The Washington herald., 1914-01-25
By JULIA CHANDLER NAME.

BY JULIA CHANDLER NAME.
Romance" the title .of Edward Shell
don's drama OF long-gone yesteryear
which comes to the Belasco Theater thii
week. may be suggestive OF fragrant
and serene little wisp of sentiment, ~
sweet as drifting apple blossoms In May
but IL any one has gotten such an impress
sion they may as well get rid OF the idea
first as last, for Mr.. Sheldon fs said to
have at last written \ play which sounds
the depths of infinite passion.
Even those who have refused to wax
enthusiastic over Mr.. Sheldon's Saliva
tion Nell," that abominable thing still
more abominabiy named THE Niger,
or 'The High Road which, like Saliva
ton Nell." owed its success largely to
the genius of Mrs. Fiske. concede that the
young playwright has In Romance
completely freed himself Of Interior ma
teriaI and written a play which is COM
plete in itself
Mr.. Sheldon. who is now only In his
twenty-seventh year. was senior at
Harvard when Mrs. Fiske decided to Gre
ate the title role of his Salvation Nell" :"
since which time he has won a host Of
admirers who are strong for the cour-
age and vigor which is one of the assets
of youth characterizing his work in The
High Road" the last of his pieces seen
ter, last season.
In Romance" Mr. Sheldon goes back
as did Clyde Fitch in Captain Jinks Of
the Horse Marines''-to old Brevoort Ho-
tel days in New York. and IL is said that
he has exhumed a most delightful pic
ture of Manhattans eos giving nota-
bic example of his undisputed skill in
treating atmosphere of time and place.
Aside from the fact that Romance" Is
Iafr ,aes1 70 t,, hes ynTk
Sheldon has done along this line. 1t
brings us Miss Doris Keane's first ap-
pearance here as a star. Her brilliant
achievement in the role of the italian
opera singer would seem the fulfillment
of the promise which her New York
appearance gave when she was seen in
Henry Arthur Jones' "The Hypocrites,"
which the author came to America to pro-
duce in the fall of 1906. This perform
ance at the Hudson Theater represent
ed the first time leading English author
had been given a first production In
America, and it was therefore a notable
occasion. Miss Keane played the role
Of Rachel Neve. the betrayed girl a part
so hackneyed that il was a distinct tri-
umph of genius that she was able to
endow II with life.
Through the ovation accorded her she
kept a level head. refusing the offers of
realizing that to do SO meant a simple
duplication of her performance in THE
Hypocrites." which would stunt her ar
tistic growth. She had sufficient insight
into her future to know that IL 1t was
to be big one she must not become the
subject of "a type" but gain a diversi-
fled experience, a realization which meant
momentary failure but her ultimate and
present triumph.
played a diversity of parts, bringing a
vividness of color to each which no one
who saw her performances ever forgot.
until last fall. she played under the man.
agement of Winthrop Ames in THE Af-
fairs of Anatol." after which she was
selected by Edward Sheldon to create
the operatic siren in Romance" receiv-
ing Mr.. Dillingham's accolade. and loom
ing on the theatrical horizon as a star.
Her creation OF Nine. Cayallini. the
crowning figure of the Sheldon comedy of
sentiment. has won for her unqualified
praise since Romance" was presented
at the Princess Theater. Chicago, last
September.
A little more than two years ago Dom
aid Brian waltzed out on the stage of
the Knickerbocker Theater. New York. |
for the first time, and before he waltzed
OF again he had won a place at the very
top of the list of American stage dancers
The I'D of last September, when
Charles Frohman gave THE Marriage
Market its premiere at the same the
ater, Mr.. Brian did not waltz out as
formerly, but walked out like a regular |
actor. and made such good use of the |
opportunities provided him by the authors |
of the three-act musical comedy that
audience and critics alike waxed enthu- |
siastic. Since the days Of THE Merry |
Widow" Mr.. Brian has made a phenome-
nal climb up the ladder of fame. growing /
more popular with each succeeding year. |
and now he comes to us this week. at the 1
New National Theater. in "The Marriage
Market a piece which is accredited |
much brilliance and charm, and which
Mr.. Frohman is said to have produced
with excellent taste and great elabora-
ton.
Mr.. Brian was born in St Johns, New
and Is yet in his twenties.
When his father died he was but seven
years old. His mother moved to Boston.
where the boy soon afterward went to
work as cash boy in a department store.
urged into breadwinning by the financial
stringencies of his family. He was
Heaven Church, in the Hub. In the Mas
sachusetts capital he also followed ath-
letics, which training has stood him well
in his dancing Of recent years.
His first stage experience was in an un-
important aggregation presenting SHAN
non Of the Sixth" where he drew the
attention Of George M. Cohan and became
4 member Of the original company play
ing 'Forty-hve Minutes from Broadway"
II was while he was in this piece that
Henry W. Savage was attracted to him
and afterward intrusted to him the Gre
alton Of Prince Danilo in the original pro-
duction Of the now famous Merry
widow" Mr.. Brian's nimble and artis-
tic dancing brought him immediate sue
cess in this viennese operetta. in which
he continued for three years, after which
Charles Frohman featured him in The
Dollar Princess" From this experience
he was elevated to stardpm in "Thel
Siren" two years later. and now he is
the most successful season Of
mis- career in THE Marriage Market" q
piece which bears all the earmarks of the
London Gayety. with dances galore-sin.
de. double. triple, quadruple, and ensem-
,le-and with a score which is said to be
by q ceaseless flow of mel
,dy.
All Of which promises a right merry ,
successor to Joseph and His Brethren" ,
CALENDAR OF THE WEEK. /,
National-sThe Marriage Mar.