The sun., 1916-01-22
STAR'SLIGHT AGAIN
ON HAIDEE WRIGHT
Actress Does Distinguished
Work in "The Melody Of
Love-" by lyman.
STAGE NEWS AND GOSSIP


is the customary thing. Of course. She
has carried of the honors Of perform.
ance from everybody else in the cast.
just as she did in "Evidence" and in
Tho Two Virtues" Miss Wright has
a habit. through the splendid distinct-
ness and certainty of her acting Of maxi
ing herself the principal fgure OF every
scene in which she appears. whatever
the three sheets may proclaim to the
contrary Now II 10 The Melody Of
Love-" which Brandon lyman wrote.
He is also acting the leading role
George Tyler. in association with
James X. Hackett, is the manager of
the new play. 1t IL an idyliic irish com.
edy in which a young man about to
begin his studies for the priesthood nnds
on the sudden death Of his father that
ne has been left guardian Of his ward,
who is Of about the Same age A. he.
Then the young man gives UP his ideas
OF the Clergy and devotes his time to
tanning the recalcitrant young woman.
For she IL q rebelllous and frivolous
person at first. In order to get her
away from the temptations Of the city
ne takes her to dwell in the country
with only his maiden aunt to chaperon
them.
There of course the young woman.
played by Lily Cahill. 10 tanned. and
there is happiness for all. Haidee Wright
plays the aunt and as usual won most
OF the applause OF the audience. al.
though the whole event OF the exper.
ment was propitious. Tho play will
soon be seen here.
With the return Of the Criterion Thea
tire to regular dramatic use under tho
is not a theatre left devoted to moving
pictures on tho 81 basis. Charles Froh-
man used to say in the months before
his death that he never expected to see
a theatre offering moving pictures at :?
as the top price. He did live to sec this
tariff prevail at the Liberty Theatre,
where II was maintained 90 long as The
Birth OF a Nation was on view. No
other theatre devoted to the showing Of
pictures was able to maintain any such
schedule for more than few weeks. and
without exception every one that at
tempted 1t has been compelled 20 reduce
its prices. II u interesting therefore to
see that the rivalry Of the moving pic
lures to the spoken drama actually ex-
lists only when the moving picture prices
are much lower than any others. The
maximum Is so cents.
The experience Of the Liberty Theatre.
which WAS most successful with The
Birth Of a Nation" said . manager
yesterday. showed that the theatre taran
may be charged when there 10 . real
sensation to give the public But that
cannot be done when . new sensation 10
ready every week. II they appear %
frequently and 20 regularly there 10 Of
course nothing sensational about any
moving picture II takes therefore .
really unique picture plsy to bring the
public to any playhouse that maintains
tho regular 5: theatre tariff"
1t must be remembered that even In
the theatres which did for . while an
nounce a 81 tariff there were but . few
seats sold at that price.
1t is interesting TO read the following
announcement issued yesterday by the
Vitagraph Company In Wow Of the ac-
QUESTION OF Its theatre by James K.
Hackett:
The vitaEraph Theatre, the first
playhouse OF any pretentions to special
ize exclusively In motion pictures and at
which the pick OF the Nitagraph releases
have been shown to many thousands Of
persons will close this week. The COM
pany is now negotiating for another To-
cation in the theatre zone for a play
house of greater seating capacity and
more modern equipment. Announcement
will be made by the company as soon
as a theatre is secured or built for them
for the showing Of Vitagraph Aims.
The closing of the present theatre
means simply that the lease has expired
and that the owners of the property
place certain restrictions which made Il
disadvantageous for renewal by the
Vitagraph Company. The owners in
slst upon a three months cancellation
ella use, which utterly precludes the pos
sibility OF expenditures for enlarging and
in other ways improving the playhouse.
THE future plans Of the company in
clude the leasing Of theatre large and
modern enough to seat and care for at
least 1000 at each performance. Vita
graph Aims will be shown exclusively Al
heretofore and the now theatre will b
run on a popular priced basis"
When Herbert Beerbohm Tree acts
Macbeth before the camera in Los An
geles he will have Constance Collier as
Lady Macbeth. She has already played
the part In London with him. This hlm
will be shown at the knickerbocker The
atre next spring
It is denied that The Song Of Songs"
will be Withdrawn from the regular
stage and that Tom Wise will appear in
| q shortened version Of the play in the
vaudeville theatres. Irene Fenwick and
the rest Of the actors Of the piece are
now In Chicago. 1t 10 expected that the
piece will be acted until the close Of the
present season entirely In Chicago Never
before in the history Of the vaudeville
stage have European actors been willing
| TO come over here to take their chances
| in finding employment. But that is fire.
auent enough nowadays. and even the
| eminent Henri do Vries, one Of the
greatest and least mechanical Of the so
| called "protean" actors. has arrived here
and been engaged for the Palace The
atre.
Bernard Shaw's "Androcles and the
Lion" which was so warmly received In
| New York, will not be acted after the
close OF it's engagement In Baltimore.
which ends tonight. Although O. p.
HeRgie and several OF the excellent
actors who were in the original company
retained their original roles the result
was the same so often witnessed in the
| case of Shaw's dramas. There 10 appre-
citation for them In some Of the large
cities, but they appeal only slightly to
the public at large outside New York.
| II is said that "Giles Manton," author
OF THE Woman Hunter" which is the
latest sex play to convulse Boston the.
atrlcal circles. Is in reality a star whose
name Is known to every one
Gaby Deslys says that she will show
at the matinee of "Stop Look Listen -