The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-26

something In common with j. NJ. Bar
ries little piece "Rosalind.n In both
YOU have the incident. OF plain. mid
dle-aged lady Transforming herself,
with the assistance of powder paint
and hare's foot into a fairly youthful
damsel who would easily pass in the
twilight for something under 80. | un-
derstand that the part is to be offered
to Irene Nanbrugh. but whether, after
having done exactly the same thing
in Barrie's play, she will care to ac-
cept 1t Is a point open to- doubt.
Back again from New York, Haddon
Chambers has not long favored Lon
don with his company. A few days
ago he left for Nice, where it has been
his custom for some years to spend
the early spring months and to shelter
himself from English fogs and damp.
Regarding his trip across the Atlantic
he seems to have maintained sphinx
like reticence The one solid fact l
have been able to CLEAN is that he ar
ranged with Charles Frohman for the
production of this new play both in
New. York and in London. Now it hap
pens that just year ago I travelled
with Hadden Chambers to the south of
France and even then he was, SO he
declared, at work on this very same
at last completed. This slowness is
surprising seeing that the piece is
founded upon novel named "Tante,"
by Anne Douglas Sedgwick, so that
Chambers has been spared the hard
ship of originating plot.
Arthur Collins promises us the first
London performance of Dietrich
Quick Wallingford" at the Queens on
CnhHnfs farce
has been given a preliminary run at
Folkestone during this week where II
appears to have made hit. A friend
of mine who witnessed it describes it
as one of the best farces that America
has even sent us across the water. Evl-
IDENTIFY, also, Hale Hamilton in his orig
inal part won a success for himself.
Drake" has proved big holiday
draw at His Majesty's and Tree is now
beginning to wonder when he viii be
permitted to re-en.cr his own theatre
as leading man. He is strongly OF
opinion that an actor cannot afford to
lose touch with his own particular pub
lie for any great length of time and
il it should actually happen that he
goes to the United States next fall he
considers 1t an absolute necessity that
he should be before the public during
the greater part of the spring. He has
ractically determined to make his re-
appearance at His Majesty's in Ibsen's
play, 1.-THE Pillars of Society," and as
he is excellent in the role OF Consul
Bernick the choice seems altogether a
good one That piece will only be put
on for a week or two, however and
is merely intended as a prelude to the
presentation of a new piece and, later'
of a Shakespearean revival.
According to cabed news H. r. irving
las received most enthusiastic welcome
from South African plagoers VINO nave
shown special liking for his perform
ance as Matthias in 1.-The Bells. Mean
while. he has secured the Savoy theatre
where he will start London season early
in the coming autumn. He has acquired
a fair number of new plays-among them
Rov Horniman's After Many Days" and
Desmond Coke's "One Hour of Life =
which naturally he is eager to exploit
The Savoy ought to suit his purposes
capitally; it is a particularly cosy and
comfortable theatre provided with fair
ly roomy stage, large enough, at any
rate, to accommodate anything in the ma
ture of an ordinary modern play Gil
bert, Sullivan and D'Oyly Carte each
made a fortune out of 1t and there is
no reason why Irving, granting that ne
has the right material to work upon,
should not follow their example.
man comic opera called "Grigri,' which
had been acquired for this country by
George Mcclellan and in which Emmy
Wehlen would in all likelihood make her
temperance. 1t now seems probable
that the piece will be done at the Prince
of Wales by arrangement with FRANK
Curzon after Marie Tempest has finished
there. 1t is not so very long ago that
Seymour Hicks was negotiating with
Curzon for a season at this theatre Tor
himself and his wife, Ellalme Terriss.
BY virtue of their existing agreement
with Oswald Stoll the two have still
something over a year of vaudeville TO
work out Their ambition is, however.
on the conclusion of that to return TO the
regular theatre appearing in comedy or
drama. Both speak of retiring at date
not very remote and as Stoll is paying
them a round 100000 and relieves them
of all risk they have had the opportunity
lately of putting by considerable sum
of money Experience teaches, never
theless, that having once come under the
glamor. of the footlights there are Few
actors or actresses who can bear TO be
long separated from them, and | shall
only believe in the retirement Of sey-
mour Hicks and Ellaline Terriss when
have proof positive of the fact.
looked in at the Prince of Wales the
other morning and found Marie tempest
starting a rehearsal OF Estner Sdst-
ways" as Jerome X. Jerome's new play
has been tentatively christened Marie
tells me that her part in the piece IS de-
cidedly of a serious kind. The action
takes place in America, as Jerome con-
siders that his theme fits In best with
the condition of American life Marie
Tempest has got good working com
pany round her, the members or whlch
may be trusted to bring out all the es-
sential points of the story. take 1t
she will make the piece one of the chief
items in her repertoire when she crosses
the Atlantic. step she proposes to take
at no very distant date.
"A Scrape of the Pen finishes at the
comedy next Saturday and will then be
taken on the road by its author, Graham
Moffat 1t is virtually certain, although
signatures have not yet been placed On
the contracts, that its successor will be
III. " Esmonds piece, Sandy and His
Eliza which has just come in from a
successful tour in the provinces, with the
writer and his wife, Eva Moore in the
leading parts. 1t can only remain at the
Comedy for six weeks, however, as 1T
will have then to make room for new
play adapted from Edgar Jepsons popu-
II 1x-