New-York tribune., 1915-03-16
"The Blue Bird" at Man
haitian Opera House
for Farewell.
HELLO GIRLS" AT
"CHEZ" MAURICE
Miss Elisabeth Marbury Enters
Arena as Musical Comedy
Reformer.
By HECTOR TURNBULL.

DN iOh
( Maeterlinck's fairy play, THE Blue
Bird" was presented last night at the
Manhattan Opera House for a farewell
engagement of two weeks, after a third
tour Of the country. The story of the
play is probably familiar to most the
atregoers in this city, as the spectacle
played for 26s performances in The
New Theatre.
The present cast Of more than 100
players gives a good performance, and
the work Of the children, OF whom
there are twenty-five, is particularly
capable.
+ The ,hero and heroine are played by
Jack Davis as Tyltyl and Harriet
Mendel as Mytyl. Among the older
members of the company are Thomas
X. Corless as the Cat. Gwendolyn Val
entine as Water, Isabelle lie Page as
Milk, John Sutherland as Bread, George
Sylvester as Sugar, w. II. Dcnny as
the Dog, K. Morgan and Ethel Brandon
as Daddy Tyl and Mummy Tyl, Martha
Messenger as Light, Elizabeth Evans
as the Fairy Berylune, Angelo Romeo
as Fire, Dore Davidson as Old Father
Time, and Mrs. Cecil Raleigh as Night.
Elisabeth Marbury has now turned
her attention to musical comedy. She
has become silent partner IN the pro-
duction OF the musical comedy NO
body Home which +. Ray COmstOck
has ~ rehearsal for production at
the Princess Theatre on Easter Monday
night. Miss Marbdry, who has been in
teres;ed in many ventures, from that
OF play broker and managing the
Castles to conducting the ,fetera
Dance Hall, atop the Strand, and has
made a success of them all, was asked
yesterday how she happened to decide
to take fling in musical comedy.
Everybody seems to be reforming
the DRAMA said Miss Marbury, laugh
iug.y. Granville Barker has turned IL
upside down, and various societies
arc doing their best to elevate the
. Legitimate drama. IL seems to me
that now is the time for son one to
do The same thing to musical comedy,
which has gone along Tor years in its
poor old way, with its same old jokes,
its same old stage settings. Perhaps |
decided to 90 into this venture with
/ Mr. Comstock because | thought some
one ought to do for musical comedy
what the rcformers are doing to the
regular drama.
Moreover. we have had so much talk
Of suffering this year and so many
benefit performances that | was afraid
iugrowing mclancholia was likely to
become q national discG q. II ! can
possibly do anything to Offset such a
calamity ! vi h to do so. and ] believe
the production of Nobody Home will
be a long step in that direction.
"This production, which Mr.. Com
.s4. I.- .-s5ar D..
tre, is going TO be something new and
something smart. | wouldn't be asso-
ciated with 1t unless it contained some
thing new, because the great desire OF
the smart theatregocr in New York IS
20 see n novelty. We shall have some
rev people in the new production who
are likely TO attract attention The
musical comedy itself actually has an
idea and a plot and the music - most
catchy and attractive. If YOU want any
further details ! must refer you 20 Mr..
Comstock."
At midnight last night new review.
entitled "lIello Girls" was produced
for the first time at "Chez" Maurice,
Fiftieth Street and Broadway. II was
written by Harry Carroll and staged
by Lew Bricc Maurice and Florence
Walton both took leading parts. as did
Harry Carroll, Lew Brce and Minerva
Coverdalc other small bits were
played by members Of tho Winter Gar
den company, including Helen Cullen,
Mabel Hin. Blye Brown, Olga Hemp
stone, Kathryn Hill and Helen An
drews. There was also chorus, which
sang and danced. Most of the princi-
pals of the regular Winter Garden
company were present to see how the
players Of the small parts in Maid in
America appeared in Hello Girls"
George V. Hobart is to dramatize
for John Cort the Come On Charlie"
stories.
The first in a series Of free lect-
ures developing certain topics taken
m in Earl Derr BigCers's war drama,
Inside the Lines" will be given under
the auspices Of the play management
at the Longacre Theatre Monday at
p. m DR.. s. Paul Chinnapa, of the
Mysore Government Educational Ser
vice, India. will speak on THE Hindu
in the Drama"
Taylor Holmes. whose direction has
been assumed by Joseph Brooks, will
ION the Tidy cast. Allti d CbHltl-
ence with the Shuberts yesterday Mr..
Brooks announced that Mr.. Holmes
would play Gecko.
In furtherance Of his plan 10 make
the Garrick Theatre Shavian play
house, Arnold Daily is endeayoring to
make arrangements to bring Gertrude
Kingston there to present the three
playlets that are now being played by
her at the Toy Theatre, in Boston.
One of these sketches is "Grest Cath
erne," a humorous satire, in which
Shaw is seen in his merriest vein.
Preparations continue for Mr.. Days
production Of "You Never Can Tell at
H., Garrick on Easter Monday.
Tomorrow nights performance Of
"Watch Your Step" at the New Am
sterdam Theatre, will be q fashion fete.
Mrs. Castle will show what the smart
es. Of spring styles will be by wearing
Il entirely new repertory Of gowns.
The Castle parasol-a distinctive ad-
junct of one of the creations-will take
the place of the Castle muff. There
will be spring hats and spring foot
gear.
UNIVERSITY FORUM
Programme Appropriate to