Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-30

soul which finds the general MOOD a.
variance with its own. y fair exchange
balm for balm, enables the player Il
share with the reviewer the feeling OF
sympathetic aloofness from hard an6
uncultured world. Playwrights don't write
notos-penmanship is business with them
but they sometimes let their private
opinions of people who get things into
type find expression ON the stage. in more
or less subtle satire George Conan, for
instance. who has been oft roasted IN
spite of his practical and pre-eminent
success in his field. every now and then
likes to represent the reporter cal
low, seedy young person, whose front
hair gets into his eyes and who is just
crazy to interview actors.
Raymond Hitchcock has versatile hair.
His facility in entertaining both high
brow and low-brow audiences warrants
him in combing his hair very low over
the right eye and very high over the left
one.
The note which the actress-it is usual
ly from a lady star-indites is likely
10 read something as follows:
My Dear Mr.. Penwiggle: 1 want to
thank you so much for your scholarly
and discerning comments our play.
They were. 1 assure you, a relief from
the office-boy criticism to which art is so
often subjected, etc. ETC.
Note the fearful sarcasm in the word
'office-boy.'
Curiosity as to why the Office boy
should be so often selected as the goat
for the sarcastic sacrifice led TO the idea
of getting a real office boy to express
himself freely and in his own tongue
on the current theater. But the Office
boy was busy. Following a method oc-
casionally employed by more expert in
reviewers of more celebrated subjects, a
manuscript was carefully prepared to be
submitted for his inspection, revision
and Endorsement. The matter ran thus.
You want to interview me? I'm on.
What you're after is line Of dope on
the show shops that can get a divorce
from the big type adJectives on the
three sheets: something tLat don't
have the high sign of the goddess of
liberty on the Wall street silver medal
TO help 1T across. Well, I'm yours for
brief spiel. only make it swift, cause
L We got a date for a stair-step polka
with very particular telegram that
the boss downstairs is interested in
1 saw EN- all Never mind how. In
these early autumn days, just before
election, there's many an 'admit-one'
certificate slipped over to the deserving
friend of the Autograph man. II you
wanted real drama last week the thing
to do was to point your bow for the
Academy of Music, tie your rudder and
let no fog signals or red lights swerve
you from your course That Tom Shea
is a regular actor boy, and the way
he
The Bells and DR.. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde would make the original Henry
Irving and Richard Mansfield versions
look like tryouts by No. company
Hitchcock? Sure, 1 like to see him en-
JOY himself. Did you hear him when
he came right out on the stage and
said he was forty-five years of age. like
he was defyin the census taker?
II guess 45 is his lucky number all
right OF course. he won't do in the
Ieglt for some years yet. Amt il awful
for man with matinee first name like
Raymond TO Lave to put in his precious
life clownin' for the untlIinkin' bunch?
He has had his troubles, but he's got
his feet on granolithic now. No more
overshoes or stills for Raymond in tall
grass territory. He's got that little man
with the inexhaustible fountain pen at
his back, and when George Conan writes
Your plays all you got to do Is prance
out in front of the judges stand and get
d
lucky name, 'George'-George Cohan
George AIDE and George Bernard Shaw.
The Conan kid. though, is the real
Prince of AID Street with the charmed
life The critics get out the lemon
squeeZer for some of his plays. but the
out-and-out knocker passes him along
cause there amt any use of tryin to
crimp his reputation for politeness, kind
heartedness and general goodness to his
folks. If everybody that he ever bought
FOR or encouraged was to buy a ticket
Tor his show there wouldn't be room for
the ushers- 'Havana'-there's a neat
show with some near-singers and almost
dancers in ii. along with supply of
real goods. The Hello girls looked
cute and had the boys down in hair
restorer row organizin' kidnappin' plots
But take it from me. with that infant
makeup of. any one of EN- is old
enough and strong enough to talk loud
to waiter rather than go hungry. Amt
Jimmy Powers one of our veteran child
wonders? He always looks like he was
playin' hooky from night school to have
d good time on the stage. But when il
comes TO real high-class stuff. don't notice
the music shows much Not yet There
may be some mammoth displays few
stations ahead. but up to the present Won
can ring twice and let the car go on
The Office boy responded TO call and,
when he was told the purpose of the in
terview, adjusted his glasses and laid his
Latin dictionary on the table. II am
taking course in Latin he explained
because it facilitates the legal studies to
which / am devoting my leisure" After
reading the manuscript. he said: Il re-
greet that cannot oblige you by adopting
this as my personal utterance although
the opinions, in the main, are correct II
is evidently an effort in a field of literary
composition which corresponds closely to
the development of rag time, the eccen-
tricities OF phraseology representing in
language the effect of syncopation i'm mu-
sic. While il may have pathological in
terest, l am not prepared to commit my
self TO it a vehicle for the communica-
ton of serious thought. Your estimate
of the talents of Mr.. Shea shows percep-
ton. although you neglect to point out
his very desirable sociological influence in
reviving the interest of the masses in
plays of the more dignifed school. The
comparisons, however. tn Henry Irving
and Richard Mansfield are exaggerations,
and, if you will pardon my frankness. not
in complete accord with the spirit of taste
which should animate all discussions Of
art. including that Of the stage. Your es.
innate OF Havana does not give due
credit to the facility with which the COM
poser handles contrapuntal intricacies