The Washington herald., 1915-09-26
Memorable Fortnight Kenyon S
New Play-Actress Wins Fame
Over Night-The Merry Ticket
War-News from the Front-New
Styles in Ticket Selling Movie
Picture Rot-Small Talk.

New York. Sept. 25.-It will be a
long time before theatrical people for
get the hot September of 1915. From
the 4th to the 18th there was a relent-
less combination of heat and humidity
that broke all records of the weather
office. We always count on little
hot spell in early September. and the
theaters discount short slump in
their business.
No one was much disturbed by the
first few damp and torrid days and
nights. but after a week of it the fail
ure of box-offiee receipts became Sc
rious- Then each successive day
brought a cumulative effect on the pub
lic and managers. At the end of the
fortnight the condition became pam
icky. The plays that were failures
and were being nursed along with
forlorn hope of a turn in the tide
found the heat an excellent excuse for
collapsing. Others that in favorable
circumstances might have had enough
of run to justify their being turned
into moving pictures were promptly
put out of business by the practically
unanimous desire of the public to keep
away from the theaters. Even so sue
cessful a star as Marie Tempest, ap
pearing in a very attractive bill, found
it convenient to sprain an ankle and
announce the temporary closing of the
Lyceum. Several new attractions fully
rehearsed and ready for presentation
wisely postponed their announced
openings.
Several OF the pieces that closed on
account of the heat have gone into cold
storage for good and all. The grateful
GOODNESS and clearness that arrived last
Saturday restored things to the nor
NAL. and this week the theatrical
world is humming with reopenings.
da
cry for theatrical amusement by their
recent long abstinence.
BY the Author of "kindlinE.''
Some three years ago a young San
Franciscan named Charles Kenyon
Jumped into recognition by the
strength of his play "kindling." in
which Margaret Ellington has success
fully starred ever since. Another play
from his pen was announced by Mr..
Willim A. Brady. under the title of "A
Married Mistress" Wiser councils pre-
vailed and the piece has just been
brought out with the name changed to
ly less objectionable, even if it is COM
monplace and respectable
Husband and Wife" is a domestic
triangle play of something of the same
type that we used to import so freely
from Paris. and of which both the
trenCh ana american stefHe0
to have tired. This one. however. is
entirely American save that the lover
is an Irishman. the family butler a Jap
and the chiid's governess a German. all
of whom however. Eseem to be pretty
thoroughly naturaliZed except for their
various brogues. The foundation for
the complications is tn husbands be-
lief that his wife cares for him only
ia provider of luxuries for her en-
ioyment. This was what suggested the
: hrst title for the play. To Procure
them he has turned defaulter and his
preoccupation with his own anxieties
leads the wife to believe that he no
longer loves her. This paves the way
for her elopement with the Irishman
at the very moment that the bank Off
.cials have discovered the dishonesty of
their cashier. Apparently no man could
be in greater misfortune-on the verge
of imprisonment. his horne broken UP
and his wife and child deserting him in
his moment of despair.
In the theater. with the present ne
cessity for a happy ending to every
play. even such an apparently hopeless
situation is easily solved. The bank
examiner is an old friend of the hus-
band and had once entertained love
for the wife. He delays the action of
the bank officers, his detectives nip
the elopement in the bud. his appeals
band and wife. and also makes the
Irishman chip in to refund the embez-
zled money and save the husband from
prison.
Robert Edeson has the hard work
of making the husband credible. We
can all sympathize with a stage thief.
even against our own inclination. if
his crime is clever and ingenious or if
can see that it committed
under the stress of excusable tempta-
t;on. The crime here is commonplace
and there is nothing in the drawing of
the wife or in the rehearsal of the cir
cumstances that precede the play to
show any real motive for it.
Until this performance. Olive Tell
was.a name unknown to the New York
public. II seems likely to become a
familiar one. for the young woman
who bears il and played the part of
the wife is not only a stage beauty
but has possibilities of development
into a leading woman of unusual tai
ent. She is young, blond. exquisite
in. colorinE, carries herself with au-
thority and possesses considerable
magnetism. Her voice lacks feeling
and she does not use her eyes to the
best advantage, but these are defects
which experience will remove. Our le-
gitimate stage is not crowded with
competent young leading women, and
IL Olive Tell does not neglect her op-
portunities there is an important place |
for her.