The Washington herald., 1910-01-16

fftNAA e~it eboAA A+tA1 mat may utittlE llUl-
ribly tragic The fourteen have ample
exits TO passages long and wide enough.
outside the buildings solid walls. 70 hold
the biggest possible audiences; but
concert hail. isn't a ''theater," in the
winking eye of the law. as administered
ohligngly, aud SO of nine audiences at
burlesques every afternoon and evening,
those in this new one only are protected
under the statutes prescribing the arehi-
lecture of theaters.
The first play at this house. Might Life
in Two Gay Cities" meaning New York
and Paris, gives an example of bur
lesque in its newest condition. 1t re-
tains only two of the jounce and bounce
comedians from the familiar assortment
of crude caricatures, German and
Hebrew; but relays OF young women.
totaling fifty, march and sing In the
usual jaunty fashion Of musical farce
till they ill the stage. They are freshly
and gayly costumed. with little i'm
modesty. Several men who carry along
a scheme 70 marry a bogus nobleman TO
an American Leiress sing rather well
and are nearer to actors than most bur
lesque parties contain. None OF the fun
is indecent and not much is indecorous.
There isn't nasty joke or a foul ant!c.
An odd dance IS by a dozen girls as
scarecrows in ragged suits double a tit
ting size. They wobble in a row till a
gust of wind blows them down. The
comic men set them up and they are
affaI a..
heaps TO be rolled up and stretched out.
swiped on the floor and flung helter-
SHELTER, as though either homeless or
mulujointeG. AT this time the place is
the roof garden Of a New York hotel
II il there. too. that the American heir
es5 mOdifes her fuH-dress astonIshingIy.
See next paragraph
It was seven years ago that an ex-
travaganza actress. Lolita Faust, sang
straight at man in an upper box. en-
dearingly calling him her SAMMY and
imploring him with fond rhymes and
gestures 10 come down across the foot
lights to her. That focused thousands
of eyes on him as he Redeemed and wrig-
gled in the shift of the spotlight from
-
were astonished victims first along; but
the Sammy box was soon left To round
ers who liked the distinction. And stiIl
later an actor out Of a job was hired 10
play the extended role OF the victim.
Paraphrases of the Sammy song spread
over this country. and last summer I
found it still in London and Paris use:
but I thought it was obsolete in Broad
way.
There is one serious new play to con-
slider. Along I'm the last act Of olive
Latlmer's Husband" the actress Of the
leading role said, It am a murderer
She repeated 1t. The accusation was I'M
necessary in the first place; the crime
was evident She murdered an admirable
play. As fact. she did not accomplish
the death unaided- Though a company
as bad as herself could not be expected.
all but one or two Of the associate play
ers exhibited models OF all that acting
should not be.
But why dwell on the unworthy? olive
Latimer's Husband is by Rudolf Besier.
who introduced himself TO this country
week ago with his comedy called Don"
This more serious play Of his was pro-
duced in London by Mrs. PatricJ, CamD-
bell, and one can feel the power Of her
mystic, prophetic personality in il. Olive
Latimer's husband lies seriously i'll
though not necessarily in a fatal condi-
ton; that Is, there was ample hope for
/ his recovery until the night before. He
had been warned that the slightest move
ment might Kill him. and his nurses had
been charged to prevent him from stir
ring. But the one who was with him az
midnight fell asleep. At that time his
wife came into the room. Now. be It
known, Olive hated her husband. With
I him out Of the way she could marry her
lover. So, though she fully realized the
! possible result she left the sick room
without waking the nurse The husband
was, in fact, awake, observed her neg
lect and understood. Realizing the ac-
| ton to be suicidal, he yet arose from his
bed. crossed to a desk. and wrote a let
/ ter TO the lover-bis own dear friend-to
be delivered after his death.
/ That letter is the play Believing II TO
disclose her crime, Olive is distracted lest
the lover read it. Finally. when he is
/ about to, she confesses what she did. ac-
| cusing herself Of virtual murder. But
the letter makes no mention OF il. The
dead man only condemns himself for
having forced the woman he loved into
! a distasteful marriage, and hopes she
will be happy after he is gone. But. Of
! course, the very unselhshness of this
wish stands between the lovers. and they
| separate,
/ II is difficult to say how good a play
| olive Latimer's Husband is. As well
pass Judgment on an opera rendered
| by deaf-mUtes. It's principal merit lies in
| its firm, clear, lifelike characterization.
its chief defect in its excess OF talk.
| Every one said, 7 have something to say
10 you" or "One word more" and there
upon multiplied that word into a disser-
tation. No one thought anything Of re-
hearsing his or her entire life's story 10
explain why pie IS digestible or not, or
why heavy boots are advisable in the
| wet On the other hand a more real
group Of people would be hard TO find in
| fiction. Olives parents had reared her
and her sister with the one idea that
/ they must make good matches" The
| scheming, loveless mother and the worth
less, money-borrowing father felt they
| had succeeded with Olive. For a younger
/ girl they land" a wealthy though elder
| ~, rOUe. Nor does Mr.. Besier sketch
| him in the lurid coloTs Of the usual
stage bad man. There is nothing villain
Gus about him; just a picture of selfish,
gluttOnOus old age looking for a fresh,
young wife when he has exhausted the
pleasures Of the world.
FRANKLIN FYLEs.
Elsie Janis Coming.
| Elsie Janis, always one Of the Capital