The Washington herald., 1908-04-12
NEW YORK THEATERs.

The Royal Mounted" al the Garrick,
Monday evening. This play deals with
the Canadian Northwest, and the title
refers specifically to The mounted police
Of that section, swagser lot of chaps
who would adorn any drama Of adven-
ture and furnish any playwright with
material for an exciting play. This Is
that sort of a play. It tells the story OF
the love Of Victor O'Byrne. Of the Royal
Mounted Police. a delightful Irishman (as
depicted by Cyril seott), for the sister of
the man he is duty bound 30 hunt TO his
death for a killing. But the authors have
so eontrived It that the light-hearted
Irishman, who has never finched from
duty and Official rectitude, shall not dis
cover that his prey Is his sweetheart's
brother until he has the darbles on his
wrists and is ready to tramp him back
TO the seat OF justice and retribution.
Then Victor swerves from the beaten
path. For he discovers that the man
whom he has arrested is not only the
brother of the girl he loves, but has only
killed a villain who insulted that girl. So
re releases the man and tells him 10 go,
accuses himself Of dereliction of duty, and
faces the serious penalty Of his offense.
until the discovery is made that the man
whom the brother has slain was d no
torious outlaw with a price upon his
head. And so matters take a new turn
and everything proves to have been for
the best
The play is from the pens OF Cecil and
William C.. de Mile. whose names as
playwrights have become familiar 10
many playgoers in connection with sundry
individus. and collective playwrishting ef-
forts. as Classmates" THE Warrens
OF Virginia" and "Strongheart" While
Cyril Scott Is conceded to have made q
personal hit in the principal role. the play.
though we'll received, failed of creating
any extraordinary enthusiasm The Times
says; The Messrs. de Mile have merely
made story-book play-and made il
very nicely-the kind that comes out OF
Illuminated covers, or might stay there
quite as we'll Where the material has
come from does not really matter, for AZ
bottom these plays are all alike and aia
Of the dramatic stock pot" The Press
says: "At the crucial moment lie de
Miles are anything except hard hitting:
they begin BY threatening to do something
original, they end by laboring under the
shackle of convention" The Sun: AS a
play The Royal Mounted IS just one Of
those things. II gives every evidence OF
having been written around the principal
character, which Is a circumstance almost
invariably inimical TO art II is 50 in
this case. And al the end Of the .hird
act there is a long debate between the
hunter and the hunted, each with mis-
hand on revolver and you wonder and
wonder why nobody shoots. They are
mighty careless with firearms all through
the piece, as matter Of fact" The
American: 1T was an easy story from
start TO finish, with nothing in Il that
seemed quite worth Whle. such tales
CLOSED over with literary veneer or
served up with the tricks Of a new style
might still be possible But IN the play
at the Garrick IL was good old theater
dished up In the most conventional and
threadbare style" And with this sum-
mary Of critical opinion / leave the read
er 10 draw his own differences whether
he will Ike or dislike The Royal Mount
ed when II comes his way.
The revival OF interest in the Vienna
operetta. which started with The Merry
Widow and THE Waltz Dream" prom
ises to have a beneficial effect upon
vaudeville, Judging by the announcements /
made this week that comic opera would
be introduced shortly at some Of the lead (
Ing vaudeyiiis houses. The nrst announce
ment Of this kind is in relation TO Tho
Love Waltz" a Viennese operetta in one
act which is 10 have its first New York
on April .. This is fol-
lowed by tho announcement that Martin
Beck, the general manager of the Or
pheum circuit nas made an arrangement
With Mr. Reginald de Koven for four one
act Operettas by the composer Of Robin |
Hood. Rob Roy, and Foxy Quiier"
These offerings will be staged by the pro-
ddcng department Of the Orpheum cir
cut They viii be complete musical come !
dis condensed into thirty minutes and
will be utilized as a regular vaudeville !
act, playing two weeks in each city
Eugene Walters new play, THE Wolf"
which has been kept on the road pending
for q suitable Broadway
theater. Is 10 be presented in this city
for the first time. April Is, at the Bljou. |
This opening is brought about by a
hitch in the preparations for the first
production in English Of Papa Lebon- |
nard. with Henry T. Dixey in the title
role. Dixey was TO have opened in Jean /
Aicard's drama April 9, and the electric |
sign was already displayed In front of
the theater. when on Tuesday morning /
the unexpected announcement was forth |
coming that Papa Lebcnnard" had been /
postponed. The Sire Brothers. 1
under whose management Dixey has pass
ed explained that the delay was caused by |
trouble in finishing the translation and 4
that road tour win be opened about 4
Apgii %. With something Of the same /
suodenness DiXey last year abandoned !
his successful tour in THE Man on the /
Box" and a short time ago. an engage /
ment in vaudeville in which he was an 4
nounced to open at the Fifth Avenue !
Theater
Edward Child Carpenter. young Phila-
ielphla playwright. like Eugene Walter. |
the recently discovered genius, whose
paid in Fur is the sensation of Broad I
way. has suddenly become the bone of
between contending manage
ments for the possession of a play which
won the prize Of the New York
Globe writing contest.
Brief reference was made IN this letter
to the fact that THE Barber Of New
Orleans" was desired both by william
Faversham and Frederic Thompson, as
Mr.. Thompson was the promoter Of the
contest and had promised to give a suit
able production to the successful play. 1
The title Of Mr. Carpenters drama. which /
came out victorious In the contest. was
II that time The order OF the Rose. .
Mr. Carpenter in the meantime. had sent
copy of the play to William Faversham. +
n a.. -.l....-.- g.. ..-rh, cc.,,-. IL. q.