The Washington times., 1920-11-28

| What promises to be the most in
teresting event oC the >prcsent dra-
matte season IN Washington will be
the engagement. which starts tomor-
row evening at the National Thea
ter, ot Henry Miller and Blanche
, Bates. Thcs" two stars are among
the most talented players on the
American stage today. and their com
ing visit to Washington is of cXccp-
tional interest owing to the fact that
they are 10 appear in The Famous
Mrs. Fair,' the four-aCt play by
James Forbes, which recently con
cluded nearly n years run at the
Henry Miller Theater in Manhattan
and which was regarded by the
critics and the public as one Of the
most successful plays in recent
years. The original cast has been
kept intact.
Mr. Forbes is wcll remembered as a
playwright and is the author Of The
Chorus Lady" The Travelling Sales
man" and many other successes. THE
Famous Mrs Fair" is built along the
same lines as his carlicS plays and
has the same skliful banding Of hu-
mour and pathos. but in the new play
the dramatic scenes are much more
serious and important than anything
he has previously written.
The Famous Mrs. Fair" deals with
the domestic adventures of the Fair
family. a typical American family of
the better type Mrs. Fair has been
overseas during the war and returns
home to lind her home disorganized
in her absence. Blinded by the Hat
terry which is heaped upon ber, she
remains ignorant Of what has hap
pened while she VAS away and AL
lows herself 10 be persuaded in un-
tdertaking coast coast lecture
tour.
While she is away her husba nd be-
comes involved in a dangerous affair
with pretty widow, her young
daughter, with no one TO advise her.
cmbarks on an unwisc love affair and
her son becomes engaged to a girl
whom his family have never met. Mrs.
Pair returns home just in time to ad-
just matters The supporting COM
pany includes Narsaio Gilmore. Jack
DevercauX. Kathleen Comegys. Rob-
ert strange. Virginia Hammond. Dal-
las Tyler. Marion Lord. Maude Allen,
Alice Baxter. Betty Hall and Frank
Kirk.
Thcatergoera know Henry Miller
chiefly as an actor. yet his distin-
Guished career behind the footlights Is
but one phase of his genius. II he had
never played Il single role he would.
nevertheless. be Entitled to prominent
niche in the theatrical hall of fame, be-
cause of his ability as a producer, his
faculty for discovering and developing
new stars and his unerrine judgment
in the selection Of worthwhile plays
TO achieve succeGs in the world Of
the thester as in the world OF business
natural aptitude must be accompanied
by thorough training. Most of the
prominent stars on the stage today
went through many years Of arduous
apprenticeship. and Henry Miller is not
an exception to the general rule
lie was born IN London. but came
~ Toronto rs boy. II was there he
had his first theatrical training. first
with local stock company in support
OF visiting stars and then in touring
companies. Part of his youthful train
ing was under Roucicauli whom lie con-
sdcrcd one Of the greatest masters Of
stagecraft OF tins genera tion.
Later. he appeared with the Angus
tin DAILY stock company and with
Charles Frohman's companies. His in-
dividual ventures have been many and
from the production of THE Great Di-
vide" have all been noteworthy from
an artistic standpoint, and most OF them
from a business standpoint. The hand
some Henry Miller Theatcr in New