Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-12-31

n me now year opens IL unos
some interesting changes IN
washtngton's amusements- Not
all Of them havo developed CO.
tirey within the year. but 1917
"a. established on an institutional ba-
m conditions which within recent recoh'
Iscfjon wero regarded as Impractical. or,
AZ hest governmental For many years
the nations capital was regarded as able
10 maintain three theaters charging the
hiRfnest scale of prices for entertainment
broadly classified as legitimate The
head of William Shakespeare over the
doorway of the Columbia now benignly
contemplates the Nominations which an
uounce the moving pictures The benign
expression Is not out of place. VIII
liam Shakespeare catered obsequiously to
the public fancy. and had moving pictures
been available would no doubt have put
them on from time to time at the Globe
Theater.
Even the custom Of a full weeks stay
AR each successive attraction playing at
the two legitimate theaters, one for each
syndicate is no longer observed. A sue
cessful moving picture, like The Blrth
of a Nation" or like the Annette kel-
lernnau film, now entering on Its third
week at the Belasco, may remain IN
definitely The divided week is not I'M
known. though still limited to cases where
the magnitude of an attraction and the
desire 10 cover a long route in short
time limits the stay in any city to
few days.
Washington was. formerly regarded
as Offering abundant patronage for all
the entertainments that could be
crowded into it Now il is still liberal
in patronage. but discriminating in
choice. Its generosity to the box Of
fees was the more remarkable because
its population was no larger than that
of cities with a less number of thea
tiers at which each attraction played
only half a week. The fact that the
compensation of government employees
has not kept pace with the compensa-
for the obvious reduction in funds ap-
piled to legitimate theatrical enter
tatnment.
The spoken drama has received less
encouragement than in many seasons
past This may be due to lack of artls-
tic or poetic quality, or to march OF
public taste to the ragtime rhythms.
which now mechanically invade every
home. The musical show. colossal and
scarcely entitled to the claim to coher-
ency which the title extravaganza
might suggest, dominates the 1oot-
lights 1t secures not only the plaudits
of the humble who assumes no airs of
intellectually, but 1t attracts the APP
proving attention of men In quest OF
diversion from the gravest cares OF
public responsibility Bernhard made
nothing like the stir during her re-
made when she came over from tho
French capital But it should be re-
membered that Gaby had both legs
=
1t cannot be said that there is a lack
of theaters. There is wilderness OF
them. They Iuxurfate like forests of
lights. The coming year, if present
plans mature, will see another theater
in Washington. at 18th and f streets.
Whether it will be devoted to vaude-
VILE, pictures or the legitimate time
and the booking magnates will have to
determine. AS the Indifference to the
spoken drama of serious import has
progressed, the public has turned with
remarkable interest to the higher artis-
tic forms The Philadelphia Orchestra,
long held in probation, has now come
into its own, and its concerts are
recognized as musical events claiming
both critical and popular approval The
Ten Star concerts have estaonsnea q
available only at considerably greater
cost.
In the long course of changing dss-
TIMES Of the theater. which was nrst
Albaugh's, then the Allen, then Chase's
and II now Polls. almost every form
OF entertainment the stage can offer
has been exploited In playing combt-
nations II has left Washington. Tor q
time. without stock company. By
way Of contrast. arrangements have
been made to restore to the old play
house the glories Of grand opera in
which 1t once reveled SO familiarity.
The passing year can claim but little
share I'm the establishment Of Ketth's
vaudeville as an institution whose in
terest is restricted to no type or con-
dftion- All the world seems to love a
vaudeville show. p. v. Chase, who in
troduced vaudeville and pioneered the
corner of 18th and g as q vaudeville
site. 10 leading life of comfortable
immunity from the cares OF the stage
on his estate near Sparta, Ohio. Miss
III. Winnifred De Witt, whose manage
ment of Chase's Theater was so notably
successful. is now conducting a moving
picture enterprise in New York The
effort will provide unobjectionable
amusement. and the growing libsyality
IN estimating the style of entertain
ment which ladies may properly attend
combine to make the Gayety's en-
deavor to interest feminine patronage
a timely enterprise. Previous expert
nents have been made on somewhat
the same line without getting results.
but those were in different times, times
when millton-dollar special in a Do
ttical campaign and a woman actually
IN Congress were beyond the dreams of
any save the most ardent advocates of
feminine freedom.
PHILANDER JOHNSON.