
her sister Miss Ethel and the two punches
OF roses. The flowers were for a mem
Der Of the company, Miss Alice Au lance,
hut Mr.. Hopp ook charge of them until
the second act. when he carried them down
TO the footlights for she actress. Besides
these and the cop there was a high browed
woman in the lower left hand box whose
red, yellow and greea gown made the box
glow like an attractive Turkish cossy corner.
The curtain rose at 2:49, railroad time,
snd disclosed the drawing room OF Lady
Anne Trdvsfs, all furnished with the gold
furniture that il always thrown in with
the Berkeley Theatre. Barn Steinbdch
was standing OF the stage alone. On the
programme he is called Baron Steinbdch,
but the actors addressed him as Barn for
short. The Barn was the richest man in
the world. He wore n of those frock
coats affected by politicians m ministers,
trousers OF faded Alice blue, white waist
coat and black ascot cravat, white soap
slds along his side hair and his hands in
his pockets.
One gilt chair was tilted against a gilt
desk at right stage to show that the place
was reserved for somebody. As the steam
pipes concluded the selection M then hit
up a lifting staccato movement a young
reporter for the Dur'm Merc'ry came on
the scene and began to interview the Barn.
The reporters name was HGmer. He be-
gan to take notes Of everything anybody
81 - a. A. 80 a.
the curtain Of the third act, and as his paper
represented the plunderbund he was very
much disliked by the strikers.
The strikers were employed in the mine
that Lady Anne had inherited from one
OF her ancestors. who in his day a been
o noted ~minerolojus. Lady Anne, so the
audience learned while Reporter Hdmer
was interviewing Barn !S~teinbGch, had
promised her miners a raise of 20 per cent.
in wages under the impression that coal
vas going up. Coal-or Goals, rather-had
not taken the expected rise and the miners
did not get their expected increase, SO
they struck and were star-r-r-ving slowly all
around back of the scenery.
Il was also gathered between speeches
pm socialism between the barn and the
bright young man OF the DuT'm Merc'ry
that he barn had hurried from Germany
% visit Lady Anne partly because he was
all broken up over her, but principally
W " lAlJO blC AAlSJCoA VI ~
his own business. After all this had been
established Lady Anne came or wearing
baby blue. She had probably been out
in the kitchen, because her nose was covered
with dabs OF white that indicated she had
Just stuck her head down in n of the
kitchen bins to see II there was enough
Hour left to last until Saturday.
For a long time Lady Anne and the barn
Walked OF a number OF odds and ends. There
was much about the progress of mar and
the terrOrs Of being a w~orkingmsn, during
which the barn tried TO light a match for
his cigarette on the Alice blue trousers,
but failed pitifully. Then when Lady
Anne wasn't looking he tried to strike the
match on the gilt table. Nothing doing.
J : was not until twenty minutes after 3
that he finally thought to walk TO left stage
and scratch the match on the scenery.
Applause. Then he told Lady Anne that
he loved her, but for answer she went back
into history and told Of her early owe for
John Reid when she was IL years old.
John had been a gentleman then, but
had since become a Socialist. Now he
was leading her miners in their strike and
was engaged TO be married to young Ellen
Sands, who was the Mother Jones Of the
village. Lady Anne doubted that Ellen
Sands loved John Reid. Ellen, in Lady
AnRe's opinion, was merely "a girl with
a mission who would hang upon a man
ior rs accomplishment" About this time
EHcR came in at the head Of a band OF