The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-08
By PAUL COOK

fashioned melodrama. The play is pre- sented in a thoroughly realistic and elab- crate manner. The two big scenes are horse race and a railroad wreck, two of the very first attempts at stage realism that quickened the pulses of a bygone generation. The fact that The Whip is sc well staged and so well acted accounts, of course, for it's immense popularity. Therefore. it would be perhaps more in accordance with the facts to say that the apparent waning of melodrama applies only to such inferior and poorly acted riays as some of the popular price the atres have inflicted on the public during the past decade. Good melodrama will never die, for in that category belong somo of the best plays ever put upon the stage and some of the most interesting. There may not be very strong call for Bertha the Sewing Machine Girl, but melodrama of the right sort will always be in demand.
 It is seldom indeed that the author of successful play can duplicate his per formance. Some playwrights have writ ten more than one good play, but rarely do they "come back as the saying Is, ] after they have turned out a master piece. Last week Birmingham theatre goers had the pleasure of witnessing Ru- pert Hughes sparkling Pullman car com edy. Excuse Me- Not in years has a play been written that was so unique and so divertng. It was a tremendous sue cess and is still highly profitable Ion the road" Now, Excuse Me- is just about the best thing Mr. Hughes has ever done and the chances are that he will never be able to turn out another play half so clever His latest effort is called What Ails Your" comedy whose scenes are laid in MT Muldoons celebrated physi- cal culture establishment. The efforts Of fat people to grow lean and lean people to grow fat are chiefly satirized The critics seem to agree with rather dis heartenng unanmity that Mir. Hughes has not produced another play in the same class with Excuse Me-" although his latest comedy will no doubt be passed on the provinces" as great success. Full many a play that disappears from the boards of New York theatres after brief sojourn there is afterward billed in cities all over the country as great Broadway success. Such treatment is rather hard on the provinces, but it be- hooves them to keep up with the play news and not encourage eastern man agers in a bad practice by patronzng metropolitan failures.
 We are not getting very many new plays in Birmingham this winter. So far we have had but few offerings that have not been seen here at least once before. It is hoped that after the holidays condi- tions will improve in this respect. At that time the majority of the prominent theat- rical folk who make annual tours of the south will be coming our way. There will of course, be a number of large musical shows and several noted come- dians will appear here who have not been visible in this part of the country for a long while.
 Beginning tomorrow night an actor Of unusual attachments will appear in rep ertoire at the Bijou theatre Mir. Shea | will present at that playhouse during the week three plays, two of which are known ! by name at least to all theatregoers These two plays are "The Bells and "Dr. Jekyl and Mir. Hyde" MT. Shea has acted the stellar roles in each of these plays for long time with considerable success His engagement at the Bijou
 will be an event of unusual interest.
 Henrietta Crosman was one of the
 weeks most acceptable offerings at tht
 Jefferson theatre in '"rhe Real Thing. 1 Miss Crosman has found an admirable
 vehicle for the exploitation of her talents | as COnculennc anu sic NphtihhSS " please theatregoers in play of unusua | excellence
 Nazimovas genius for clothes seems tt
 be excmplfed anew in the costumes she
 s wearing this season in Bella Donna, | oramatized from Robert Hichens book | Nazilnova has been charged with undue
 artificiality in her acting. Whether tht criticism is just or not the fact remain. 1 that she is one of the most fascinatins women on the American stage. She neVei
 fails to interest. regardless Of her sin
 cerity as an artiste.
 1 Birmingham feels much eiated over th'
 presence in town of company or nov ] ing picture players who have come her' | for the purpose of actin. before the cam
 era in a series of western plays Tn
 Lubin company has been given cordia
 welcome and much interest is being showi in their plans for beginning work Just az soon as the weather permits B,
 weather" is meant chiefly rain. Tn, winters in this part Of tue country are fol Ithe most part well suited to the needs o
 moving picture players who desire t'
 work outdoors and when the clouds of thu
 past few days roll away the Lunn play
 CTS will no doubt find the conditions her'
 ideal lt. was a happy thought to choos'
 picturesque Shades mountain for back
 ground. The scenery in that locality i' most beautiful and there is no reaspr
 why the Lubin company should not Se