Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-14

classic that Richard Mansfield purposed
playing; though | do not know that he
even got so far as putting it into rehearsal.
With the option, he bought Sir Herbert
Trees beautiful production, which, richly
freshened for new USE William Faversham
subsequently used. In that interval. how
ever Mr.. Mansfield had made an effort to re-
trench on his investment by selling option
and production to James X. Hackett. Mr..
Hackett by the way, was the actor for whom
Clyde Fitch wrote Nathan Hale" which
NC. Goodwin subsequently produced. Ply
sically Goodwin was a poor substitute Tor
HaCkett as the American hero, whom the
latter considerably resembled. The part that
Maxine Elliott played was written for Mary
Mannering; while in his minds eye Fitch
saw Elizabeth Tyree and Mrs. Charles
Walcot in the roles in which the public
actually saw Gertrude Elliott and Fanny
Addison Pitt. Another instance of the sort
was when. in 1.-THE Climbers Clyde Fitch
saw the characters that he created for Viola
Allen, Henry Miller, and William Faver-
sham, then leaders of the stock company at
the New Empire, actually created by
Amelia Bingham, Robert Edeson, and Frank
Worthing.
1t is rather amusing that while the Ida NJ.
Tarbell heroine of The Lion and the
Mouse" was written for Margaret Ellington,
she missed the chance to play it in its long
New York run because her manager and
husband, Daniel Frohman, did not think
the play good; and then, after its great popu-
larity, he bought it for England in order to
introduce Miss Ellington to London, and
there the drama met with complete flasco.
PUT we wander from plays that can be
- called in any sense classics She never let
the public know, but Olga Nethersole was
fired with ambition to introduce Rostand's
Il Aiglon" to the London public. She
bought an option on the English rights; but
hesitated to risk her own money in SO eX
travagant, yet hazardous, a venture. A
well known young American millionairess
came forward, and it looked as though she
would take the risk for Miss Nethersole;
but after sometime she finally decided she
would not So, except in French, Il Aig-
lon" has never been acted in Great Britain.
Perhaps London managers were afraid of
it because of the unfortunate experience of
Rostand's Les Romanesques, which Mrs.
Patrick Campbell introduced there; and,
more especially, OF his Cyrano de Bergerac."
Sir Henry Irving bought the English rights
to that play, and also the Mansfield scenery
and costumes. He was in this country at
the time and many were the meetings of
Mansfield and Sir Henry and discussions
Of the proposition. Finally Irving changed
his mind and sold out to Charles Wyndham.
And never in Sir Charles's history has he
suffered more dire expensive failure than
with "Cyrano de Bergerac." OF course
with Irving as the ugly cavalier, the recep-
ton might have been different; and es-
pecially with Ellen Terry in the role in which
America has seen such actresses as Margaret
Anglin, Ada Rehan, Katherine Grey, and
Sarah Bernhardt, instead OF 50 unsuitable
though admirable, substitute as Mary
Moore.
When Augustin DAILY died it brought Ada
Rehans creative power abruptly to a close.
She did make one inconsequential new pro-
duction; and she put Bernard Shaw's Cap
tain Brassbound' Conversion" into re-
hearsal in which comedy, had she carried
out her purpose, she, instead Of Ellen Terry.
would have been the original Lady Cecily
Waynefeet. Mr.. DAILY had about given
up his plan to present Miss Rehan in Her
mann Sudermann's Die Ehre,' a transla-
ton of which he had had made for her by
Jerome K. Jerome. 1t has never been
acted. He also died possessed of dramati-