The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-13
DEPARTURE IN NEW YORK SUM
 MER THEATRICALS A GREAT SUCCESS.

SUCCESS.
 l K1aw & Erlanger have made another innovation in the theatrical business
 of New York city which has proven an enormous success-namely, the pro- | duction of a. dramatic offering on a | roof garden. Brady & Grismer's "A | Gentleman from Mississippi, in the Aerial Gardens, which crowns the lofty parapet of the New Amsterdam thea I tre, has been received just as cordially
 as it ever was on an indoor stage l The success of the departure is revo- l 1utionary. It has been held most wig l orously that only show with music 1 and lots of girls would appeal to the | summer theatregoer. New York, how | ever, has grown in such favor as a visitors will keep open any house that
 is cool and comfortable. The stranger
 within the gates, it has been proven, | is keen to see a dramatic success with
 a strong New York cast; something | he or she can talk about when he or
 she gets back home. It gives one the opportunity to make that irritating,
 unanswerable remark, 'fYes, I saw the | show when we were in New York with | dear Tom Wise and Douglas Fairbanks
 in the cast. It was an entirely new | production, too"
 | It was A. L. Erlanger's idea to make this wide departure from set custom | and habit. He waited until time and | tide were right and then launched a | venture which will lead to an entirely | new departure in the summer theat- rical offerings of New York city. Light breezy comedies will surely here after vie with musical productions for | the entertainment of summer theatre goers. MT. Erlanger just saw it first. | The Aerial Gardens has stage as | completely equipped as any theatre in the-c city. The house itself is complete. With the lights of New York twinkling on every side of the cool and spacious he f Q | carry easily to all parts of the theatre and not a word is lost. Best Of all, the spectators are comfortable and the
 breezes that blow over Manhattan at the height of the Gardens fan audience and actors alike, so that no one need sit in a. stuffy hall and swelteringly watch the players collars and acting go limp under the strain of the heat A slight change in the department of the usual audience is to be observed. Klaw & Erlanger have installed a band of troubadours behind clump of shrubbery. A concert opens at eight o'clock and lasts until the rise of the curtain. Between the acts the spec tators scatter over the lofty promen- ades, which are as attractive as the Aerial Gardens, listen to the music or sip cooling drinks. Smoking is per- mitted in all parts of the house.
 The play is a humorous picture of Washington life, told in pleasant satirical vein It is cleverly acteo,
 
 a full season Thomas A. Wise is de lightful in the role of the Senator, and Douglas Fairbanks makes a very man. ly reporter-secretary.
 May de Souza, of Chicago, who has risen from the ranks of the chorus to be a favorite of the theatre-goers of London and Paris has been engaged by Klaw & Erlanger for the leading role in a. new musical comedy which Victor Herbert and Harry B. Smith will write for her.
 Harry Blaney will play the part of Flip next season in the Klaw & Er- Ianger production of Little Nemo. Joseph Cawthorn and Harry Kelly re- turn to the roles of Dr. Pill and the
 Julian Rose will play a part in Klaw & Erlanger's new musical comedy oy John J. McNally and Jerome Heath will be starred the coming sea- son. The production will be opened at the Euclid Avenue Opera House in Cleveland in August. This Is the first time that A. L. Erlanger has opened show in his native city.
 BickeI & Watson, Lee Harrison and Barney Bernard will be members Of the big company with which Klaw & Erlanger will surround Mile. Genee when she enters on her career of a star under the management Of this firm The book will be by Harry B. Smith and the music by Maurice Levi. Mlle Genee returns to America in Au- gust
 Rehearsals for the Mcintyre and Heath show have been called for July 18th.
 Maclyn Arbuckle is searching Eur ope and America for an elephant for his new play, "The Circus Man." He needs one that will work alone and is not SO large that its bulk will dwarf the scenery or Arbuckle himself.
 "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" promises to be one of the sweetest and simplest plays of the season. Its at mosphere is idyllic. Joseph Brooks IS selecting the cast with unusual care and deliberation.
 Klaw & Erlanger'S New Amsterdam theatre will be opened with "The Love Cure'' August 30. The firm opens the Liberty theatre August with The Florist Shop' Conan & Harris Min strels open the New York theatre Au- gust 16.
 Klaw & Erlanger and Joseph Weber will jointly manage Weber's theatre in New York next season. "The Climax" has already gone into the house to com plete it's phenomenal run in New York