The Washington herald., 1920-06-06
Marches into Summer Program Of Stock Comic Opera Phopays
By EARLE DORSEY.

By EARLE DORSEY.
II barometers and calendars were abolished
morrow one might still ring the changes of the
and the weather by watching the theater
The theater breads the weather like yokel with
rheumatism Let 1t cold and the theater suffers
thermometer aspire and the theater again de-
cnes. II the day be fine. the public stays away from
the theater. Give the theater a wet night and the
office resembles the day before day. Outside
of itself the weather seems to be the theaters worst
enemy.
Right now. of course. it's hot 1t happens
that nearly every year. barring Armageddons
without even so-called Legitimate" production
theater lays aside its formal toggery and settles
down to take life easy til fall
Beginning with the current week. Polls and the
BeIasco particularly the former have over pit
balcony and orchestra. to the photoplay while the
Garrick and the National alone bravely uphold the
banner of the audible drama with summer stock at
the former and summer opera at the latter
The Aborn opera forces lead OF this week with
"Ruddigore," the Gilbert and Sullivan classic that
crowded the Park Theater, New York. for -FOUR
months last and inaugurated a torrid arsu-
ment as to whether "Ruddigore is Ruaay- gore OF
Rudd-dig-gory. The contention was still raging
with Alexander wolcott chief umpire when the
production closed its York but we've never
how the scholarly critic OF the Manhattan
Times eventually ruled in the matteS
variant of the same argument had to do with
American substitute of Yonkers Tor Basingstoke
in the textual content of "Ruddigore" though this
was admitted to be a matter Of opinion WASH
ington is fortunate in having this week comic
Gotham
season.
With the Inauguration of a weeks of The
Eternal Magdalene," by the Garrick Players tomor
row night that inspiring of summer entertain
ers will introduce Washington the leading
man of the Players Malcolm Fassett. gentleman of
prepossessing appearance and wide dramatic ex-
perience.
Fasset takes the place by Earle Fox
when latter Cancelled his Washington engagement
to assume a part in adaptation of octavus Roy
Cohens stories.
Mr. Foxes sudden decision to leave the Garrick
Players was formed almost coincident with his
rival in Washington last month. Rehearsals of the
new Cohen play were called without warning and Mr.
Foxe was forced to withdraw from the Garrickers
meantime, producer Bell was frantcaly search
ing the theatric marts for leading man and two
weeks ago, he had the good fortune to obtain MI
Fassett.
Malcolm Fassett is an actor with the widest range
of dramatic experience. He began his stage career
in amateur theatricals while student in the Univer
sity Of Maine and after his graduation he began the
profession of civil engineering. The call OF the
stage which he had first listened while in college,
proved too strong resist after a year as an
engineer and there being as Fassett says two en-
gineers aborer at that time he decided to
engineering flat its back and pursue Thespis
career
without going into minute details Fassett has
had prominent parts in The Great Lover" with Leo
Ditrichstein; with Fay BANTER in THE Willow Tree;
with Louis Mann in The Bubble with Francine Lar
rimore in Scandal" in Remnant" and other plays
Fassett has lost his love for university life
academic associations. He makes his home at
s Club fd n1ers1 Of Of an tine
chapter
Polls offers perturbation of Hal Reds The
deaIs With the frightfu diem Of priest
p m Se scaod al er @ eme thoI being able
70 reveal his own knowledgs At the Belasco. one
Jaek na La based on the famous Bonser baby case
Haywood Broun in the New York Tribune, sum
seaGss @R HP Of the better With but
ception. Mr.. Broun mentions plays that Washington
ali is tss to S x @
Live hsPD ny y to a M os of s
% move ,a a' , 'n 81. ~ o- ., c.r.,,. ,a ,..rn
the S his a M %ea it like ssrd now ore @
nc ss o ss tn of with esSs Ss
fact Henry len is f had bs Rs
S%Ra,HGG SlPRa the ,S P.yS!ESs
81 DEF = s e. r. 1""'
if he hit PS
Would no be- of e % & ff s the help m
his dOn & h mig S assv &c HS
out Of Jane .cless" into oblivion.
Fair. Once She got settled back into do%ssticty.
se h
Eff n e gan m Fair ns have or o hf s e
to swear on widows in the he last act than In Al the
esr Something aboGt Miss Far We cant
sss
only % s @ @ e p aaa
IN on he he sPOG an the there
might well be more about Not So Long Ago" The
married life of the hero and heroine of this light
comedy hatfly have been altogether calm and
adYentureless frt the final curtain time onward. No
young lady cou lie with such grace and spirit
without inviting nishaps And then there is Beyond
the Horizon" fth ali the tempting possibilities it
offers for a p1G about the widow of the poet Any
good play deserves a sequel"
1ssa S of the 9ss
Famous Mrs. Fair" THE Bonehead," though a
preliminary tryout performance of Not Long
Ago. was seen here at the Belasco To very large
extent the plays which have reflected credit upon
the 1919-1920 season are plays that know not Wash
ington.
Manhattan has cast Dngham's THE Girl From
Home (seen here THE New Dctator,") into
darkness after twenty-four performances Anna
Wheaton got of forty-eght performances in
Three showers" before that play withdrawn.
on the other hand, Abraham Lincoln has stood New
York on its: head with run Of 1913 performances and
It's still running. All Souls Eve" which nearly
drove Washington audience distraction, has re-