Evening star., 1918-08-04

~ theatrical producer. star
"A tied Washington last week
with a new type of enter
tainment It wasn't comedy.
II. wasn't tragedy. nor farce. nor
meIodrama, nor even burlesque, per
Sc; it did not ascend upwards" nor
descend downwards" in the realms
Of thought or morals, but, bulg1ng
oht in all directions and with Fanny
Brice as its star. it made large audi
ences laugh and established q good
reputation at the box office, despite
the swat of the deft hand of criticism.
Some folks called it "whyworry.
y ss g
Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew, as the
wicked horse race men say, made q
killing" last week in Washington
with%Keep Her Smiling" delight
full, well played comedy made out OF
magazine stories by John Hunter
Booth Mr.. Drew's characterization OF
a bewildered cashier whose one aim
was to keep his wife happy while he
was being ingulfed with her ex-
travagance recalled Sol Smith Rus
sell to some of the reviewers. On one
night, at least, the pay attendance
broke the box office records at Polrs,
it is said.
September IA has been set apart for
a one-day drive in the sale of smile-
age. books. containing coupons or ad-
mission to the camp theaters
throughout the country, whose spe-
ciai function is the entertainment of
the soldiers and men wearing the
uniform of their country. Nora Bayes.
the vaudeville star, who says smile
age is my favorite war work., has
this also to say for it: THE soldier
needs jolly entertainment to get his
mind off soldering for a few hours
occasionally. He is under bigger
strain than the business man. Smile
age coupons must get to the men
who need them. I am buying smile
age instead of war stamps"
UnwhoIesome Drama-T WIN never.
under any circumstances. produce
play which I regard aS unwhole-
some"
This is the salutatofy declaration of
Adolph Klauber, the most recent to
enter the field of independent the
atricatproducers. -.
II know that large fortunes have
been made from indecent plays and
that there has been lot of camou-
iiage on the moral value of showing
up the seamy side of life. In truth,
10 believe the theater should hold the
mirror up to nature but l believe
also that in an institution of such
broad appeal, and in which SO many
varying minds are affected by what
they see. a grave responsibility rests
upon the producer, especially in such
times as these, when the whole world
is in a ferment; when old ideas must
give way to new ideals.
II make no pretense to exceptional
unself1shness. I believe that the
thought 1 am now expressing is in
the mind of many in the theater. just
as it must be in the mind of many in
other walks of life.
There always will be a difference
of opinion, of course, as to how far
the playwright should go and what
constitutes legitimate entertainment
L have heard lines in the theater in
nocent in intent and conveying no
suggestion to some. fraught with a
double meaning by people whose habit
alert for that sort of thing.
must confine himself to the saccharine
sentimentalities, and / would not be
the one to object to great dramas in
which the fuH-blooded passions of
men are treated in a manner worthy
of their seriousness But / do, not
believe that it is difficult to deter
mine whether shock" is the first pur-
pose of a play. or whether its intent
involves finer ideal on the part of
the writer or the producer"