The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-23
IS Boosted LOCAL CULTURE A SHAM2
Vaudeville Actress with Wonderful Voice, Passes
unnotced Because She Was lin Vaudeville
What One Art Critic Stated.
~ ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

~ ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
Dorothy Drew. whose appearance in
"A Musical Hold-up" at the Murray
this week Wa cut short through an
unfortunate attack of largynitis, mas
only recently appeared in vaudeville,
having been well known in the legiti-
mate" and having, with her husband.
Harry Cowley, who is a clever expon-
ent of theatrical art, been in the caste
of THE Regeneration of Aunt Mary
for the past three years, supporting
May Robson in the title roll.
This play based on the fiction OF
Anne Warner, whose stories have had
an enormous popularity the past few
years, was given a very favorable re-
ception in this country, and also in
Canada, but was not SO successful in
London, although it had run of six
weeks in that metropolis.
ut is impossible to forecast the re-
ception of a play" said Miss Drew.
because it was 30 cordial received in
Canada, which is. practically. an Eng
lish public, it was thought that 1t
would make hit in London. This,
however, did not prove to be the case,
largely, perhaps, on account of the dis
tinctly American atmosphere and the
is incomprehensible to the average in
sular Englishman.
The American theater-going public
will understand cockney colloquiai-
isms much better than the latter will
our slang words and phrases. There
fore Aunt Mary was something of q
puzzle to London audiences and while
they manifested certain apprecia-
ton, the reception was not enthusiast
tic-as it was in New York. where it
ran at one time for six months and.
later, for an extended period"
On account Of the accident to Miss
Robson, widely noticed at the time,
the company was disbanded and Mr..
and Mrs. Cowley went into vaude-
vile, the comedy sketch they present
ed here being written for them by
George Broadhurst.
Anne Warner, who helped direct the
rehearsals for 1.-The Regeneration of
Aunt Mary" has gone abroad to live
and has become good deal of an Ang-
or at least, according to re-
cent magazine articles directed against
a certain continental hauteur and con-
temptuous patronage that hardly bene-
fits the author of the Susan Clegg"
articles and former residence in st.
Paul, or somewhere up in the North
west.
Your American literary snob, how
ever, is the snob in his most aggra-
waited form. Several of them, after
having battened off the American
public, have taken up a residence
living comfortably upon the
royalties paid to them by their Ameri-
can publishers, and there have hurled
barbs of acrid wit across the water at
their former compatriots.
They miss fire, however, oftener
than not.
For some reason not explained"
said Miss Drew, Mary Roberts Rine-
hart, author of Seven Days. the dra-
of which was later such a
success-and notice is to appear here
this evening-was present at the re-
hearsals of Miss Warmers play. Miss
Warner accompanied Miss Robson on
a short road tour, but the two did not
get on.
MAY Robson is not only an accomp-
lished actress, but a woman of the
most charming character" continued
Miss Drew, so the incompatibility
must have been with Miss Warner"
In discussing vaudeville audiences
Miss Drew stated that dramatic fines
Sc was lost on them.
'Mr. Broadhurst would never recog-
nize his little play" said Miss Drew.
I'D be ashamed to have him see il"
she added laughingly, we've had to
change it so radically to suit the char
acter of our audiences. Subleties are
lost on the vaudeville stage. You
must 60 at it hammer and tongs' as
the saying goes. It's the thing the 1e-
ultimate actor has to learn, and, at
first, to his discomfort"
Is it possible that we are not the
art center that we are
heralded as being?
According to even the vaudeville
performers Richmond has to be played
down to.
And q certain well known Indiana
exponent of the painting art stated
not long ago that this was the worst
fake of b town for Its reputation he
had ever struck and he had travelled
far and long.
He had expected to find patrons OF
art standing around on the curb con-
testing for twenty-thousand- dollar
and behold, said he, /
find that ten dollars is the top notch
price anybody will pay for a picture,
and that most people don't want pic
lures at all because its the fashion
not to have 'em in the house
because they don't match the wall
paper.
Go to-" said his auditor. This is
an art center-have YOU not read
about it in the magazines? We swal-
low art in huge gobs. We love art.
We dote on it. 1t is our daily food.
What if we would rather go to the
than to see Mrs. Fiske?
That proves nothing at all"
True enough" said the artist hik-