Evening star., 1918-05-12

Three Wise Men" is we'll construct
Cd. well acted, without a trace OF psy-
cnolofy in its makeup. 1t Is mech
aaism. employing familiar principles
and material much OF which has beer
utilized before. 1t IL put together In
9 manner that secures new thrills. l,
differs from the ordinary Bachelor
r. Baby" play in developing strong un-
0erworld interest. 1t differs from the
ordinary underworld play in dispensing
woman with past. which. though for-
given by the audience, cannot be con-
doned by the police. Miss Menken Is
the chief appeal to the instinct OF
discovery which supplies much OF the
motive for theater going. The ma
terial in the storytelling Is not alto
aether new, but Miss Menken, so far
as this section of playgoing territory
Is concerned. Is discovery we'll worth
while. Her ability to weep without
Becoming wearisome Is an asset which
should assure a player of her evident
taste and intelligence a future In
standard dramatic productions.
"Over the Hills" Is distinctively Be-
lasco creation. 1t is easy to pick out
the Belasco plays which have his par
t1cular care and affection. over the
Hills Is one Of these. 1t proclaimi
the fact by the infinite care that q
QUSoTNSu III matters Oh plClOIldi uctal4a
3s well as In impressive ensemble ef-
fects. 1t takes up theme. especially
7dOngenial to him, as the whispering OF
life beyond the allotted mortal span
and magniftos 1t into an emphatic dec
larati0n. The principal character. the
mother. beautifully played by Frances
Starr. IL no timorous and uncertain
wrath like Peter Grimm. She asserts
herself calmly and uncompromisingly.
with only mother love as her excuse
M dafN WIN ha lay ~ me- 10 a q n
reasoning and tradition. The children
have their fairy tales, in which their
wishes. however fantastic, seem to
come true. "Over the Hills" provides
ups to whom PHILOSOPHERS extend no
consolation.
The Winter Garden show concerned
itself little with this world or the
next. 1t defes human probability and
dfsmisses from its frolic any idea OF
reckoning for -beguiled hours
that time or eternity may have in
store.
y i
All the theaters held throughout the
week the large patronage for which
wartime Washington has become IA
nous.
Making a Revue.-The beginning of
the Cohan Revue was Hello, Broad
way" four seasons ago. Last year
we saw the first of the big extrava-
Ganzas to bear the title Of "revue."
The third of the series comes to the
National Sunday night A shows first
performance in New York generally
marks the end of an authors worries,
but in the case of "Cohan revue it
10 only a way station. THE George
NJ. Cohan Revue" of the latest vintage
had it's premiere performance at the
New Amsterdam Theater, New York,
on New Year eve, and at nearly every
Performance during the prosperous
three months run the author sat in
the same end seat in the last row,
taking notes and improving each per-
fosmance. The main portion of his
task was to cut about hree-quarters of
an hour out of the entertainment and.
at the s:-rGe time. inject more ginger.
and to do it in such a way that the
residue would be smoothly running,
rapid-fire :atirical travesty on the sea-
.son's E'ost popular stage successes.
81 began iehearsals of the new revue
with only 'he opening chorus to start
with" said George Michael Cohan, as
quoted by C. C. Caldwell. That was
the opening performance. That's all l
ever had to go on with any of my
musical shows when I began rehearsals.
An opening number. a few try-out
lines. that's all-and the people. I'd
watch them rehearse, see what they
could do aud then go home and write
some scenes and some more songs. /
wrote every scene. every lyric and every
bit of my music-always excepting
that opening number. while the show
was in rehearsal. Then l got an idea
that Irving Berlin might write some
OF his catchy tunes to fit in. and /
sent for him. l don't say that this
fs the best way for anybody to work,
but IL is the only way for me. I write
AL my new material at night and have
the players try 1t out the next day,
and then if it doesn't suit write them
diaerent stun the next night. and SO
on until get the desired results If
anything looks particularly good at
rehearsals l develop 1t. One reason
why the Conan revues are SO popular
10 because ! write them and produce
them myself. I am convinced that the
author should always control his own
work in the course of production. No
one else should be permitted to tanner
with his ideas because no one else
knows exactly what he wants to bring
out. Another man might cut out the
very line that would get the authors
main idea over the footiights and make
q scene a success. This is especially
true of satire and travesty.
when Guy Bolton read Polly With
u fdSt 10 Iile ueIOTe belaSCO pfOQuce0
1t-yes. that was one i missed told
Him II he ever had it produced not to
let anybody but himself touch the
script. The reason I did not accept
IT was that ! thought it was too dell
cate In appeal to win popular favor.
II shows what great Snowman Be
,1Asco Is, that he didn't interfere with
the ettemlt of the authors to bring
out the points they wanted to land.
Taking Ina Claire out Of the 'Follies'
for the role of Polly was another great
thing Cor Belasco to do"
Ixetta Jewell.-Lee Kugers new pro-
dnction. I'm Net" next week will
mark the temperance on the stage OF
isetta Jewel. formerly leading woman
for Otis Skinner and long the leading
woman of the Poll Players, who left the
stage to become the wife Of former
Representative Brown of West Vir-
gfnia. When Miss Jewel relinquished
kor fame as an actress for domestic
life she declared she was bidding good
bye TO the stage forever. But when
Mr.. Kugel read the manuscript of "In
Q Net" to Miss Jewel she was so i'm
pressed with the play that she not only
consented TO assume the stellar role
IN the production. but also urged that
''In a Net" be presented Immediately
It is described as vital and unusual
the producer OF the famous 'Old Lady
HazeltOn's New Plny-Sergt Arthur
Guy Empey, of ''Over the TOP" fame
will appear in a new war comedy, en-.