The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-12-15
No Novelties
On Broadway;
Holiday Spirit
By A. H. BALLARD.


A TIME wears along and the
" mellowing influences o. Yuletdc
n induce a philosophIc mood. we
are wont to count over the
blessings Of the present theatrical sea
son, and we try to accept the blights
with hardihood.
Take IL all in all, we have had q
brilliant year-one that has transfXed
our attention, at least. with big sue
cesses. as well as spectacular failures
Above everything. the theater has Ger
tainly maintained its position Of I'M
Portance, and perhaps, has advanced
somewhat
This week there have been no true
openings, as we usually understand the
standard TO be. Ermette NOveln, the
Italian actor, has brought On some
thing " in his native tongue. with
a compt tent company 20 assist him.
each evening continuing hIs repertoire
program, which was begun "a fort
night ago. He commands considerable
notice, and draws a gOOdly number o.
people TO the Lyric at each perform
ance, among whom are many Italians
as a matter uf course His realistic pOr-
trayals OF horrible predicaments in
which human beings may 'all. are. to
say the lesst, agunizing in their inten-
sity and Fidelity 20 detail There IS
nothing he likes better than 10 die IN
any number of ways. lie permanently
dispcls the old idea OF dying peace
fully" After witnessing a few of his
selections as to the manner. circUm-
stance, and phenomena Of death, the
average man may readily pray to be
spatched asunGer, when his time comes,
by a pistol-shot in the lung.
Arnold Days Changes.
The only other approach to an open
ing since last Sunday, apart fru~- the
nightly happenings at the Lyric is the
activity and changes Of bill achieved
at the Berkeley Lyceum. where Arnold
DAILY, Helen Ware, and Margare, Wy
cherry are prominent in the casts, IN
various strange plays, now under che
direction Of Liebler and Company. Ac-
tor Daily has heralded his amusement
house as the Theater of Ideas for some
time. and amid a sDIurge and splash
of talk he has attracted some ridicuie
and much attention. The assumption of
control by the LiebIers, who are sue
ccssful magnates in the theatrical bust
ness. is understood to mean that there
is money in ideas, in the production Of
new plays under the refiHem ents Of p
small LyceUn, and many a NeoDhytic
playwright is now conscious Of rising
hopes. The Berkeley playhouse also
provides an arena for the exploitation
Of new talent which might not other
wise see the light Of the stage. t3lent
Of the playwright order. ard also among
the stagefOlk. Plays-one-act curtain
raisers, for instance-let them he ever
So good, the better they are the more
the present management likes thCm-
may be put en- there. 10 the delight and
edihcation o. the more seriously in
clined in this miXed-up town. The
Berkeley is paying now, and rumor has
it that it did not pay before. 1t is gain
ing a substantial clientele. and the
wares it offers remind one Of good
music. which grows more interesting
the more you hear It.
Rose Stahl Still Popular.
I was not astounded. but was
pleased Calong with thousands of
others). when Miss Rose Stahl found
her popularity. and mat of '"The Chorus
Lady" to have waned not the slight
est bit when they returned to New
York the other day, and opened again
at the Hudson Theater. This city is
true TO its loves II the right cOmbina-
ton of circumstances can be once
caught, and a success scored, then the
city is as faithful to its once-acknowl-
edged idols as the English people are
kind TO the old folks at home tbs
picture Of a chorus girls life. and the
extremely interesting delineation of the
character by Miss Stahl. has delved
Continued on Third Page)