Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-16
PART "
NEWS DRAMA LOCAL AND GENERAL
BY w. HERBERT BLAKE

NEW Los Angeles theater to
u house musical attractions of the
first class is the ambitious pro-
ject of Manager Kavanaugh of the
Ferris Hartman company. To this end
he expects to put on from time to time
such light operas as have proved their
popularity with his present clientele
at the Grand opera house. He believes
that there is room in this city for a
shrewdly-run musical company, pre-
senting a repertoire sufficiently diver
sified to appeal to many portions OF
the theater-going public. 1t is pro-
ject which deserves encouragement in
local musical circles, which long have
agitated such a move with little SYM
pathy from the powers that be.
Every lover of Shakespeare is in
terested in the fortunes of Louis
James, who will produce "Henry VIII
and 1.-THE Merchant of Venice" the
coming week at the Mason. His Shy
lock and Wolsey are awaited with
agreeable anticipations. Mr.. James
has found Shakespeare a sufficiently
profitable investment for several years
We have not heard that he got ricf
at it, but We. believe he has found
that his devotion to the better knowr
plays has gained him a constant re-
spect and support from definite and
dependable class of playgoers. just
how much his attitude toward the
drama has ripened and perfected his
abilities we shall discover Thursday
evening.
From tho east come reports OF
Frightening skies. The host of failures
which hailed the opening of the season
appears to have been succeeded by
several substantial and acceleratine
popular triumphs. 1.-The Passing OF
the Third Floor Back" in which
Forbes Robertson has been compelled
repeatedly to prolong his engagement
in New York city, is a notable one
Stephen Phillips 'Herod," with Will
liam FaVersham the star, is another
That a poetic tragedy should thrive
and show signs of durability is sig
nificant proof of the popular apprecia-
ton of what Is fine and true in drama
The frothy plays are falling by the
wayside. They have been weighed In
the commercial balance and slowly
but surely are found wanting. The
public has begun to find out what ii
wants from a pdlnlully loHS SNl uIlhy
of the other thing.
Will William Morris purchase the
old Orpheum for his oft predicted new
playhouse here? 1t would be a logical
solution to an apparent difficulty, pro
vided his circuit shall finally succeed
in getting it's New York acts so far
west.
Why do the characters in picture
plays so persistently overact? Some
of the French films are the worst of
tenders Every actor who gets ir
front of the camera appears to be in
structed to bob and jerk in absurd
exaggeration of the movements o1
ordinary humanity. Surely in this
branch of the drama We may expect
a little realistic repoSe, One pre-
eminent value of motion pictures, as
we see it, is in their fidelity to life
There are, of course, motion picture
plays which may be considered in {
class apart But in the street scenes
wherein ordinary people are seen, one
would think the logical aim would bt
as close an approximation of nature
as it consistent with the innate hui
man instinct to pose in front of a
camera. Makeup, gestures and grim
aces, save in a frankly grotesqut
farce. might well be reduced to the
minimum. The result would redount
to the credit of the best plots, fol
actual situations, not their distortion
by personal manperism, would win 8
duly proportioned prominence.