eatrica

I


Chinatown. His preferences have kept
him within the pales of more conven-
tional civilization, and he would not
leave it in search for dramatic ma-
terial.
"We are turning toward simplicity
of surroundings on the stage, I believe
and toward a quieter sort of drama.
When it comes to tremendous effects
the motion pictures have the stage
beaten beyond hope. To the motion
picture, the North Pole is nothing.
On one film you can flit from pole to
equator, dive to the bottom of the
sea, and scale the dizziest mountains.
The theatre can spring no surprise
which the motion picture can't sur-
pass.
But the camera can't give you the
turn of an epigram, the. quiet delight
of the spoken line.' There the suprem-
acy of the stage remains uncontested,
so I believe that the appreciation for
subtle and delicate acting, apart from
the plot itself, will increase. In
America, as I know it, this is certainly
true. For that reason, I always feel

IS JOINT WORK OF
THREE ABLE MEN
"The Red Widow" Claims Wolf and
Pollock as Authors, Cebest
as Composer
RECOUNTS CONSISTENT STORY

t
,t
1
i

music written by George M. Cohan
and is considered one of the best con-
temporary musicians.
In such great demand are these
builders of musical plays that their
works are contracted for away in
advance. They are already working
on a new piece and have contracts for
three others.
In these days when art is usually
judged from a financial standpoint
some idea may be gained of the esteem
in which Messrs., Pollock and Wolf
are held by the fact that they are
the highest paid librettists writing
for the stage in this country to-day.
With all of their works, as with
"The Red Widow" there is a con-
sistent story to be told and this is
carried out in the musical numbers
as well as in the dialogue. "The Red
Widow" is at present playing in Lon-
don and Berlin and is shortly to be
produced in Australia.

HAS ALL ELEMENTS
NEEDED TO SCORE

The authors and composers of "The
Red Widow," the musical comedy
which will be seen at the Whitney
theatre April 7, have done more than
their share toward making theatrical
history in America. Pollock and Wolf
are both newspaper and magazine,
writers who have long been considered
dramatic authorities. Together they
are considered the foremost American
librettists and have often been refer-
red to as the American W. H. Gilbert.
Before joining pens with Rennold
Wolf, Channing Pollock swas known
as an author of high repute. His
first successful effort was the drama-
tization of William Norris' famous
novel "The Pit" in which Wilton Lack-
aye was seen for several years. Other
of his plays were "In The Bishop's
Carriage", "The Little Gray Lady",
"Such A Little Queen", "The Secret
Orchard", "Clothes", "The Inner
Shrine" and "The Emperor Napoleon."
He and Rennold Wolf have, besides
"The Red Widow", written the book
and lyrics of "The Beauty Shop,"
"Her Little Highness" and "My Best
Girl" and of the travesty which opened
that oddity of New York's amusement
places, "The Follies Bergere."
Charles Gebest is known as a com-
poser only through "The Red Widow"
and "The Beauty Shop". He has how-
ever for years arranged all of the

Frimrls, "The Firefly" is Blessed With
Excellent Music, Libretto
and Lyrics..
I
EDITH THAYER PLAYING LEAD
"The Firefly", Rudolph Friml's light
opera in three, acts for which Otto
Hauerbach has written the libretto,
and which is named after the little
Italian singing girl who is the heroine
of the story, is a merry production,
full of sparkling music and happily
shifting incident, and, from the stand-
point of lyric attractiveness, probably
the best opera of its kind.
Arthur Hammerstein, the man be-
hind the production, will present "The
Firefly" at the Whitney theatre some
time during the latter part of April.
with Miss Edith Thayer, a bewitching
little prima donna, in the star part.
A New York recreation pier, a trop-j
ically beautiful estate in Bermuda, and
a Fifth Avenue mansion interior, are
the backgrounds against which a plot

sure "hits". Some of
linger easily and pleass
memory are: "Call Me Un
catchy succeeding dance;
Is Like a Firefly", in tl
"Tommy Atkins on Dress
charming waltz song-'
Smile" and "The Beautifi
Toyland", in the second
third act, the effective wa
tion and the songs, "Kiss
Day" and "The Latest
Paris" are notable.

_t
i


"Unicle Touts Cabill" COMing9

Before the Civil War,
hardly a plantation in the
out a whipping post to

there was
South with-
which the

To Play Return
Majestic theatre p,
with pleasure past
Adams and Gull, knc
Admirals", featuring
cal comedy organiza
on the popular com<
head of a vaudeville
will be at the Maj
the first three day
Besides Adams and t
will contain a. one-
entitled "When W
which a cast of six
humorous side of the
tion. Miss Venita
feature on the bill
tions of George Col
more and Eddie F
clever.tBrown and
with the Ziegfield
pear in bits from
and a pair of acroba
as The Dorlans.w
the fun. In other
bill wvill be in a co
stone pictures will b
A musical comed.
Trouble Makers" w
tion at the Majesti
last three days of th!

Li

owner's slaves were fastened while
being punished with the cruel whip.
To depict feithfully the actual scenes
in that part of the south with which
the story deals, Manager Washburn
uses in his production of Stetson's
"Uncle Tom's Cabin," which will be
the offering Whitney theatre, April 1,
matinee and night, .a whipping post
which was in service on a Red River
plantation for many years prior to
the Rebellion. Its genuineness cannot,
be disputed when one reads the affi-
davit from the farmer-owner, which
Manager Washburn always carries
and a copy of which is on file in a
Louisiana court of record.

of crossed and shifting loves is devel-
oped. Jack Travers, engaged to Ger-
aldine Vandare in act one, discovers
himeslf, as the plot develops, in love
with charming little Nina (Miss Thay-
er), the street singer, unjustly ac-
cused of theft. Jack's uncle, John
Thurston, has in the meantime lost
his heart to Geraldine, who loves him
in return. Jack is too honorable to
break with Geraldine, thinking she
loves him. Thurston, who thinks she
loves Jack, suffers in silence, as does
Geraldine herself. At last an acci-
dent, which proves how mistaken they
all were, brings the action to a happy
conclusion, with Nina in Jack's arms
and Geraldine in Thurston's. The
minor characters are skillfully intro-
duced and add much to the enjoyable
vivacity and movement of the plot.
The score is full of songs that are

I


IBLIC A scene from "The Trouble Makers,"
at the Majestic the last half
of this week.

h he may
r times as
:n a stock
iliar, each
n his en-
e on meet-

playing withl
ason, I could
1 depends upon
eration. Good
h other out.
w inflection, a
will bring out
old situation;
on the stage
T copied after-
the same spon-
ence that goes

sorry to hear that our better actors
have gone into vaudeville.
Without depreciating vaudeville, I
say that it does not permit the finer
effects because it doesn't give time
enough. You require more leisure to
establish such an atmosphere than the
alloted twenty minutes permits. In a
sketch an actor must work rapidly
and by striking means without pausing
for evanescent graduations. He works
with high lights and deals in broad'
effects. Of course, he doesn't need'
to shout, but he requires situations
that will, to a certain extent, play
themeslves. It is the easiest thing in.
the world to bring down the curtain
to a round of applause, but it takes
years of preparation to learn how to
work up to it reasonably, possibly,
and delicately. In the brevity of a
sketch an actor has no opportunity
to use the best of his art.
No, I don't see that you can compare
the dramatic sketch to the short story,
because the environment for the two
differ widely. A man sits down in
a quiet room to read; he sets his own
pace and puts himself into the requir-
ed mood. In the theatre, however,
new scenes, new faces, new voices
flash upon him after a preceding turn'
has just left him in an entirely diff-
erent frame of mind. The bills are
purposely arranged to secure this con-
trast, and any quiet act naturally
suffers, because it is only a breathing
space bteween two exciting numbers.
Time is up before an actor can es-
tablish either his atmosphere or his
character unless they are of a brilliant
vivid nature. That's why I consider it
a pity for our best actors to confine
themselves to vaudeville."
Mr. Arliss twirled his monocle on
its black cord, and crossed his knees
in conclusion. Yet it is interesting to
note that the actor and his apartment
furnished an example of the forcible
effect of quietness and simplicity. A
caller from the bustling streets could
not possibly have missed at his first
step into the room, its quality of
well-ordered quietude, plain elegance
and unassuming dignity. England and
the stage had produced the room and
the actor, and somehow, America
seemed to have contributed little to
either. But of course, this was not
on that stage, and that makes a diff-
erence.
"As I said, appreciation for quieter
acting seems to be growing, but hon-

the pit is the public, and when I first
came to this country, the gallery cor-
responded to the pit. Now there sim-
ply isn't any gallery. When this
change took place, in, astonishment I
asked, 'Why don't I get a gallery?
I don't understand it.' I was told
on very good authority that nobody
gets a gallery. I am given to under-
stand that the cheap public has be-
taken itself to the motion pictures'
Only on holidays, when the town is
full of strangers, are the upper parts
of the house filled. Then they appear
delighted with "Disraeli". The fifty-
cent people don't think of coming reg-
ularly to the theatre, so I am inclined
to call the two-dollar section the pub-
lic.
Apparently they are the ones who
are demanding better acting and less
showy-although not less accurate or
painstaking-settings. You can't en-
joy a play with a poor setting, of
course, but that is not all you want.
I am glad to see this tendency, for
I have tremendous regard for the pub-.
lic." Was there ever a successful act-
or who didn't,'or an unsuccessful actor
who did? "Whatever the public says,
is so-at least, in drama. The public
knows when it gets the real thing.
Sometimes the spurious is accepted
along with the genuine, but the dis-
approval of the public always means
that something is wrong with the
play or theacting."

1Wt

courses of happiness.
The action of woma
is unceasing.
Woman alone can c
ing room; man suc
in a library.
A reputation for
much influence with v
tation for wealth has
The woman who h
generally virtuous,
erally abused becaus
one the charms wh
enjoy.
We should always
to give up to women
are sure to give up tc
There is no morti
keen, no misery, ho
which the spirit of v
some degree lighten
Talk to women as r
This is the best sih

Otto Friml, the composer of "The
Firefly", has found another success
in his latest comic opera,"High Jinks".
which is now enjoying an extended
run in New York.

Lt you

not bE
I b
more

Quotations
Women are th
destination.
Beauty can in:
Female friend
growth.

women.

K

Besides, a woman should
she is loved-that is the
she is not to inquire hos
cidents of life have contr
result.
A want of tact is wors
of virtue. Some womer
work on pretty well with
I never knew one who
who ever dared to sail
other.

By a coincidence a shrill squawk
from an adjoining room interrupted
the conversation. Lord Beaconcfield
had his peacocks, but Mr. Arliss has a
parrot and a dog that were engaged!
in a domestic altercation. A privileg-
ed bird she is, for Mr. Arliss remarked
that if one cared to scrutinize the
woodwork he would find traces of
Polly's beak. Other matters, however,
than the parrot's depredations were
at that moment of more consequence.
"If I were to write," continued Mr.
Arliss thoughtfully, "I should choose
the society play for my metier,al-
though it is being terribly overdone
just now. I don't feel that T could
create a rugged out-of-door drama.",
There he uncovers his career and his
character. Mr. Arliss has never es-

Critics Endorse "Dis

i

"A triumph for author and
.-New
"Arliss a perfect Disraeli
production"-New York E
"A big drama with a big th
a consummate artist"
-New
"Wonderful Acting"-New
"Arliss is superb. Disrael
play"-Chicago News.
"Not since the curtain wE
the careers of Henry Irvir
ard Mansfield has a New

.I

1

estly, I don't know just what the pubic
is that shows the growth, In England,

George Arliss in "Disraeli," which wil 1 be presented at the Whitney theatre

1 2,