Show World (July 1910)

18 THE SHOW WORLD July 9, 1910. DRAMATIC TICKLERS FOR CH ICAGO PALATES ManyJGood Things in Prospect for Next Season Which is Looming Close By WILL REED DUNROY S OME indications of the coming season are now apparent. Some little stir is being made in differ¬ ent directions, and the outlook begins to appear just a little bit rosy. Of course, during the sweltering season, everything slumps. Audiences in the different playhouses for some time now have not been large, and mana¬ gers, players, and employes of the houses have all been looking sad and solemn. But the silly season will soon be over, and then all will be joyous again. Manager Hebert C. Duce of the Garrick and the Lyric is able to announce some of the features in store for the Chicago public. There is just a possibility that the all star production of “The Mikado” may ar¬ rive at the Garrick for a run when Mary Mannering closes her engage¬ ment July 16 in “A Man’s World.” Mind, this is not sure. At any rate, “The Summer Widowers,” the big Shubert summer show has taken up its run station at the Casino, and “The Mikado” is out for a little run in the provinces, so it may possibly come to Chicago. One of the early attractions at the Garrick will be “The Chocolate Sol¬ dier” which has had a long and pros¬ perous run in New York. This of¬ fering is one of those high class ones, which has some very good music, among other things, to make it wel¬ come. It has been said by the good critics of New York that this musical comedy comes very near to being a comic opera—one of those old school affairs, where there is plot, good mu¬ sic, and good lyrics. It is of the sort that not only pleases the high brows, but has some little fascination for the persons whose hair grows lower on the front elevation of the head. Among the other people who will come to the Garrick during the season may be mentioned Alla Nazi- mova, the strange Russian actress who will have a new play this sea¬ son. Mme. Nazimova, is an exotic, but she is one who always manages to stir every one up, and her appearance is always a source of excitement. The last time she was here she offered some odd and wonderful plays, which were not only too high up in the air for the common run of humanity, but even got our best critics into the guessing class. Mr. Duce says she is to have a new play this time, and let us all hope she may have a good Forbes-Robertson, one of the very best actors now inhabiting the earth is to take up his incumbency of the Garrick some time in January. He will bring his play, “The Third Floor Back” with him. It is said that his acting in this offering is all that saves it from being piffle. Anyway, his acting is always acting, and his presence in the city will be a joy no matter what he plays. Maxine Elliott, who was one of the wives of Nat Goodwin, is to be a Garrick tenant also, and she will arrive in a new play. There will be other attractions at the Garrick, but of these no one now knows. When August, the month of poppies and goldenrod, dog-days and hay fever arrives, we are to catch our first glimpse of “The Midnight Sons. ’ This musical comedy, which has amused New Yorkers and all the peo¬ ple who go there for two seasons, more or less, will come with the stamp of approval of a vast public on it. Of course, a New York rec¬ ommendation is not always insurance that Chicago will approve, but still from time to time we have had hints that the attraction is rather interest¬ ing, and the title, at least, is allur¬ ing. After the run of this musical attraction we are promised the New Theater company and E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe. Both of these will be here for four weeks each this time, so that all the lovers of high brow stuff may have opportunity of seeing all the real good plavs they de¬ sire. It will be recalled that Sothern md Marlowe did a great business in this rehabilitated theater this season, and it will also be remembered that the New Theater hit Chicago .right between the eyes when it was here. There will probably be some other attractions sandwiched _ among these bills before the season is over. Actors are odd people. In fact % most people ( are odd. But players seem at times to be particularly odd. Take our old friend Ralph C. Herz, for example. Now Mr. Herz is play¬ ing a part in “Madame Sherry” at the Colonial. He plays it well. In fact, the part fits his peculiar style, and he puts it over all the time. But Mr. Herz is human. He is also an actor. Therefore, every few days there is a rumor that he is going to quit the cast. Why? Well, because his name does not appear in the same prominent style as does that of Lina Xbarbanall. Mr. Herz, whose name is short and to the point, insists that his name shall be in the same type in the advertisements as does that of Mme. Abarbanell. Now printers are not al¬ ways able to make a short name loom up as prominently as a long one. Therefore, Mr. Herz is quite often peevish.. He looks in the newspapers, and on the billboards, and when he does not seem to loom as large there as does Mme. Abarbanell, he gets very much put out, and then the rumors are current that he is going to quit. He is a very funny man, in his way, but “Madame Sherry” would go right along just as usual, dven if he were not in the cast. Elizabeth Murray and Lina Abarbanell can carry the show without Mr. Herz, if he wants to quit. Clifford Fox, one of the best press agents who ever made Milwaukee his habitat, has gone back to that burg after having been in Chicago doing newspaper work for a month or two. Mr. Fox has the reputation of hav¬ ing put across more good press agent stunts in the City of Suds than any other man, and now he will be the whole press concern for the Alham¬ bra, the Majestic and the Shubert the¬ aters in that town. This is a very good berth, and one that ought to make any man feel elated. While in this city Mr. Fox lent his scintillat¬ ing efforts to the Examiner. As the county editors say—what is_ Chicago’s loss will be Milwaukee’s gain. One night last week, Richard J. Finnegan, the genial and handsome press agent of the Bismarck Garden invited a few newspaper men out to partake of some food in his fairy¬ like enclosure on the North side. It was an ideal night. The heat was op¬ pressive, in all other places, but in the precincts of the garden it was as cool as the nroverbial cucumber. Seeking a cool table under a cool tree, with ice-cooled chairs for his guests. Mr. Finnegan proceeded to play the host, and the result was something • well worth while to those fortunate enough to be invited. And, by the way, it may be mentioned that Mr. I Finnegan who has been doing the press work for the Princess and the I La Salle theaters, in connection with his work on the Journal, is about to enter the domain of politics. He is to V run for congress from some district t or other on the North Side, and, nat- ' urally, he wants all the actors to vote J for him. During the dinner, some of the p newspaper men waxed witty with the flow of Pilsener. Wallace F. Smith of the Record-Herald created laugh- : ter by one of his sallies. At one stage P of the evening the members of El- 1 lery’s band stood on the platform ■ looking the audience over. ' • r “It’s a rubber band,” said Mr. Smith, (’ which was considered quite a joke at :i that stage of the dinner. Another member of the party said that he knew a neighboring diner was a newspaper man “Because,” said he, ' “I saw him picking his teeth with a lead pencil.” With the prevalent prize-fightitis in F the air. W. R. McAusland of the Record-Herald remarked that the lights got groggy in the tenth round, and as he said it he looked squarely at his Pilsener stein, J- The season at the Grand Opera h House will begin early in August with • “The Girl and the Drummer,” a mu- h sical comedy by George Broadhurst, 1 fashioned from his well known “What : Happened to Jones.” This will make -- another one of those farces that have I been trimmed up with music, and if V catchy music is only added, the en- (’ tertainment ought to be good for the V farce was a humdinger. After this : piece has had its run Mrs. Fiske will arrive in a series of plays of the very highest order. She will be seen in "Pillars of Society.” “Hannele,” “The Green Cockatoo,” “Becky Sharp” and one or two new plays. After Mrs. Fiske has gone ‘The Dollar Mark,” a new play by George Broadhurst will ■ be brought in, and then will come i “The City” the grim and heart-tearing I last play by Clyde Fitch. After that, f M argaret Anglin, who has so recently L won a triumph at the Greek theater j in California in a revival of the “An- | tigone” of Sophocles, will appear in a new play, and later on it is said j that E. S. Willard will be seen in a 1 repertoire of his plays. It will be | seen by the above theatrical menu t that the Grand will offer some very good features for the season. Gus Sohlke, who can borrow S ideas from other people than i other man outside of Joseph E. F J ard, has gone East where h«si_ book some shows for B. C. WmM and also try to get some of his q acts on the road. Mr. Sohlke’s of shows is well known in and it might incidentally • be I tioned that the brand is also known in New York, and almost! ways before it gets to Chicago. J Eugene Walter, whose “The Way” made a good many p@^T up and wonder just what a play® would dare stage next, has been spiring down St. Louis way vidim wife, Charlotte Walker, has been ing in a stock company. To Sf” the newspaper men down that nice unsophisticated men—he ha* tided that his next play will deal .._ the “white slave” traffic. He will bring forward the notion that even the most degraded woman need noP be an outcast. Almost any person knows this, and almost any other per- | son knows that the most degraded woman stands higher in the scale ot humanity than the brute of a man who degraded her. But that is neither here nor there. Mr. Walter opines as follows: