The Washington times., 1913-12-31
Washington Is Promised
Two Savage Premieres
By JULIA MuRDocK.


ital City q belated Christmas
gift in the nature Of promise
OF at least two premiere theatrical pro-
ductions. aside from the one which he
presented to Washington theatergoers
Monday night. when the Hungarian
opera, "Sari'' was presented, with Mizsi
Hajos In the title role.
Between placing new touches on the
operetta and answering hundred ques-
tions from hundred different people
on a hundred different subjects. Mr..
Savage found time to spare ten minutes
to talk about things theatrical, and es-
pecially what he intended to do for
Washington in the present season.
"Sari" is Mr.. Savage's first gift to
Washington this year. Later. in about
three weeks. IL present plans carry, he
will give Washington the first peep at
the new play that has been adapted
from the "Old Reliable stories of Har-
ris Dickson, which ran for several
months in a weekly magazine. willis
Sweatnam is to be starred in this piece,
which Mr.. Savage described to me yes
terday as a white story with a colored
background" The doings Of that quaint
though shiftless old darky character,
"Old Reliable" otherwise known as
Zack. have been made into a garment
which clothes the plot Of the play. There
In the old negro cook, the old Marster
himself, the old bull dog, and the vari-
Gus plantation types that made the
stories SO delightful The part Of 'Old
Reliable" Mr.. Savage says, fits Sweat
nam like glove. In this players sup
port will be Mrs. Charles d. Craig,
Worthington L. Romaine, Dan Robey
VIII Jordan, John F. webber, Sydney
Shields, Frank Thomas. John Morris,
Frank Hilton, and Frank L. Davis.
"Along Came Ruth is the title of
another play which Mr.. Savage mas in
preparation. and which Washington
probably will see within the near future.
Savage Favors Washington
As Best Premiere City.
Mr.. Savage told me he had chosen
Washington as a premiere city for
many reasons First. because he has
implicit faith in the opinion of the
theatergoers of the Capital City. He
believes that Washington people have
the time to judge of things from a
leisurely and unbiased viewpoint. They
depend upon their own opinions. rather
than upon opinions that have been boil
stored up by the press agent and the
advertising manager. So he is going to
send Along Came Ruth to Washing
ton for its premiere Ruth is a plain
New England country girl. her sponsor
told me, one of the sort that is known
as capable in that section of the
country whence she comes. She Is
thrown out into the world to make her
own living, and what happens to her
forms the basis sof the play. Holman
Day Is its author, and Mr. Savage says
that IT 10 a cross between The County
Chairman and Way Down East"
breathing the wholesome atmosphere of
both, yet with an entirely novel and
interesting plot
The third journey into the dramatic
world this season will be taken by Mr..
Savage with a musical play called The
King of the Mountain an opera based
on an old German legend, which tells
of the adventures of the hero, who was
a Greek prince by day and a bandit of
the most ferocious character at night. 1t
is rather unusual that with such a
name and such a setting the leading
male character in this piece should be
an American, the captain of a United
States man-of-war, who falls in love
with the bandits sister, and marries
her. The music of this operetta is writ
ten in Lehar's best style. and Carolyn
Wells has made the songs.