Evening star., 1926-11-14

| Hopper is related to COMEDY. Inc
public simply will not do without
him. The lowering of the scale of
prices was possibly an inducement.
Shakespeare today, as in Shake
speare's own time. was no great pet
| for his own sake in circles of social
opulence. 1t is difficult to play
Shakespeare to satisfy the scholarly
mind, for the student has his own
vivid concept of how the pay should
be Interpreted. 1t was to the gal
lery gods" that the players lifted
their prayers in sonorouS blank
verse for the favorable omens that
foretold a successful season.
It is almost impossible to find any
thing in the theater that can be
ranked as absolute novelty. The
PLAYHOUSE holds within it relics and
traditions that reach back to the
first barbaric ceremonials of adora-
ton and sacrifice. Even so wild
departure as Hamlet in modern cos
tune is, according to some trust
worthy "reminiscences, antedated by
a performance given by no less dis
tinguished an actor than Edwin
Booth. 1t took place in Birmingham,
Ala. in the early 80s. The company
had arrived and large audience was
present. The wardrobe trunks, how
ever, had been lost on the journey.
Finally, when it became necessary to
explain the delay, it was put to a
vote for the audience to decide
whether the play should go on with
out costumes or money be returned
by the box office. 1t was unanimous
ly decided that the play be produced
with Hamlet as plain-clothes poet
and philosopher, and it is needless to
say that the wonderful reading OF
Booth so inspired the audience as to
win him all his accustomed measure
of applause.
A philologist of the theater has an
idea about the origin of several slang
phrases peculiar at first to player
| folk. Some of them arise from the
misreading of manuscript by actors
who ought to use spectacles, but are
afraid to do so because of the ap-
pearance of age They call spec
tacles "cheaters." The word ap-
p'a 'ause glimped dimly at arms length
might very easily be mistaken for
"applesauce" just as the word "buf-
! falo" was evolved by a process of
optical illusion from "baff1ed' There
may be something in the notion.
X x X =
| A distinguished name appeared on
the program of the incomplete work
offered under the title Glamour"
| that of H. StanislauS STANCE. This
young STANCE is the son of an illus
trious sire who had fine dramatic
talent, which he applied most bril-
liantly in the preparation of literary
works for scene and dialogue. His
stage version of the Sienkiwicz novel,
Quo Vadis," was so forceful in con-
veying with vivid intensity the au-
thor's ideas that it had the effect of
collaboration rather than adapta-
ton. The present STANCE has an eye
for striking situation and an appre-
citation of plot mechanics, but the
recitation of his lines would indicate
him as a gentle or entirely effaced
disciplinarian. The outburst of pro-
family which roared Immediately
after the explosion of shell at the
eliminating moment of the plot was
preceded by a train of "Gosh's!" and
Gees" which savored trifle too
much of the inpromptu volunteer
such as the actor SO often loves to
become.
x x
The legitimate stage goes on con-
tributing to the motion pictures,
which in the very nature of things
give but little in return. Perhaps this
unfair exchange may account for the
evident depletion in current ma
terial for the speaking theater. Carl
Laemmle reaches up to dusty shelf
and brings down a boyhood treasure
as he shows Jules Vernes Michael
Strogotf" as part of the festivities
connected with the new Rialto.
Michael Strogoff" was a favorite
OF the Kiralfy brothers, who held
something of the same supremacy in
spectacular demonstration that the
Ziegfeld organization now enjoys.
1t is thrilling old story, a landmark
in the course of events, recalling the
days when the speech, in response
to challenge. II am Michael Stro-
goft, courier to the Gar" was calcu-
lated to inspire respect for an inn
pcrlal majesty which is no more