The Washington herald., 1913-12-07
Nv JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

j
Every little while some explanation Of
had theatrical business drifts down 10
ms from, disgruntled New York managers.
All fall we have been hearing how the
movies are hurting the legitimate
+beater. o. how the dancing craze has
taken the place of the drama In the al
fections Of the young folk, ana no"
comes the wall that everybody is speno-
ing their hard-earned cash for Chrlstrnas
gew-gaws of one sort or another-dhS
nd all of which explanations may or
may not influence the puoic IN So .e ra'
awSy from the theater, but the lact re
mains that they do stay away-in great
big, depressing hunks.
sixteen theatrical companies were re-
called to New York last week because
of the failure of patronage for the pro
ductions in which they were preseh'eu'
And II is a notable fact that In this whoie-
some RELOCATION to the theatrical ware
houses there were shows which throuSh
tbeir own merit ought to attract the pup
lie included in which group is Annie Rus
soils company, the very same Nhlch
rave such keen pleasure here IN the
BeIasco Theater last season in a revival
of She StoOr5 to Conquer ana Inc
Rivals ..
season they have had but to open anu am
70 close, a fact which has seriously al
fected the bookings Of managers all over
the land, Washington included
Manager TAYLOR has not known all
season whether he was walking on MS
feet or his ear, so rapid nave peen Iho
bookings and cancellations for the Belasco
Tbeater The present week Is hoIaoie
example When Miss Grace George was
announced to open in Springfield, Mass
or, THANKSGIVING Day in Avery Hopwood
new comedy euphoniously entitled MISS
Jenny O'Jones." William n braoS
hooked the piece for Washington 1or the
uresent week. The play opened anu
nroved so complete a misfit for the clever
comedienne that it made the lady down.
right ILL., All of which was ueIhehuouS
disannoiutment to everybody concerned
for Mr BRADY spends about nlne-tenths
of his waking hours planning Whal III Ine
world to do with Miss George lot she
his wife, YOU know. and he's Just got 10
give her a good play. Not that she lsh
also one of his most capable stars ana
- d.IirbtfuI cOmedienne. a fact which
has been sometimes lost to pubic We"
when she has struggled beyond her depth'
epped on hy some manager more en-
thusiastic than wise
Last wear when MIR HOpwood returned
from Europe he paid a little visit 10 MI
and Mrs. Brady at French Lick springs,
H., Miss George speedily upbraided
hin, for not writing her another play as
,.ongeuial 10 her personality as was
Clothes"
Mr. Norwood declared that he had an
idea for comedy which he lntehueu 'o
call Miss Jenny O'JOnes. but the thlhs
was as vet only in the embryo state
Miss George was delighted with the
titIa She made Hopwood relate the rather
disconnected scenes. which he elaborated
.s he wen- along. and Mr.. Brady was
as pIeased as his wife. They wantes 10
nut the piece into rehearsal without Iie
finishing touches, but Mr.. HopWood Woulu
not hear y this. so Miss George jumped
back into the Frohman fold for iew
weeks unit Miss Jenny OJones had
baen arraved in her purple and tne linen
for prIblic presentation And now, SAD,
sad TO relate she sits In sackcloth anu
ashes mourning her fate, while Bousht
and Paid For" George Broadhurst
american domestic drama. takes her
nIace AT the Relasco this week, after
frantic. scraInbIing around on the part ol
Mr.. Brady to find a substitute.
..Bourbt and Paid For" with its theme
or modern marriage from the woman
angle is a serio-Comic drama with every
clement of popular appeal, the propleIn
itself being frightened throughout "lth
a nersistent comedy element. When seen
I,oro last season with Julia Dean in the
leading feminine role, the acting through
ont was admirable and consistent, ADDING
greatly to the interest of the drama
Tho ReIasco Theater is not alone in
feeling the stress of the New YORK
situation which controls the theatrlcdl
business of the entire country.
The Columbia is dark this week. with
tho execution of a few rentals, for no
reason on earth except that no suitable
nIav was available for the week. Last
IrIv a contract for the current week was
signed with Cohan and Harms Tor one
Of their new productions OF the present
season, but when the time rolled around
the production was not forthcoming Tor
the einnIe reason that it had ceased to
ovist OF three others offered to fill the
week two were failures, and the other was
considered by Manager Berger to be un-
desirable Mr.. Berger even went to New
York a week ago to see what he could
dig up for the week, with the result above
stated.
The most notable example OF trying to
fit a round peg in a square hole is Charles
FIrobman's insistence that Miss Billie
Burke can swim in deep waters, as
evidenced i his presentation Of her in
Maurham's drama of the Canadian North
west The Land Of Promise at the Ma
tional Theater last week. Whether the
venture was due to Mr.. Frohman's In
ability to find a suitable comedy for his
effervescent star, or just a plain lack
of good Judgment do not know, but
the result is the same.
The Land of Promise" itself is Canada
seen through the eyes of an Englishman,
who obviov :ly knows little Of the charac-
teristics T the Canadian farmer, a i
drama which holds the interest Of an au-
dience more through accumulative weight
than through dramatic force; depressing |
in its story; inconsistent in its delineation1
Of the central character, and totally un-
suited to the capabilities of Miss Burke,
whom the public wants to see in roles full |
Of the sunshine of life at its springtime, |
not because it begrudges the little actress
more serious stage accomplishment |