Evening star., 1919-02-23


saw Remnant" Fuesday afternoon.
frMost of the lads were of the age
when, a generation since. they would
he Interested in the melodramatic per
forrnances OF such quicN-ou the trig-
ger stars as Frank l. trayne and
Oliver Dowd Byron. showing scenes Of
Indian fights and border ruftianism.
The Frayues and the Byrons are no
more The only bjut OF the Wild west
that trickles into our current dramatic
entertainments is VIII Rogers. whose
deft caperings with the larjat could
be introduced into any parlov with
out a moments danger to the hrlc-a-
brac. 1t IL TO the movies we must turn
if we wish to find the sting OF the cac-
tus and the echo from thc distant past
of the low from the extinct bison.
Many. indeed. are tAs theatrical hos
pitalities that have been extended 10
the Waiter Reed boy by Washing
tons theateJs. The Furs1I. matinee
was the first occasion ou which the
house was exclusively ;aeir own. with
every detail looked after from trans
portation 10 confectionery.
= e e%
From & pureTy technical point OF
view, the audience was q remarkable
one, responding 10 points an through
the dialogue ia a manner which could
not have failed TO .euIi-htruIug to
the authors OF the play G@t they been
present. They proved that tn" in-
teutionS as to speech and structure
had been correct. RE al audience
more reserved ia temperament many
OF those points We're passed 1u silent
appreciation and might easily have
been eliminated under the impress SION
that they were not scoring The " al
ter Reed boys announced their feel
inss frankly and showed by delight
ful method all their own that the
points are there and Well worth max
ing Hence this repetition Of sus-
gestfon offered obScureiy some time
since that an early presentation OF u
play before an audience of young sol
dier men encouraged 10 be frank N
their expressions Of pleasure or dlS-
approval would be as convincing and
accurate an indicdtion OF the quality
of his new material as any manager
could possibly hope to secure.
& s. $
The Walter Reed publication. the
Come Back discussed the play with
breezy freedom and al the same time
with critical discrimination. or Miss
Nash it says: When she talked to us
she was just human DSiNE Try !HS ~
put herself in our place. but when she
was playing little Remnant, she had
us right where she was. The
critique pays its compliments to the
dashiuE leading man thus: "OrrIn
Johnson as jules, the house-tired
husband. made hit with US even if
be did love the ladies" Where is the
metropolitan critic who. surrounded
by solemn managerial protest and es-
! sential responsibility for the fortunes
which are being jeopaI died in the
production of single extravaganza
would permit himself to drift into
such candid, spontaneous and yet dis
cernng persifiage? The expressions
are from the heart and the more gen
uine because the heart is light
Humor or some of it's DISCUSSES is too
often employed as means of foisting
unworthy and spurious material on
public attention. 4 little seriousness
now and then is reiished by tired
business men
+ s
they assert themselves with gentle
direetness: we are grateful. That's
what" Then follows a little an
nouncement of what they are CRATE
ful for that should not fail to fall
most pleasantly before the eyes of
Manager Robbins of keith's.
= s. 8
the New National Theater. with the
formal silk hat in evidence contin-
uousiy from noon till midnight. Be
sides the Remnant matinee and the
regular matinees. there was concert
which introduced to very friendly
notice some singers new 10 local
audiences and an Actors Fund bene-
fit which scored success on both sides
of the footligbts.
The houses booked by the Shuberts
devoted themselves to the lighter
forms of entertainment, Scandal az
the Shubert-Garriek, reconstructed
. version of a play previously seen
( here: "Oh. Boy at Polls, and
Tumble IN" (which laughter and
musicloving public did most gener-
ouslyD at the Shubert- -Belasco. Wash
Ington's tendency TO long names for
theaters suggests the desira bility of
adopting the English method of
smoothing out pronunciation after
s the manner of "Chumley' for Chol-
mondely and Wooster for Wor-
) cester. 1t would be a saving of time
( and a promotion OF euphony if the
enterprising New York firm that has
linked its name so conspicuously
with the art of the nations capital
would encourage the adoption of the
coIloauialisms "Shelaseo" and "shar-
rick"
The death Of Mai. William Edgar
Mccain in Baltimore last Friday re-
moved a well known figure from
theatrical and newspaper circles. His
editorial service for period of more
han forty years. much of which was
devoted to discussions of the drama,
won him many friends and admirers.
Martha Hedman.-Martha Hedman
tells an interesting story of her early
stage career.
She was born in country village in
sweden and lived very simply up TO
the age Of sixteen, when she left
school
From nay earliest childhood" she
says. Il had longed 10 De an actress.
I what 1 wanted 10 do with my life 1
declared that 1 wanted to go on the
stage. 1 do not believe ] inherited
any talent at all. None of my people
/ had been actresses or had followed
Z any artistic PROFESSIONALLY were
{ just quiet country folk.
My parents, however. when they
found had made mp my mind wisely
resolved that 1 must have a chance
of preparing myself thoroughly well.
of proving whether there was really
anything in me, and of taking u
proper position when / did work,
through the training, 50 l was sent TO
Mrs. August StrindberS
When at the age of fourteen l en-
tered one of the government schools
I: for the stage aJ UtIs:ugforS Finland
my teacher was Siri Won Essen,
August Strindberg's first wife 1t is
I so funny to tell Martha anything she
: would say. she listens all over
with her ears. her eyes her mouth.