The Washington herald., 1912-03-10

The combination offered at the Belas-
60 Theater this week is one of excep-
tional interest. presenting a double bill
of two attractions that have long ago
been entered in the critics list Of howl
ing successes"
Baby Mine,' Margaret Mayo's spark
ling comedy, which has thrown our Eng
lsh cousins in London into convulsions
of laughter at Sir Charles Wyndham's
Criterion Theater, and won New York
applause up and down Broadway for
almost a year, will fill the first half of
the double bill with its sparkling fun
and quaint, refreshing situations.
William A Brady. under whose man
agement this delightful comedy will be
presented here, has already found gold
mine in the attraction in New York, Chi
cago. Philadelphia, and all the other
large cities in which It has been pre-
sented.
Mr.. Brady is sending us the original
New York company, which includes Mar
guerite Clark, Walter Jones, Ernest Glen
denning, and Agnes De Lane. 70
Baby Mine" has been indorsed on two
continents as a sure cure for the most
chronic crouch. The shortness of the
piece is Washington's gain. for It admits
the special added attraction OF the Rus
sian imperial ballet and Mikail Mordkin.
which will be seen in ballet divertisse-
ment Immediately following Baby Mine"
The Russian dancers come from the
Winter Garden, New York, bringing TO
us once more that very incarnation Of
sparkling youth, Lopoukowa, and Bron-
isiowa and Bavitzkaia, in addition to the
renowned Mordkin.
This is the third time that Mikan
Mordxin has come to delight the Capital
with the poetry OF his art. Last season
Washington laid itself at his feet when
he danced at the Belasco Theaterl with
that wizard of terpsichorean delight,
Pavlowa.
This season, during the week of oc-
tober 30. Mordkin and his company
reveled in brilliant ballet in three per-
formances at the Belasco. this time
with the celebrated partnership broken, |
but in dances no less poetic, with a re-
sultant heavy score in the Russians ia |
vor.
NJ. Mordkin is supported by a COM |
pany of dancers whose brilliance prom
ises delight TO Belasco audiences this |
week |
When the final curtain descended sat
urday night at the Columbia Theater, |
closing the first metropolitan presenta-
tion of :'The Rainbow Henry Miller
took his new venture straight into New
York. with its success already estab-
lished, for with little Ruth ChattertOn
ton public last week for fair, strength
ening his popularity here a hundred
fold, for he made the big role in The
Rainbow pulsate with a vitality so
strong that those who saw his portray
al Of the father Of an adoring little
maid will not soon forget its tender
ness and sincerity.
And now comes The Common Law"
to the Columbia, another new venture
bidding for Washington favor before
going into New York
A theater devotee suggested to me the
other day that the reason so many new
plays were tried out in Washington be
fore going on the road was because
their managers thought 1t didn't matter
so much if something pretty crude was
worked of here.
There is a fairer solution of the selec-
tion Of Washington for the first presen-
tation Of so many new attractions.
Henry Miller put 1t: "A Washington
audience may be trusted as to judgment
That which they stamp with approval is
pretty sure of success"
This is certainly a more hattering ex- L
PLANTATION, but the discerning managers
have still another reason. A week con-
Eututes the average run of a perform
Rnce in any but the very large cities
so that It is the part Of wisdom to make
the first presentation OF a new play in
il may be withdrawn and pruned down,
II pruning is necessary. than to take II
into New York, or Chicago, where II
will run up into the hundred or two
hundred nights with little chance of ,
change after the first presentation.
The Common Law is dramatization
of Robert W. Chambers compelling story
OF the same name, which ran first in
serial form in popular magazine after i
which ii became one of the best sellers"
creating an interest so keen that Al II. Ii
Woods discerning eye saw an even 5
stronger interest in the presentation of ,
the vital tale of love and caste on the 7
boards. and the initial performance at
the Columbia Theater this week is the '
result Of this wise reasoning. Ii
Washingtonians will certainly not be ! ,
driven away from home this summer in | I
the pursuance OF amusement. And II I
they seek out-of-town diversions II will 4
be no fault Of the theaters, three of c
which are already deep in plans for at Q
fractions to be presented by as many 4
stock companies. II
Miss Frances Nielsen, who last summer /
became SO beloved of Washington people T
in the leading feminine roles at the Co. I
lumbia Theater, is already in Washington $
with the Columbia Players. THE Com n
mon Law closes the regular theatrical .
season at this playhouse, the Columbia
Players taking possession March IS Y
Then comes the announcement of the C
Everett Butterfield Company, which will \
open the stock season at the Belasco r
Theater in Brown of Harvard the week V
Of April Is.
The further announcement of an all F
summer attraction at Chase's comes as a | c
tremendous surprise TO the Washington s
public, since a stock COM a
pany in the commodious home of polite \
is an innovation. J. c. MANI. E