The Washington herald., 1913-05-11
Casual Surrey of Closing Season Gives Strong
Impression of Its Stress and Loss Where New
Ventures Have Been Concerned-Re-
ppaIs More Fortunate.

Miller produced for the first time at
the Columbia Hheater December is,
served 10 introduce Laura Hope Crews
as co-star with II. b. Warner, ~and
there its mission ended. 1t was an
inconsequential comedy Of the crook
variety RENAL kable only for the incon-
sistency with which the character OF
the heroine was drawn. Mr.. Miller
took the piece to the Lyceum Theater,
New York. where it ran about month
at a tremendous loss to the actor
manager.A
Week of Two Premieres.
The week of December 18th was
marked by another premiere in WASH
ington. the second being The Drone."
comedy by Rutherford Mayne, In
which whitford Kane did excellent
work at the Belasco Theater. The
NAV itself was so inane and uninter-
esting that it broke the record for the
shortness of its stay in New York, lfv-
ing only one night at Days Theater.
Running The Drone" a close Sec
ond in the matter of length of exist
ence in the metropolis, was The
Painted Woman" which was seen two
nights at The Playhouse, after which
it was withdrawn. The piece was &
melodrama from the pen of Frederick
Arnold drummer, which was seen at the
Belasco Theater, this city, February H.
after two weeks tryout in Baltimore.
.Hrhe Painted Woman" introduced Flor
ence Reed as star. and served to con-
vince those who saw her remarkable
performance in the title role that Ameri-
lea has no greater emotional actress.
Yet another comedy which had its
initial performance in Washington, and
which must be set down on the fall
ure side of the years theatrical regis
ter was THE Love Leash, by Anna
Steese Richardson and Edmund Breese,
featuring Grace Filkins at the Column
bia the week OF March rs.
On the sunny side of the ledger We ma
Hawthorne L. S. A. which opened at
the National October q, and proved a
delightful farce-comedy. dominated by
the vigorous personality of Douglas
Fairbanks 1t went to a metropolitan
success.
Cordially Received I'm New York.
'Our Wives had its American pre-
miere at the National October %, and
was a charact COMEDY and a delicate
satire on matrimony. The play, which
was an adaptation from the German, was
clean, clever, and well acted, with Henry
Kolker in the leading masculine role 1t
maze no SlIOHS dppSdi W
theatergoers, but was more cordially re-
ceived in New York.
The week of January q brought us
Charles Frohmans annual venture into
the musical comedy field, in the form OF
THE Sunshine Girl" which was given
its first production in Washington at the
Columbia Theater. starring Julia San
derson. Both play and star were re-
ceived with enthusiasm here, which
increased during its New York stay to
the extent of a veritable triumph.
The most delightful of all the produc-
lions which were given their premieres
in Washington during the past season
was The Good Little Devil" the fan
tasy by Nine. Rostand and her son,
Maurice, which David Belasco produced
at the New National the week Of De-
cember 30 That the piece was a triumph
from every standpoint was the Wash
ington decision, with which New York
afterward entirely agreed.
We may also lay claim to the practical