Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-10
DRAMATIC NOTES

4
There is a present marked tendency among
American poets toward playwrightng, seer
not only in poetic drama but in prose. vii
liam Vaughn Moudys Great Divide" was the
striking success of last season, and now. among
the announcements for next year we find fol
Hilda Spong a one-act play called Kit" one
of the two authors of which is Witter Bynner,
who published tins spring his lode to Harvard
and Other Poems' and for Nine. Nasmova
The Maidstone" " by Ridgeley Torrance, who
published not lone ago a poetic drama, Abe
lard and Eoise." All three poets moreover,
are reported to be engaged on further dramatic
labors. THE Great Divide" by the way. is
now in the third month OF its second season in
New York city.
Miss Terry in the latest chapter of her auto
biography, In the November McCiure's. takes
fling at Mrs. Grundy's rumor that she and
Mrs Kendal were Jealous of each other.
Speaking of her great triumph as Portia she
says
mot for years afterward did I find out that
/ was not the first choice for Portia. The
Bancrofts had tried the Kendals first, with
the idea of making double engagement; but
the negotiations failed. Perhaps the rivalry
between Mrs. kendal and me might have be-
come of more Significance had she appeared as
Portia at the Prince of Wales and preferred
Shakespeare to domestic comedy. In after
years she played Rosalind (oh Madge l do
owe you one for that! l never did. and quite
recently acted with me in Merry Wives of
Windsor; but the best of her fame will all
Squire, The Ironmaster Lady Clancarty
and many When she played with me
IN Shakespeare she laughingly challenged me
to come and pla1 with her in modern piece
q domestic play. and said Done. but 1t has
not been done yet. / found her wonderful to
act with. No other English actress has such
extraordinary skill. or course, people have
said we are Jealous of each other Ellen
Terry Acts with Lifelong Enemy proclaimed
an American newspaper in flve-inch type when
we played together as Mistress Page and Mis-
tress Ford in Mr.. Trees coronation production
of Merry Wives of Windsor But the enmity
did not seem to worry us much as the
newspaper man over the Atlantic had repre-
sented.
1T was during this engagement in 1902 that
young actor who was watching us coming In
at the stage door at His Majesty's one day IS
reported to have said Look at Mr.. Tree be-
tween his two 'stars''!'
:" You mean Ancient Lightsp answered the
witty actress to whom the remark was made.
However. 'e'er in our ashes burn our
wonted fires or, to descend from the sublime
to the ridiculous. and from the poetry of Gray
to the pantomime gag OF Drury Lane and Her
bert Campbell. Better be good old has-been
than a never-was-er!
Charles Stevenson, for many years leading
man for Mrs Leslie Carter, is the latest
prominent actor entering the vaudeville field.
Mr.. Stevenson is soon to appear in New
York.
achieved her greatest artistic success in Henry
b. Harris and Maurice Campbelrs produce
tion Of "The Christian Pilgrim" Miss Cros-
mans appearance as Christian has certainly
been one of the important events Of the sea-
son. 1t is the first presentation of Pilgrims
Progress in America, though 1t was attempted
in London several years ago. The Macarthur
dramatization is divided into Ave acts and
eleven scenes, which carry Christian from the
City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Sew
eral OF the more important players supporting
Miss Crosman are Tyrone Power, Addison
Pitt Edward MacKay. w. 7. Carleton and
Bertha Harmon
The one-act play "a Light from st. Agnes, "
written by Mrs Fiske, is to be presented in
Italy in both dramatic and operatic FORMS
Through his American agent, Dirce st. Cyr.
Robert Bracco, the Italian dramatist, has Sc
cured from Harrison Grey Fiske the right to
translate the play. Puccini the composer, is
to make it the theme for an opera for which
Bracco will probably prepare the hbretto.
While entertaining party of friends at his
country house at sag Harbor, l.. l.. recently,
Robert Edeson came upon two startling dis
coyerles The actor is very fond of music
and giant phonograph is one Of his many
musical possessions One OF the records for
this contains pot pouri of southern airs.
which is always q favorite with the Class