The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-08-21
THEATRICAL OUTLOOK


the season really seems about to start.
II will only be a few weeks now until
all Of them open their doors, though the
announcements Of the high-priced houses
are not yet in shape 10 be given out.
It looks as If the present season were
70 be a more prosperous one than last.
In some way tleatergoers seem avid for
entertainment, and all OF the theaters
are starting with a rush. The popular
vaudeville house OF p. B. Chase has had
its box Office open for week. and In
that time il has booked more orders for
seats in advance than during anv pre-
vious week Of its history Going TO po-
lite vaudeville seems 20 be a permanent
habit in Washington, and. catering to
this habit, Chase's sees to It that a num-
Der of patrons have the same seats in
the theater every weeR. and these are
often engaged for the entire season.
$50
The Columbia has established UNIQUE
record for washington. The manage
meat has decided to keep the Columbia
Players in commission right up 20 the
Saturday night prior TO the regular open
ing of the season, which will be septem-
her p, with Al Wilson. In Metz in Ire
land. Thus the theater will have the
record Of having been kept open without
cessation for the entire year. q precedent
that is sure TO be kept up if the Column
bia is only fortunate enough to secure so
sood a stock company next year II is
plain, by the way, that the Columbia
is going TO be fortunate in the list OF
attractions it viii have this year. Fol-
lowing Al Wilson. there comes the big
new musical play. Deacon Flood with
Harry Kelly IN the cast; Robert Tfilliard.
In "A Fool There Was" Conan & Har-
ris' dramatic Offering THE Penalty"
and Al WoooS production. New York"
Already the thoater is booked UP solidly
TO holiday time. and everything points to
a highly successful season.
There is a wide variance Of public opin- !
ion on the matter Of children appearing
on the stage Some say that stage chill
dren do not have to work hard; others
claim that IL leads 20 their ruin Laws
against the appearance Of children on the |
STAGE are being enforced actively in Mas
sachusetts. Louisiana. Maryland. and ILL
nois. In the latter State the attitude OF
certain statesmen, so called. has devel- |
oped into nasty scandal None of the
laws as passed were aimed directly at
stage children. but as the field is a pro- |
itc one for neutrality-suspicious.. the chill |
dren Of the stage were forced 20 bear the |
brunt Of the prosecutions
In the "Rebecca OF Sunnybrook Farm" |
production, which Klaw & Granger will /
open I'm New York in October. there are
SIX players who started their stage ca /
reers at the ages Of from two to five |
years Edith Taliaferro, who plays the /
part OF Rebecca. made her debut when !
she was two and a-half years old. Speak /
ing Of her stage life. Miss Taliaferro /
said:
Il am horrible example Of what a /
wreck the stage makes Of a child actor. /
began acting when I was two and /
a-haf years old. and my sister. Mabel, /
began when she was two and a-haIL We |
arc both as healthy as we can be. |
though the Gerry Society said # was
cruel to make my sister act when she was /
Att.e. Here is my daily routine when I I
was nine years old:
Il went 10 the theater at 7:S0 in the I
evening; I was home at H. When I got /
home after the performance I used TO
have a glass of milk and some crackers. I
and then I got TO bed by u:So. At 9 in /
the morning / was up I had lessons /
from 10 TO y. Then I lunched. studied /
tin 2. and from 10 ( played or did what 1
liked I had an afternoon nap from 10
$50. went out TO walk till 6. had dinner, /
and got ready for the theater.
Moreover. we generally had a weeks /
vacation al Christmas, often another |
week at Easter, and we closed for the 4
season On May /. Seven months work
and five months vacatTon-up in the /
mountains or down at the 'seashore. Kill !
ine. wasn't IL?
And money, The child who has the 4
smallest part in my company-there are !
none under sixteen-gets $40 week. Re /
hearsals aren't so hard on children. /
either as they are on older people, for I
the child is so active and initiative. OF 4
course We travel a lot, and it's a very
good thing. Stage children see more in
teresting places-hund-eds more-than or
binary children
II is said that the death-xnell OF the So /
called smart" dialogue play has been
sounded. It is declared that this style /
Of drama IS Ineffective, and that Shaw |
and Ibsen and their TX are losing their |
vogue. There has never been much OF !
this sort Of drama turned out by Ameri- l
can playwrights, partly because our ne-
tive dialogue is seldom smart" and /
again because the American theater-goer
wants something else besides talk in his /
plays. The success Of Alias Jimmy Val /,
antine" last season goes 10 show that plays /
with decided action stilI retain their hold /
On the American public. and II would not /
ba- az all surprising II there is not a de-
term med return 10 old-fashione% meIo- |
drama. It is not Improbable that the \
next successful American dramatist will
be the man who turns out a melodrama /
on an American theme, as bombastlc and |
along popular lines as was THE soudan" |
or The World" HECTOR FrrrTrp