The Washington herald., 1912-12-29
Production D by Beasco
Play by Wife and Son of
RoStand Fantastic NopeIty
James K Hackett in The Grain of Dust Comes
to the Columbia Revival of THE Merry
WIDOW at the BeLasco.
Bx UIIA CHANDLER MAN..

Just a year ago there was produced at
the Gymnase Theater in Paris an IN
pretentious little fairy play called I'm
Bon Petit Diable." The programme gave
no inkling of the RESPONSIBILITY for the
piece until the critics wrote column after
column of enthusiastic praise of the
fancifuI tale with a serious purpose,
when it became known that the authors
of the play were Rosemonde Gerard
CMme. Rostand) and Maurice Rostand.
wife and son of the immortal Rostand.
This information, coupled with the
poetic beauty of "A Good Little Devil, -
set the managerial world afire with
covetousness, although few had sufficient
confidence in their ability to produce
the piece, without some loss Of its rare
charm, to dare its presentation. Among
these few rivalry was intense, with the
not unexpected result that David Be
lasco won, "A Good Little Devil fur
nishing the fourth of his important pro-
auctions of the season
For a good many months the Wizard
of Stagecraft'' kept his plans for the
production of this play, which is acted
by children and grown-ups, a profound
secret but it leaked out in New York
that he was utilizing every power at his
command to make the American pro-
duction equal that which won so great
presentation in Paris. Mr.. Belasco en-
gagged Austin Strong to make the adap-
tation, and they have spent months to-
gether working over the text in an ef-
fort to preserve not only the fanciful
and poetic beauty of the tale, but to
make sure of its appeal to the American
theater-going public.
In the beginning Mime. Rostand and
her son Maurice had only the intention of
uTa GfNr tn a
dren. but as the work grew they realized
that 1t must appeal to every one who can
remember the years when he was child
and who likes to believe that there is
little of that child's goodness and frank
ness still left in his heart
With David BelascO personally to super
wise the presentation of this fantasy Ohe
story of which is told elsewhere in this
department to-day, there is little chance
of disappointment if We allow ourselves
to look forward to a rare treat The tale
will be unfolded by a notable cast of
more than fifty folk, the best known of
whom are William Norris, Ernest Law
ford. Ernest Truck, Henry Stanford. Ed
ward Connolly, Etienne Giradot, Mary
Pickford. Vida Bennett. Iva Merlin, and
Jeanne fowler. The company promises
several clever children, and an auxiliary
support which includes such quaint and
familiar friends as fairies. gnomes, doves,
squirrels, nightingales, fireflies. rabbits.
rats. and dwarfs. In fact, all the old
friends which children cannot forget and
which grown-ups do not want to forget
will be assembled by Mr.. Belasco at the
National for the presentation of "A Good
Little DeviT' tomorrow night. Owing to
the length of the fantastic tale the cur
tain will be raised at o'clock.
James h Hackett, who comes TO the
Columbia this week in The Grain of
Dust" states it as his intention to es-
say Shakespearean roles at the close of
this season, appearing no more in mod
ern plays. Shakespeare is not new to
Mr.. Hackett, as he is credited by many
with having been the best Mercutio
known to the modern stage. His power,
versatility, and undeniable magnetism of
personality have just gained him the sig
nal honor of being the first male star
TO be invited by the dramatic and mu-
steal committee of the Greek Theater
at Berkeley to play "OtheIlo'' the coming
year. a venture which should prove both
n financial and artistic success. Beyond
producing the play, Mr.. Hackett intends
to have the music of Verdi's ''Othello''
rearranged so as to enhance the value
of the production. 1t was the original
practice of the theatcr to accentuate
the moving passages of a poetic, ro-
mantle, or tragic drama by suitable mu-
sic. In later years producers have car
ried this effect to such Fictitious lengths
that the type of plays commonly termed
melodramas grew out of the practice
because they had the Observation-Disclosures
. type of music as an accompaniment.
Mr. Hackett feels, that inasmuch as the
real melodrama is Shakespearean, his