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

caryn. which is soon to b given at the
| London Gaiety?
This piece is partly based Oh the famous
Koepenick hoax. which Is well enough.
since nobody enjoyed the prank OF Cobbler
Voight more than William the Second to
None. But what win the kaiser say when
he learns that the main theme of ''The Girls
OF Gottenberg Is his imperial action in
sending a detachment of soldiers to act as
dancing partners for the damseis Of this
German town. and that one Of the charac-
sonage9
AA
Will the emperor instruct his ambassador
In London to protest against the Gaiety
production? Probably not, though Teutonic
susceptibilities are tender at present so far
as England Ii concerned, and it really would
not be much more inane to forbid THE
Girls Of Gutenberg" for fear Of offending
Germany than 1t was to shelve THE Mika-
do Indefinitely to avoid q rumpus with
Japan. Meanwhile report says that the
Koepenick and Gutenberg incidents have
combined to make decidedly attractive
| musical play. and. as usual in London now
adays. the bright particular star Of the
piece is to be an American girl.
This is May de sousa, who started her
| London career last season as the principal
girf at Drury Lane, and who afterward
| appeared as the heroine In Castles in
Spain" at Terry's. and later as o Mianosa
| Days. Since then she has made trip to
| the United States. but her present contract
with George Edwardes is q lengthy one,
and 1t will be some time before she is seen
of Gutenberg" she will play the part of
young woman who changes places with
somebody else in order to avoid a convent
and go to ball. and. Of course. disconcert-
| ing results follow.
4
The Koepenick incident furnishes most of
the first act of THE Girls of Gottenberg,"
which, of course, will be tried In America
| On case IT pleases the Gaietys patrons Ed
mund Payne will be the humble artizan
Max Moddlekof, who masquerades as the
emperor's envoy, and George Grossmith
Juno. the exalted parsonage. Both are sure
to be very funny, but not too funny, one
hopes-for the sake of Anglo-German rela-
tons and the peace Of mind of the lord
chamberlain.
That Miss de Sousa will shine in The
Girls OF Gutenberg" probably may be taken
have been made during the past week by
two other American girls in London-the
one in musical comedy, the other in comedy
without music Marie George. in fact, car
ried on most of the honors Of Lady Tat
ters, the new light opera by Walter
Slaughter produced at the Shaftesbury last
night and Billie Burke added to her lau-
reis at the beginning of the week by a very
attractive performance in Louis N Parker's
play, Mr.. George" at the Vaudeville As
stated already in these letters, the scene of
this piece by "Rosemary's" author Is Bos-
ton In 1773, but the plot runs somewhat diff
ferently than the announcements led one
to imagine 1t is not case of a young
Englishman arriving in America to find
that his partner in business is girl, but of
fair English damsel masquerading as
Mr.. George"
She turns up in Boston to astonish the
middie-aged bachelor who had supposed
Rrf oh ,rfv
course. he falls In love with her and COM
plicatiens follow account of the war
clouds and the patriotism of both par
ties. However. Parker has written Xix
able play, which should do well on both
sides OF the Atlantic. and Billie Burke Is
quite charming in It at the Vaudeville The
part OF the American lover, by the way,
was written originally for E. 8. Willard.
but Is played by Charles Hawtrey, who
has sacrificed the most bewitching NOUS
tache on the English stage rather than be
out of the picture.
The stage topic OF the moment however
remains ''The Mikado," which now has been
offcially prohibited. not only at the Savoy, |
but throughout the length and breadth of |
the United Kingdom. as WELL 1t will, ac- |
cordingiy, be played no more while the |
present government is in office, unless one |
of two things should happen.
The first Of these Is extremely unlikely
that is, that w. s. Gilbert should follow a |
suggestion which has been put forth seri- |
ously, and change the locale of his opera
from japan to some mythical country, and |
incidentally give 1t new name 1.-THE
Shotgun" has been suggested for the latter, |
but 1t has been used in America already |
and anyhow there Is not the slightest prob
ability that Gilbert would consent to trans |
mogrify his famous piece in this way-even |
were his refusal to do so to be made a
"casus bellt by Japan. There Is, how
ever, the other possibility, which Is that |
the lord chamberlain. the real censor, I
should decide to withdraw his mandate |
against THE Mikado,'' owing to the |
tempest of ridicule which it has drawn |
forth
This tempest, which is not unmixed with
disgust, is now at Its height, and today |
the prime minister will be asked ironically
In parliament IT, considering that Ham |
let" depicts King of Denmark as MUIR |
derer. it also will be prohibited in view of
the approaching visit of the present King |
and Queen of Denmark to this country! |
Meanwhile, hardly paragraphist a |
music-halI singer in the land has failed |
Mr.. BEDFORD and his official master would |
gain in popularity by removing the ban on |
The Mikado" and letting Prince Fushimi |
and his countrymen like it or lump it, &C |
cording. to their mood. |
A.*
There is no question about the success Of |
"Brewster's Millions" In England, any |
more than there is about the success of |
Mrs. Wigs Of the Cabbage Patch" or |
about the success of Clyde Fitch's 1.-The |
Truth" or about the interest taken In |
Marlowe and Sothern. Evidently this is |
the American season in London drama. The |
audience at the Hicks Theater laughed |
whoie-heartedly from beginning to end of |
"Brewster's Millions on the occasion of |
the first performance this week. OF course, |
captious critics complain that 1t isn't a |
comedy" as described on the play bill, but |
a farce, and that 1t Isn't reasonable. and |
that the success Is chiefly due to Gerald du |
Maurier. who took the part of Brewster, |
and to the famous yacht scene. But there |
Is no doubt about the delight of the audi
ences.
AROUND THE CITY |