The Billboard 1909-10-09: Vol 21 Iss 41 (1909-10-09)

Ta The Billboard OCTOBER 9, 1909. London London Bureau of The Billboard, 178 Temple Chambers, E. C. The Season is Fully Launched and Success is Attendant — Three Notable Plays Meet with Favorable Reception. RS EO ee ee — FTER the excitement of the past two weeks it has seemed almost dull this week, with only three new plays seeing the light. Still the autumn season is now fairly launched, and from the managers’ point of view, exceedingly sucessful. Prac tically all the theatres I have visited this week were crowded, and if this state of affairs only continues, everyone ought to be satisfied. Things have not been any too good here for the profession, as a whole, during the last few years. and a really good all around season might fresh life afd heart into the whole business. The public here expects a good deal these days, and yet never considers that while it renders only a half-hearted, apathetic support to theatres, it can not look for as good fare in every sense as it might if its enthusiasm were greater. London is crowded with good theatres and good artists, and it only the continued support of the public for English drama to reach and maintain the highest standard. The past week three notable has seen the plays in production of Making a Gentleman, put | needs | by Alfred Sutro, False Gods, by M. Brieux, and | The Great Divide. with which you are all so familiar by this time. The first-named play is rather a continuation of Sutro’s earlier work. In The Walls of Jericho he denounced the frivolous immorality of the smart set in a voice of thunder; In John Glayde’s Honor, it was still the moneyed classes and the struggle between those who live for self, whether it be for pleasure or profit. In the present play, the author, as it | were, rings the changes on the Walls of Jer! cho, 3m this time, instead of a strong husband | ard a butterfly, self-indulgent wife, it has an indulgent father, seeking to rectify the re sults of his mistaken upbringing of his children. The hero, Sam Carey (Arthur Bouchier), from very humble circumstances, has accumulated a fortune, made out of pickles. His wife, being dead, he pensions off her quick tempered but well-meaning mother; sends his only son, Archie, to Harrow and Oxford, and allows him a princely income to do nothing: while his daughter, equally well provided with cash, marries a golf-maniac, the Hon. Lionel Trenning, the son of Lord Parkhurst, a selfish aristocrat, and a city ‘‘guinea pig.’’ (In our parlance a “‘guinea pig is a peer who lives by having his name put on the prospectuses of shady companies, this being supposed.to guar antee their stability.) On the advice of Parkhurst, Sam puts a large proportion of his fortune into some of the latter’s companies, with the result that might have been expected. With only a little left, he commences gambling wholesale on the Stock Exchange, and before very long the big fortune on which he retired is completely dissipated. Nothing is left for him but over again. He retires to a lonely garret, whence he emerges to persuade his son to go with him to Canada, and there found another pickle factory under the name of Carey and Son. In a moment of affection Archie con sents, never giving a thonght that the enterprise means hard work and an end to all idling. But as soon as Lord Parkhurst and his worldly minded sister put the real picture of hard work and Canada before him, his impetuosity oozes out of his finger tips. Half-consenting, half driven, he hurries off and proposes to the Baroness von Ritzen, a widow with a notorious past, but with £20.000 a year. The Baroness is by no means a bad sort and has a liking for Archie, but seeing the drift of his sister's actions, says she will not marry him without his father’s consent. This, the man who alone knows her entire history, refuses to give, and pleads earnestly with his son to come to Canada and work. And then comes the great to start life } atres scene of the play, between father and son. The | latter, outspoken yet gentle. tells bis father thet if he meant him ever to work he should not bave brought him up as he has done. As it is, he knows himself that he hasn’t the brains of a linnet, and would not be worth a pound a week to any one. In the end the fath er acknowledges the justice of the plea. and the condemnation of himself contained therein. He is ready to agree that his son, who, after all, is as genuinely in love as he can expect to be with anybody but him self, shal find a living by marriage. But Sam {is not to go to Canada by himself after all, for Millie Chambers, his adopted daughter of an ol lerk, whom he has brought up from in is rejoiced to go with him and the dignity of iabor in As a whole, the play and seek fortune the New World. is disappointing. Ar chie is not made a true gentleman, nor is his future existence likely to render him = such. Still the character is very cleverly suggested by Mr. Kenneth Douglas The role of Sam Corey gives Arthur Bouchier a great opportunitv. The part is a difficult one. Save for the strenuour moments when he makes known his ruin and his bitter anger at his danghter’s intriguing for the marriage with the Raroness, the note to be sounded ts tender, to the point | of sentimental. It hardly seems a Bouchier . but all the same, the latter plays it with intelligence and conviction As the Baron ess, Miss Ethel Irving played as only she can nlay parts of this description. She acts the part with great—perhaps too great restraint— the scene of the strange wooing was splendidly done. All the same, one can not help that the character is stage made for the purpose of providing Archie with the nec essary fortune. and from the point of view of the author as unfortunate. The only other character to with the Baroness | and who has a hopeless love for Archie, | | prices the episode can only be described | which reference need be made is that of Milly | Chambers, played by Miss Athene Seyler. Some months ago I referred to the extraordinary promise shown by this young lady at her debut at His Majesty’s, and I am now glad to be able to say that this promise has been amply fulfilled The play was very well received by the aud ience—as good acting deserved—but there were no calls for the author. Mr. W. L. Cockburn, the well-known Scottish singer. is due to leave London early next month for America. He begins his tour in New York on October 20, opening at a great Caledonian concert, organized by D. Scott Chisholm, the President of the Scottish Gaelic Society of New York In the intervals of his concert work. Mr. Cockburn will take up several music hall engagements, singing the national songs of Seotland in full Highland costume. * new sketches and turns the music halls this week, Several have excellent heen put on at The wmwost noteworthy is Among Thieves, which finds its way into the crowded program of the I'alace. This miniature drama is a real thrill er, but unfortunately it is spoilt by a mistake of the author in the last scene. fhe story re lstes to a practical joke played by a friend on gentleman who lived upon his wits, but who, at the time is close to death's door in a sanitorium in Arizona, The latter is induced by the visitor to give away the hiding place of au old.pal, Who happens to be himself, and then suddenly taking the man in front of him for a detective, he covers him with a revolver. He is just about to shoot when the seeming letective reveals ret has been mystifies the himself as innocently audience the pal whose sedaveieel. But what is why his identity had net been discovered before. In any case one ean searcely imagine the man allowing his silly practical joke to develop into a tragedy. It is a thousand pities that this mistake should have been made by the author, for as it Is, Henry Esmond plays the part of the sick man with such nervous intensity and force that it becomes one of the best pieces of acting seen in London for a long time. excellently played by Beringer. Another piece Bassett Roe and Esme which has been doing very well in the halls is Gentlemen, the King, a stirring military sketch, which is going round of the Gibbons Syndicate theatres. central that of an old veteran, starving. ragged. and almost at the last gasp, tramps two hundred miles before he dies, to gaze once more at the colors of his old regi ment The part is played by Harry Bedford, and night after night the sketch is recelved with terrific applause. + American few The who, ‘pisote is Pending his putting in a nsual, he has tour, Harry Lauder is weeks at the Tivoli. As t quick to turn the topics of been the moment into professional use In his last effort he describes how he and Shack nearly discovered the South Pole. As is now fashion able with explorers, Lauder supplies singularly few details of his remarkable expedition, and here and there he gets rather mixed in his geography. It would appear that he met Shack In a public house, where he so impressed the explorer as a shrimp catcher and beer lifter that he was engaged there and then as a member of the expedition Those who had hitherto supposed the Antarctic to be somewhere south, received with some reserve the statement of the comedian that he steered the ship in the direction of Norway and passed through the Solway Forth and the Mediterranean on the way—but Lauder insists be got there all right It seems that the privations endured at the Antarctic were nothing as compared with the ordeals to be undergone after returning home. It was banquets and balls everywhere, ‘‘and, believe me,"’ adds the veracious explorer, ‘‘my feet have been sore ever since through the handshaking I have had to go through.’’ Altogether, in polar exploration Lauder seems to have struck a rich vein, (Continued on page 45.) Paris Week By Week Paris Bureau The Billboard, 121 Rue Montmartre. The other parts are | the | Henry W. Savage Moves His Principal European Office from Paris to Berlin— Luna Park Will Be the Scene of Roller Skating This Winter—The Crawford-Wilkins Rink Opening at the Hippodrome. Chances for the Professional are Now Not Bad on the Continent. are getting production been made; membered under way. of first importance has but then, it must be rethis is a little early to expect a great deal. In the first place, the summer was late presentand for that reason the fashionable behind time skeedaddling to the Also, this last is responsible for their there later than usual—and all theof any magnitude await the openiag of the social season before trotting out their new offerings. However there are several big productions scheduled to take place within the next few weeks. This week, at the Bernhardt, the first performance of La Revolution Francaise, by Arthur Bernede and Henri Cain, will be given. this being the first real premiere of the season. Soon will come others, including Maurice Don So far no S itself here, world was country. remaining nay’s Lysistrata, at the Bouffes-Parisians; La Petite Corporal, at the Chatelet; La Petite Chocolatiere, at the Renaissance; La Revanche Eve, at the Palais-Royal; La Peccadore (by 1 Sicilian Troupe), at the Rejane; La Cornette, at the Athenee; Suzette, at the Vaudeville; Le Cireuit, at the Varieties; Reines d’Rois, at the Odeon, and others. Some one or two of these are revivals, but important ones, so are enumerated. ANOTHER TRICK Last year—and all the other years that went before—Paris was as scarce on roller-skating rinks as a hen is of teeth. This winter all this is to be remedied. The Billboard has already told of two. and here it comes with the news of yet a third. Luna Park, as Rillyboy folks know, is a sum mer park at Port Malliot, the entrance through the fortifications of Paris, resting between the Avenne de la Grande Armee and the Avenne de Neullly; in other words, right in the heart of the residence part of town. Of course a summer park can’t do much business with the thermometer bovering around zero, so Gaston Akoun, the manager, bethought himself of a plan for keeping up a buzz throughout the winter months. ‘ng rink. into a cozy little amusement village with a roller skating rink occupying the central square The work begins as soon as the crowds quit overfilling the resort and permit the workman to get busy. A cafe and restaurant is to be run in conjunction with the rink, the concession go ing to the caterer who has the summer privllege. HIPPODROME TO OPEN The Crawford and Wilkins roller rink at the Hippodrome in Montmarte will be opened with « blare of trumpets, which bids fair to be heard all the wey from Calais to Marseilles. The general public will be invited and many free invitations are being issued for the big event. After the big show, the Paris directors of the new amusement will tender to the mem hers of the Paris and foreign press a big ban quet, bang-up in every detail. NOW COMES A CHANCE In the past the professional roller skater has rot had much of a chance on the Continent Rinks have been few and far apart, and of course railway fare—unless one travels third class—is more expensive than in the States Hotels, too, save at the very smallest. have stiff especially for Americans, whom everyhody In this neck of the woods regards as stoop shonidered from carrying money they don’t need, Perheps the coming year will see things picking up a bit In England things have beep LOWLY but surely the theatres here | He has a plan for keeping up a skat| The entire park is to be transformed | in a fair way for some time, and such wellknown experts as Earle Reynolds ani his charm ing partner, Nellie Donegan; Harley Davidson and Dolly Mitchell; Daisy Davis, the fancy skater and cake walker, and others, have done exceedingly well. This winter will see séveral | new rinks in France and elsewhere in Europe, and of course each one added to the circuit gives just that much more opportunity to the man or woman who can do stunts on the little wheels, The Crawford-Wilkins people, well-known in America. are doing great things in this direction. Their success in England has been phenomenal, and the chances are roll their way just as swiftly on this side of the Channel. I hope so, if for no other reason than that it will give several bully American | fancy skating artists a chance to show the na tives a thing or two on rollers However, here is just a little vice: There is no use In youngsters jumping at the tirst seemingly good thing that their way. just for the sake of getting a trip abroad. They must not forget that what Euro peans want—skaters who have visited England will vouch for the truth of this—is a good, | well-performed act; an act free from blunders | erd failures. Europe is a long way from home, fellows. Don’t hop away from that good old America before you look at the spot where you are to land. If you've got something good, a sure-enough offer over here, grab it off in a hurry and hustle aboard a boat Things are beginning to look pretty good here. Of course each year, for a past. has seen Americans of Paris, Berlin made good as a good doing the and so on They've rule. SAVAGE IN BERLIN Heretofore, Henry W. Savage in Paris perhaps his most important headquarters I am informed that be an immediate change. and that in the future Rerlin will have that honor. Herman Mr. Savage's European secretary and manager, has made Paris his headquarters for some time. On October 1, he transfers his office from here to Perlin. thongh that does not mean that Mr. Savage will have no representation in Paris He will undoubtedly have an otfice In Paris, but it is pretty sure that he bureau above It Just why this change is given to the public. Mr. Fellner merely gives as the reason, Mr. Savage wishes it. But I am sure that <o far as Mr. Savage is concerned terlin is the more productive city With an office there, he will be more In the center of those productions which Interest him most. I’aris offers little In a musical way compared to Perlin—and her sister city, Vienna—and things musical are natnrally more in this particular producer's line. Though this has not been stated as the reason for the move, I am sure It Is the reason, nevertheless Speaking of Mr. Fellner, he accompanied, as far as Vienna, Robert Courtneldge, of the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, who, with Mrs. Courtneidge, will proceed from Vienna to many bas maintained European there is to made has not Moscow, on their way around the world. They expect to make the entire trip in about eight | weeks. Nellie Bly and her elghty-day journey | will be made to look like humble pikers by these thentrical folk In talking of Mr. Savage's plans, Mr. Fellner sald that he had made no definite plans for the vroduction of the Prince of Pilsen in Germany. Sweet Gillette, an operetta. the words by German authors, and music by Gustav Lad ers, will be given In the United States sooner or later. (Continued on page 45.) the coins will | word of ad-| comes | for skaters over | ice-rinks | always | Fellner, | will rank his Berlin | been | mouager | | Berlin Dominated by Comedy this Season—European and Con | The German Stage will be | ‘| tinental Gossip of Interest. LTHOUGH a few well-known authors have still failed to offer their last products, it can be said that the comic element will dominate the German stage this season. Haupt maun and Sudermann have yet made no effort to prove to the crities that still alive, and Blumenthal and Kad are they elburg still keep the titles of their newest pro ductions secret, but most of the other dramatic authors plays to offered their last and nearly all of them have announced and the theatres, were accepted by the various managements. but how they will be accepted by the pvlic remains to be seen. + Ludwig Fulda’s comedy, Das Exempel, bas heen accepted by the Neue Schauspieihaus at Berlin, and the Burg Theatre at Vienna, and the latter and the Lessing Theatre at Berlin, have secured Das Konzert, by Herman Bahr. Leo Watther Stein, the author of Das Leut neantsmuendel, will conquer with his Scheld ungsreise, the Berliner Lustpielhaus. theatre accepted lessing Theatre The same Hans Brennert’'s Flieger; the the comedies, Joachim voa Brand, by Moritz Heimann, and Des Pfarrers Tochter von Strehladorf, by Max Dreyer. Pau) Apel wrote a comedy with the fine title, Hans | Somnenstoessers Hoellenfahrt, and the Hebbel Mheatre is going to produce it as a premiere. rhe Deutsche Volkstheatre hopes to make a hit with Victor Leon and Leo Felds’' comedy, Der grosse Name. Das glueckliche Gesicht, by Ernest Gettke, will be played at the Ray | mund Theatre in Vienna. In the Neve Schausplel | haus, soon, the premiere Kavaliere, by Rudolf | Lothar and Robert Landeck, will be given. Max Neal and Bruno Wolf are the authors of the comedy, Leutenant der Reserve, but bave not yet found a theatre director who is willing to accept ‘t. The Vienna Burger Theatre accepted the farce, O Eva, by Wilhelm Wolters and Pierre Carron. + There are but very few dramas of the serious character. The Neue Theatre plays the modern drama, Der Letzte Kaiser, by Rudolph Herzog, and the Burg Theatre, of Vienna is going to | bring Rudolf Hewel’s Ahasver and Der dumme Jacob, by Rudolf Rittner. The Merry are plenty of eunerilebe atre at tenkind, Widow is still alive and there merry children. Lehar’s Ziegwil soon be heard at the Carl TheVieona, and the same author’s Fuersand Leo Falls’ Schoene Risette will have their premiers at the Theatre am der Wien and tue Neue Operetten Theatre. Very diligent was Oscar Strauss; the Stadt Theatre at Leipzig accepted his one-act comic operas, Der tapfere Cassian, Venus im Gruenen and Colombine; the Carl Theatre, the comic opera, Didi, for which Victor Leon wrote the libretto after Sardou's Marquise, and the Komische Oper will produce the same composer's Das Thal der Liebe. In Frankfurt-on-the-Main, Vela Laszky’s Drei kleine Maedel, and in the ‘elpziger Stadt Theatre, Felix Albini's Baarfusstaenzerin are being prepared, and seon will have their premieres. Besides this large number of operettas, only two operas by noted composers have to be mentioned: Izeyl, by Eugene d’Albert, libretto by Lothar, and Banadietrich, by Slegfried Wagner. The first one will have its premiere at the Hamburger Stadt Theatre, and the sec ond one most likely at the Dreadener Hofthe atre. When we mention that the same theatre prepares the first performance of Franz Neuman's Liebelel, it can be said that this review of new stage plays is nearly complete. A very comic incident happened recently during the performance of Grillparzer’s drama, Medea, at the Ila Theatre in Frankfurt-on-the Main. The fourth act had hardly commenced and the andience were listening attentively to the sublime words of the great Austian poet, when suddenly roaring cries sounded from the outside, They were the signal for the arrival of the famous Zeppelin airship. Forgotten were Grillparzer and his drama; the publ'c rose as one man and left the theatre to view the spectacle In the clonds. The actors and actresses, in thelr stage costumes, were In the middle of the cheering crowds. After the airship had landed the public returned to the theatre and demanded the finish of the play. which was done without further disturbance. + The Gura Opera has renewed the contract for the coming season with the General-intend antur of the Royal Opera House tn Berlin, This season, however, will be shorter than last year. as the engagement of the Gura Opera Com pany will be preceded by an Italian Opera Com pony. The Wagner music dramas, which were civen with greatest success during the last season, will be given the greater part of the repertoire. Director Gura will also offer Rienz!, with entirely new scenery, the Pfitzner opera. The Rose of the Lovegarden, and Offenbach’'s oneretta, Die schoene Helena. + Tinder the name, Geselliges Theatre, a new enterprise ts to be launched in Berlin, which, according to the promoters, will lend an entirely new charm to the social life of the Ger man capital. Like the Theatre dans les Salons. In Parts, the manager of the jolly afternoons, Mrs. Dora Rauer-Sachse, proposes to offer to a larger or smaller circle of members of the so clety, attractive comedies and operettas. The management will be In the honds of the most prominent stage artists. The casts will be | played exclusively by ladles and gentlemen of | the soclety. | (Continued on page 45.) 2 te abe