The Washington herald., 1915-12-26


There is no place like the heater to effect the final
touch of jollity to the Yuletide season.
And no merrer triumvrate of than Julia Sander
SON Donald Brian and Joseph Cawthorn could have been
selected to dispense the Christmas spirit of good cheer at
the New National Theater this week
# was the season of 1928 that Miss Sanderson made
her stellar debut in this city at the Columbia T1eater in
The Sunshine Girl gaherng into the meshes of her IN
fectious smile every heart that papated within the radius
of her influence.
How that brilliant premiere sticks yet in my memory
President Taft occupied the box on the LETT and
with his hands flung the bewitching young arste
great bunch OF American Beauties.
In thc next box the late Charles Frohman hid himself
l-n, curious ewes deep within the shadows, accompanied
m members Of his staff who had had hand in the musical
, production that was to establish Miss Sandersons
1o,,.arit, with splendid pernanency
Tic ,heaer was packed with brilliant audience and
So FREQUENT was the demand for repettions of song hits
a critics morning newspapers wondered II they "ouio
catch the press of the day after the morrow-or nayoe ne
day.
Md all through the gala affair Mr.. Frofmans custo
mary mask of imperturbablity broken by smile OF
satisfaction in having picked another girl who would
measure , to the high standard set by the artists
,ndcr his management and rake the gold INTO his ooners
I,s.Dh Cawthorn was excruatngy funny in his crea-
tiun OF 4 low comedy role in The Sunhsine GIRL and
you'll also remember that the Castles flashed their grace
full terpschorean through the performance beginning
the fashionable vogue which they have since enjoyed In
TACT the piece was the for their fame and
fortune. and they mighty soon graduated from II INTO
wealth and stardom
After The Sunshine Girl" THE Girl from Utah,
with Joseph Cawthorn still shoulderng the comedy honors
this time as featured member of the cast which also in
ded in its stellar triunvirae Miss Sanderson and Donald
Brian the dapper who has rather resented his fame
as such:
He didn't want to be dancer intended to be a
dancer
He had his all planned along quite different
lines His ambition to be juvenile comedian, ana
George NJ Cohan going write play for him. The
piece was called Harrington of Harvard and Brian
was to plav the title role While he waiting for the
comedy to be written, Henry w. Savage came along with
nice LITTLE offer of the role OF the Prince in The Merry
Widow"
But there was nothing doing.
Mr. Brian saw his future looming large comedian
and he turned the offer with all the confidence of
youth
After which Mr.. Cohan got mighty busy with some
thing and forgot all about Harrington OF Harvard
and the Brian person, which pretty hard lines But
it resulted in Donald eating humble pie like man, ap-
peane to Mr. Savage for the spurned role and his over
night plunge into popularity, for the Merry Widow
waltz got under public hide, sending everybody away
from the theate- whsng the lifting tune and talking
about the chap who had danced to with much agility
and grace.
Since then he's played roles but he is still
more closely associated in the public mind with the Merr,
Widow than with any other of his achievements, anc
if he still has any hankerng after the non-exsten ar
rington of Harvard" he keeps it to himself
The musical comedy which brings the Sanderson
Brian Cawthorn trio of clever entertainers Yuletid
attraction has its American premiere the New Natona
stage evening" after what claimed to have beer
stupendous several foreign capitals The IT'LL
of the piece "Sybi" Max Body and Franz Marte
who wrote the book of "The Merry Widow" re
sponsibe for the present story while Victor Jacob wh
composed the music of "The Marriage Market, in wicl
Donald Brian starred alone has written the music for tn
piece
Another adaptation from, the European stage make
plea for attention the Beasco Theater this week
where William Fayersham in modern comedy fron
the pen of Francis de Crosset entitled The Hawk"
drama of accredited intensity originally produced at b