The Washington herald., 1907-03-01
PLAYS
AND PLAYERS.

/ I AOOO LII \ 4 ~
AND PLAYERS.
/ Grace George IS getting ready 10 show
+ New York what she can do in such
plays as 'DivorcOns" and The Lady
/ from the Sea" which she will present
/ there during an engagement TO begin n
/ April. She viii not drop the HOpg0Od-
/ Pollock play, Clothes" in which she
| vas seen IN Washington, but viii alter
nate it with the others.
/ Herr Director Conried. Of the Metropoli-
tan opera. has won another victory over
/ Oscar Hammerstein, of the Manhattan
/ opera. He has secured for next season
the best Hammerstein tenor, Bonci
whose voice is said TO have a quality
/ that is unapproachable although he is not
I regarded as quite the equal Of Caruso. To
/ replace Bonci Hammerstein has engaged
another Italian tenor Of some renown,
1Zenatello. who created the role of Pink
+ erton IN the London production OF
/ Madam Butterfly"
VaudeviIle is sweeping all before it in
/ Chicago. Two more of the legitimate
1 theaters of the town have gone over to
vaudeville. making five big houses in
/ Chicago now devoted TO that sort Of en-
! tertainment
! Mrs. Leslie Carter has now broken with
/ her new manager. Charles Dillingham;,
and has begun some sort of suit against
/ him. It is evident the public is not des-
l tined TO see the erratic Belasco creation
\ in any sort Of part this season. as all
/ the plans of her new manager have been
blocked either by Mrs. Carter herself OF
/ by unforeseen circumstances.
/ David BelasCo has secured a new star,
whom he Will present TO New York at his
/ new theater in September. He is Charles
/ Waldron. who has a high standing on
the Pacific Coast He was leading man
at the San Francisco AlCazaT for a con-
siderable period previous to the earth
quake, and is now in Australia.
Paul Armstrong has been looking Kyrle
Bellew over with view To writing him a
play that will fit better than the two
latest he has appeared in. "Brigadier Ger
ard and "A Marriage Of Reason. 80
Armstrong thinks he can do it, and is
going to try, anyway
Manager Daniel Frohman and Play
wright Rex Beach have at last got their
nerve and The Spoilers in such shape
that they have determined TO spring the
Alaskan piece on New York before tae
middle of March.
Giacomo Puccini, the composer, has
sailed from New York on his return to
Italy after a very delightful and profta-
bic stay in the United States, during
which ne saw four Of his operas produced
in the metropolis. At a farewell talk to
newspaper men, he told them he had gone
to see nearly every play presented in New
York while there, in the hope of finding
in one of them a suggestion for the char
acteristically American opera he desires
to write.
I thought perhaps that there would be
in the theatrical art of a new country an
utterly unusual and original note" the
distinguished composer said. This / can
not exactly say I succeeded in discover
ing. In the work of some of your best
actors and actresses, and in some of your
best plays I saw sincerity. veracity, and
a certain simplicity and naivete which TO
me was attractive, and would be to all
Europeans attractive. But precisely what
I wanted and had expected / did not find 3"
Mr.. William A. Brady Mr. Mantelrs
manager, has well-nigh completed plans
for the latter's appearance in London in
round CT Shakespeare plays The first
will be King Lear" which London has
had in many years only in the unsuccess-
full revival made by Sir Henry Irving
shortly before his death "Of course. 50
said Mr.. Brady to Mr.. Mantell. you do
not wish to play Hamlet there?" why
not: Beerbohm Tree did" replied Mr.
Mantell. Mr.. Brady reminded him of
what w. s. Gilbert had said of Tree $
Hamlet-''very. very funny, and not in the
least bit vulgar Well" retorted Mr.
Mantell. in a tone that held both resigna-
ton and determination, I hope Mr. Gil
bert will pay IS much and as epigram-
matte attention TO my Hamlet