The sun., 1916-09-24

II was an entirely repreSsed person
who vas sent to interview Dorothy
Donnelly. who shares the responsible
ity for the success Of Flora Bella" at
the Casino Theatre, on how 1t feels to
be a musical comedy playwright. for
he had previously scanned the page
or so in Who's Who in the drama, de-
voted to c%ataloguing her achievements
IN the stage. The mental picture
formed BY reading the names Of her
former successes. such as THE Man
OF Destiny" when We Dead Awaken
and Tho Little Grey Lady" was not
Measuring. He had visions OF Ma
dame ~" which was one Of her most
celebrated parts. TX" In algebra days
stood for an unknown quantity. and ne
approached the interview with the un-
comfortable feeling that he vas about
to be confronted with an unknown and
fearful quantity.
Promptly on tho minute Of the ap-
pointment he rang no bell and was
ushered by the maid into a luxurious
room and directed to wait. He was
thumbing over a weighty tome when
first she burst upon his sight. She
was UIcdtIllcSS with lIdolCs
II rushed right over from . mat
incc." she explained.
What matinee?" he asked absently
while trying to readjust his concep-
, ton OF Madame X" to At the gracious
person before him now-as II she
might have been at any other matinee
than at the Casino.
What m~atinee?" she echoed in as
tonishment-as II there had been no
other matinee In New York except OF
her own Flora Bella"
Both laughed. and tho interviewer
felt more at east to ind that his fears
were unfounded and that she was no,
at all dinicult to talk to. but q gracious
and charming hostess sparkling with
excitement v e her new venture.
And how does It feel to write mu.
sical comedies? ?" ne asked her.
"Just splendid" she said. I'm all my
work heretofore I have had to sup.
press n Of my strongest in~clinations
which 10 the natural tendency to bt
cheerful II has been my fate to have
had the most lugubrious parts wher
I have always wanted 4 be In muslca
comedy. There Ia such ar atmosphere
of chesrfulness around q musical com
edy. 1t fairly radiates good humor &c
all those around II. In fact that is ar
essential factor. In other things the
mood Is secondary. but In musical
comedy simply has to BIO cheerful.
Musical comedy requires Just as
much art as anything else on the
stage" she says. IN the drama a
person may attempt a thing. and II he
falls he can say. Well. that is my in
depreciation OF the part expressed in
terms Of my W personality: but In
musical comedy one has to sing and
dance as we'll as act. There are GER
tain things which cannot be evaded
There il no way around them.
"And from tho viewpoint of the
playwright musical comedy Is inf,
nitely more dihicult. In tho frst place
the play must be skelstonized in order
to lot in the lyrics and the dances.
"In rewriting Flora Bella Mr.
Hamilton and I not only had to skele'
tonize but we had to scrape the bone.
Of tho rewritten play until not on,
unnecessary speech remained which
was not essential to tho progress O
the play.
''Then we had to revise again TO Sc,
that the play contained nothing incon
gruous. The scenes Of the play ar,
laid in Russia and nothing could h
permitted to remain which was in con
Met with the Russian atmosphere.