The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-18

New 1Odk, DecenDef It. Speclal-1- Broadway's entertainers are making ac- l tive preparations for a Merry Christmas. The great feast falls on a. Sunday thls | year. and the stage folk can remain at | their hotels, apartments or boardin 2 houses, instead of going through the rigors of an afternoon and evening hot 1 iday performance, as is generally the | case.
 The Christmas spirit is as prevalent in stageland as it is in a little country yil- | lage. although on a slightly different scale The theatres are gaily fastooned. and there are many stage parties given 1 by the managers and stars. Then, too, the Broadway favorites are the recipients 1 If many magnificent gifts from their male and female admirers. such as flow CTS. candy, furs, jewels and even auto mobiles.
 Some new stars have arrived in time to participate in the festivities, among them being Albert Chevalier, the great French actor. who is appearing at the Hackott | theatre in Daddy Dufard," and k. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe, who are giv- l ing some exceptionally fine performances | of Shakespeare at the Broadway theatre.
 Wallace Eddinger, who failed to carry | through Bobby Burnett,' with which he opened the season. is starring in a new farce called "The Aviator" which looks as though 1t might have bright | future. The .immortal'' Sarah is appearing in repertoire at the Globe theatre, where she replaced Adeleine Genee and ''The Bach | elor Belles."
 At the New theatre, Liebler & Co.'S production of Maurice Laeterlinck s Mary Magdalene," was presented with | Olga Nethersole in the star role, but has not made much of an impression. | hot the road. and the Empire theatre Is now be- | ing filled by William Gillette in re- | yival of Sherlock Holmes.
 1 Ruth St. Denis Is appearing at the New Amsterdam theatre in series or dances depicting the customs and religion of ancient Egypt.
 s'The Aviator
 MT. James Montgomery's new play | '1The Aviator" scared Into immediate favor at it's premier in the Astor the atre. In fact, there seems every reason to believe that this lighter-than-air farce will set a. record for sustained flight
 The hero of the Yrhe Aviator" is a young man who hJs written novel about flying, but who has never made a flight. Through the asinine enorts oi his publicity man he finds himself the center of admiring groups at his sum mer hotel, who insist upon his telling | and retelling his adventure in the air | All goes well with him until the ar rival of a fire-eating Frenchman with a couple of really truly aeroplanes. Be- fore the youthful author can dodge the Frenchman he is forced into match l race and it Is his extreme timidity and fear of the flight that furnishes mos, of the humor. His friend at the hotel hears of an aeronautical mechaniciar at a neighboring village and hastens to bring him to the hero's relief. Un- fortunately the mechanician weighs about 300 pounds, so his services as a flying companion close this avenue oi escape from the dilemma
 The young author approaches the day of his fight with great trepidation but makes up his mind, rather than appear as an imposter in the eyes oi his sweetheart he will race the French man.
 The embryo aeronaut practices the art of flying on a table in his room at the hotel with cane and his straN hat to act as the steering gear, he studies under a professor and writes down all his lessons in a note book In vain all his friends try to prevent his suicidal flight by injunctions and other means. All these fail. He makes the flight in the last act and delights the girl of his heart
 There was ample sprightliness oi speech to accompany the action anc Ithere was much original and amusing I incident scattered through farce to ado piquancy to It's presentation.
 The title role went to Wallace Ed dinger an expert young comedian, whc was able to impart variety to the many sided suffering of a hero condemned to such an exhibition of bravery. Ed ward Begley, the good natured heavy weight mechanician, proved an able assistant as laugh getter, while John lDevereaux, Frederick Paulding and Oza Waldorf were some of the efficient ac- | tors about Mr. Eddinger.
 "Daddy Dufard'
 Stellar lights of the legitimate often play with success in vaudeville, but | few topliners of the musical circuit find it easy to gain entre into Broad way houses. Daddy Dufard" was the lconveyance used by that inimitable comedian, Alfred Chevalier, to demon | strate his versatility.
 The play, which was written by MT. Chevalier and Lechmore Worrall, was presented at the Hackett theatre and proved to be more of personal success than a jewel of the dramatic art. In il Mr. Chevalier was very much the star his part almost developing into a mono logue at times.
 | In the play he is Achille Talma Du- fard, an old French actor settled in Lon don He has a lot of Bohemian friends and a daughter, Rose, whom he has trained to be an actress. She has the promise of part in a sketch written by her sweetheart, Paul Hammond, but the jealousy of the regular star of the Gale l donia theatre, caused the manager to take 1t from her. Dufard. who has been