The Washington times., 1921-01-09

George BrOadhurst'E production of
'Tho Storm by Langdon McCor-
mick. described as a romance of the
Big Woods. and sub-Captioncd the
Z forest fire play Will be the at
traction at the National Thoater to-
night, beginning an engagement Of
IA week, with matinccs Wednesday
and Saturday.
"'Thc storm" j. tho play which
has been establishing new capacity
records in every thcatcr thus far
played. Last season II proved it's
right TO the title of The Longest
Storm on Record" by playing on"
year at the Forty-eighth Street The
alter, New York.
This season it has played twenty
weeks in Chicago. seven weeks in
Erooklyu. six weeks at tn" Man
haitian Opera House, New York, Hul
following the engagement there. viii
10 to Philadelphia for an ind"iini'c
engagement.
The story Of the play concerns
three people; Man"tte Packard. a
little appealing French Canadian girl
left marooncd bcCaus" of the death
of her father and a blizzard in a
cabin in the North Woods. with
two mon, ono a rugged Wcstcrncr
anu tllt ONb'I pOlISll'h isll iloll-
man.
Both men finally fall in love with
the girl, and prefer this love to
her. She knows if she ad nits love
for one man, the other will kill
him. That is her problem and the
dilemma in which the playwright
leaves the girl to solve. How she
docs II and which one she really
loves il better lcft to tho author.
During the course of the play,
which is rich in tense, emotional mel
odrana and relieved with bubbling
humor, there arc two scenic features
never before equalled on the stage. One
is the blizzard at the end Of the first
act and the other is the thrilling,
startlingly realistic forest fire at the
end of act three.
And yet according to the advance
scenic effect of the fourth act is quite
the equal OF the other two effects. 1t
is the scene showing the devastation
done by the fire.
The same sterling company which
goes to Philadelphia Immediately
upon the conclusion of the week in
Washington will be seen here and in
cludes Katherine Hayden, Ben Tag
CART, Eric MaNon, Charles Henderson
and Joseph Driscoll.
Are actresses superstitious? Most OF
them are. according to the stories
printed about them. Katherine Hay
den, who plays the leading role
that OF Manette Packard in THE
storm" has a pet superstition She
wears a red garter to bring her luck.
This particular garter was once
owned by Chief Holc-in-the-Day, a
Chippewa chicftain who died years
ago. According TO Katharine Hayden,
the chief wore this garter all through
his life, and 1t IL guaranteed by med
icin" men OF the tribe to bring good
luck, and the person wearing it will
be able to Withstand all dangers.
At least. that is the tradition Of the
garter, which has been handed down
for generations until Il fell into the
actress hands. Miss Hayden never
appears in THE storm" without il be-
ing worn on her left knee-although
unseen.
Recently THE storm" was playing
in New York. At that time Miss Hay
den was riding to the theater in her
car, when a machine going in the OPP
positc direction crashed into II. She
was unhurt, and claims her good for
tune was because OF the garter.
When The storm" finished its rec
ord-breaking run OF seven weeks at
the Montauk, In Brooklyn, the last
night Of the engagement Katharine
was in her car when n bombardment
Of bricks and stones smashed the
glass In her machine. but once again
she was unhurt. She insists that II
was the lucky garter which saved her.
incidentally, Katharine Hayden