The Washington herald., 1914-04-05
By JAMES $. MErcALFE.

Time was, and not many years ago. when
the season of Lent was a depressing In
huence in matters OF the theater. Now
adays the manager and producer 60
along their respective ways without re-
gard to the fixed period of abstinence
from worldly joys. The current six weeks
have seen quite as much activity in the
theatrical world as any other similar
period during. the season. Holy Week
viii see q decline OF theatrical energies.
but II will be most strongly evident in
the theaters that are prolonging the
runs OF doubtful successes. The religious
fervor that calls for the closing Of a
theater on Good Friday, for instance,
rarely extends TO a house that is reg
ularly selling all its seats. The late
Augustin DAILY seemed to have really
religious motive in the regular closing
Of his theater on Good Friday, but his
SUCCESSORS appear to have no similar mo-
tive except when they are playing to los
ing business
. Clash of Openings.
Right IN the fact Of the Lent-end dull
ness we have had quite conflict Of new
productions Mr.. Charles Frohman had
the hardihocd to oppose Billie Burke in
q new play to the Shubert production of
'Panthea," both on the same evening.
Margaret Anglin in q revival of Lady
windermere's Fam competing with re-
yival Of '"The Girl from Kay's" called
In its regeneration THE Belle of Bond
Street." Certainly these competing en-
terprises show q managerial faith In the
belief that New York has outgrown all
its former religious prejudices, and that
even Holy Week has no terrors for any
kind of a show that pleases the visiting
and resident public.
Billie Burke's Latest.
The great vogue of Billie Burke is some
thing Of a mystery to those who watch
the stage. She is undeniably pretty in
q sort of candy-shop way. She is spright-
ly and vivacious. She has a smarty
way about her that appeals largely to
dull persons OF both sexes who could
not be smart no matter however hard
they tried. Perhaps we admire most in
others the things that by no possibility
plain the great popularity of Billie Burke
with many estimable persons of her own
and the opposite sex.
Jerry" her new piece, written by
Catherine Chisholm Cushing the author
of undeniably clever kitty Mackay,"
gives Billie Burke a chance to do every
thing that she can do. She can screw
up her little face into all kinds OF mugs
and grimaces; she can use the baby
Eruffness; she can assume the hurt ex-
preston of the spoiled child. and can
use all the cajolery of the experienced
coquetts. All these she does in turn. |
and is vastly aided in these assumptions |
by an unusually large number OF changes !
Of costume. Billie Burle's admirers at |
tach so much Importance to her person. |
ality that they are vastly interested |
every time she changes her clothes. She |
is not shy OF revealing her person. and |
the present play gives her ample oppor- |
tunity for showing herself in garb rang
Ing from that of the usual dinner dress
to the extreme masculine habilimcnts of |
the lady who rides her horse crosswise
and the even more frank exposure of |
exaggerated pink pajamas that leave
very little to the Imagination. OF course,
In these days. when every woman on the
street is evidently trying to expose rather
than conceal, there is nothing particu-
larly shocking in these exhibits, but they
do not exactly take the place of the art
Of acting. In fact. the role that the
author has provided for Billie Burke in
Jerry" seems intended to make the rapid
change trick take the place of any real
histrionlc ability on the part of the star.
Jerry is the spoiled daughter of a good
family. She is in love with a man who
has been tied down for years by a matri-
monial engagement to one of her elderly
female relatives. much his senior In
love with this latter lady is a bachelor
of her own age, who is too timid to try
to break up existing arrangements The
heroine settles the whole matter by tele-
phoning to the society editor of a news
paper that there has been a reshufie,
which compels the interested parties to
assume new relations, with everybody
satisfied.
Jerry is extremely light farcicaI COM
sdy. The hide-bound admirers of Billie
Burke, of whom there are many, espe-
cially among matinee girls, find it vastly
amusing. Persons with a broader view
Of dramatic art and the art of acting
regard it as something in the nature of
oifle
More Serious.
Panther is what might have been
powerful drama gone decidedly wrong.
Part OF its mission was to introduce
Nine. Olga PetroYa as an emotional
actress. The lady has been seen here in
and in musical comedy. She
s Of slender build. intense in manner
and affects the unwhoIesome in appear
ance. She has good speaking voice and
has mastered English sufficiently not to
nave her accent handicap her other
Qualifications, particularly as in the pres
snt case she is supposed to be playing in
distinctly foreign atmosphere, the prin-
cipal scenes Of ''Panthea" being laid pre-
sumably in Paris.
Mime. Petrova is not starred in the
Iill, but enough stress has been laid on ]
Ter in the preliminary announcements
Ind the Importance of her role is sufi-
:ient TO make her the most important
person in the cast. She has the differ
.nce and distinction OF the foreign ac- I
ress and in the minor scenes uses these ]
qualities to lead up to the hope that she '
night give evidence of great power when d
opportunity came. Unfortunately. both I
he author and the actress combined 10 | q
make the climaxes rather cheap melo-
Rama, done in a conventional way.
''Panthea," which gets its name from r
he heroine, is the story Of a Russian !
efugee, who, while under arrest is [
in Northern England. Taken
o a country house she and a younger
on fall instantaneously in love, and fee h
o the Continent, where they start in y
Iousekeeping in an unconventional way. q"
here is lot about these happenings Z
he play does not explain; but taking .
hem for granted, the lady gives -four
Teeks OF her life to a gentleman with an r
ndeflned position, but with the power
0 secure a presentation for her lovers
pera. The opera is, Of curse, a great
uccess. ana at the dinner that celebrates
the lover discovers the influences that
ave secured his hearing the heroine q,
ills her four weeks friend, and, as a a a
nal climax. the Cossacks get her and =
ka- Aar 20