The Washington herald., 1913-05-04
By JULIA CHANDLER MANz.

AS far as Washington is concerned. the
season of theatrical productions draws
near it's close. The current week will be
Che last Of the regular season for the Be-
lasco, unless, indeed, that dream of Mr..
: Stoddard Taylor's for a second week OF
Little Women" should come true Not
that it's likely, for II is just bit or
luck that we are going to see the stage
cersion of the famous Louisa M, Alcott
story at all this season.
After a six months successful engage
ment at The Playhouse, in New York
City, William A. Brady had closed the
production for the summer, when Mr..
TayloT's most urgent request for II
reached him. Such aNcurry and furry
as you never saw to reassemble the COM
pany and catch members of the executive
staff before they should get out OF town,
in which latter Mr.. Brady was just in
the nick of time, for the press agent was
even on his way to the train when a
representative of the Brady Offices turned
him back with the information that Lit
tie Women would tenant the Belasco
Theater in Washington the week or
May 8.
Now. of course, we know that pictures
OF the late Capt SCOTS expedition to
the south pole is advertised to follow
a one weeks engagement OF Little
Women" but should you meet Manager
Taylor and wiggle your way down as Tar
as his secret ambitions, you'll find the
hope that the popularity of the stage
version of Miss Alcotts classic OF girl
hood will be so great in Washington as
TO Justify an arrangement whereby the
Scott expedition pictures can be post
noned for week and the engagement
of Little Women" prolonged another
week
Mr. Taylor's faith in the drawing power
of the play is backed by many years OF
popularity Tor the book which Marian
de Forest has dramatized, fer as soon as
the first modest volume of Little
Women made its appearance in 1868
every library in the country made such
demand for il that the following year
saw the second edition, and Louisa M
Alcott the most beloved fiction writer or
her time.
The years have brought more modern
stories, to be sure, but they have not
i'm the least affected the enormity of the
sale of the Alcott book, for where Is
there a girl who has not laughed and
went over Meg, Beth, Amy, ana Jo'
idolized Laurie and loved John Brook?
Miss Alcott herself was the original
10: Meg was her elder sister Anna; dear,
gentle little Beth was Elizabeth Alcolt'
whose death in early life cast shadow
book was May Alcott, the baby of the
family. whose artistic struggles and as
pjrations were taken from life in the
writing of the story.
And now We are to see them on the
stase-these Little Women who have
been the delight of three generations; a
wonderful treat, which we owe largely
IN Jesse Bonstelle. who spent many years
narsuading the Alcott family that stage
version of the story would not destroy
the atmosphere and purpose OF its author
And when Marian de Forests dramati-
cation of Little Women had its pre-
uiere at The Playhouse in New york
CITY last October the Alcott family saw
the performance from box, ana were
convinced that Jessie Bonstelle had been
right for the charming character comedy
was presented in four acts and five scenes
and NOT only presented all the main incl
DENTS of the appealing story as told by
Miss Alcott but held the spirit of the
book intact
AsI left the elevator at the third moor
Of the Shoreham Hotel last Tuesday att
ernoon. a door along the long corridor
opened and a presence as gentle as the
snring rain without made itself felt,
rather than seen, as David warmed
came forward to greet me. 1t was The
iuctioneer" 1.-The Music Teacher, Inc
Grand Army Man." Peter Grimm" all
rolled into the Warfield personality,
which made me forget all about the little
man himself who bade me be seated.