El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-28

EW YORK, Feb. 2S-The star OF
NJ the American playwright is not
4 only in the ascendency, but II
has actually assembled and, what is
more. it is continuing to rise. Time
was, when the benches in Central park
Madison Square and the sidewalks
along Broadway were the popular re-
sorts for American playwrights who
peddled their manuscripts from one
managers office to the other, bewail-
ing their fate and crying out that none
but foreign plays were being produced
in this country.
Turning to today's papers, count 20
American plays now on the New York
boards to bat 10 by foreign authors.
Turning, then, to London papers OF last
week I count but 16 English plays, while
y productions by otner than English
authors are now on the London stage.
Of the latter, six are American pays.
They are: Never Say Die 1.-The Mar
rage Market" "The Darling of the
Gods" within the Law" broadway
Jones'" and "The Fortune Hunter. Be
sides these, there is the "HulIo. Rag
time" Revue, at the London hippo
drOme, produced by American stage
managers. with American songs, sung
by American artists.
And England is clamortnS for more
American plays and American actors!
Last Monday, Robert COurtneidge the
influential English theatrical manager
and owner Of the SALISBURY theater, IN
London, sailed from these shores with
the English rights to the queen OF
the Movies" in his pocket. This play
will shortly be seen in his playhouse
Three or four other English man
ayers are gumshoeing around New
York and Chicago on the hunt for
Ill fish
isThe Midnight GirI.v
There must be something in the eli
mate of Utah, possibly the breezes
from the Great Salt lake, that is par
ticularly helpful to the human voice.
I reasoned this out as listened to the
sweet voice of Miss Margaret Romano,
who appeared in the title role Of The
Midnight Girl" at the FOrty-fourth
street theater and sang and acted her
way into the hearts of the audience. l
do not know why this young girl
adopted the name which reminds me Of
salad, which I do not relish-I mean
the salad, not the girl-but at any rate
the name does not matter. AS passed
in the theater, the manager came to me
and in whispered tones informed me
that Miss Romano was sister Of
Hazel Dawn, of Pink Lady" fame. I
decided at once that I would not like
her, because have an instructive an
tlpathy to stage persons who desire to
er or mother of some other well known
player. Reflected glory does not appeal
to me. / suppose Miss ROmaine can
not be blamed for being a sister Of Miss
Dawn-thOse things will happen-but
papa and mamma Tout (TOut being
the name superseded by Dawn and Ro-
maine), can feel just as proud of Mar
garet as they are of Hazel
All this by way Of saying that Miss
ROmaine added greatly to the charm
Of The Midnight Girl" which is a
| musical comedy in three acts by the au-
! ThOrs Of adele" and q few others. The
play originally came from abroad, was
produced here in German last fall. with
many interpretations finally arrived
in its present state.
The plot of the piece, which really
1 doesn't have anything to do with it
concerns a young girl known as the
Midnight Girl" a cabaret singer. The
name" midnight" comes from the fact
that at the precise hour of u she must
always be ready for her turn at the
cabaret. Three men bearing the name
. OF Gustav Criquet also figure in the
story. The midnight girl marries one
or these under the impression that he
is the great senator Criquet, while a
rival cabaret singer marries another
CrIquet under the same conditions
Thls furnishes enough of a thread upon
winch to hand amusing situations,
funny dialogue and a host Of songs by
the principals and chorus.
Zoe Barnett, who Ell Pasoans saw in
The Ded Rose" is in the cast
"AlonE Came RUTH
Holman Dav, who has written many
quaint stories and poems of New
England life, says he adopted along
Came Ruth" from the French of Fon-
son and Wicheler. which speaks well
for the magnanimity of Mr.. Day He
may have Nta5en the idea from the
French play, La DemOiselle du Mag
azin," which had a two years run in
Paris. but that is all. He has trans
1erred the scene to OldpOrt, Maine, and
the characters are typical of the 10
cality.
He has neglected nothing in the way
of local color and the play has be-
come as truly American as THE For