Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-12
The Foreign Stage.


Special From a STAFF Cores pondent
| LONDON. July 81, 1907.
| Here is the latest instance Of 'uncon-
| scious cerebration" on the part of two play
| wrights, and present indications are that
| 1t may make some complications for
| popular American actress now in this coun-
| try This is Maxine Elliott, whose plans
| have all been made for opening at the Lon
don Lyric early in September with a new
piece by H. V. Esmond and who now finds
that there may be another piece on similar
lines in the field.
At the outset. by wish Of the author of
! when We Were Twenty-one" few par
| ticulars were made public regarding his
| new piece for Miss Elliott, but recently
| unexpected happening completely altered
| the situation This was the exploit of Lady
! Arthur Grosvenor, aunt of the Duke of
Westminster. who, as the cables to America
| announced at the time, suddenly took 1t
| into her head to sample the life of the
gypsy, and forthwith set out through Ok
i fordshire in a caravan as Sarah Lee, IL
| censed hawker
| Now exactly such a proceeding on the
| part of a fair member of the British aris
tocracy forms the theme of Esmonds play,
which is called Under the Greenwood
| Tree Wandering about as simple
| lifer,' his heroine encamps on a certain
| bachelor noblemans estate, is surprised by
| the owner and the essential romance fol-
| lows Naturally ESnlOnQ, whose pay was
| written some two years ago, did not desire
| to be accused of having simply adapted
| the Lady Grosvenor incident, and accord
| ingly the details of his plot were com
| municated to a dramatic writer lately and
published with appropriate comments.
|
Now for the second coincidence" which
| is not less surprising than the first For
| ward at once comes an authoress OF note.
| Mrs. Margaret Wood, with the announce
ment that over two years ago she com
menced to write play whose first act was
laid in q house in Park lane and the other
| two in a forest where the heroine was
caravanning. What is more, Mrs. Wood
states that her play has not only been COM
pleted, but accepted by a London manage
ment so If the Esmond work is not actual
| ly anticipated, to say nothing of having
| rival, both Miss Elliott and the author may
| count themselves fortunate. Mrs. Wood,
| be it explained, brings no charge of pa-
giarism against Esmond, she wants only to
avoid having such a charge brought
| against her by the dramatist whose plot
| has been first to get into the papers. Mean
while the rival pieces. should both be pro-
| duced will have more interested spec
| tator than Lady Arthur Grosvenor herself.
| whose caravannng tour was brought TO an
| end recently by the parlous state of the
English summer" I have not been able
| to Interview Maxine Elliott on the subject,
| the actress being out Of London at present,
| but the obvious move for her is to arrange
/ to begin her season at the Lyric earlier
| than she had planned, IL possible and thus
avoid the danger Of what in the newspaper
world Is known as being "scooped."
4
Wanted another Stephen Phillips" This
legend may be said. metaphorically. at any
rate, to adorn the portals OF half a dozen
English actor-managers who see oppor-
tunities in really good poetic drama, but up
to now their respective quests have proved
fruitless. The subject occurs to one on
| learning that Phillips himself has just
promised Martin Harvey to write him
play based on Scotts Bride of Hammer
| moor" and that Lawrence Binyon, prom
Using young English poet. Is the latest can.
didate for the mantle which the author OF
"Paolo and Francesca can wear, but ap-
parently won't.
Harvey. 1t is true. may get his poetic
version of the Lammermoor romance, but
If he does he will be more successful than
any other English manager has been OF late.
OF promises Stephen Phillips Is prodigal,
nounced as Forthcoming during the past
year by George Alexander who made SO
great a success in 'Paolo,' Beerbohm Tree
and several others, but these pieces have
not actually been forthcoming. Rumor
says-but never mind. The fact remains
that for over three years no new piece has
como from the most promising English
writer of blank verse of his time, and that
there seems no one else to supply the
article.
Would-be Elishas to this Elijah have been
many. but disappointing. There was James
Bernard Pagan, for example. That young
versifer aimed high in writing his Prayer
Of the Sword" but 1t did not please. and
he turned his attention to modern comedy,
with no better results. Later we had Ru-
dolf Besder regarding whose Virgin God
deSS' great things were predicted, but old
not materialize Nor did Comyns Carr
prove the looked-for successor to stephen
Phillips when his poetic version of Iris
| tram and Iseult' was produced IN the
| Strand, and one thought that there wouIo
| be no further attempts for awhile. Law
! renee Binyon, however, is daring, lot ne
| has written q blank verse drama III loui
acs about Attila the Hun and oscar Asche
| is still more daring, for he is going 10 pro-
duce fiat His Matesty's too, which Beer
| bohm Tree has vacated in order 10 tour the
provinces and with costly company and
! effects. All will wish the venture Well OF
course but in view of all the recent fail
ures to emulate Phillips success, no rash
| propheses will be INDUCED in here. The
author Of "Attila the Hun is said to have
"steeped himself In the Burgundian and
heros name. and to have produced a piece
of uncommon power and grip If SO. there
may be less cause for regret in Ste
phen Phillips latest promise remains, like
his others, unfulflled.
Do English folk dislike Americans to the !
extent Of wanting only to see them carl |
catured on the stage? Such statement |
Is nonsense, of course, but as 1t has been |
made seriously by an American theatrical |
agent lately returned from this country. IT |
perhaps calls for some reply. An effective |
one comes from Mrs Madge Carr Cook |
90 10 he Sta IF NTrc iccyG