Evening star., 1918-07-07

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Big pictures strong In current
interest and old in manner Of
expression.
For those not inclined to see the pic
lures If vaudeville, there was but one
refuge, Double Exposure" play
which announces itself as 'the new
est farce and an. annual laugh festiS
val" 1t affords an example of the
manner in which quests Of novelty
lead through the paths of antiquity.
"Avatar," which tells Of the man
who transferred his soul to the body
Of another, is given poetic dignity
by the French story teller. His phys.
ical disguise does not prevent him
from being repudiated by the woman
he is attempting to cheat. The story
asstold in farce form develops single
situation. which is made to yield an
entire evenings entertainment. The
fun, of course, consists in the emoar-
rassment arising from the constant
threat of impropriety., The laughs are
numerous and attained by compulsory
methods which have been tested often.
A gentleman is compelled to see an
other gentleman make love to his
wife. The players are content with
the presentation of the episode with
OUT mUCn display OF character ueliu-
cation. The roles are those of every
day people whose personal feelings
or. viewpoint do not seem to matter
mtleh-wNh the exception of a little
blonde ingenue. who makes an uncon-
ventional dash for sympathetic inter-
est and holds 1t through the play.
The presentation of farce calls for
sublimities of expression for which
the stage affords little training at
present. But a laugh is laugh. and
49, 90 h1 a in N
by broad methods quite apart from
study of type or ANALYSIS of motives.
Marguerita Sylva.-Mme. Marguer-
ita Sylvia. the noted international
prima donna. who is to be the special
feature of the concert for the benefit
Of the Rumanian orphans Tuesday. is
wsil known In the artistic and diplo-
matte circles of Washington.
Nine. sylvia was born a Belgian.
Three years ago, while singing at the
Paris opera and the Opera Comique
IN Paris, she met Capt. Bernard L.
Smith, then an attache to the Ameri-
can embassy in Paris, married him
tiles for two years, during which time
her children were born. the latest,
prospective prima donna, in Washing
ton. last November
Capt. Smith. Mime. Sylva's husband.
Is at present in France on a special
assignment for the Navy Department.
and Mime. Sylvia. during his absence
and following her operatic engage
ments In New York last year with the
Chicago Grand Opera Company, is
screen in this country. Her noted
dlm of Carmen" screened amid the
scenes of the actual story in Spain,
has been privately shown in this coun-
try. and was the means of inducing
her to return, for the time being, to
this form of acting, which has re-
Gently been adopted by group of
other noted opera singers, including
Caruso. Farrar. Case and others.
Nine. Sylvia is no stranger to Ameri |
most noted light opera and grand
opera successes in this country. Her
hrst operatic engagement in America
was sung under the direction of Oscar !
Hainmerstein. when that noted and
picturesque figure directed his first
season az the Manhattan Opera House, |
and here she at once won for herself
the position so long held by Emma
Calve as the Incompatible Carmen"
This distinction she still holds as
firmly as she does her place on the
international operate stage. She was 4
engaged last year to create the title |
role in rMassanet's "Cfeopatre" but |
was unable to fulfill the engagement. |
Next year, however, She will sing a !
special guest season with the Chicago |
company.
IHterestinx Reminiscence-A..T Tox- |
en- worm, general representative for
the Shuberts, knew Nicholas Roma |
noH when he was a boy. When the |
late czar was boy" writes Mr.. Worm. |
''he spent his summers in Denmark, as !
the guest of theSlate King Frederick |
OF Denmark. then crown prince, in the |
Castle of Charlot,enlund. just outside |
Copenhagen, and the following princes. /
now crowned kings, were his play 1
mates: George of England. Constan-
tine of Greece, Haakon of Norway and |
Christian XII of Denmark. Every aft
ernoon the royal princes were sent |
out in the woods adjoining the castle |
of Charlottenlund. under an escort OF I
soldiers and nurses. to play with the !
children of the Danish citizens, who !
occupied villas in the same neighbor-
hood. My father had a house there, |
and I was one OF the boys chosen to |
play with the royal princes. We
generally played a game called /
Soldiers and Robbers; and the
royal a,1iar. and imperial bis ehilden ahs pasiss HfEs
boys were the robbers. We had nu-
merous battles and encounters with |
children. which generally re- |
suited in a draw. the soldiers on guard |
and the nurses separating us when the |
battle became too heated. The late |
c1af, even as a boy was rather moody |
and retiring, and most of the battling |
on the front line was done by Con- |
stantine, late King of Greece. and |
George, now King of England"
A. H, Woods PIans-With the pres !
entation of Come Across a new !
liberty loan drama, at the Belasco |
Theater tomorrow evening A. H. |
Woods will start what promises to be ;
the busiest season of his career, pre-
senring eight new plays as well as
fourteen companies in his current sue
cesses.
CAnspicuous among the new plays is
Friendly Enemies which was pre-
sented in Washington last spring and
will be introduced in New York about
of August.
Fannie Brice will be presented early
in August, in New York, In a new
thrse-act comedy by Montagu Glass
and Jules Eckert Goodman. entitled.
why Worry" Messrs. Glass and
Goodman also are writing new star |,
ring vehicle for Barney Bernard, TO
be produced after the holidays.
The Woods theaters, the Eltinge
a nd. the Republic. will house my
Boy and "Under Orders" The for
mer. a play of the war in prologue
and three acts. by Berte Thomas. fea-
turing Shelly Hull and Ef1e Shannon,
under the title Of "Out of He'll" won |
success in London last
fan It's scenes are laid In England