The Billboard 1908-12-19: Vol 20 Iss 51 (1908-12-19)

The Billboard DECEMBER 19, 1908. London, London Bureau of The Billboard, 179 Temple Chambers, E. C. England . Magnitude, The English Attitude Toward Lydia Thompson, the Famous Queen of Burlesque, Admired by two Continents, who Died Recently—Grit, Produced at the Kingsway Theatre, with Lena Ashwell in the Leading Part. WO noted figures in the theatrical world of half a century ago have died within the past week. Of the two, Katti Lanner was known to some extent up to the very last, but the name of Lydia Thomp son is almost unknown to the present generation of playgoers. Lydia Thompson was about seventy-five when she died. She retained a youthful air and figure up to say twenty years ago, and was still occasionally appearing in burlesque at that time. Forty years ago, however, she was the idol of the smart youth of the town. Her most memorable achievement was in Pluebeard, which enjoyed Willie Eouin's historic impersonations of the ‘‘Heathen Chinee.’’ For a long time she toured America with a company which she called the Beautiful Blondes. That was before America had beaten England out of the field so disastrously in the way of chorus girls. The English invaders made a sensation and doubtless most people will remember the cowhiding of an impudent critic, which was one of the Incidents of the tour. Miss Thompson made her last appearance under George Edwardes’ management as the grand dame of musical comedy; and when she retired she was accorded a benefit of great which realized $15,000 dollars. Katti Lanner, on the other hand, was a woman who could always be brought forward to illustrate the fact that dancing must be a particularly healthy occupation. She started off by making a great sensation In the ballet. Ac quiring a big fortune this way, she contemplated retiring. but a spendthrift husband dis sipating her fortune, she took to teaching In her advancing years. But she was really much more than a teacher—she was a really fine stage manager. For years she was the inttmate associate of Augustus Harris at Drury Lane, and elsewhere. Then she devoted herself to the Empire, and up to a year ago she was practically responsible for every ballet which took place there. In the end, however, her authority became embarrassing to the dlrectors, and her eventual retirement was not exactly graceful. She must have died a very rich woman. She ‘‘famed’’ hundreds of dancing girls, and her contracts were not wont to err on the side of generosity to the young women. Still, her death removes one of the most noted figures in English theatrical life and severs yet another link with the past. So far as new plays are concerned this is a busy week for London. Apart from Martin Harvey's. revival of The Corsican Brothers, Lena Ashwell has produced a new comedy ealled Grit. by a new author. at the Kingsway: Henry R. Smith is presenting a new musical comedy, called The Antelope, by Adrian Ross and Hugo Felix, at the Waldorf, while a new comedy by Haddon Chambers, called Sir Anthony, Is to be put on at the Prince of Wales. But all these new plays do not necessarily mean good business In the theatrical line. As a matter of fact. quite half the theatres in London are not doing at all well, and quite a number of managers are hunting arennd for likely money-making attractions. Not that they are necessarily in despair over the present sitnation: the experienced London manager fs very well aware that the bad has to be taken with the good, and that their business. if conducted on sound principle and not on freak notoriety or cheap, indirect advertisement, will ultimately earn them profits. This is the cast of Grit, produced at the Kingsway Theatre, on Tnesday evening, by Miss Tena Ashwell. The play is by Mr. Herman Chilton, and is the first effort of this writer: oe a ee Miss Lena Ashwell MD cha, ee Chas. M. Hallard Sl SOE 6. dcnc cence iesnesbssye Frances Ivor hs CED: ins ch v cbvass csbell H. Athol Forde Peer) re Donglas West i, OD ccenctaecen owae cen Ernest Cosham .Norman McKinnel 5 cuwbGemes Dennis Endie Mercia Vaneello and alls ign ee bee hae Miss Olivia peuncrdaaeibemasanea Kate Rorke i Tn onan daeos Combed Margaret Murray I ion aaliyah Sia hi iv Miss Lemon Warde i cs sreghaebngaes hits uae Nellie Pennett nen nc awen Kp den'e deane's © Patrick Grey The play. produced with complete success on Tuesday. is a evrions attemnt to rear a nroblem play on a foundation that reeks of farce. An eccentric old gentleman. Sir Thomas Ransome, has died and left a fortune of one million dollars (€£290,.900) to Erith Winter and Jim Rarr fn equal shares, provided they Iintermarry. with a gift over to charity in defanit. Now Frith comes of a verv ancient and honorable but Imnpoverished family, while Barr is a working carnenter, who once saved Ransome from drowning. Ransome’s sole object in making this will seems to have been to humiliate Erith and her aristocratic relations. Frith. however. a vrovd, bigh-strune snortswoman. determines to reconcile herself to what she describes as a “sordid estete.”’ and the marriage takes place. Rarr willingly accepts the conditions she imposes upon him. and shows unexpected delfeacy In even anticipating them. He fs a diamond of the rongh order. but still a diamond. Then the almost inevitable third narty in the shape of Dick Travers. comes upon the scene. He is a young man (who can not make both ends meet) with an ineome of £500 a year. and has been one of Frith’s intimate frien’s eince her childhood. Right throngh the second act Rarr continnes to treat Erith with chivalrons consideration, and every day he seems to he rising in her resnect. Rut at the same time Travers is continnally In attendance unon her. and it is obvious that trouble must ensue sooner or later. Tn the third act Travers determines to stand for Parliament for Bermondsey, Barr’s old district, where he has considerable interest. Both Travers and Erith come to Barr and ask him to support the former. He, believing that no labor candidate is standing, promises to do so. No sooner, however, has he given his wife this assurance that he hears that a labor candidate is going to stand after all, and he has to take back his word. Then his wife, who up to this time seemed to have been becoming fond of him, breaks out in a new light. She loses her temper and storms at him. Two days later Barr hears a rumor that gossip is linking his wife’s name with that of Travers, and on the latter's next appearance, orders him out of the house. The fonrth act has two scenes. In the first, Travers forces himself into Erith’s boudoir jast as she is retiring to bed. He locks the door and threatens if she rings to shoot himself and leave her to face the scandal. Erith, who for some weeks has been gradually falling under his spell, now suddenly comes to herself end sees him in his true light. A knock comes to the door. She hides Dick in her bedroom. Her husband enters with a will he has just found in an old desk of Ransome’s, which is of* later date than ‘the other, and in which Rarr is only left £10, all the rest going to Frith. He explains how he has been sorely tempted to burn it, but in the end has safely locked it up, and now brings her the key. He says that he will not live on her, but will leave on the morrow and go back to his old earpenter’s bench. Erith is so moved that she allows her husband to kiss her hand, a favor which she refuses to Dick when, as her husband denarted, he re-enters from the bedroom. He has overheard the conversation, and seeing that the game is up, departs. The second scene passes in Rarr’s study. As soon as Travers is safely out of the house Erith comes here, and taking the will out of the burean, burns It there and then. Her bnsband finds her there, and believes first that she has come simply to get possession of the will. But when he finds out her real object a more generons spirit takes possesion of him, and the curtain goes down on the first love scene between the two. The play is a fascinating one, and it provides Miss Ashwell with one of the finest parts she has ever had. She is the wayward, passionate, generous Erith to the life. And in addition to this. the play gives her opportunities of displaring some magnificent gowns, which she is always able to wear better than any other actress on the English stage at present. Norman McKinnel’s part of Jim Barr is of a far more sympathetic nature than most of the roles he has been playing recently, and is a trinmph of qniet force, relieved at times by flashes of humor. C. M. Hallard made the most of a rather unattractive part. and was especially good in the boudoir scene. Altogether the play promises a rare long run, and shonld more than make up for the disappointment of The Sway-boat. I allnded last week to the annoyance cansed in the profession by Sermonr Hicks and George Fdwardes offering Incrative engagements to girls who won prizes In a kind of beanty competition. During the last few days the storm has been rapidly growing and has heen Intensified by the fact of Mr. H. R. Smith stating that he has had no fewer than 80 applications from chorns girls for a few vacant places at the Waldorf. The waiting rooms of the agents are beseiged just now by young women eager for Christmas work, while the news comes from all sides that prices are steadily going down to the lowest limit. At one leading theatre just now ‘“‘extra ladies’’ are heing offered 24 shillings—just about six dollars— for twelve performances a week. And in spite of {tLis. yet more of the unwary are being invited to join the already over-swelled ranks of the profession. Nor are the theatres alone In. this distress. From the rank and file of vandeville artists comes the bitter cry of starvation, thanks principally to the quarrels hetween artists and agents—managers intervening. The managers are glad of the excuse to close their hooks, for most of them had entered far more engagements than they were able to fulfill, and the nresent situation is enabling them to thin the lists. The chief incident of the week in the vandeville world has been the appearance of Albert Wheelan, a tall. clean-lIimbed Anstralian entertainer, at the Pavilion. He makes his apnearance in immaculate evening dress, whistling. as he enters, a sentimental air, and proceeds with great deliberation to unglove himself and take off his great cont. Having folded this, taking dne care to expose its nice silk lining. and having adinsted his dress tie, he takes his seat In the same leisnrely fashjon at the piano, and accompanies the remainder of the air on that Instrnment. He then gives a real taste of his artistic gifts by singing a droll plantation song, describing the adventure of a colored preacher with a hungry grizzly hear. Wheelan has nothing to learn in the difficenit art of descriptive singing, and he shows himself eqnally a master of mimicry. His rendering of My Old Dutch. in which he reproduced all Albert Chevalier’s quaint touches, was as perfect an imitation as could be, while his singing of I Tove a Lassle carried one back Irresistably to Harry Lander’s trinmphs at the Tivoll. At the close of his performance, the Anstralian resumes his whistling solo, pnts on his creat coat with the same delilberation as he takes It off when he enters, and quietly makes his exit. RPnt he had to return several times to acknowledge the andience’s tokens of appreciation. The entire show is so quaint and so original that Wheelan is certain to make himself a tremendous favorite with the British public. Lewis Waller was heartily welcomed = on Wednesday evening when he revived Flenry V. It was in this play that he really made his great reputation. Time has done nothing to abate the vigor or force of his rendering, and it was a treat for all present to hear some of the finest poetry Shakespeare ever wrote de claimed with such glowing sincerity. The cast was as follows: a ere Lewis Waller Duke of Gloucester .......... Patrick Digan Duke of Bedford 0666+ ec enesoes J. H. Napper Duke of Exeter iskipweewes Gennes Frank Dyall . £5. &.. eae Hugh Cunningham Earl of Westmoreland ........ Reginald Dane Archbishop of Canterbury....Halliwell Hobbs SS se eae J. H. Irvine Earl of Cambridge ........ H. Cronin Wilson Se OEE vicccnsccdossducas Frank Ridley ere POND a cccedivconcca A. E. George Cantaie Melierrie ...cccccvccs Herbert Maule Pt On “ainudennwda tease Caton Woodville DE J ici de ndeeagn taped cewecas Alec Thompson PE ¢in ccs Cdvcesnéuctuncnch Robert Bolder OE: kMbab-od 6 oéncdedbcneceneken Louis Calvert oe WOO aracéeeccees Owen Roughwood ee een Halliwell Hobbes ape OF TURP cic cccuccsccnct May Chevalier OR ee ae Madge Titheridge Hostess of the Tavern (Pistol’s wife) ...... 6th bhene task Ck ad ek aeateeee Minnie Griffin No catés inci cetednbssen acne Fay Davis One could easily imagine a more subtle rendering of the part of Henry V. than that given by Lewis Waller, but in an age given up to enubtlety a valorous and straightforward reading, such as the one he gave, Is always welcome. The only criticism one can offer on the whole performance is, indeed, that the version acted is not as good as it might have been. Too much attention is given to the really comle scenes, and, at present, there seems an Inclination to carry this spirit into the more serions parts of the play. For instance, the wonderfal scene in which is described and diseussed the last moments of Falstaff, excellently played as it was, suffered not a little by being treated almost as a continuation of the earlier scene in Eastcheap. But these are small blemishes, and taken altogether the play goes excellently throughout. Minnie Griffin) makes an admirably humorous hostess, while Louis Calvert makes a really notable Pistol. Alec Thompson is a comically lugubrious and cowardly Nym, and Robert Bolder. a fine, rollicking Rardolph. The women are all good. Madge Titheradge makes a quaint and dainty KatherIne, and Dora Hole is very discreet in the small but diffienlt role of Alice. The Chorous was Fay Tavis. who has not been seen on the Lonfon stage for some years. She spoke her lines extremely well, but the effect was somewhat spoiled owing to the way in which the play Was arranged. The performance was received with the warmest enthusiasm. London has been amused this week over a lawsnit brought by the firm of Shoolbreds against Miss Mary Moore and Sir Charles Wyndham for decorations to the Criterion Theatre before Lady Epping’s Lawsuit was put on. The defendants objected to part of the bill on the ground that the various colors employed in the decorations did not match and that the entire color scheme was thereby ruined ‘The case was tried before Mr Justice Darling. who is famous as the great humorist of the Rench, and of whom it is said he would have shone {fh light comedy, and he obliged with some of his brightest witticisms. In fact, thronghout, he and the defendants and the lawyers were vying with one another to make the piece—I mean the case— go well. At the moment of writing judgment has not been delivered, but, win or lose, Miss Mary Moore has secured an admirable advertisement for Lady Epping’s Lawsuit. Charles Frohman has not been long in finding a tenant for the Aldwych Theatre, the lease of which expires on December 23. The new tenant is to be Miss Marie Dressler, who made such a hit at the Palace here last year. Rechristening the house the Marie Dressler Aldwych Theatre, she will make her appearance there on or abont February 1. Her initial venture is to be a musical comedy, provisionally named Little Minna, written by Edgar Smith, and composed by Maurice Levy. Marie Dressler is full of her new scheme. “TI am going.”’ she says, ‘“‘to give London the very best I can offer. My sole ambition is to provide playgoers with a bright and amusing entertainment, acted by the best talent I can poms and mounted with all possible care and aste.’ Her own part is that of a daughter of a German, and from time to time she introduces parodies or bnrlesques of existing attractions. in which she will, of course, take the leading part. With one or two exceptions, the company of some sixty artists will be entirely English. The Man from Mexico has been at the Coronet. one of the largest of the London suburban theatres, this week, and has met with a magnificent reception. The piece plays with a terrific swing from beginning to end, and so far as I conld see the other evening the audience scarcely stopped laughing for an instant. In fact, I have searcely ever seen a London audience so amused as they were in that scene in the jail ,where the prisoners march in. The company is a very good one, but several alterations will still have to be made before the plece could sneceed at a West End theatre. Walter Gay, as the genial prison warden, and Fred Lewis, as the eccentric German. are all that conld be desired. seorge Willoughby also scores a great suecess as Mators, the gentleman who is ready to ‘‘fix’’ anything and everything. Stanley Cooke's Fitzhuch only inst falls short of being really first rate. His fanit at present is that he hardly takes the piece at ‘the rate in which broad farce onght to travei, and he also has a tendency to drag ont several seenes. When, however, he rectifiles these points, as he doubtless will, his nerformance should convulse an andience. There are also one or two peculiarly American expressions left in, which might as well come ont at once. To a London audience one might as well talk ancient Greek as up-to-date Ameriean slung. F. ASLETT WRAY. A SON OF ITALY. Mr. James Kyrle MaecCurdy has not been ont this year in his well-known play, The Old Clothes Man. having spent the past few months in New York with his wife. Kate Woods Fiske, preparing for the tonr of his new play, A Son of Italy. which will he produced after the holi days. The Old Clothes Man has been leased to several companies now on tour. After January 1, Chas. Chester and Company will be known as The Two Winchesters. Berlin Amusement Events in the German Capital—Question of Evening Openings Under Discussion. HE directors of the great number of Ber lin theatres of the higher class are wrangling about the question, when the performances should begin. It was sug gested to start at 8:30 p. m., in place of 7:45 p. m., and it was left for the theatregoing public to decide this perplexing question. It appears, however, that the public is more or less indifferent in the matter, and it seems to have little or no interest in regard to these problems. Why? There are various reasons. The most important Is that the people want better shows for the excessive admission prices they have to pay, aud some of the managers contemplate to charge for the program even. At any rate, conditions in general do not look very rosy for the directors. It seems to be a remarkable coincidence that at the same time, while here in Berlin, a movement is going on to begin the performances at a later hour, the theatre-lovers of Paris recommend the earlier start of the shows. Conditions, of course, are quite different in Paris, but even there is already a lively opposition to be noticed against this new rule, especially by the high-class restaurateurs— why? everybody knows. Leoncavallo’s opera, Zaza, at the Comic Op era House, was a decided success in every respect. The splendid presentation of the opera was largely due to the very realistic manner in which the scenes in the little mansard room were shown. Only in the third act, with the sentimental scene between Zaza and the child of her rival, was hardly able to give the audience even a better show of truth. Eva v Osten, the well-known Dresden court opera singer, played the title cast in a _ splendid manner, and found in Franz Naval, as Dufresny, a fine partner. Of course, there are tenors who would sing this character more efficiently, but none who could sing the love scenes in the last act so sympathetic. Desidor Zador, as Cascart, was very good. Maestro Leoncavallo was called repeatedly to the footlights and given a great ovation. Das Blut (The Blood), a drama by Julius Bab, was a great disappointment at the iniperformance at the Stuttgart Court Theatre. At the Schauspielhans, at Munich, Ludwig Thoma’s Moral (Morality) made one of the greatest hits. At the same time, with the Thoma premiere, the Residenz Theatre offered Ernest Didring’s Hohes Spiel, with Monnard, Steinrueck and Lena Lossen in the main casts. The performance showed how much Munich will lose in Miss Lossen, who will soon enter an _ engagement with a Rerlin theatre. The Schiiersear Ensemble, well known in the United States, concinded the tour at the New Royal Opera Theatre of Berlin, management of the Opera Theatre re-engaged the troupe for the term from September 18 to October 31, 1909. Hermine Claer-Delia, the wife of the superintendent of the Schanspielhaus of Frankfort on the Main, died on November 23. The artist was born April 8, 1848, and played her first engagement at the German. Theatre at Budapest, Hungary. She was a member of the Ber lin Schausplelhaus and Rezidenz Theatre years ago. Leo Greinier’s impressive drama, Herzog Roccaneras Ende, was very well received at the premiere performance at Mannheim. Laparra’s opera, La Habanera, at the Opera House wags nearly hissed ont. In Hamburg, the performance of Adolf Paul's grotesque play, The Devil's Church, has been prohibited by the police. While the Royal Opera House at Berlin has its troubles In regard to administration, ceremonial and repertoire questions, the Royal Opera at Munich has too many stars to take care of. There seems to be a general dissatisfaction of the ensemble, especially since Dtrector Mottl has taken charge of the house, and since he brought his friend, the lively Bohemian, Zelenka Fassbender, from Karlsruhe to become his prima donna. Herr von Weingartner has captured the Conried star, Miss Kertha Morena. for Vienna, and Fritz Fein hals, now touring America, intends to make a change after his return. And now comes the most celebrated tenor. Heinrich Knote, for sev enteen years a member of the Royal Opera, and cancels his contract on account of differ ences with Mr. Mottl. The historic play, Moscow, by Julius Ivachim, made qnite a hit at Magdeburg. One of the Intersting features of the play was the great Napoleon In the character of a lover. The next Mozart-Wagner Festival Plays io Munich will take place from July 31 to September 13, 1909. The repertoire contains the following plays. Meistersinger, Tannhauser, Tristan and Isolde, The Ring Cyclus, Don Juan, Abduction from the Serail and Cosi fau tutte. At the premiere performance at Nena Oper ettentheatre of the fairy play. Den Koenig drueckt der Schuh, by Josefa Metz, music by Rogumil Zepfer, the main characters were in the hands of Mia Werber, Poldi Augustin and Carl Bachmann and Julius Sachs. Ernst Hardt’s twice prize-medaled drama, Tantris, the Fool, was given its Initial per formance at the Hofburgtheatre at Vienna. The expectations of the large audience were greatly increased by the fact that the anthor had been honored twice by two Schiller prizes, and kept up during the first half of the play, but toward the end of the performance the enthu siasm had nearly vanished, in spite of the fact that Kainz as Tantris was at his best. MUSIC NOTES At the song recital at the hall of the Phil harmonie, Mrs. Ernestine Sehumann-Heink achieved a tremendous suecess. The house was entirely sold out, and the great singer received applause over applause. (Continucd on page 37.)