The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-09

have gasped its last gasp II won 20
out in a blaze of glory. but will fade
away from sheer inanition. Every man
ager who has had anything like sue
cess has hung onto it like shark to
the rubber sailor. and by every means in
his power elongated normal run to a
season finish The perils of production
nowadays are worse than those of Pear
line, so any theater that has anything
like real attraction has chung to 1t IN
the face of falling and not very profitable
patronage sooner than take the risks of
a new venture. Therefore. we have our
tlieaters occupied mostly with plays that
will easily succumb to the first attack
of hot weather and then go into storage
preparatory to the re-upholstering that
will send them out on the road next fall
with the Endorsement of having lasted
out a season in New York.
Not Much to Do with Eve.
"A Modern Eve" is the only really new
production of the week at a regular the
alter The Casino is the scene of its
birth. and it is an effort to provide
lasting attraction at a house which has
almost always had something in the way
of light musical entertainment to offer
to New York's visitors during the hot
months. OF course, it is a girl-andmusic
entertainment it cannot rank very high
1t is built up on such a time-worn
formula that even the summer guest of
New York stranded of an evening when
il is too cool or too stormy to seek the
usual out-of-door entertainment, is likely
to be bored by its absolute lack of orig
inality "A Modern Eve" shows us only
the same old things. On the program
an extended list of composers and writ
ers; in the cast, number of names
most of them obscure, but some with a
record OF past achievements that have
given them publicity: in the score. music
of the sort that is too much like a lot
of music familiar to the raGtime public
in the hook nothing that is at all gay
sparkling. humorous. funny, or original
in the chorus. the always plentiful sup
ply of pretty and sometimes shapely
girls. all robbed of their semblance to
beauty and ordinary humanity by the
exaggeration Of facial makeup that robs
them of anything like their natural
charm OF course there is gorgeousness
of costume and setting: but this is such
commonplace accompaniment of the girl
a nd music show that it no longer calls
for comment. 1t is so easy for a man
ager with financial backing to give an
unlimited order to dressmakers and
scenic artists that the result is rarely
noticeable. although in the case of "A
Modern Eve there is one combination
of pure red and brilliant white so strik-
ing that the result is unusually effective.
Any other title would have done quite
as we'll for "A Modern Eve 1t seems
as. though it must have been chosen as
an afterthought when the whole piece
was ready for production, since, in fact,
il is not to be recognized in the plot.
action, or dialogue, although in itself
suggestive and inspiring. Prominent in
the cast are William Norris, Ernest Glen
DINING. George Drew Mendum, and
Leila Hughes. whose abilities are COM
rletely thrown away on the kind of ma
terial with which the artists have to
deal. 1t may be that "A Modern Eve"
will last long enough to try to please the
summer visitors to New York: but any
true spirit of hospitality would suggest
that the Casino ought TO offer them
something a bit more original and en-
tcrtaining.
DAILY shifts.
Arnold DAILY ard his company had to
leave the Garrick on account of the
abandonment of that house TO the NOV
ing pictures. They went to the Park.
and are splitting the weeks evenly be-
tween performances Of the Shaw com
"siies Arms and tho Man and You
Never Can Tell" Ever since DAILY open
Cd his present Shaw season he has been
suffering from throat trouble and it is
apparent that he is working under a
handicap which not only affects his own
performances hut also robs his support
ing company of the inspiration his usual
huovenCy imparts to every one with
whom he acts. This is especially evil
dent in Arms and the Man." to which
DAILY has always supplied, in the char
aCter Of Capt Bluntschli. a dash and
viCor that carried the whole performance
with IL If Mr. George Bernard Shaw
could only see the difference In the effect
of his plays with Arnold DAILY web and
Arnold DAILY ailinG. he might be inclined
to give TO the pepperv Young actor
greater credit for the vogue of the plays
in America
Finish of WalIack's.
The hrilliancv of first night audiences
on special occasions is proverbial. but 1t
was a packed house of well-known per-
sons that gathered to witness the last
performance in Wallack's Theater be-
fore IT should he tuf&ed over to the
vreCkers for demolition to make way
for sky-sCraper. The attraction was
the double bill of The Man Who Mar
ried a Dumb Wife" and "Androcles and
tne Lion. After Inc regular perform
anCe Rose Coghlan appeared before the
curtain attired as Lady Teazle, a part
she had often assumed in The School
for Scandal as it was played by the
old Walack company. She had been
brought down from the Shubert, where
she is now playing Nine. Vignard in the
revived ''Trilby,'' for the purpose of re-
citing an epilogue by Oliver Herford,
written for the occasion. This was fol-
lowed by speeches from Granville Bar
ker and others, all in a more or less
obituary vein. 1t is noteworthy that
this Wallacks Theater was built less
than forty years ago to fall in with the
uptown trend Of society. and today 1t is
so far downtown that ii is no longer
profitable to maintain il as theater.
Oliver Herford's epilogue was a de-
lightful poem for the occasion, partly
partly sentimental, partly
humorous and always witty. 1t was also
somewhat sarcastic in contrasting past
conditions with the present as shown In
these lines:
The sTirit Of Lester wsllnck is not dead
There are today kindred few who fight
To keep the sacred flame Of art alipht
That fickers feebIy mid the fumes obscene
From mazen affairs rear'd BY hands uncIean-
lrrariots Of the Drama that profess
To love the Truth, bit love the Goddess Les
For her pure beauty than her naketnes,
nv