Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-01
The Foreign Stage.
special Correspondents Of The Star.

Special correspondents or Inc STAR.
LONDON. February 49, G0s.
Put on their mettle, perhaps. by the re-
cent triumphs of their confreres in
Vienna. the English composers of musical
comedy are becoming exceedingly busy.
Leslie Stuart of ''Florodora" fame has no
less than three separate scores under way
at present while the composer of THE
Orchid'' and 1.-THE Runaway Girl Ivan
Caryll, has just finished one new musical
piece and started work on another, and
Lionel Monckton and Paul Rubens both
are TO be heard from again shortly.
Meanwhile an old acquaintance in this
line is about to make another bid for ia
vor in the person of Sidney Jones, who
gave us 1.-THE Gefsha'' and 1.-THE Greek
Slave but who has put forth only one
new work since the production Of those
two memorable pieces. This was my
Lady Molly which was not given on the
other side of the Atlantic. though it
scored record Of something like three
hundred performances when played at
Terry's.
The book" of Jones' new opera is by
Leedham Bantock (whose White NChrys-
anthemum' appeared in the United
States). while the lyrics have been sup
piled by another veteran, Percy Green
bank. who was responsible for some OF
the most popular dittieS in 1.-THE GeiSha."
Unnamed as yet, the piece is in two acts
and it's scene is laid in Persia, the first
act being placed outside the Tortoise
shell Palace" the second act inside it.
There also are to be scenes in the desert
with real csmeis crossing the stage,
pictures OF the slave dhowS and slave
markets and all the warm color of the
orient. Mr.. Bantock is enthusiastic about
his collaborator'S work. Jones really
has surpassed himself he declared. He
has been working on this score for six
months, and nothing he has done pre-
viousiy. not even The Geisha,' can COM
pare with it, The new musical play is to
be produced at the Criterion Theater as
soon as Charles Wyndhams season there
closes: or about the beginning of April,
and If success is scored special COM
pany will be sent out forthwith first to
the United States and later to Australia.
That theatrical tastes vary in england
and America has been demonstrated
often enough. SO perhaps success may
attend an interesting little experiment
about to be tried by Charles Frohman
This will consist of the production In Lon
don OF Austin Strong's p!aylet, '"Ihe
Toymaker OF Nuremberg" with Albert
Chevalier in the name part. Mr.. Froh-
man, it may be remembered. was en-
thusastic over this piece when it was
submitted to nim in manuscript. but APP
parently it got chilly reception on your
dict will be it will be instructive to see
Chevalier. by the way. has made hit
IN a two-act play called THE House"
which is now being done at the Court
The scene is laid in model workhouse.
and the thing is piquant little tract
against municipal socialism as it fire.
quentiy turns out. Chevalier appears
a pampe-ed inmate Of this institution.
II. V. Eismond, who wrote when We
Were Twenty-one'' and Zone Summers
Day" appears TO have lost-or at any
rate mislaid-the trick of writing win
ners His Under the Greenwood Tree"
which Maxine Elliott put on It the Lon
don Lyric. held the boards there for two
weeks only, and apparently failed also to
appeal to American audiences. since the
actress is using another piece at present.
Nor has Esmond's later play, THE
OGrindless." Jared better. Cyril Maude
produced it at the Playhouse recently,
as a successor to ''The Earl of Paw
tucket." and it had a fairly friendly re-
ception, but after barely a fortnghts
career the last performances an
nounced 1t will be followed by "Fido.
the English version of "MedOr. which
Maude tried successfully at a series of
matiness recently, but this will serve only
as a stop-gap, Maude having a new play
in hand by A. E. w. Mason, author of
Miranda of the Balcony" and now
member of parliament, which he will
produce as soon as IL can De TenedrSeO
The action of this piece is laid in the
year 1906 it's authors aim being 10 pro-
vide a picture Of life and character in
London at that period Maudes part will
be that of an elderly beau.
In the case of Lena Ashwell. "dogged''
appears to have done it, Three times
did this actress attempt to set up a
London manageress with theater OF her
own. and as many times did ill-chosen
plays work her undoing. Evidently
however. it was three times and out
| (of troubled. for her first offering. Irene
Diana OF DobsoTrs." whose author like
Anthony Wharton is a newcomer. got an
enthusiastic reception at the Kingswa,
| this week. and is pretty certain to cross
| the water in it's turn. Either the actress
| has learned how to ''pick winners or
! has found somebody capable OF picking