El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-07-28
Old Plays Are Reap
pearing as Musical Com
edies and Begin Era.

EW YORK, July 2S.-Ethel
N Barrymore IS TO do the thing
\ that once was required Of
every aspiraut 10 frontrsnk honors
among American actresses The task
before her is nothing more nor less
than the playing Of Camille-the an
cient teaF producer.
Any actress Of he rsmbitions would
have acted the role long before this,
had the time been % years or so
hack Once the part OF the Dumas
heroine was in her repertory she
might act IT for the rest Of her career
Certainly If anybody aside from the
immortal Sarah might act the part as
1T should De acted, that person is
Barrymore of hand. we should say
that there has been no greater deveI-
Opment IN acting and fine character
ZatiOn than has been noticeable in the
work Of Miss Barrymore during the
past two or three years She has
grown immensely
Her performances last year. for the
main part in the revival Of Barrie
plays, were noteworthy Of the fam
Gus family There is. perhans no
actress in recent years who has put
such a. wide range Of Characterfza-
tons in her repertory as has Miss
AleaA AAI VI e an nave NeaA AALLDEEIILN
EOoG-from her splendid portrayal Of
Rose in PinerO's comedy Of life in the
theater to the drab heroine IN Gals
Worthy's The Silver Box"
The Silver BOX" is to be seen
again but It seems rather much OF
pity that "TrelaWney Of the Wells is
not to be once more enjoyed Both
Miss Barrymore and her last repre-
sentatiOn Of the play were delightful
and her studied performances were
cha "a ~
acting OF the past
Old Plays As Musical Comedies.
There are so many old plays being
converted into musical comedies this
season that IL would not be at all sur
prising TO see some Of the old Blaney
mel odrammers' revived for this pur-
pose
Some Of those pieces that have been
transformed have already been
noticed in this column, but there are
more being added every week from
piles Of musrv manuscripts stored
away in old stockroOms. James
Montgomery The Aviator origin
ally produced seven years ago. is one
Of the new ones announced George
AIDES comedy The College Widow
in which Elsie Janis viii be re-
mem bered. viii make its musical de-
but under the title Leave II to Jane 9"
Kitty Darlin' is nothing more nor
less than David BeIasco's old melo-
drama sweet Kitty BeIlaire-" There
are at least a dozen others
Il seems as though this movement
is only one more. indication Of the
tendency to establish another musical
form in which slapstick comedy. vau-
deTille- threadbare cues and the
entrance Of the chorus every other
minute VIII be eliminated Love O.
Nike" was one Of the productions
staged last year. which was labelled
comedy. with music instead Of
musical comedy The experiment
was much better than ~ might have
been. for the idea Of having a cast Of
but dozen or so. each with a fairly
good singing voice and with real cues
Tor song is preferable. we must ad-
nit 10 the old idea
Almost anv comedy OF force CON
tains more humor Of character and
situation than the average hackneved
lfbretro and so offers a better foun-
dalton on which TO build n more
entertaining musical play There are
successful nrecedeuts 20 20 hv- "The
Pink LADY," -0h- Oh Dafnh7ne" and
The JfttIe cafe were an founded on
French farces- Oscar Stratus built
The Chocolate Soldier. on Bernard
Shaws Arms and the Man" and so
or
No Place Fnr Would re sfHrs-
Montague Glass and Jules EcEert
Goodman have at last decided ON the
name unde- which the third play Of
the Potash and Perlmuttcr~ se~fae
will he presented 'FueineeS Before
Pleasure IS the uau1aa chosen They
had af fi-st Thought Potash aud Perl
mute Film ComDauy' would be de-
sirahlo but when the sign went ont
a horde Of future screen heroes and
herofues crowded fhe place and made
- So unpleasant that the title was
charged. AS fris happens 20 he the
truth aud not q press agent warn. r.
IS an inrereS+in- comm eutar- as 70
the amount 81 rra- matter c0noaa led
under the thatnheS NJ those who as
pi-e 70 star in The cinema
The nlav narrafes the trials ~ the
two partners I'm The movies. and Bar-
7eT Barnard and t1evander Ca-r vvi1l
1n seen iu rha -o1ee they n~f1fn1frd
Rene7rsale Of rho niece which WIN
open at the EtliuEe theater on August