Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-19
HALF MILLION LOST IN NEW PLAYS
Huge sum Dumped in London Thea
tiers for Summer Season.

Huge sum Dumped in London Thea
tiers for summer Season.
LONDON, July S.-(Special Correspond
ence. STheater managers nave mostly had
cause to weep over the season now draw
ing to a close, for It is estimated that the
total losses on new plays here has been
something like $500, 00O-much of It in plays
imported from the United States.
The London production of Way Down
East" at the Aldwych came perilously near
to establishing a record for brevity of run
for the season. AS it is, with its eight per-
formances, it is third on the list. the two
places of honor being occupied by Eng
lish plays. THE College Widow and
The Marriage Of William Ashe." Mar
garet Mayo's dramatization of Mrs.
H%umphry Wards novel Of the same name,
fight for tenth place with thirty perfor-
mances each. The New York Idea" with
forty-seven to it's credit, is seventeenth.
Among the successes "Brewster's Millions
is second, having been presented" no less
than 323 times. '"The Earl of Pawtucket'
is fifth. with 223 performances to boast of,
while "A White Man." which is the Eng
lish version OF '"rhe Squaw Man." reached
its 10th performance before a previous
contract compelled Lewis Waller TO with
draw 1t while its success was still green.
.
William Courtleigh. who presides over
the destinies OF the Actors Society Of
America, has been engaged to play at the
Coliseum shortly and will appear in his
sketch, Peaches" which you have al
ready seen in the vaudeville houses in the
United States. Several years ago Court
leigh told me that there was nothing in
the world he enjoyed so much as canoeing
and that nowhere else in the world could
his favortte recreation be enjoyed so fully
as on the Thames. Now he is having his
fill Of IL on the upper reaches Of the beau
tiful English river.
Rose Stahl passed through London a few
days ago on her way to Paris. She will
stay in the French capital Just long
enough to order some new Creations for
the second act OF The Chorus Lady" and
then is off to Brussels and Bruges for a
holiday, She returns to the United States
In September. She declares that she will
stick to the character of Patricia
O'Brien' until she has store teeth and
commercial hair" A any rate, she will
be seen In It next Easter in London at the
Hicks theater. London placed the hall
mark" on the vaudeville sketch from which
James Forbes built up the present version
OF The Chorus Lady" and so Miss stahl
and her managers are treadinE on pretty
safe ground.
Hattie Williams is also in Paris, but or
quite a different errand. That buxou
young woman is trying to absorb some o.
the Gay Paree atmosphere for use in tn,
third act OF Fluffy Ruffles,' the seen,
OF which is laid in France. Hattie Il
] hFnREfn0 Nha 49, 49,
big hat-and is doing everything else TO ge
herself into trim for the opening of tn,
Frohman production at the Criterion the
alter, New York, on August Is.
d
Truly Shattuck. who is in London an,
has appeared recently at both the Coliseum
and the Empire, has been engaged for IN
Christmas pantomime at Drury Lane. Ma
ture was very kind to Truly. and she doe
not hide her undoubted physical charm
under a bushel basket, so to speak. L
fact, her appearance in tights has set IN
~Johnnies talking, and although do nc
: know just what part she will lii in pic
, Wilmington" which is the name of IN
. big pantomime, l am tolerably certain tha
\ the management will not put her 1
skirts.
IA wee lSduold duncan VINO, &
course, is an American, Is giving a seri7
e OF her dances. Lately not only London. bu
4 the whole continent. has gone mad owe
: bareback, bare-chest, bare-feet and bar,
arm dancers that copy in varying degree
il the art to which Miss Duncan Introduce
us eight years ago. OF late years the Sa
Francisco woman has been teaching dar
cling TO children in Berlin and more latel
II in Paris. She has been coaxed to Londo
= by Charles Frohman and the extraordinar
vogue OF her imitators. Incidentally Il
NJ a notable fact that the three dancers WI
e have created real sensations OF late yea
ID should all be Americans. I refer. Of cours
ID TO Miss Duncan. Maud Allan and Ruth s
Denis.
Charles Froman expects TO sail for Ne
York on July IS. He has so many plal
that he cannot remember them all. on
Of the most interesting, l believe. is his cor
y ing production Of The Dollar Princess
r. a musical play written by two German
,s The adaptation for American is being ma
by George Grossmith, jr, a young come
" ian. who has had considerable experen