Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-06

Of the Fm6ire theater in New York,
and the critics acclaimed it his best
role. Jack Straw was the first OF
the comedies of w. Somerset Maugh-
am produced in this country. IN Lon
don it was done by Charles HaWtrey.
"I,adv Frederick" another comedy by
the same author, was presented only
last week by Miss Ethel barrymore
here.
lack Straw" is a comedy Of the
lightest kind, but it is extremely anus
ing and there is a vein of satire run
ming through it, The characters and the
dialogue are vivacious and original.
Mr. Maugham is evidently a keen
observer of human nature, leni-
ent to its weaknesses, but unspar-
ing of its shams. The snob who doesn
learn a very salutary lesson IRON
"Taclx straw must be dull of COM
prehension. The hero is a Pomeranlan
archduke with a taste for adventure
incognito He has wandered all over
the world and been evrything, from
sailor before the mast to player OF
small parts in an American repertoire
company. When the play opens ne is
employed as a waiter at fashlonaple
I I,sndon hotel. One of the guests, Mrs.
Parker Jennings, has given offense Dy
her cruel treatment of an lnottenslVe
little woman from the country, whose
friends determine to punish her as sne
J richly deserves. lIltlT pan - ~ -
trodtice the waiter-whose real 1deh-
| titv they. of course, do not suspect
to her. as a person of title and then,
after she has fawned upon him, eX-
| nose him in what they suppose is ms
| true character, as waiter ana ENJOY
her discontinue. Inc arcIi,luhs i'a NJ,
| a grees to play his part in the JOKE on
condition that they introduce him as
the Archduke Sebastian of Pomeranla'
who he actually is.
| The ioke succeeds according TO eX-
pectations. but when the time comes
| for the exposure the archduke has tall-
Ven in love with the Parker Jennings
| pretty daughter and in the dehouelilelie
| he declares his identity. ,
Miss Rose Coghlan is Mrs. Pafker
| Jennings. kind of modern Mrs. Mala-
prop, and others in principal roleS are
| Miss Adelaide Prince, Miss Grace f1en- Zen
| derson, Miss Helen Freeman EDGAR
T. Davenport, Frank Goldsmith, Ma
rio Majeroni, e. Soldene FoWeh anu
Edwin Nicander
Mr. Drew will remain at the Mason
all this week, with matinee on oat-
urday.
K-Manager oliver Morosco
announces an elaborate revival OIL VIII
| liam Gillette's great war play, "Secret
Service" as the weeks attraction at
| his Main street house, beginning with
| the customary matinee today ana IN
| Guiding a matinee Saturday. The play
has not been seen at the BURBANK since
1903. when it was presented by the olq
Neill- -Morosco company, with HoWaru
| Could In the Gillette role, which now
will be assumed by William Desmond
The Burbank company is eXcellently
adapted to give a fine performance Oh
this play The hero of Secret Service
is a secret agent of the United states
government assigned to duty IN Rlch-
mond-in other words, spy The time
is the period of the Civil war; the oth-
| er characters, men and officers OF both
armies and their friends and enemies
in the city The plays story involves
the adventures of Captain Thorne and
his love for Edith Varney, a fair south
erner whose loyalty is all for Dixie.
William Desmond will play Captain
Thorne, the role created by William
! Gillette; A. Byron Beasley Will be seen
as Mr.. Arlesford, Thorne's rival; Harry
| Mestayer will play the Juvenile, VIII
! fred Varney; Charles Giblyn will again
assume the identity of Lieutenant
! Maxwell the role he created when
member of Gillette's company; and
Frederick Gilbert viii be Captain Du-
mont, Thorne's brother.
BY her own request Miss Blanche
Hall has been assigned to the ingenue
role of Caroline Milford, part she has
long wanted to play; while Lowell Alice
Taylor will have the heroine's role.
Others important in the stage story Will
include William Yerance, John W. Bur
ton, Louise Royce, Carol Marshall, Mar
go buffet. Frederick Gilbert and H. S.
Duffield There will be a large number
of auxiliary players and suitable
stage environment is promised. The
play is in four acts
BELASCO-James A. Herne's IA
miliar comedy drama, "Shore Acres,
will be played this week by the Belasco
Theater company shore Acres Is
one of the recognized classics of the
American stage, and during the life of
Mr.. Herne it was accepted as his great
est play. The part of Nathianel Berry
will give Louis Morrison a capital
chance to demonstrate his ability as
character actor. The part was Gre
ated by Mr. Herne and combines gen
tleness with the rigid virility of the
New England hero. The part of Mar
tin Berry will be played by De Witt c.
Jennings and all of the Belasco players
will be found in the supporting roles,
while an elaborate scenic equipment is
promised OF course there will be the
good old-fashioned turkey dinner with
the comedy scenes leading up to the
meal. The struggle in the lighthouse
between the Berry brothers, with the
storm tossed schooner, Liddy Ann, in
the distance will lend moments of
melodramatic intensity to the play.
MAJESTIC-'Lonesom Town." the
comedy in which Kolb and Dill con-
auered New York city, and the most
popular of their offerings in the west,
will be revived at Hamburger's MaJes-
tic theater this week, the New York
production being presented intact.
Matinees will be played as usual on
Wednesday and Saturday. Lonesome
Town" was seen here in part last year,
but owing to limited stage accommo-
dations the eastern production was not
shown.
The scenes of this comedy by the late
Judson c. Brusse are laid in our own
suburb of Watts. 1t is, however, a
Watts that probably wouldn't be recog-
nized even by the oldest inhabitant;
and it isn't such a very lonesome town
after all, the chorus and the comedians
conspiring' to make it lively enough for
anybody.
Kolb and Dill, together with Sidney
De Grey, appear as tramps; Percy
Bronson and Carlton Chase are pro-
moters interested in the dollar down
and dollar month lots; Ernest Van
Pelt is the town constable; Adele Raf-
ter. a dashing San Francisco widow,
and Marion Miller, Hazy Fogg, sort
of California Sis Hopkins.
There are eleven musical numbers,
including the always popular Gee, but
This Is a Lonesome Town. I'm Run
ming After Nancy" THE Game of
Coli 1.-The Yankee Soldier Boys,
"When the Moon Plays Peek-a-Boo,' .