The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-18

Broadway theater. They have more tn.
attitude of the regular patrons Of &
stock company. They write YOU letters
come to see you, send you gifts. and wait
at the stage door for you to come out II
they like YOU they come again and again
and YOU often hear people boasting OF
the number of times they have seen 4
play. I have seen ''Wallingford" twenty
nine times. some one will say and his
friend will try TO improve on his record
Like the English. they dress for the
theater rather more than We do. Fer
formances begin at o'clock and are
over shortly before II. When We first ar
rived had quite a time educatinc
them TO a little later first curtain. for
our plays were all short and by begin.
ming early we got out too early. The
only matinee of the week is on Wednes'
day. About every third day is a holi-
day. and then business Is completely
suspended They love sport and outdoor
life. and these holidays are spent in the
open.
People of the stage are not only re-
ceived socially. as in England. but they
are sought after. The best homes are
open to players. and when We first ar
rived we had to use all our tact and
diplomacy to keep from hurting people
for we do not go out much. and until
they realized this they were apt to mis-
understand.
I'VE did not have to change the plays
much. Australians are very ada ptable
and caught on rapidly to the slang with
which they were filled. To help them
understand the purely American idioms
We printed on the program the express
sions and their meanings. 'SlanguaGe
was the apt name they gave it. There
u
cut down the speed appreciably, for we
found they could not follow the strange
speech through the speed with which
Americans habitually talk. Then. too.
they like to laugh leisurely. and If they
cannot It spoils their pleasure. But we
always found that at the end of week
or so we were playing at full speed and
we had them trained to it.
The movies are much more of fac
tor there than here. or at least than
they were when I left three years ago.
although from what I have observed
since my return they are playing more
important part in the amusement world
than formerly. In Australia they look
upon going to the movies as they do to
the theater. could not get used to
hearing people say. I'm going TO see
John Bunny tonight They loved Bunny.
and the mention OF his name was enough
to start them laughing. They know all
the American players and they are par
ticularly fond of the Wild West films,
for that phase of life Is strange to them.
They have built fine moving-picture the
aters. patterning them after American
playhouses. I imagine. for they like
American things.
After the theater the Australian goes
home. although now both in Sydney and
Melbourne one can go to a cafe and get
a bite to eat. They are dancing in Aus
tralia now. At first 1t was frowned upon.
but now every one is tangoing quite
freely. And every one plays ragtime.
They know Irving Berlin and they love
ragtime.
I'VE are supposed. to return in two
years. but l don't know. George Is writ
ing a play for Mr.. Niblo and I am to act
in it. too. il feel like 1t when fall comes.
The family don't want us to go back.
and while we had a wonderful experience
We wouldn't have missed. We may not.
II could bundle my mother. father, and
brother under my arms and take them
with W I wouldn't mind so much, but
nineteen days by boat from San Fran
cisco Is a long way from home