Evening star., 1919-04-20
AIQlIgQnQQntS I
Music and Drama r
WHILE ago william Jerome
wrote a song entitled when
Shakespeare Comes to Town"
Y 1t was a joyous .effusion,
urifh sypcon2 cd fepdapcieS

running In cOunteFpO1nC through ltS
seemingly irresponsible measures. 1t
began: Bill johnson said to Mandy
Snow. How'd you like to go to a
minstrel shcw:' Miss Mandy said,
Well. / don't know with very
naughty frown Dem minstrel folks
ain got much sease. It's jes' like
vastin' yoh 30 cents. But tell you
whut I'll do; III go along with you
when Shakespea re comes to town."
Mandy Snow long since passed
into the Oblivion that yawns for pop
ular ballad her oines. But the senti-
ment she expressed begins to assert
itself as general impulse. There
is an awakening to the fact that
Shakespeare is not merely something
that makes life n burden in schools;
that it is genuine entertainment The
fashioned minstrel show used to
tour the country in a series of one
performance to the town. Now
Shakespeare is doing the same thing.
Walter Hampden's Monday matinee
of Hamlet" is still talked OF by play
goers. 1t followed a remarkably sue
by that veteran of the footlights
Robert Mantell.
Theories as to Hamlet's sanity have
been ayorite fodder for publicity promo
ters. When Wilson Barrett came to
America to play Hamlet. eager. OPEN
mouthed reporters. of whom / was
one. listened 10 d series of most elo-
Quent outburstS against the reckless
comm mentators who assumed to doubt
Hamlet's complete possession of his
faculties. AS a matter of fact, very
few commentators have offered much
encouragement for an assumption that
the supreme poet of the English
tongue would have treated with such
delicate analysis and endowed with such
exquisite poetry and profound philoso-
ply a character whose chief reason
for existence lay in the fact that he
was wabble- e-brained., Hamlet's def
mite announcement that he intended
to put On an antic disposition" should
have sufficed to define his mild eccen-
tricities as a form of that historic and
easily managed malady "a diplomatic
Illness"
Another publicity device
is the Baconian theory. Its proper
employment is based on the assump-
ton that various vandals are forget
ting all about the cares of modern life
IL their efforts TO discredit Shakespeare
merely because he Vas cratic of pen
manship and versatile in spelling Very
few people have been hea-tfuIIy concern
ed about the matter. A sense of grati-
tude for the plays themselves, an af-
lection for the characters that people
them, have overwhelmed thoughtfaI-
ness of the brain. or brains, that
wrought the wonderwork Only an
ecuai poet would have been worthy
and competent to be Shakespeare,s
biesranher.. and there was none such
in his day.
A witty banqueter scored a laugh.
IN the days when the city OF Wash
ington banQueted sometimes for
daughters sake. by saving: Shake
epeare was the Dave BeIasco of his
time" 1t was a heroic jest, and like
every good jest held a tinge of seri-
Gus truth. The public is a worshiper
81 names and the name Belasco has
become symbol of dramatic crafts
manship. Belasco has tried to share
his reputation. He. has produced
plays for many authors. some of them
literary artists Of conspicuous dis
tincfion- But when the name Belasco ,
appears on the program the eye
turns to 1t as the center Of response
oHtty- And 30 great is the human
Understanding as well as the art of
the man that professional riyalries
for once disappear and writer's, actors,
scene artists and stage mechanfcians
work in a spirit of enthusiastic CO.
ordination such as can be sustained
only under the influence of masterful
yet sympathetic direction An actor
just engaged by Belasco said, Heaven
be praised! At last here is a man who
knows Just what he wants and how
to get it,
The latest Belasco play. 'sDark
Rosa@een," is picture of modern Ire
land, and an assurance that modern
Ireland is still the old Ireland of
brave hearts, sweet songs and the
laughter that knows how to hide a
sorrow. His new star, Eileen Huban.
is a charming addition to the list of
players he has introduced to fame.
PHILANDER JOHNSON.
Hubert Henry Davies.-Hubert
Henry Davies, the English plav
wright, author of The Moliusc," was
discovered" by Miss Blanche Bates
and Miss Elizabeth Marbury some
years ago.
MIR. Davies was born in the heart
OF England. near Woodley. in Cheshire.
His grandfather was a clergyman in
the village. His father was strict
noncontormist. with an indescribable
abhorrence for the stage Naturally,
the son was forbidden the theater. 1t
is more than likely he visited them
all however
At any rate. he became a lover of
the thaater, and shortly after his
twentieth birthday decided to go FAR
across the seas and seek his fortune"
Halifax, Nova Scotia. was his port of
debarkation, but he drifted across
Canada, and finally, in San Francisco,
became u aerk in n shipping con-
cern. and for FIVE years his business
hours were from 8 o'clock in the
morning GEtil O'Clock in the even
ing.
In San Francisco he laid the corner
stone of his fate, for while holding
this position he occupied also a posi-
tion on a weekly publication, where
1t was his duty to chronicle every
thing going on in dramatic, musical.
literary or artistic San Francisco
His dramatic reviews appeared over
his own signature This work was