Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-02
light as air occupied the
Washington stage last week
trifies that were genuinely tr1-

DRIFIES light as air occupied the
Washington stage last week
trides that were genuinely tr1-
fling. and not those trench
dously serious efforts to be
FUNNY which carry with them visions OF
n DISCOURAGED box Office somewhere IN
the distance waiting for a laugh as eager
ly a. Enoch Arden waited for SAIL A
laugh Is an unjoyous thing when too
heavily capitalized. The search Tor II
becomes grim and determined, and Is
liable to betoken desperation rather than
Hght-heartedness. But there was nothing
Of the grimIy serious about the laughs
that greeted the Hungarian comedy,
'iSeven Sisters" Once you got past the
authors name and the cast Of characters
YOU were all right. But in the matter OF
proper names you struggled with some
thing resembling what the printers call
Q pied line.
Iaurette Taylor Is one Of the actresses
who are constantly being discovered She
was discovered by a melodrama manager.
She appeared in a piece entitled "Yose-
mite" and did some Of the best acting
she has revealed to Washington audi
ences, but the play was curiosity OF
hard, mechanical clap-trap. A play may
be actor-proof, but no actor can be play
proof. Even Billie Burke's little sunshine
drama could not depend wholly on the
personality of the star, but had to brace
I'D here and there with a bit of genuine
situation and climax. Yosemite" went
from Washington to Hoboken, where
there is a storehouse for bad plays whose
remorseful horrors no American Dante
has yet arisen to describe. Then Miss
Taylor was discovered by Conan and
Harris and presented In play called
1.-The Girl in Waiting" 1t was one of
those comedies which do not prevent an
audience from laughing II it feels so dis
POSED, although there is no real compul-
sion in the matter. Now Daniel Frohman
has discovered her and has borrowed her
for Seven Sisters" Mr.. Charles Cherry.
the star of the company, is fortunate in
finding so unique an accompanist to his
capital work in the comedy. Miss Taylor
is a positive personality, yet too much of
an artist to sacrifice the legitimate eff
feet Of a scene to her own exclusive ag-
-grandzement. If the accomplished Hun
garian who wrote Seven Sisters could
see Miss Taylor he might be moved to
write play for her particular exploita-
ton. play that would call universal at
tention to her unquestionable merits and
enable her to cease being discovered.
The little one-act play with which Billie
Burke opens her program has a wonder
fully pretty garden scene, with posies
growing all over the grass mat. In the
midst of all this horticultural loneliness
Miss Burke looms up like a delicate and
respondent creation of the carrot species,
a dainty and idealized carrot, such as
some patient Japanese Burbank might
lure to Squander the boarded gold of rs
root in blossoming luxuriance for the
world to see. Miss Burke's one-act play
is not very interesting, but it Is not OBJ
jectionable-a bit of sunshine through
which the little actress sweeps like a
butterfly. The three-act play Suzanne"
Ia an international creation, with scenes
laid in Belgium, a low comedy English
man despite the authors assurance that
he is Belgiam as the chief humorous
figure, and smattering of fiat American
slang in the scenes between Miss Burke
and the very agreeable leading man. 1t
Is an exceptionally good company, and
the little play needs all the ability that
u brought to bear on its Interpretation.
The closing of Sam Demands play
for the Washington engagement was
q melancholy reminder of the fact that
the merriment a man may make for
others. however generous it's share
may be, earns him no personal i'm
munity from grief. The death of Mr.
Bernards father was a serious shock
to the comedian, and even had it been
possible to provide player who could
act as understudy, the lines in some
portions of the play, by a coincidence,
contained constant illusions to the ia
Their Of one Of the characters. supposed
to be dead-of such strange materials
are modern comedies constructed. The
unexpected closing Of company is a
more serious matter to the minor mem
oers than to the principals. and Mr..
Bernard. from personal funds, paid a
liberal proportion OF the chorus paw
roll 1t was handsomely done
PHILANDER JOHNSON.