Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-19

HOW CRICKET MADE AN ACTOR.-If
1t had not been for the game of cricket, so
popular in England and Australia, 1t is to
be doubted If Charles Hammond of the
Edwin Arden company would now be play
ing at the Beasco Theater. Cricket is the
national game of England and the colonies
and Hammond was the best cricket player
in the town of Launceston in Tasmania,
which is an island off the south coast of
Australia. He was also a stock broker and
secretary Of the stock exchange of Launce-
ston. Once in a while he INDUCED in anna
teur theatricals, but 1t was not until Ty-
rome Power visited Australia in 1901 that
Hammond decided to become an actor.
He accepted an offer to. play with Towers
company on an Australian tour, but at the
end Of few months found himself out Of
an engagement in Melbourne, determined
not to return to Tasmania and the stock
brokerage business.
William Hawtrey, the English comedian,
brother of Charles Hawtrey, was in Mel
bourne with his company at the time. Hav-
ing played in Tasmania, he was familiar
with Hammond's reputation at cricket. Now,
even Hawtrey himself will admit that he loves
cricket more than he does acting. When he
had organized his English company for an
Australian tour he had engaged only crick-
ct players as actors. 1t was far more es-
sential that a man should be good player
at the national game than that he should
act. One reason for this was that in every
town visited by Hawtrey's company the
actors cricket team challenged the best
local cricket club team for a match game,
and usually won. Hawtrey saw a chance
to strengthen his cricket team by engaging
Hammond. He did SO, and his team in
stantly became the best cricket team in
Australia.
During the tour of nearly year Hawtrey
and his team won so many match games
with local clubs that Hawtrey paid very
little attention to acting at all. AS soon as
the announcement OF his coming was made
the newspapers commenced to speak of
"Hawtrey's cricket troupe"
Mr.. Hammond. during a rehearsal of 1.-THE
Gay Lord Quex" at the Belasco Theater
last week remarked that while he -probably
learned very little about acting during that
season with Hawtrey's cricket company, 1t
was the most delightful season he ever
spent, as his share of the prize money
more than equaled his salary, he was en-
tertained at the best clubs In each town
and his profits were SO great that he de-
cided to tempt fate by coming to America,
where, as all theatergoers know, he was
at once engaged by David Belasco, with
whom he has played the past three seasons.
wAsHINGToNIANs ON THE STAGE
OF the American cities that Lave fur
nshed players for some of the greatest pro-
auctions of recent years Washington stands
prominent as the birthplace and home of
as large proportion as any leading city.
In order that some idea may be formed as
to the more prominent stage people who
look with pride to this city as their home
the following list may prove interesting:
y Sydney Mather, with--Sethern and Mar
lowe; Atkins Lawrence. with Annie Russell;
" Iliiam Pruette. with FRITZ Scheff; Adele
Rowland, playing in THE Spring Chicken
Charles B. Hanford, Shakeapearean actor;
Wilton Lackaye Of the Columbia Stock
Company: James Lackaye, brother of
Jeffrey Stein, a brother of Ned Stein,
treasurer of the Columbia. now appearing
unaer the management of William A..
Brady in 1.-The Man Of the Hour" Joseph
Kaufman, with Willie Collier; Pauline
Chase. playing Peter Pan in London: Hans
Robert starring In Checkers" Grac Van
Studdiford, in vaudeville; Paul Thorpe, in
Peter. Pam" with Miss Maud Adams; Miss
Estele Wentworth. prima donno soprano.
with Jefferson De Angels, now in the
same capacity with the AbOrn Opera Com
pany. Almost hundreds of others could be
mentioned IL their names came to mind at
this time.
OF the three summer stock companies here
this season two of the leading members are
Washingtonians. They are Wilton I.ackaye
leading man OF the Columbia Theater Stock
Company, and Miss Estelle Wentworth,
who joins the Aborn forces to appear as
prima donna at the New National beginning
May 81 1t was only last night that the
management OF the New National learned
OF Miss Wentworth's engagement for the
summer season, She viii come on here for
rehearsals next. week and will sing the role
OF Maid Marian In the opening production,
Robin Hood" Miss Wentworth was born
in Washington and lived here until she
made hes stage debut. When q. little ANA
.eur production, called ''The cannibal