The Washington herald., 1913-03-16
BY JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

By JULIA CHANDLER MANI.
Interest in The Daughter of Heaven.
which comes this week to the New Ma
tional Theater, was aroused throughout
the length and breadth of the country
more than a year before the premiere OF
this Chinese spectacular play, with whlch
the LiebIer Producing Co. inaugurated It's
second season in the Century .Iheatef'
New York, the 18th of last October.
When work was begun on the stupen-
dous production. word went forth from
New York that The Daughter of Heav-
en-" would surpass its immediate predeces-
sor The Garden of Allah" in point OF
scenic investiture and gorgeousness OF
costuming. a promise which even the
most caustic critic admitted fulfilled the
night of the long-drawn-out premiere OF
the piece in New York last fall.
The play is by Pierre Lott and Judith
Gautier, the former being one of the most
striking figures in the modern world OF
bellies lettres, a term to which he would
probably object, however. for M
Lott is a conservative of conservatives
loving the Orient and thoroughly detestinS
the Occident- Were he to give frank
record of his impressions of his visit last
fall to America, for the final rehearsals
of The Daughter of Heaven and It's
first production, he would likely create
Charles Dickens American Notes. or
than the rumpus stirred up by Max o Rel
when he so frankly discussed John Bull
and His Island
Lott might be aptly termed the Meis-
onier of French literature. so nne and
delicate is his touch. He dwells in world
all his own, having an apartment IN fafis'
which he seldom occupies: real home al
the old French seaport town of Rochefort'
no
Pierre Lofts best-known contributions to
literature are Nine. Chrysantheme,
published in 1886: his letters on the Boxer
rebellion. and his Basque idyl "Ramunt-
cho."
The Daughter of Heaven" which is
the sublimated prose poem of two notapie
authors, deals with the intense, though
futile, love of a Manchu Emperor for his
Ming Foe, the Empress of the South.
The Emperor of China is known as the
Son of Heaven" as he is the chosen
representative of the powers above and
responsible to them for the welfare Oh
his people. In like manner. when the
supreme head of the government is
woman. she becomes the Daughter OF
Heaven" Once every year the Emperor,
or Empress, as the case might De, WouIo
go TO the Temple of Heaven in Pekln.
and. after due performance of sacrifcial
ing alone Here he would place himself
in communication with the Supreme Be-
ing. and submit his stewardship for CEN
sure or approval The Chinese feel that
the sins of the ruler are visited directly
upon the people. Thus, if the land is
filled with famine and pestilence, they be-
lieve the Emperor has sinned. while II
times are prosperous they are equally as
sure of his virtue.
has been a Son of Heaven very much
more often than Daughter of Heaven.
women have played an important part In
shaping the destinies of the Flowery
Kingdom. One of the earliest Expresses
was the Empress WI, who ruled in the
Tang dynasty. She might be said to be
one of the first suffragists of history, for
she decided to place her sex upon an
equality with man, and. as a consequence,
women were admitted to all public posts.
Tzu Hsi, the famous Empress Dowager,
who ruled China much later, was one of
the most efficient stateswomen the world
has ever known. She was the model for
the striking character of the Empress OF
the Mings. which Viola Allen impersonates
at the National this week in the now ia
nous Liebler production Of The Daugh-
ter of Heaven.
Before Miss Allen undertook the inter-
profound study of the life and work of
the Empress Tzu Hsi. and the critics of
other cities have acceded TO ner high
praise in the role, declaring that she has
had no part in all of her acting career
more worthy of her peculiarly intellectual
talents than the Empress Of Ming. the
Daughter of Heaven herself.
The first of last December. Annie Rus
sell-who is the possessor of that happy
faculty of hiding her opportunity and
keeping her ambition in check until it
concentrated upon a novel venture
in New York, where she took the Thirty
ninth Street Theater for two months, in
stalling there a company of young, dill
gent, and talented players. at the head
of which company she acted classic Eng
lish comedies beginning with She Stoops
to Conquer" adding Much Ado About
Nothing" and finally, THE Rivals
In this venture Miss Russell maintained
a high standard of production, giving an
intelligent and well-rounded performance,
and mounting her plays with a simplicity
and good taste, which was an added point
in favor of the success of her undertaking.
In addition to this. Miss Russell and Mr..
Oswald Yorke, her hueband, attained
their supporting players so assiduously
that the venture had an outcome in the
Metropolis which encouraged her to ex-
tend it to other cities. where it has met
with a similar appreciation of discrimi-
mating audiences.
Miss Russers Old English Comedy
Company tenants the Belasco Theater this
week, opening tomorrow evening with
She Stoops to Conquer" in her manner
of reproducing which she won the highest
possible praise.
Tradition had incrusted the Goldsmith
comedy with many sorts of duh. cumber-
ing, and clownish business" 1t needed
to be studied with modern eyes imbued
with imagination, and then produced as
a new piece. The play is perennial be-
cause it is a classic. That it bears adapta-
tion to the ways. and tastes of each sue
, ceeding generation without loss to either
hts life or flavor has been proven by Miss
Russell, who in spite of her own fragility.
pne had the courage to do this brave
y thing, and to do 1t without any flare
rumpets.
he Rivals Sheridan's noted fun
ng comedy, will be given IN Wednes-