The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-14

been borrowed from the purple shadows
Of twilight hour
But" said Mr. Belasco. that is
also true of my entire collection. I
have made IT in person. Every piece
OF glass in this room; every curio
throughout the place. Is mine through
labor and love. ] have not wanted
other folk to give me things. I have
gone from country TO country gath
ering them all-like the traditions Of
a yesteryear-here and there as
could I havG spent all the money 1
have made in doing just this one
thing"
And thus as one marvellous impress
sion after another was registered on
my brain as we passed from room TO
room Mr.. Belasco talked. or stopped
again to caress with look or touch
some rare thing that carried with il
q special memory.
In the Gothic Room We fingered
over the tapestries; a table which be-
longed to Alexander Dumas: more ex-
quisitely tinted bottles and decant-
ers; coming TO a stop only when we
entered the study where the artist
unbottles his genius in the making
Of plays or the planning of stage eff
fects.
Here, sitting in a shaft of sunlight.
he told me something of the new play
In which David wsrfield is to make
his first performance IN Washington
early next month-the play upon
which Mr.. Belasco was working last
year at the time OF his premiere in
this city of Marie Odile" had seen
a fragment of the rehearsal. and had
gathered that IL was a legendary
drama of the sea, and knew that il
bears the title OF Van Der Decken.''
Il have taken the legend OF the
Flying Dutchman and humanized II;
woven into IL love story; made IL
into a play for Mr.. warheld. But" he
broke on with a smile, II must not
tell you too much about it for shall
make the production in Washington
in a few weeks, when you'll see for
yourself what l have done"
1T is the first play I have written
since The Return OF Peter Grimm.
he went on. "and represents only my
second production of the current sea-
SON."
cause of such moderate activity in
the producing line. and was told by
Mr.. Belasco that his productions sell
dom pay when sent en- tour.
Il have lost enormously on Marie
Odile' since the piece left New York.
7 lost an even greater amount on THE
Good Little Devil But gain or lose
! will not send a play out of New
York with a cast or production in
any way inferior to that offered the
metropolis"
And thus the secret was out
II secret IL may be called that II
is as much a spiritual impossibtlity
for David Belasco to stand sponsor
for an inartistic production. or per-
formance. as II would be for you or
I to stick our hands into a bed OF
live Goals.
When we had rested and chatted
a bit he showed. me the things which
touch his life more intimately than
any with which he has surrounded
himself: miniatures of the mother
whose name he invariably speaks in
tones of exquisite tenderness: of him
self as he was when just "Davie." the
boy: his rare collection OF books; the
lights he has arranged outside the
windows that will touch the study
with moonbeams whether such is ma
lures decree or otherwise, and just |
when I was feeling that I wanted to |
spend the rest OF my life in this room |
which the sunlight invades by day |
and to which real or simulated moon
rays bring dreams by night ! was lead
away to the Japanese room where MI.
Belasco lies on q couch in its cool,
sweet atmosphere and relaxes the ten
hours every day. Then We went on |
and on through a labyrinth of effec-
lively lighted sanctuaries-all filled
with rare and beautiful things-until
at last I was back again on Broad
way, walking as one awakening from
a disembodied flight into some far
magic place which the frailty of words
make It impossible to adequately de-
scribe.
I saw Just one theatrical produc-
ton during my short stay in New
York last week. with so many inter-
esting things on the boards 1t was
dificult to make a selection. but after
I had spent my one evening in the
shubert Theater under the spell OF
Franz Lehar's new operetta I felt no
regret that my choice had fallen upon
Alone at Last" for the score Is me-
Iodious and musicianly; the orchestra