The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-12-28
Repiew of the Past Week
In New York ThedterS

period rose to characters and situations
in the play that were familiar. The
gay window and the clergyman inter-
ested n the course of the stock mar
ket were easily recognized as being taken
from real life.
In THE Henrietta" Bronson Howard
wrote a play of the period, but he was
also sufficiently a dramatist to write a
play which shows its power to interest
a public vastly different from the one
that gave the piece its greet early vogue.
The dramatic and comedy elements still
survive in a day when Wall Street cuts
a much diminished figure in New York
life. The Nicholas Van Alstyne por-
trayed by Mr. William H Crane then
and now might have been any one Of
half a dozen prominent operators in the
old days, all of whom have disappeared
and left no successors. OF course, the
silly-ass youth, portrayed by the late
Stuart Robson in the old cast, is a per-
ennial type. and does not vary much with
time or changed conditions.
If THE New Henrietta" as the pres
ent version is called. and which offers
from the old principally in the moderniz-
ing of few speeches and the intro
duction Of the automobile as q stage
accessory makes a success, it will be
BG4s uuG " liit dCllIE Vi MI. DOukldSS
Fairbanks, as BERTHE, the lamb" who
comes down to Wall Street and is physi-
cally shorn of his fine attire, but finan-
cially makes good by the ignorant plung
ing that saves his father from ruin.
Mr.. Fairbanks has been wise enough
not to ape or initiate his predecessor In
this celebrated role. Oldsters remember
the irresistible squeak in the Robson
voice and its power to convey the idea
Of mental vaouity, but Mr.. Fairbanks
makes Berthe much more up-to-date
blithering idiot. He has changed the
whole depletion OF the part, and IL THE
New Henrietta" hangs on. which seems
likely from the merriment of the new
generation public that saw the first per-
Torrance, a large part of the credit will
be due to Mr.. Fairbanks.
Mr.. Crane comes back to his old part
with apparently renewed vigor. Amelia
Bingham. as Mrs. Opdyke. who makes
her appearance in Wall Street at the in
opportune moment when there is a stock
fight going on. enters more into the stun
ming clothes of the character than Its
spirit. The rest of the company Is quite
up to the mark, and 1t seems quiet pos
sible that this inheritance from a past
generation might win its way with the
new one.
Cream of the New York Theaters.
The new productions Of Christmas week
haven't yet been tried out, but it looks
as though The Henrietta" deserved to
stick Forbes-Robertson having shown
his complete repertory to the high-priced
public at the Booth is going to the
Manhattan Opera House to play to big
ger capacity at lower rates of admission.
The lady stars, Laurette Taylor, Elsie
Ferguson, and Ethel Barrymore. still
continue in Peg O My Heart THE
Strange Woman" and "Tante,' respec-
lively. Mr.. Maude has thoroughly es-
tablished himself with Grumpy" at
waIlack's In comedy vein, THE Mar
rage Game" I:eeps along at the Comedy.
For those who, are not afraid Of being
shocked are the varied playlets at the
Princess and the funny French farce,
Madam President" which is also con-
vulsing London under a different title.
Crookdom and melodrama are to be had
in THE Man Inside. and AT Bay" And
the Hippodrome with its big show goes
on forever After the beginning of the
year there will be general shake-up
with arrangements and new produc-
tons