The Washington herald., 1908-01-12
NEW YORK THEATERS.

New York, Jan. 1.-THE House OF
Thousand Candles" hardly made the IA
vorable impression which was hoped for
it by the friends Of James K. Hackett
and E. NJ. Holland, one the manager and
the other the star of the George Mid
dleton dramatizatIon of Meredith Nichol-
sons mystery novel which was put on
view at Daly's Monday evening.
To counteract a rooted prejudice OF the
critics against melodrama, the manage
ment frankly presented it as melo-
drama, hoping thus 20 take shaft out
Of their quiyer. But the device failed.
The majority Of the papers scored THE
House Of a Thousand Candles" on gen
eral principles.
It marks one OF the many failures Of
the season, although perhaps a mere
touch in the right places here and there
would have changed its destiny. Times
are ripe for good melodrama. frankly
melodrama, not r-melodrana. This
was abundantly indicated by the warm
applause bestowed upon those scenes
which were thrilling and unexpected. It
was not till the action became seif-con-
Trajectory that the interest waned. At
the end Of the second act the audience
called out the star time after time. and
Mr.. Holland made a little speech that
went straight TO the hearts of those who
remembered him for twenty years or
more playing every kind Of part. TIE
actor is now verging On the shady side
of life. and apparently the warmth Of his
reception touched hiIG sensibly. There
wasn't soul In the house but wished
him success and did what could be done
to applaud The House Of a Thousand
Candles into success.
Hackett has had his share OF bad luck
this season. He expected everything Of
John Glayde's Honor" The play was
substantial hit in London and it ex-
I perienced no untoward symptoms in its
short preliminary tour that could not be
explained away on the theory Of hard
| times that have driven so many good at
/ fractions TO the wall. But il was over
whelmed with an avalanche of censure
and cynicism by the morning papers
| Only set up the cry that a play abounds
/ In tragic moments and situations and
| that it lacks the conventional happy end
/ ing and the public imagines that it Is 20
/ be made the victim of "a dolorous expert
ment. and the death-knel Of the play
/ has been rung. John Glaydes Honor"
was retired after two weeks. THE House
! Of Thousand Candies was brought in
! 10 fill the gap ! hope / may prove q had
/ prophet, but there are abundant indic3-
| tiOns that the second Hackett enter Prise
/ Will go by the board. These failures are
costly and often ruln0us. BY great good
| luck ''The Witching Hour is firmly es-
/ tablished al the Hackett Theater. and
I furnishes the one bright ray in the cloud
/ ed horizon. What Hackett will do next
/ is yet a matter OF speculation
'Funabashi" is a musical comedy with
a conventional plot and @ familiar back
I fground and more or less familiar charac-
/ ters, but exceedingly bright in spots and
/ Iexcellenty produced and PLACED al the
! Casino, where II suCCe e1ed The Cay
/ White Way" on Monday night. In the
/ east are Joseph Miron. the best buno
artist in this country; Alice Fisher, Vera
( Michelena. who plays an American girl.
William Rock, and Maude Fulton, pre-
{
I Fisher is credited with bhe hlt of he
/ piece IN the character Of a dashing wild
+ ow. The scene Is laid in an imaginary
country. well Japanned and the plot is
WELL as you ike It,
/ The piece was heralded as a take-0ff
/ on the world tour OF Secretary Taft But
that simile IS far-fetched, for so far ss
known the p0Ttiy member of the Cabinet
has no son whom he is ambitious To
marry to an English heiress, as n the
play. And yet this is what an the trou-
/ BILE grows out Of-this and the fact that
+ the son is in love with a little American
/ girl and contumaciousIy opposes his faith
/ er's wishes. There is a good deal Of
action and there is much c0mmandabls
music and singing. and as a Casino at
\ traction. 'Funabashi' seems 10 hit the
mark fairly well. whatever HAY be said
+ In a hypercritical spirit Of rs weH-worn
/ theme,
AT the Grand Opera House this week
! Nat Goodwin is appearing in his old re-
I pertoire, An American Citizen" "A Gid
/ ed Fool" In Mizzoura," when We
Were Twenty-one, &C. After next week
/ the company Will beaiisbanded in Brook
2
/ be effected for the presentation OF two
new plays under the management of
! George c. Tyler or the Liebler5. The
/ new company viii include a number Of
/ the present members, but will be per-
/ fected with a special view TO the pres
| entation CT THE Master Hand. by
/ Carroll Fleming and Florence Miller, and
/ The Fastener" new comedy By
] -. D.. l.
two out OF his old repertoire will be in
cluded in the road tour which win take
/ Goodwin South for a season Then ne
will come into New York-that is 20 say,
about March. OF course these calculs-
! tions viii be largely Influenced by tne
success or failure OF the two nev. plays.
only one Of which has so far been tried
on the road. The Broadhurst play is yet
TO prove its availability.
Biaude Adams abandoned Peter Pan
and returned to Quality Street Monday
night at the Empire This is preliminary
to her prospective appearance in THE
testers" 0.es BouGons), which is to sue
ceed Peter Pan" as her permanent
vehicle.
At the Astor "Fhe Secret Orchard" is
the attraction for this and next week,
after a week on the road and two weeks
at the Lyric, where it was crowded out
/ by Mrs. Fiske.
At the Broadway Theater "The Round
| Up has been succeeded by Anna Held
in the same musical affair in which she
! scored triumphantly last season at the
same house, "A Partisan Model" with
out Charles A BigelOw. so many years
her leading comedian and largely her
mainstay. Anna and he quarTeled last
season after she heard that Bigelow was
to go starring. The prospective loss OF
| the bald-headed fun-maker seemed to
arouse her resentment, and Bigelow de-