The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-11-21
THE THEATER IN NEW YORK
Antony and Cleopatra" at the New Theater-"Seyen
Days" Is TOmfOOlery Exposed.

New York, Nov. 2O.-The New Theater.
capitalized abundanuy 10y the same mil
lionaires who sustain IN New York the
best opera on earth. has not yet reached
success OF failure positively. Nor has it
engendered any antipathy by toplofty airs
Of wealth. or grandiloquent promises OF
artistic superiority It's tickets cost no
more than those OF every other playhouse
Of the first grade: so il doesn't have to
afford more satisfaction than the old
theaters i'm order TO give "a moneys
worth. Some folks expect it to belittle
10y wondrous achievements the best that
is done by the commercial managers; and
such optimists win have 10 walt awhile
for that. IL it ever comes. Meanwhile.
the scheme Of installing a numerous
selection Of artists. and establishing a
repertoire with which to change the play
several times each week. has not been
operated long enough TO be judged con-
clusively.
The first production. that 'of Antony
and Cleopatra" was disappointing in its
principals, Edward n. Sothern and Julia
Marlowe. They get, no outsider knows
what. munihcent salaries for being I'M
starred members OF q stock company. but
Il Is said they have asked to be released
as soon as possible: j suppose they have
had all they can stand OF bellttlement by
enormous architectural surroundings. All
the dwarfing or Sotiern though isn't
done by the mammoth auditorium. lie
Is q short man. and I'm making Up his own
companies he won't hire any one taller
than himself. but as the noble Roman
beloved OF the beauteous Egyptian. he
has companions OF "a stature 20 make
him look like "a runt And instead OF
furniture and other constructions scaled
down 90 give an illusion of size to him.
the palace 81 Cleopatra suggests giants
with a pygmy for a guest. 10 Is "a wonder
10 me that an actor Of S0thern's sChreWd-
ness and great prosperity subjected him
self TO this ordeal
Cleopatra Dies Lingering Death.
Repeutlous OF Antony and Cleopatra
have been expedited a little. but S0thern
and AIarlowe stm cling To their words as
though enchanted by their melodious
voices, and Of course. the rest Of the
players slow down To the Same tempo.
And Julia Marlowe. whom 7 esteem the
ablest actress I'm America Tor classic roles,
dies SO lingerinEly that the biting asp
might lose fits sting from old age-for
Insect life is brief. YOU Inow-and die Of
seuiie decay Gre tic poisoned queen gets
through with her gamut Of gasps and
Eroans. screams and means. 10 finally de-
eide on a long. low hoWl-like the POEMS
famshod wolf ON Oonolaska's shore-as
her last expression or mortal anguish.
Five weeks ago. guessed that an
anonymous play performed by q Brook
lyn stock company was being tested FOR
the New Theater "A ROYAL Runaway
had been made from q novel. "Prlscnla's
Fortnight" and as the first comedy at
the millionaires playhouse IL is named
Tho Cottage i'm the Air" The large
quantity of talent under rsy here rs
shown 5y the fact that Of the twenty-five
players i'm the Shakespeare tragedy. only
four arc among the nineteen I'm the
Knoblauch comedy, yet both casts pro-
vide excellent and exactly suitable abil-
ity down 10 the smallest roles High
salaries for q whole season I'm New York
with promises OF bigger roles later. have
induced actors OF some celebrity TO take
small assignments az first Thus we
have Rose Coghlan. Ferdinand Colts
chalk Henry Stanford. Howard KYLE.
Mrs. Sol Smith. and others in minor
tasks And. oh. but it is a delight to
have the smaller effects OF pIav
wrought out for all their value by ex-
perts, The applause thereat should con
vince them that they are not hurting
their populations.
"The Cottage I'm the Air"
''rho Cottage I'm the Air is good
enough comedy to be put into the New
Theater's repertoire. but not great enough
20 make the deep impression desirable
ut the outset Of a model dramatic instf-
tuition. Besides r. has been discounted
10y Ponocks such Little Queen" now
running here, I'm which the same story
is told Of a German princess running
away from court and "a royal cspousal
With an aged teacher Of socialistic
IDEAS. so as 10 live helpruIly among
common people IN a foreign land. Ac-
cording to Pollock. they rent a New York
Nat, where they are regarded by their
neighhors as crazy or idiotic In this
version. the ethical purpose Of the book
Us discarded. and the ain instead is far
cical fun tinctured with sentiment. Ac-
CordinE to Enoblauch. Princess Priscilla
and her old tutor choose an English wiz
lage for their experiment In socialism
The girls treat for the children results
in Indigestion, her generosity with money
in ldlcncSs, drunkenness. and even theft.
her broad-mindod theories about the sab
bath. in a possibly fatal quarrel between
a bishop and the local vicar with "a wife
and six children TO support: and her
In frr- Hon. Of
harouet feels to be the utter breaking Of
mis- heart AZ Tie last the princess finds
She has spent all the money brought
with them Tradesmen are about tbeir
ears with unpaid bills. and a glass Of
sour milk is the only nourshment left
he fault Of this play is inactive looua-
CITY The IDEAS are talked about until
i1eF bore The listeners. II is almost
midnight before a princcIy lover of the
princess rcscues her from her p.edica-
ment AMI convinccs her that she may do
more GOOD as his wife or "a throne than
as a cranky socialist i'm poverty.
tmrd OF one of the three hours.
uousn' U.s. given mp 10 teaching fashion
anle New Workers to be sociable at the
lheater; aud they are learning but slowly
considering The aptness of our smart
loINs. The New Theater has "A tea room
""' haIIoom- spacious and beautiful.
ana the intention OF the directorate Is
mat every evening, between the second
and third acts or The play. these two
places shall for twenty minutes be
modlsh resorts FOR polite couviviaIity. ON
me uTst night, The numerous chairs ana
u'Dies were ieft almost unused. and while
in- cafe had men drinking at the bar
Tow women strolled into the tearoom VIII,
their escorts. gaZCd CuriOusIv about ana
went back 90 the auditorium thirsty Tbe
occupants Of the boxes, however, are he
taxing themselves 10 these places I'm in
'Ieasing numbers for leisurely refresh
ment and soCiabiHty New York has
!. law .-.-u.- Tho 81. ~ .L---.--..-