The Washington times., 1908-12-06
Miss Walsh Coming in New
Play Crowded With
= Action.
OPERA PRODUCTION
BIG UNDERTAKING
Project for Popular Prices Daring
Venture" Divorce" Audiences
Present Paradox.


italian grand opera. The Rouud-Up.'' 90
Harry l. Tighes Couegians at Chase s.
An assortment that.
The Test" IS Miss WalSh's new We
hicle. The author is thai Jules Eckert
Goodman whose Right to Live was
recently produced at the Columbia. The
earlier play revealed prOdigt5us talent
for action" each OF its four acts pre-
sented incident enough for an entire
evening This, according TO the critics
OF other cities, is the main point Of
similarity betweens il aud The Test.
The first was q popular failure. The
second has made the stir of pro-
nOunced success It is accepted as a
brighter. sweeter, happier play than
The Right 10 Live" and as Offering
Miss Walsh the best role she has had
since she was a leading woman I'm
Shakespeare.
Ivan Abrsmson and the Belasco The
ater are undertaking a good-sized com
mission in providing Italian grand
opera, brilliantly sung. at the standing
prices of the modern frst-class theater.
Their repertoire for the ensuing week
ranges from Faust" and Aida" 10
Carmen" and ''CavalIeria Rusticaua-"
Not many Of Us realize what program
OF nine operas in one week represents as
a theatrical undertaking.
Scenery Big Factor
IN scenery alone there Is probably an
aggregate of six times the amount car
ried even FOR large production like
Tire World and His Wife" This means
CNT- men TO watch it. extra draws 10
col rev il between stage and station, ex-
ira cars extra stage hands. Then there
are about six times the usual amount
Of properties to be gathered iu each city.
Then there are the billing Of nine plays
instead of one, the newspaper advertis-
ing, the gathering and distribution OF
Information as 10 the stars Of nine
companies, practically, and the confu-
C.on of caring for each one as though
ne had a company OF his own and the
managers had no one else &c bother
over.
IL Is a big job. Undertaking it for
regular prices instead or s. for orchestra
chair and 81 in the gallery takes nerve.
'The AbramsOn company and Manager
Taylor have the nerve, and il is good 70
know that the advance sale re-enforces|
a..
THE Round-Up' comes after a long
New York run. A good many Of us
saw that remarkable sign over the en-
trance to one OF the Broadway thea
ters. Round and round the light flew.
holding the eye with something like
magnetism. while every now and thea
those three words glared forth or blink
eG-''The Roundup" Behind the sign
was the reinforcement Of the comedy
that turks in the sentiment Of every
fat man, and the thrill Of life in the
Far West, where elementary impulses
speak out, and men and women alike
want what they want when they want
It,
Minstrels Of New School
A "Round-Up'' would be a good thing
Tor the minstrels. Novelty viii be the
death OF that form Of entertainment
yet The old time show IS good enough.
But 1t IS not enterprising TO let it alone.
So one year our wooIly entertainers ap-
pear as hussars, another they must be
cOsters, and how Mr.. DoCkstader makes |
them all fOXhunters.
All right! Only some day. when
''this glorious form Of amusement known (
SIS the minstUelsyT turns over on its
back to crOak, manager will appear
with a restorative. And this is what
81 will be:
A plan for a plain. unadorned, un-
adulJerated minstrel performance. with
men that can sing sweetly, the OLD
style of jokes yOU couldn't miss in the
dark. black-faCe comedy very carefully !
constructed and good gags"
The promoter who sees that light /
ana follows il will come TO = gold mine
BoNes--Practically all taken. Orches- !
ira chairS-the same. Balcony-abOut
half hilcd- GalleVy-abOut nine tenths
empty That is the curious record of
Divorce at the Columbia this past
week.
"Divorce" Lacks Interest.
Explanations were many. TO be sure 1
Bourgeois book was known only 10 the I
socially elect. There was 10 real love
interest Divorce is a play for Roman I
Catholics only But those closest 20 4
the problem reasoned it about on these /
lines
The middling-sized balcony and gal
iery audiences Of Monday and Tues |
day night were not advertisers of 4
the piece. Why Well. to begin with |
more Americans than one cares TO ad- !
NIT have had absolute divorce as a /
family incident, close enough to make
them shrink from hearing the children /
OF q REMARKED divOUcee pronounced IL !
legitimate Society can ignore such
things; the typical American cannot /
Ihen the play was unhappy. That's a 4
big point Then, free union CRATES
on our sensibilities. here in this coun- /
try; Most OF al, all typical Americans |
VIII not pay money to see a manly !
young son leave his mother TO rUn /
cOnventiOnalities observed hv practi- 4
cally all the American mothers in the I
audience
Real Appeal of Play.
This Is not dramatic criticism, OF /
course Neither is Divorce" drama /
The pleasure lost by those who STAYED /
away from the Columbia was not the
pleasure which is inherent in an acted
working plan of life. II was the pleas
ure incident 10 a series Of motion and 4
talking pictures.
What wonderful pictures they were
however, They spoke our tongue. did 4
Miss Terry and Miss Tempest, Mr. Ser
rano and Mr.. Plympton. as though they
loved u for its music and were careful /
not 10 strike q diScord. They acted
with the quiet confidence OF thorough
training. They were all ENGAGED i'm
creating new personalities as far as
they could, and they could very far
The Gay Musician" lacked ginger !
II was good enough musically. Il was
good enough as comedy. Il was good
enough as pleasing spectacle, if it
had been underscOred anywherc What
u needed was q thrill or two. More
comedy would improve il. especially if
II were kept IN the KEY More brilliant
costumes would help il. As il stands.
u fs "hat Mr.. Barrie calls a ''TWeenie"
IL shopld get next to something Wig
orouS