Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-26

of her own taste rather tnsA
that of the prevailing mode IN
the selection Of plays and announcer .ne
serpployment of a supporting cast 'hn'
leaves the enjoyment OF the anolehce q.
most entirely dependent on her own Ell
forts Nazimoya,s latest play, entitled
The Marionettes'' enabled her to place
befora the public ithe exceptional Abilities
she Possesses without sparing mint OF
the glory to the playwright or the Lead
ing man, who is usually descrfoeo IN
PLAYS of this character as SHARING non-
ors with the star"
A uarionette is supposed to be q ng-
,,rs made of wood, and this conception OF
the mart was consistently realized by
hut WHY mention names? the pest OIL
actors may at one time or another stray
into roles that prove entirely uncongenia1
Soz,mova-s perforrnilnces, though I'M
pressive because of their emot1onai inter
ct are intellectually sincere and tech
picallv exact The delicate snadings Oh
oxnression and the uumistakable stsnin-
onnoo GIVEN TO every pose and gesture
wouId seem to be the product OF carerui
training In the European theaters. Wnere
,snius itself must serve humble ap-
nrenticeship in the art of acting.
Nazimoya's methods are those OF the
artist whose knowledge OF effect Is SO
corplete that il enables her to produce
tho impression of spontaneous tnspira-
ton But every lift Of the eyebrow u
carefully timed, and every fold or drapery
a. made 70 drop at a predict ermined and
mathematically correct angle the result
IL that Nazimova moves through the
scene a self-created presence apart from
her personal moods or distractions. Her
performances are wonderful for an ar
tistry as unvarying as it Is brilliant
Door little Peggy! She came to town
and went away in such a hurry that many
zneople who might have liked the new
Thomas Ryley musical comedy pro'ege
had no chance to get acquainted with
her. And besides, she forgot ner nttie
book, and had to put in the entire evening
singing and smiling and dancing anu
showing off pretty clothes TO conceai
the fact that she didn't know thing
about Mot construction And more than
that. Peggy sang one or two really
Enaughty verses that she learned in Eng
land. where the ideas Of humor are SO
different that Uncle Sam and John Bull
kare always in danger OF accidentally
Fshocking each other. Players as well as
authors are inclined to take advantage
soft the very confused standards of stage
Apropriety which now prevail, and IN OK
spectation of pleasing one portion OF an
audience introduce material almost sure
Ito give offense to another portion A
@half pleased audience, says your man
lager, is infinitely better than no audience
at all.
Z Mr. Ryley the manager Of peggy,
was associated with "Florodora," whose
thrilling early struggles for foothold
in popular favor have frequently been
told under the title, Saved by Sex
stet'' Peggy has several charming in
-cddental features conspicuous among
them being the little French school kid
sdies), any one OF which has possibilities
sof being another sensation feature.
: THE Girl From the Golden West" took
She stage of the Belasco, ana by right
of being the bigger attraction deprived
peggy of the weeks three best per-
fornances from a box office point OF
view How that girl has changed since
she was with David Belasco! The in
PRODUCTION of strong local color in grand
opera is a most difficult experiment. The
musical beauty which Puccini has be-
slowed on the work makes the fiat col
Ioquialisns obtruded in the recitative the
more disquieting by contrast. The
golden west" from the viewpoint Of a
foreign artist might have been naively
interesting but the impression conveyed
by the constant resort to a commonplace
yernacular renders 1t absurd. But" says
the interested party, Madame Butterfly
was one of the daintiest OF creations, and
they used the commonplace vernacular
in that" And SO they did. But they
only used it. They did not work 1t to
death. The fact that a dash OF cftr1c
seasoning f1avors the cup should not per-
suade us to dump in the entire lemon.
Washington saw 1.-THE Fortune Hunter"
star No. at the Columbia 1t Is one Of
the best of American comedies, and the
favor II retains in spite Of changes In
the cast Is one OF the evidences of its
solid worth. One of the members of the
company is Miss Edith Luckett, a WASH
ing girl, whose steady progress promises
a speedy fuliIlment of the predictions of
her numerous friends.
PHILANDER JOHNSON.
AN AARON BURR sToRY.-A better
times be found in some little incident
than in his greatest achievement. Aaron
Burr. the man who was heralded as
great patriot and always feared as a
politician. and who later left his attitude
toward the United States in doubt, was a
man of extraordinary character, as all
his associates admitted.
Burr is of the principal historical
characters used in the Charles +. Nird-
finger comedy, THE First Lady In the
land" and il is interesting to recall an
incident OF his law career that shows the
1n9ulsive nature of the man and his
quickness TO action.
3 Burr and Alexander Hamilton, always
opponents In every walk of life. were OPP
posed In a murder trial. Hamilton was
prosecuting the case and Burr represent
ed the defendant. Neither of the attor-
Tieys felt certain who the murderer was,
hut as the case progressed Burr arrived
at the conclusion that one of the wit
nesses against the man under arrest had
The greatest provocation to commit the
crime. This witness stood CHASTITY and
perspiring freely during the speeches or
the attorney.
Hamilton had ended his talking and
Burr was closing the case with the jury
I'm the twilight. Burr kept his eye upon
the witness under suspicion and during q
wild peroration over the innocence of his
client Burr grasped a shining candei-
abrum filed with lighted candles, from