Evening star., 1927-11-27
Thanksgiving in the Theater
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.

The Marquse" For i'll spite OF
very clever authorship and of vari-
Gus actors whose function it was
to be at various spots OH the stage
at certain junctures. something like
chessmen, it was Billie Burkes play,
her very own, and one for which
she, too, was evidently thankful.
She romped through it like child
happy in the possession OF holiday
play toy.
Happy, indeed, is the organization
which can carry a small cast, royalty
free so far as manuscript is con-
cerned, and with but few members
of the orchestra, obtain in single
afternoons performance between
four and six o'clock the equivalent
of an entire weeks revenue for ordi-
nary attractions. This was the rec
ord of The Beggar's Opera" which
attracted many people who had
often heard of it at school and who
had no doubt picked it up in the
library with the intention of reading
it as a matter of self-education in
earlier English literature. Never
| theless, it came as total surprise
and carried its auditors back almost
to the days of Punch and judy by
the studied quaintness of its acting,
and before the curtain had been up
five minutes revealed the vocabulary
which might have caused many
worthy instructor to hesitate about
taking her classes, had she known of
it beforehand. However, there was
no great harm done in ascertaining
that the theater for which Mr.. John
Gay wrote was not SO different in
| its selection of words, and that it
| would i'll become a modern theater-
goer to cast asperSions on its parts
of speech. "The Beggars Opera"
is another of the playhouse pets
| of the season with assurances of
hearty welcome if it will return.
X x
| To Holbrook Blinn went many ex-
pressions of obligation and esteem
| for sponsoring unique bit of drama,
"The Plays the Thing" 1t was an
other of those creations which
could not be described in manner
to inspire preliminary confidence in
spite of the ecstasies of approval it
had aroused in many columns of
print elsewhere, yet it proved a gem.
| * x + X
"The Jazz Singer" had tense ap-
peal not only to those familiar with
the scenes and emotions it depicted,
but for the lovers of the theater as
an expression in sympathetic truth
of what goes on in the world about
US, whether in distant countries or
across our own threshold.
"The Medicine Man" had some
scenes and situations not bad to
take. 1t hardly measures up as
drama with THE Barker" which
dealt in some degree with similar
phases of environment. There have,
of course, been many other stage
presentations which have pleased
thoroughly and behaved respectfully
in the matter OF box office returns.
SO far it has been a season of
vicissitudes, but by no means a dull
one as it worked along, even before
the first futter of a snowflake, to
a gala week introducing a trio of
stars that made Merry Wives of
Windsor" take its place along with
so To Bed" and THE Beggar'S
Opera" and glow anew with a brill
liancy that outshines modern COM
edy. To see Otis Skinner, Mrs.
Fiske and Henrietta Crosman each
well cast in a famous old play is
something to remember with salts
faction.
"Bless You, My Sister" earned the
satisfaction of finding a great deal
of critical approval which did not
exert the influence that might have
been expected on the cash register.
1t is one of those most difficult types
OF plays on which to base predjc-
ton; a drama dealing with religious
exhortation. There are some phases
OF impression or opinion that the
play going public is still disincllned
to discuss across the footlights.
Maryland, My Maryland" though
modernly composed, appealed with
something of the same force that
Robin Hood asserts. as old-fash-
ioned comic opera.
X \ X
! Last, but not least, the managers
themselves had a special reason to
give thanks for Thanksgiving, the
best day for business in the year,
and, as rule, the signal for the
greatest activities of the Winter sea-
son to begin.
Herbert Saunders of the 1.-TWO Girls
Wanted" company is probably the
only actor with the distinction OF
making his stage debut at the age
of 81 years He is a retired business
man OF Hartford. Conn, and took up
acting on the professional stage more