The Washington times., 1911-01-22
RAILWAY FIGURES
IN THEATER BILLS
Pullman Car Farce and
Sleeping Coach Comedy
on Weeks Gard.

The railway is the popular means of
transportation at the theaters this week
and dramatic writers should fight shy
of the time-honored synonym vehicle
for fear some one might suspect they
are perpetrating a pun on either the
Pullman car farce at the Belasco or the
girl in an upper berth who comes to the
National.
Excuse Me- is the title of the farce
which has for its setting an express
en- route from San Francisco to Chi
cago. The Girl in the Train" will
carry Frank Daniels through a week s
merriment at the National Chauncey
Olcott is the only man who will have
MS setting on terra firma. He declined
to fOrSake Ireland for any novel sur
roundings and appears in Barry of
Ballymore, which seems to be charac-
terlSuc of the Olcott type of entertain
ment.
The fact that Henry w. Savage is
the producer of Excuse Me- Should in
sure 1t an elaborate scenic investiture
and capable cast. In the list appear
such names as James Lackaye, Scott
Cooper, John FindIay, Grace Fisher,
, Isabel Richards, and others, which
should insure capable Interpretation.
Scenic Experiment.
: From purely scenic standpoint the
reproduction of the interiors of dining
and sleeping-car apartments is an in
teresting experiment in stagecraft. Even
the porter will be called upon to furnish
his share of fun, and that august per-
'sonage is played by Willis Sweatnam,
who made the popular Sassafras Living
ston OF The County. Chairman"
FRANK Daniels comes to us this week
as the judge of a divorce court in
Amsterdam. The comedian is called
upon in this capacity to hear an ex-
,traordinary case that had its origin in
a sleeping-Car.
The music of The Girl at the Train"
ITO be seen at the National, is by Leo
Fail, composer of "The Dollar Prin-
cess. and the book is by Harry 3.
Smith from the German of Victor Leon
That geniai aCtor-singer, Chauncey
Olcott, will be at the Columbia Theater
in Barry of Ballymore," story of
dashing Irish gentry of the first part of
the eighteenth century. At this period,
the press agent recalls, Dublin was one
of -Europe's fashionable centers, and
the country was filed with an aristoc-
TaCy as distinctive in its way as that of
larger capitals.
Elita Proctor Otis and company, in
Guiding Louis Morrell in Mrs Burners
Deception" farce, heads the bill at
Chase's this week. Jolly Jack Wilson,
with Ada Lane and FRANKLIN Bate
Will portray AN Upheaval in Dark
IOWll. ne romantic actor. r.. Fred
eriCk HaWleN, with FRANCES Haight and
company. will play the thrilling comedy
drama, The Bandit" Kellar Mack and
Frank Orth, new vaudeville alliance.
will represent THE Wrong Hero" The
Hickey trio will appear in eccentric
comedy dances The Four Onetti will
present a rare visual novelty. Johnnie
and Carrie Mack have what is styled "a
musical comedy entree." THE Indians
Golden Gratitude" will be the motion
picture shown.
Profitable Week
The week Just closed has been a
profitable one-both from an intellectual
and financial standpoint.
The success that attended that musical
production. which stands head and
shoulders above the average of the past
decade, THE Chocolate Soldier" scored
such a box office success that one is
prnm7ted to ask why managers do rot
take the lesson TO heart.
II may be that such hits are hard to
find, hut surely the hard work expended
in hunting for new features for spec
tao ular eNtraVaganZaS might discover
an occasional vein of genuine merit
such as that opened up in this operetta.
1t remains 10 be seen whether the adj
mrable part provided Otis Skinner in
sire" will be sufficient 10 redeem the
play in BroadwaY's critical eye. There
IS just enough merit in the piece to
make one wonder why the adapter
didn't spend a little more time on pol
ishing it.
The Travelling Salesman" had the adj
vantage of previous acquaintance, and
did not lose favor by its return.
]. r. H.