The Washington herald., 1914-12-13
By JAMES 5. METoALFE.

pany failure, with Its estimated labinues
Of something like $4,000. and It's esd
mated assets Of something like S5eoOo. is
not so important as It seems 1t means
a lot Of trouble for lot Of persons. but
II has no bearing on either the general
business or general theatrical situation.
II cannot be attributed TO the European
war. TO Wall street. to the movies, or
ANYTHING except the theatrical business
Judgment Of Mr.. George Tyler, who Is
In everything, except business details,
the former theatrical firm OF Lebler q
Co, and the lately active corporation,
The Liebler Company.
Mr.. Tyler still lives and VIII douotess
continue to be a producing manager long
after the present difficulties of the Ldeo-
Ter outfits have become reminiscent In
theatrical history. Mr.. Tyler Is man
ager with too much ambition and too
much Imagination to be held down by
business conditions. He has evidently
had before his eyes the careers OF the
Impresarios who, in the days when Amer
lea looked to Europe for its artistic
ideals and when there was more money
than sense in this country, realized large
fortunes from bringing to the newly rich
United States artists who had gained
great European fame. Mr.. Tyler arrived
too late for that harvest. For years
America has been in too close touch with
Europe, we read too much and travel
too much to have about European artists
any curiosity that will make US give up
large sums Of money to see or hear them
at short range. Barnum, MaretZek.
Mapleson. Strakosch, Maj. Pond and
Henry Abbey worked that gold mine to
the limit, but George Tyler, in his ad-
miration for the foreign star, arrived
lat 70 min fnfn rash He had
and doubtless still has, the spirit of those
Did theatrical and operatic adventurers
combined now with an accumulation Of
experience. When he comes out from
under the cloud OF the Liebler failure
and is released from the Indebtedness TO
the persons who have trusted the Lieb-
ier-Tyler concerns. he will doubtless be
found a perhaps chastened but still we'll
equipped producing manager looking for
new theatrical worlds to conquer. Once
rid Of the obsession for foreign stars,
George Tyler, with his liking for doing
big things. and with a new sense of
financial responsibility, ought to become a
factor in American theatrical
Affairs.
The immediate effect of the failure is
not vastly important except to those d.
rectly concerned. The LIebler successes
will, of course. continue. Mr.: Cyril
Naude's successful tour is not likely to
be interrupted Mrs. Patrick Campbell
and Miss Phyllis Neilson-Terry, two of
Mr.. Tyler's foreign selections, will find
no difficulty in getting back to their ma
tive England. TIE fate OF Mr.. Louis N. !
Parker's really delightful stage version
Df David Copperfield" has already been |
settled by New York that no longer |
knows about OF cares for Charles Dick |
ans. Mr.. Edward Sheldon's Garden of |
Paradise" with the beautiful settings by |
Joseph Urban, is still looking for public |
'avor under the management OF the re-
,efver appointed to care for the affairs OF
he LiebIer Company.
The Ever Busy Herbert.
In lighter amusement New York has
Just been equipped with a new girl-and- |
music show called THE D,butante.' in
Producing as a star Hazel Dawn, the |
pretty Utah girl who won the fancy Of
this town first in The Pink Lady and |
piece Mr.. Victor Herbert supplies the
score Everything that Mr.. Herbert does
:. of course, musicianly. and in the pres
mt instance he rises above the average
# his more recent provisions OF music to
20 with librettos. At the same time there
$ very little in the music to recall the
originality and virility of the old Her
,ert scores. The present trouble with
dr. Herbert is that he has become
ourne yman composer.
Almost White Slave.
Mr.. Wilfrid Mack. as his name appears
N the programs, broke in on US from
he far West with his play, Kick In"
nd made us sit up and take notice. 1t
wasn't SO much just what he did as the
lever way in which he did it. Not con-
IL,
lis feet. lately planted on Broadway and
he adjacent rues, he has just put over
mother under the not entirely explana-
Ory title of SO Much for So Much"
With remarkable thrift he gets the au-
hor's royalties on the new play, collects
salary as the principal actor and puts
still further crimp in the box-office re-
eipts by permitting his wife, programmed
5 Marjorie Rambeau, an extremely pret-
y and competent actress. to get on to
he salary list as leading lady. Even Mr..
William Gillette, being a bachelor, can
OF go that far.
There's not much that is new in the
tory Of the play, but Mr.. Mack makes !
coherent builds in some very good
haraCter drawing. emphasizes the hu- ,
lorous possibilities and works up the ;
lement Of suspense almost to the final i
limaN and curtain. He acts well the ,
art Of the fresh and heroic reporter, ,
Iarjorie RambeaU is find for Broad :
'ay in the matters of good looks and {
citing ability. Mr.. Joseph Kilgour is a /
ell portrayed millionaire villain, so, r
18th the aid Of competent actors in the |
ninor parts, so Much for So Much" !
Gems likely to draw audiences. It ought !
least to fulfill the hope expressed by I
ne author in his curtain speech that a
he new play would buy gasoline for the !
utomobiIe his profits from Kick In
ad enabled him to buy.
Sunday Opening.
Once more we are up against the open I
e wedge for theatrical performances !
lnday evenings and in father curious S
Ishion. Winter before last the contin- v
INT of society folks that like to mix up a
ith the stage organized a movement t
give Sunday performances of unusual {
avs before select audiences Of SUBJ 4
ribers. The dickens only knows why a
lis was necessary when the regular v
eaters were producing new plays week E
~ nights at a rate which taxed even b
e energies Of paid theatergoers to keep L
, with them. v
The first performance under the au- Il
ices Of the Stage Society was prohib- 4
ID by the police under the well-under- b
ood law against Sunday theatricals sc
ecourse was had to the courts and the Il
tion of the police was sustained. The g
W was then eyaded by making the Sun N
" evening performances oStensibly re- 81
arsals for Monday afternoon presenta- II
ms OF the same plays in behalf Of some q
arity. The pretext was still further ~
rtified by not opening the main en- a
lnce to the theater and making the b
bscribing members find their way to q
amlfFprfn,, affar hafnor odp - a.