Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-11
w. B. MOSES & SONS, F St., Cor. / tn.
The Foreign Stage
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

speEldl correspondence or ne star.
LONDON. September 20. 1908
Ruth st. Denis who some years ago Gre
ated considerable sensation on the Proctor
circuit in the United States and later in
private matinees at the Hudson Theater.
New York. in her barefoot Indian dance.
will. very shortly. open the Scala Theater.
London. with a series. including her old
dances and some new ones which she
has never yet performed In public. Miss
St. Denis came to England soon after her
appearance in New York. and danced at
the Waldorf Theater in a series. OF matt
nees. but, as in the case Of 1sadora Dun
can on the occasion OF that dancers first
appearance in London. her art Was not
appreciated. The recent success OF Maud
Allan at the Palace Theater however has
emboldened Miss st. Denis to another ef-
fort to attract the elusive London amuse-
ment hunter
While paid i'm Full Eugene Walters
strong drama. has been praised by the
English critics. 1t has not met with the
financial success that should follow such
and il has been with
drawn. Some observers see in this cir
cumstance an added proof OF the so-called
prejudice against transatlantic drama In
England. One feature Of the play which did
not please the London theatergoers was its
ending. The English public pays for
cheerful ending and refuses to be satisfied
with anything else If the despicable hus-
band had been shot. run over or COM
mitted suicide and left the way open for
his unfortunate wife to marry her faith
full admirer II would undoubtedly have
made a big difference in the receipts at
the Aldwych Theater.
So well does a dramatist like Pinero I'M
derstand this attitude of the English pub
lie that a few years ago he deliberately
changed the ending of The Profigate"
in order that the public should have
what it wanted. In the dramatization OF
Kipling's The Light That Failed the
playwright responsible ior ii gave the
great B. p. happy ending which is not
to be found in the authors novel.
An interesting piece OF news is to the
geous production OF new dramatic ver-
sion OF Faust has run its race. he will
produce Macbeth, and that associated
with him in the staging Of il Will be
Gordon Craig. son of Ellen Terry. Craig.
who makes. his headquarters in Florence.
has revolutionary opinions stage set
ting. During his mothers season at the
Imperial Theater. London. his keen sense
of color. stage lighting and realistic ef-
fects made the productions notable. Since
then he has assisted Duse in several pro-
auctions.
Craig is a picturesque character. both
in appearance and mind. He travels
about in the public streets very much
like Isadora Duncan appears on the pub
lie stage. In Florence he is source OF
no little amusement not only to visitors
who run across him in the street but 10
the native children well.
Less than three weeks hence III. r.
Irving will open the Shaftesbury Theater
with a revival of The Lyons Mail" One
of the signs of the times is the remark
a BILE advance OF this son OF Sir Henry
in n &c ort A,trf bA
years. In Hamlet and a little less SO
I'm The Bells" which were so closely
associated with the genius of his father.
his improvement has been most marked.
Jerome X. Jerome threatens TO become
almost as prolific as a dramatist as is
Somerset Vaughan at the present mo-
ment. His Passing OF the Third Floor
Back which Forbes Robertson and Ger
trude Elliott are producing to crowded
houses at the ST. James. is TO be followed
by his Fanny and the Servant Problem
which Charles Frohman is TO produce
and in which Fannie Ward is 10 make
her temperance in London. London
expect great things from
show that will give her opportunity
Of exploiting to the full her undoubted
dramatic talents. Jerome's newest play
Is based on the story OF a music hall
Of the nobility. discovers herself in the
iifficult position of presiding over house.
hold of no less than tWenty-three domes-
tics. The ruses she employs to elude the
pitfalls and keep her real ignorance a
secret from the servants and the rela-
tives and friends of her husband develop
many amusing situations.
In a series Of articles by we'll known
celebrities appearing in an English week
y under the heading Critics Worst
Blunders." r. G. Knowles. who is de-
scrfbed as the most popular comedian
hat America has ever sent to England
ells an amusing story OF his reception
upon his first visit.
When I first came to England" SAYS
Knowles in his contribution, "a certain
-eyiewer said that 1 was SO bad that the
rrocadera management (where I opened)
would keep me four weeks because they
lad TO. but after that I should never be
heard of again in London. They added
hat 1 would undoubtedly utilize that
period to steal enough material from the
British comedians to go back TO America
md live the rest Of my life on their
,rains. Another journal. the name OF
which have forgotten. said that there
vas not another 'patter merchant in
Great Britain who could not give me
ISL yards in I'D and beat me a yard in
he remaining yard and a half.
Knowles triumph in England is all the
more remarka BILE because he has sue
eeded. has no other comedian. in
pleasing practically all classes of music
all audiences. He IL as much a favorite
t the Palace. London. where the best
q isl 10 IN hn ha