Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-21
MONEY TO LOAN.
The Foreign Stage.
Special From a Stan Correspondent.

Special From a Staf Correspondent
LONDON, July TO- 1907
II betting theatrical results were
common pastime, a good many wagers
probably would be made here as To the
chances OF Cyril Maude's being able 10
save" the American IAay in which he is
| now appearing, as he contrived to save
| another in which he appeared little time
ago. In other words. Londoners are wall
ing with much curiosity to see If ne story
of "Toddles" will be duplicated in the case
| of The Earl of Pawiucket."
The first named piece was. of course. an
adaptation by Clyde Fitch of Tristan Ber-
| nard's ''Tripplepatte." Maude produced 1t
at the Duke of Iorks while he stll was
under Charles Frohman's management. and
everybody who either was present at the
first night or read the notices next morn
ing prophesied dire failure. But the piece
succeeded. all the same. and though II Is
rather tendency here TO give an English
actor all the credit when he succeeds in an
American piece, l think II unquestioned that
In the case of ''Toddies" the ultimate VIC
tory really belonged to Cyril Maude.
For though business at the Duke OF
1orkes was wretched during the first fort
night. by the end of that anne Maude had
made his representation of ''roddles. the
funniest thing in town. and the public was
crowding to see IL. Everybody declared
that the piece was rotten" but enjoined
his friends to visit all the same, and SO
''Toddles" ran for nearly 400 nights at the
Frohman house, and for something like
80 more at Maud's new theater. the Play
house, which was opened with the Fitch
adaptation about a month and half ago.
And now the popular actor has another
American show TO save ii he can. For
the critics and playgoers generally do not
like The Earl of Pawtucket" any more
than they liked "Toddles'' at first and per
haps not as much. The former describe 1t
as poor stuff and are inclined to attribute
its big success at home to the fact-as they
allege-that 1t depicts the English noble
man as imagined by the American comic
papers. They say that this type is extinct
the dodo, IL indeed, 1t ever existed Per
haps they are right, perhaps wrong; without
an extended acquaintance among the no
bi-lty it Is difficult to offer expert
opinion.
1t is impossible, too. to compare the two
productions without having seen Lawrence
d'Orsay. but Augustus Thomas to- me dur
ing the rehearsals at the Playhouse that
Maude's performance delighted him
The fact remains that the fate of The
Earl of Pawtucket" Is trembling In the
balance here and that II is up to the star
to save the situation. In view of his ex-
perience with .'Toddles." however. 1t is
likely that Maude is not borrowing trouble
but cudgeling his brains for laughter
making business and Americans in Lon
don all wish him luck. II he doesn't sue
coed in making THE Earl" a go he will
try new piece by II. V. Esmond, author
of when We Were Twenty one" who has
not been heard from for some time.
Maude's new theater by the way. Is about
the last word In the matter of appoint
ments." There are facilities for letter.
writing between the acts and many similar
innovations One of these takes the form
of free cigarettes for the masculine oc-
cupants of the stall and dress circle"
For his production of THE Earl of Paw
tucket." Maude has an almost completely
American company-so there's another rea-
son for wishing more power to his elbow.