The Washington herald., 1915-10-10

, agreeably sung and interpreted by an
| excellent company, Of which the star is
a very pretty and graceful young woman
named Eleanor Painter. She is more
than this. for she had grand opera am
! bitions based on a voice Of good quality
and an unusually thorough musical edu-
| cation Another agreeable feature Is the
! comedy work of Sam b. Hardy. who
| achieves. that difficult task on the light
| musical stage of being funny without
! resorting to the methods of the clown
| or minstrel man.
It is so brief in duration that one
clever feature originate by Mr.. Her
| bert perhaps escapes the notice of most
of the audience This is musical carica-
ture of the dance music popular now
adays in the countless public places
where people gather to indulge in the
most prevalent craze. AS d real mu-
sician. Mr.. Herbert voices in this bit his
disgust with the tom-tom compositions
based on the barbaric ear-Splitting sue
oessions of discordant sounds which orig
mated in the jungles of darkest Africa
and have been brought to us in modified
form by the negroes OF the South. trans
planted to the danCe-halls OF the whole
OF America and part Of Europe.
Washington Square Players New
Season.
II was It'DIutu Nttl llo" an
gregation of Young people living in and
! about that old part of mid-New York
known as Greenwich Village came up to
the Bandbox Theater in East Fifty
seventh street and captured tn" faECy
Of the discerning with a series of rather
unusual theatrical performances. 1t was
cooperative scheme in which the men,
bers helped each one in his or her indi-
vidual way. whether as actor. author.
CT oa- ~ q
seamstress. typewriter. ticket-seller,
usher or Ill any otker needed capacity.
Several of their little plays were written
by rembrs. and performances We're also
given of short pieces by foreign authors
which had never found representation
under our methods OF conducting the
tneater.
The venture attracted Considera BILE t
tention from quite numerous public
that was looking for the unusual. al
though the performances were given in
2 theatcr far off the beaten track and
We're confined 10 one two evenings a
week Thsir success has secured some
thing of financial backing for them
and enabled them TO lease the theater
for the season, guarantee small salaries
to those who give all their time to the
work. and present their PLAYS every even
ing and At nlatinees.
The first bill of the season consists oF
four playlets of different types. The
first is by Hervey White. and is a form
less episode. not particularly brilliant /
or moving occurring between French
and German soldiers at a spring between
the lines made neutral by common con-
sent It Is called Fire and Water" and
is more an absurdity than serious
effort.
The next piece is a gloomy and tragic !
depletion OF one phase of life made |
into English by Ralph Roeder from the |
italian of Robert Bracco. Its charac- !
tiers are a man and two women who |
have been social outcasts. one his mother |
and the other his wife. The shame |
OF his birth and suspicion Of his wife ,
drive him away from them; and the |
climax is the wonen's suicide by char !
coal fumes. and in each other arms.
The cheeriness Is increased by the fact |
that the wife is about to become !
mother.
The third effort is in lighter vein. call
ed ''Helena's s Husband and written by |
Phillip Moeller. It deals with the episode
in the life of Helen of Troy when Paris
comes to the palace of Menelaus to elope
with her The costumes are crosses be-
tween the classic dress Of that period and
the ahsurdties of our own: the acting
is in excellent hurlesque spirit. and some
thing % the nature of the piece may be
understood by the TACT tlldI -NeII'IduS
is represented as being really glad OF
the elopment. and helping it. along be-
cause he Is tired of Helen's vanity and
her strong appreciation Of her own
charms.
The bill closes with a presentation Of
The Antick'' by Percy Mackaye. He
,alls it "a Yankee fantasy" and 1t Is
published IN one OF his books. 1t bears
two characteristics to be found in most
IF Mr. Mackaye's work, vagueness and
some really poetic touches.
These offerings do not come up TO the
pest of what the Washington Square
PLAYERS did last year, but every expert
nent they make has the combined ad- ,
-antage of brevity. None of the pieces
: long enough to become tiresome. and
hey all piqUe tho curiosity besides ap-
ealing to a little more educated taste
md knowledge than most of the offer
ngs at the regular theaters. t." acting
$ a cut above that of ordinary amateurs
and is at least inspired with youth ard
:outh very much in earnest in what 1t
8 trying to do.
Mime. Callaux, the French eN-premiers
wife. lately acquitted Of the charge of
numbering NJ. Calmette, is finding in the
var an opportunity of escape from po-
;ition which must have been. after all.
-ery trying, even though the jury &C
,uitted ber She is now in command of