The Billboard 1910-10-22: Vol 22 Iss 43 (1910-10-22)

10 The Bi llboard OCTOBER 22, 1919. The Amusement Week in New York MADAME TROUBADOUR KATE DOU Receives Its New York Premiere at the Lyric Theatre with Grace La Rue in the Star Part—Cnitics of Varying Opinions Regarding Merit MADAMB TROUBADOUR.—An operetta in three acts, from the French; book and lyrics by Joseph Herbert; music by Felix Albini. Lyric Theatre. THE CAST. Henriette Grace La Rue Julietee i ee be Georgia Caine Joseph .. Edgar Atchinson Ely Marguis De Kergazon Charlies Angelo The Ohevalier os Edgar Norton Georgette SD it ht bi. Se be 5S Vicomte Max de Voigommeux .. .. .. .. .. os ++ «+ «+ «+ «+ Van Rensselaer Wheeler New York, Oct. 11 (Special to The Billboard). —‘‘Every little critic has a roaster of his Doris Goodwin Own.”’ is might be used in parody on the | great song success in Madame Sherry—but it tells the story of what's happening after nearly every show falls to the gaze of the scribe. For instance, this from the New York Times: “When a temperamental French gentleman who writes bad ballads mentions St. Anthony. and tells a blushing housemaid, ‘If you'll sup here to-night, I'll prove an anchorite,’ further insisting that there is to be ‘nothing doing when alone, when strangers come my love is shown’—when such things are promised in couplets very near the outset of what was once a French operetta and is now an American adaptation, you have every reason to fear the worst. And so far as Joseph Herbert's so called book of Mme. Troubadour is concerned, you certainly do get it. Nothing so badly ama teurish and so naively naughty has come this way in a long time. And in consequence—or jargely im consequence of this—M. Felix Ai bini’s operetta, which is very agreeably com pounded of melodic rhythmic and spirited material, comes limping badly where it should run merrily along. Charles Frohman’s Second Brood New York, Oct. 11 (Special to The Billboard) —The prospects of the present theatrical sea son were considerably brightened and enlarge: and a new fillip given to playgoing by Chas. Frohman’s announcement Oct. 10 that he now has definitely laid out an entire new program of play productions, sufficient in interest and novelty to keep a dozen theatres going the rest of the season. It is the second set of produc tions Mr. Frohman will have made this season: and will easily keep the manager busy until the end of December, when he will begin to de vote himself exclusively to Maude Adams’ pro duction of Chantecler. Between now and the first week in January. Mr. Frohman proposes to make fifteen new gprodactions which will have their first performance New York, Boston and Chicago. Some of these plays will have to go into rehearsal this week. The casts of all of them will be deter mined upon within the next two weeks. Most of the plays in this second set of Frohman pro Guctions this season will naturally be for stars. but more of them than usual will be acted b) companies not headed by stars. All of them will ultimately appear in New York after first being performed in nearby cities. (Continued on page 51.) OTIS SKINNER. Mr. Charles Frohman wiil present him in a | Bew play by Henri Lavedan, called Sire. Anna Wheaton | “Another contributary cause of the failure of this really melodious operetta to arouse gen |} ulne enthusiasm last night was the unfitness of Miss Grace LaRue for the principal female role. To Miss LaRue’s credit be it said that she sings the rather difficult music very well indeed. But the role calls for a woman who can act, and especially a woman who knows how to suggest coquetry, witchery, charm and grace—who can be playful one minute, a firebrand the next—and these things Miss LaRue cannot do. Moreover, her speech, with (Continued on page 51.) Tells of Her Experiences in the GLAS WIGGIN New Field of the Drama—Likes Professional Folk Whom She had Been Warned Against—-An Interview New York, Oct. 11 (Special to The Billboard). —Klaw & Erlanger’s production of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, under the direction of Joseph Brooks, has scored a big success at the Re public Theatre. The dramatization of the Re becca stories was made by the author, Kate Douglas Wiggin, and Charlotte Thompson. Edith Taliaferro plays the role of the little heroine. Mrs. Wiggin tock an active part in the rehearsals. It was ber first experience with showmen. Her impressions of the theatre and the managers may be judged best extracts from ber own writings on the subject from | A GROUP OF PROMINENT STARS. NZ, a Bite. BYRKE IT P>, yO eee Try, ty . . . Billie Burke will be seen in a new comedy before the holiday Mande Adams > i yb o ys aude Adams, in Chantecler; Marie Tempest will appear in a new play by W. Somerset Maugham. the title of which has not as yet been announced; Wm. H. Crane, engaged for George Ade’s U. S. Minister Bedloe, and Ethel Barrymore, who will bave the leading role Shuberts Start Agency Reform New York, Oct. 11 (Special to The Billboard). —The Shuberts, on October 10, broke with the hotel theatre ticket agencies that raise the —— for the best seats. They announced that ereafter the best seats, instead of being found in the hotels, will be in the box-offices and that this rule applies to the Casino, Lyric, Herald Square, Daly’s, Broadway, Nazimova, Comedy, Maxine Elliott and the Hackett Theatres. For several years the Shuberts have handed over blocks of the best seats in all thelr theatres to the hotel agencies with the understanding that the agencies would not charge more than fifty cents apiece extra for them. The agency got twenty-five cents and the theatre twenty-five cents extra. The agency had the privilege of returning any unsold seats at 7:30 on the evening of the rformance. Hotel agencies have been known to charge as high as $4 a seat for tickets. Lee Shubert said that the arrangement with the agencies was discontinued because the hotel agencies secretly bronght tickets direct from the box-office men. ‘‘The hotel agencies,’ said Shubert, ‘have not hesitated to corrupt treasurers of the theatres. (Continued on page 51.) in a new play this season. Papers Roast Deacon and Lady New York, Oct. 11 (Special to The Billboard). World—‘‘Variest trash!’’ American—‘“'I suppose that there was a time in the hectic chaos of our history when such 4 production as The Deacon and the Lady at the New York Theatre would have filled us with insensate joy. For it is quite gorgeously foolish; it is filled with ‘music’ that sounds like molasses tastes, and it has all the disad vantages of vaudeville with none of its advantages. In vaudeville, for instance, Mr. Harry Kelly, who is the ‘star’ of The Deacon and the Lady, would come on, hold forth for two min ates, and then get out. So would you. Also in vaudeville. Mr. Ed. Wynn would emerge from the wings—possibly following trained monkeys or intellectual cockatoos—let loose a monologue and skidoo. So would you.” Tribune—‘‘Harry Kelly never smiled once in e Teacon and the Lady, the new musical play in which he appeared as the star. It would not be quite fair to say that the andience took the cue, but it is certainly true that y were not convulsed with langhter.”’ | Pauline Perry has signed with oun y 4 The Silver “Numbers of bugbears have been raised in |my path by solicitous friends, but few ef them have materialized. They said I would find the associations of the theatre disagreeable and trying; on the contrary, I have met with noth ing but courtesy and friendliness and warm apreciation. They said it would be like breakbg a butterfly on a wheel to put Rebecca into the hands of busy theatrical managers intent only on box office receipts; but the seque! proved that the managerial hand was stretched out to protect the child on every occasion. “No one could ask for more enthusiastic co-operation that I have received on every side. To watch the stage director managing the forces, to hear him squeeze every ounce of value out of the text, to see him evolve fully rounded characters from pen and ink sketches by clever suggested facial expression or stage business; al] this is a great and stimulating experience. “Roughly speaking, Rebecca is intended to appeal to young people between eight and eighty. But no astute author or manager could wish to fix an age limit in bis audience! I should be very sorry to see Rebecca gain any but the usual mixed audience, for it would gradually grow feeble and emasculated if played to young people alone, though we hope they will always find enjoyment in it. Inetdentally I suppose it might be useful to have a few entertainments to which the old-fashioned girl might go without seeing all the commandments broken before her very eyes! However, one must be universal and not write for the ‘jeune fille’ alone. “If you want to elevate the stage (poor dear!), don't approach it from some patronising height, but from a humbler human level: then, in some happy hour, if you ehance to have more grace and wisdom than usual, you may be able to give it a little push. Nobody (Continued on page 51.) The Family in the Balance New York, Oct. 12 (Special to The Bil?board). THE FAMILY—A play in three acts, by Robert H. Davis. Comedy Theatre. John Sneed .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Sam Edwards Mary Sneed .. oe *e)e8 2 Mabel Bert Madeline Sneed .. David Sneed .. Ruth Sneed .. Paul Churchill .. Julie Herne . «+ «+ «+ John Westley .. Zyllah Inez Shannon .. «» Thomas Meighas The Family is a curious blend of elementa) things. It contains some amusing dialogue— though too much of it by far—some indications of shrewd observation touched with a sense of humor, and an occasional character, like that of the son, which, barring slight exaggeration. seems really modeled upon life. What the play aims to do is to tell the story of a youthful village maiden lured by the glamour of the outside world, who falls a victim to a consclenceless adventurer, but who itp the last resort finds a home in the heart of her family. ‘‘There is no bulwark like the family,"’ says the dunderhead politician father, who divides his time between machine politics, the race track, and the pool table, and finds pleasure in seeing his growing son idle and wasting time (Continued on page 51.) JULIE HERNE, | Appearing in The Family, a new play produced ,at the Comedy Theatre, New Tork, Inst