The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-16


aster-Small Talk.
New York, May 15.-The biggest show
in New York this week is being presented
by the United States government. The
cast is supplied by the American navy
with it's officers. men and mascots. The
scene Is the North River. and the setting
is especially notable for its back-drop OF
the Palisades. with the constantly shift
ing sky effects. ranging from the blue
of early dawn to the glare Of midday.
and the final change of brilliant sunset
into the star-studded darkness of night.
The props are a good many million dol
lars worth of battleships, destroyers.
submarines and useful auxiliaries at an
Choir. with swift-moving launches and
ether small craft in the foreground to
supply constant action. dramatic note
is supplied when inevitably the disaster
to the Lusitana comes into mind in con-
nection with this display of mighty force.
For an audience, there Is the entire pop
ulation of New York and its immediate
neighborhood, supplemented by visitors
from the rest Of the United States and
from other nations. These spectators
view the spectacle mostly from famous
Riverside Drive. which skirts the water
front and affords ample room for those
on foot and for the continuous current
Of automobiles. omnibuses. sightseeing
cars and the occa sional horse-drawn We
hicles Some of the audience likes to go
behind the scenes and patronize the
many boats that ply with passengers to
and from the ships. An occasional upset
or other misadventure supplies the
humorous element, which makes this
visit Of our big fleet really the finest
spectacle of the season. It reaches its
climax at night. when all the ships are
outlined with thousands Of electric lights
and the searchlights are brilliant in their
general display. often bringing embar-
rassment into many secluded corners
afioat and ashore.
Summer Attraction Likely to Last.
The Longacre Theater has afforded
temporary shelter to a number of attrac-
tons that have had their brief chance
before the footlishts and then melted
away to nothingness. Now the Longacre
seems to shelter the first Of the summer
successes in the way of a production that
promises to keep the house open during
the period that most New York theaters
are dark and the summer visitor has
small choice in the way OF entertainment
Such a success at this time of year Is 4
God -send to owners and lessees of thea
ters for it means an income from real
estate which is supposed to be nonpro-
ducing during the hot-weather period.
The piece is called "A Full House.
it might quite as appropriately be called
anything else-and is nothing but an ex-
tremely laughable farce. Next to pop
ular musical show this is the best kind
of attraction for the dull period when
the public will patronize nothing but
81, io, Kind n onferf 9iNnent
To attempt to describe its plots would
he like untangling an intricate puzzle.
Briefly, it deals with the misadventures
of a newly married lawyer, who has
left his bride of a day to get back from
a chorus lady some compromising letters
written by a friend who is at the same
time his client and a prospective sutton
for the hand of his young sister-in-law.
In a railway accident on the way home
he exchanges hand satchels with a
burglar. who has just made good jewel
ry haul in Boston. The ensuing compli-
cations, involving marital suspicion. a
stupid servant girl, the police, various
ladies' from the bride to the shrewd
young person of the chorus. and English
buffers and others are Of the kind only
to be found in the brain Of the farce
writer and never in real life. Their only
Justification. realized in the present case.
is their power to create laughter. In
"A Full House" they give rise to many
IL ugh-compelling situations. and furnish
a basis for clever lines. Judged by pres
ent standards of stage propriety, the
farce is fairly free from suggestiveness
and may be seen with safety by those
who do not regard Ten Nights in a Bar
Room and similar inspiring dramas as
the only fit material for the theater.
Mr.. Frazee has given "A Full House
an unusually good cast for this class OF
attraction. with May Vokes and Mr.
Herbert Corthell as the principal fun
makers. and Mr.. Edgar MacGregor, who
staged it, has inspired the large company
with the farce spirit of continuous ener-
getic action. There are q number Of at
tractive women in the cast, and Mr..
George Parsons in the role of the law
yer-bridegroom brings to 1t the straight
acting. which by contrast Is valuable
asset in the presentation of farce. In
its entirety "A Full House" seems to be
just the sort Of thing for New York
summer audiences. and should, there
fore, make amends to the Longacre for
the failures that theater has sheltered
temporarily during the season just clos
ing. The author IL given on the pro-
gram as Fred jackson. which at frs
glance, and on the evidence Of the play.
seems to be an alias for some on pretty
well familiar with the tricks OF farce
writing.
Mncterlinck Again.
This is the time of year for all sorts
of theatrical experiments. and one Of
them was a matinee given at the Cand-
Ter by the Gsmut to give opportunity for
playlets by two Of its members. and to
give the first representation in America
of Maeterlinck's THE Death Of Tinta-
giles" The Gamut Club IL ap organiza-
hY>4oI 0~o-