Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-16

gree Of excellence the organi-
zation has yet attained in this or previous
years.
The play itself is a wonderfully strons
one. framed with artistic hands to create
the atmosphere and reproduce the lnci-
dents SO stirringly set forth IN neN
Beach's novel There are no unnecessary
roles in the characterization. and eacn cha'
acter employed therefore is carefuiiy anu
strikingly drawn by the playwright IL
the light of the novelists inspiration ior
a PURPOSE Each has its opportunity, ana
all have their time to shine or sputter
into darkness
a year ago last February the play was
produced for the first time mere by the
original company, with selected ana
highly accomplished cast after months
Of preparation. The Columbia Players
had tiny week, or ten days, IN winch
10 mold its men and women to their roles
and frame the production in its entirety.
II il not necessary to institute comparI-
son between the two. 1t does not matter
whether George ". Barber rivaled Theo-
dore Roberts in the famous role of John
Gale or whether Stanley James gave the
realistic impersonation Of Dan Stark. the
gambler. accredited to W. g. Hart: nor Is
II important whether Frederick Forester
Poleon Doret euualed the finished inter-
probation of Alphonse Either, or Emene
Melville as the Indian squaw, rejected
the dos-like picture of Abigail Marshall.
There were those who saw both produc-
tions and were satisfied. Some were even
enthusiastic over last weeks effort
People who pay their money TO see
play applaud If 1t is good. 1t isn't hard
to tell IL they deem IL bad. Capacity au.
diences last week nightly expressed their
delight with genuine and unstinted ap-'
plause The public has the best right TO
Judge. and the public has pronounced the
Columbia Players latest production an
unqualified success
II would not be fair to single out Of
last weeks cast any one for special
credit where all did SO well. but two
facts seem entitled to mention. One, the
satisfaction with which all the audiences
welcomed the modest, unassuming STAN
ley James in role OF wider scope than
usual and the inspiration that prompted
Frances Nelson to impart to her role
some of her own genuine personality.
The result in each instance was highly
gratifying to their friends and riveted
them both moro strongly in their local
popularity.
Both the Cosmos and the Virginia the
aters seem TO be charging their scope,
the former with more pretendous vaude-
Vile of merit. and the latter with mo-
ton pictures that cannot fail to win the
approval of the most captious.
The suburban parks. Glen Echo, Luna
and Chevy Chase evidently have made
no mistake in making dancing feature
of their attractions. Each has its host
Of devotees that form a large proportion
of the hundreds that make UP the nightly
attendance ito escape the heat OF the
city
A CLEVER LITTLE ACTRESS.-At
the Columbia Theater this week feminine
interest cannot fail to center in the talent
ed child who will essay the exacting role
OF Cedric Enrol in Mrs. Frances Hodgson
Burnett-s play of Little Lord Fauntie-
row." She lie Helen Hayes Brown. miss
Of Fred G. Berger. the manager OF the
theater She has already attained dis-
finction with a number OF New YORK
companies, where her services are IN de-
mand.
Little Miss Brown is Washington girl,
and inherits her talent from her mother,
who prior to her marriage was an accom-
plished actress Helen's first appearance
was with the company In which tomor-
row night she will assume one OF the
most difficult roles ever written Tor 50
Young a child. 1t covers nearly sixty
pages of typewriting. but the little girl
las experienced no difficulty in commit
ting the lines to memory, because. rs she
explains ut is all SO beautiful For
prudent reasons is was found necessary
to restrain her impetuosity and permit
her to learn only a few speeches. ar
time so that her work tomorrow night
will represent the cumulative effort of
nearly three months
Little Miss Browns first part was that
a: the prince IN "A Royal Family" when
10 was presented by the Columbia Players
two seasons ago. During the same en-
gaGernent she also played the little girl
In the first act of Prince Chap. and
Patch in "A Poor Relation. She show
I'd such marked ability in these roles that
ington 10 see her. and subsequently en-
tered into competition for her services.
Sire has since held contracts from both.
and now has the choice of several engage
ments for next season During the past
winter she was featured with Lew Fields
in his big production Of THE Summer
Hidowers." and last week. as diversion.
she was in the cast of The Barrier as
one of the Indian children, Mollie-
IRREPRESSIBLE PRESS AGENTS.
Dramatic editors and those who some
times do their work for them must have
eagle eyes and inscrutable wisdom to es-
cape the traps laid for them by press
agents The worse the show the better the
press agent, because he is the fellow that
stirs up advance interest and draws the
crowd. II is UP to the players and the play
20 hold II afterwsrd. The ingenuity Of some
OF these knights of the Quill IL some
times astounding. II Is nearly always
clever. and. when occasion requires. really
laughable.
Recently, when the mercury In the New
York thermometers was said to be fairly
sizzling. one of these keen-witted gen.
fuses sprang story SO dazzling In Its
audacity that even the manager Of the
show had to hold it's breath and 'Iet
nature take its course. The tale was
about an arctic refrgerating plant and
air-cooling device. and the burden OF the
story was that big fur dealer and his
friend had gone to the show the night
before. and so great was their interest
that they gripped the arms Of the seats
with their hands and the cooling ap-
paratus under the seats with their feet
with the result that after .he first act
Doth had their feet frost bitten and Ii
delayed the performance fifteen minutes
until the doctors could restore circula-
ton and get the injured men away from
the cooling plant. or course. there were
hundreds who went to the theater after
that just to see IL the story was true.
Another is told on Walter DAmrOSch,