THE WASHINGTON TIMES SUNDAY NOVEMBER M 19072

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Drama of Moral ToneIs New Problem Play

By Charming PollockFTER the plethora of new pro

ductions seen in Washingtonthis year ranging in characterfrom maudlin sentimentality to

fustian and bombast it was a genuinerelief o find in Channing Pollocks new

The Secret Orchard somethingthat merits serious consideration Itwas like an oasis in a dramatic desertfor although Pollock play is some-what faulty in construction its last act

especially weak It neverthelesshas the sinews of a big play

It is true that Mr Pollocks workmust be viewed as that of the adapterrather than the creator of The SecretOrchard the play being a dramatisation of the novel of the same name byAgnes and Edgerton Castle but he hashandled his story with such force andEklll that he has vitalized and addeddynamic force to the theme of the book

The doctrinaire may take exception-to the play on the ground of its moraltone out such criticism seems out ofplace when critics and public alike haveaccepted and applauded such works

Ghosts The Kreutzer SonataTeas of the DUrbeviUes The Groat

Divide and scores of others Suchplays reflect a certain phase of life andwhile they are not to be commended asentertainments either for the youthfulor for those who have not as yet beenforced into contact with the moregloomy side of life they place beforethe mind conditions which exist andagainst which men and women mustbattle if they are to become potent

in the betterment of the worldThe playwright whose influence is

lasting must be a teacher as wellas an entertainer and the darker sideof life must be pictured If he wouldgive his auditors an insight Into theconditions which men and women whomove and live in the throbbing worldmust meet Ills work must at timesshow the consequences which follow In-

fraction of the law civil moral orspiritual

Mr Pollocks text is a misnomer Hisplay does not answer the question Ifa mans sin be forgiven then why notthe womans Rather does his themelead to another proposition which formsthe moral keynote of the play If awoman suffers for her sin why not the

In the majority of problemplays which have been seen on ourstage the moral lesson taught the erringwoman is strong We have our dyingfamilies our brokenhearted Zazas ourjutcaet Irises and our demoniacal Hattie Frledlanders but the men who bringwoe to women who were once lofty inmind and pure of heart are in mostInstances allowed by the dramatists todrop a hypocritical tear for the livesthat they wrecked and then pass on todestroy more souls or else live in hap-piness in the bosom of their familiesnnaullied in reputation and not har-assed by a particularly active

In The Secret Orchard however wehave the man a sufferer less than awoman Sin brings to hint not merely-a passing regret but the kaaneat mentalanguish Nor is this anguish transitoryThe Duke of Cluny is portrayed as aman of high mental attainments with afully awakened conscience and a temperament capable of the fullest enjoy-ment of the best that is in life Theplaywright shows wits skill that Clunys fortnight of mental torture andcontrition for Ids mad folly is not theend of his punishment To such a manwho is at heart devoted to his wifethere could be no greater sufferingthan the realization that h 3 has lostforever her perfect confidence and

Therefore the punishment is last-Ing Nor Is the girls expiationless bitter A child old beyond her yearsshe is to bear with her through life therealization that the one man who iswilling to sacrifice family friends so-

cial preferment and official position forher sake knows and feels the degrada-tion that is hers Is there to be foundIn any other play so forceful an epitomeof the doctrine of retributive Justice

The moral of The Secret Or-chard cannot be successfully assailedfor its preachment is rather mansstandard of living should beraised to that demanded woman thanthat womans should be allowed to sink

William Courteniy who Is ClaraBloodgoods leading man will be costar with Mrs Bloodgood in a new Pitchplay next season Mr Courtenay wasor several years with Virginia

One of The Daitynnaids at the Columbla this week Is Julia Sandersonwhose charm and beauty have made her-a great favorite Born of playerants Miss Sanderson began Inue and achieved greater things by studylard wwk and application

Ralph C principal comedian inthe support of Lulu Qtaser is the hus-band of the star Miss Glayrs young-est brother William G laser is also amember of the Lola From Berlincompany

Little Bugene Fords who appearedwith Blanche Walsh in The KreutzerSonata at the New National last weekhas been n the stage since infancyMaster an unusually clever little

actor is now but nine years of age

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Dramatically The Secret Orchard Iswoefully weak In the last act which isentirety too long Furthermore Interest in the principals Is dlby the needless introduction of manyminor characters This act should berewritten In the third act howeverMr Pollock has done a notable pieceof work especially In the manner Invhloh he brings about the confession ofJoy the girl who haa suffered at thedukes hands When dukes cousinDodd asks Joy to become his wife shereplies that she cannot that she doesnot love him He protests that he canmake her love him

A mere child she scarcely knows howto withstand his earnest appeal Be-

lieving that such a marriage 4showever she reiterates I can-

not I cannot Dodd pleads that therecould be no obstacle which his lovewould not surmount that she is

some childish fancy In her In-

nocent mind Then IB anguish anddistressed at his appeal which re

opens the wounded spirit of the womanJoy replies Ask the Duke of Cluny-If I cccld ever become your wife Awonderful stroke of selfabnegationshowing the keen sensibilities of thegirlwoman who wishes this straightforward cleansouled man to know herpast so that he may forget his love forher It IB a touch of this kind developlag the character of the woman andrevealing her capacity for sufferingthat hiakes the play a distinctly morallesson To have portrayed Joy as awoman incapable of the deepest pangsof remorse would hve to losemuch of the force of the theme

Two Kreutzer Sonatas-To one who has seen Bertha Kalich-

as Hattie Friadlander In The KreutzerSonata the performance BlancheWalsh was as a shadow th sub-stance The characterizations were aomore alike then hyparion to a satyr Inthe Kalich performance there was allthe dignity and somber gloom of thetragedy of years and the final outburstof murderous fury In the last act wasbut the natural sequence of the mentalstrain and the moral suffering that ho-gan in Russia ten years before In theWalsh performance the cllmxx seemedscarcely more than the suddenly unleashed passion of a Jealous wife Theperspective of the tragedy was lost Anotable feature of the Kalich productionwhich was lacking In the Walsh versionwas the time supposed to have elapsedwhile husband and slater were presumably at the opera In the dramatization-seen at the National last week theelapsed time was brief and no provisionwas made for a verisimilitude of hoursIn the Kalich production Hattle Friedlander sits at the window the tightgradually dying out of the sky and the

playing over the Jlstraugntface show the woman as reason battleswith unreason the latter finally cogquerlng Then lights go out

for a few moments and theentire theater Is left in darkness repre-senting the two hours which are sup-posed to have elapsed while the manand his sisterinlaw were way It wasa wonderfully impressive bit of stagebusiness

John Masons many friends will readelsewhere in this department of the suc-cess which that popular actor has

In his new play The Witch-ing Hour In which he Is the starThis from the pen of Alan Dale ischaracteristic of the many flatteringthings said of the new Thomas playAt last a real drama that never

for a single moment descends into theooze of play big vitalextraordinarily daring relentlesslystrenuous above enlightening

The Girls of Holland has withthe same chilly reception In New Yorkthat was accorded It In Washington

this from the Evening Tele-gram being characteristic of the reviewswhich it received

With a libretto so banal as thatnshed for The Girls of Holland lastright at the Lyric Theater there wasnot much hope that de Kovencould retrieve the comedy opera withhis music By the end of secondact there are three acts in the piecethat faint hope had dwindled and

York vJll soon appear In her newmusical play The Dancer and theKing

A new play for Grace Georges nextLondon season will be supplied by ClydeFitch Miss George has aisp accepteda play by Cyril Hull wood the English

Henrietta Crosman concluded her sea-son In The Christian Pilgrim lastnight In New York

John Hare the English actor whosefew visits to this country have pactamong the notable events in Americanstage history has been knighted byKing Edward

Maxine Elliott has returned fromLondon where she had a successfulseason in Under the Greenwood TreeShe will immediately begin her Ameri-can tour

A copyright performance of TheWarrens of Virginia play In whichBetesoo will Cbartotte Walker herfirst experience as a star was given InLondon 16

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By A H BALLARDNew York Nov 23

THEbest play of the year has ir

Its The Witching HourAugustus Thomas produced

Monday evening at the HackettTheater under the direction of the Shnberts and starring John Mason

Here surely Is the play for whichwe have been looking if by that phrase-we imply that we wanted somethinggrippingly Interesting intensely dra-matic a forceful handling of a vitalsubject a literary deHght as well as-a vastly entertaining play The

merit of the event is felt to bethe strong and splendid talent of theauthor He has unquestionably male apermanent to dramatic liter-ature The achievement Is simply thapparently Impossible feat of dramatiz-ing the idea of telepathy If you wereto assign the task of making aplay for todays use on the elusive andborderland subject ot thought trans-ference without words you might havehesitated aa to whom you would en-trust with the Job But AugustusThomas has imposed the obligation upon himself and has succeeded beyondthe credence of anybody who has notseen the play he has written Fnrthermare at this point it must be receraed that without the magnificent In-

terpretation of Jehn Mason and thisbrilliant company of playersmight have fallen far of the posi-tively startling success ThtHour scored Monday night v

The fact is that everything couldwish was exactly Jn line and in har-mony with unequivocal and unimpededtriumph Thomas has evidently grownto the ripeness of power thought deeplynnd carefully on the subject marshaledhis premises with remarkable dexterity-to carve out the best drama of his ca-reer Indeed possibly one of the mostlirportartt plays ever written by anAmerican In point of dramatic

artistic grace intensity and cumulative appeal In point of finish deft-ness Ingenuity and masterly techniquethere in the ranks of thisyears Broadway productions to whichw can compare It except The Thief

It Is Just as well to admit frankly thatwe were all at WitchingHour The majority of the local pressrepresentatives and discriminating

firstnighters made the mistake ofgoing to the Frohman opening MarieDoro in The Morals of MarcuS whichoccurred the evening at the Criterion I did not happen to be amongthe mistaken ones luckily and onlycritics I noticed at the John Masonopening were William Winter and Glenmore Davis who evidently came in forat least an act or two of course worespellbound and remained to the end

Unasked Questions AnsweredB Tuesday night the whole town

realized thatthe play of the year hadcome and now the buzzing talk is of

The Witching Hour Instead or ThoMerry Widow No description canadequately present the reason why thisplay is so surely plausible Impressivepiquant haunting Inspiring agreeablefascinating You see by the end of thefirst act that the author Is certainly inhis best you are in the pres-ence of a dramatic entity with whichyou are eager to become intimately acquainted You blink your eyes listenattentively and reflect that here at lostis something distinctly worth whLeThe quiet confidence and surety of theplaywrights touch win your admiration You lose yourself In the storyIn the first act a judge of the supremecourt who Is looking at some paintingsIn John Brookfields house Brookfieldis a gentleman gambler in his Kentuckyhome begins to answer unasked ques-tions that had formed themselves inBrookfields mind Then you know thatthis great subject that Is occupying theattention of thinkers the world over isthe theme of the fact thatevery thought We think Is a dynamicforce affects other people and we aroresponsible for the thoughts r Jctinto the world John Mo h Is cen-tral figure around which i thrilling taleIr which romance char-acter drawing of tho water a gath

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3LAKCM SKUSLSr AS

Lillian AlbertsonTo Head New

For the fret time on anyfinhals and Kemper will offer in Wash-ington on Monday nlht December tta new play of contemporary Americanlife Paid In Full by Eugene Walterone the sew school ot Americanplaywrights On the tame sight inLondon Miss Lena AshweM the diettaguished English actress win pro-

duce the same play appearta as MrsJoseph Brooks while in the Washing-ton production this role will be entrust-ed to Albertaon who madesuch a impression here earlyta the in a minor role in TheSilver Paid In Full Is In fouracts Directly after its encasement In-

th ally production will be takento New York

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the attractive young prima donna Isone of the dairymaids and Besri DeVole the sprightly dancer is the otherwhile FreKla Welgold adds greatly withvocal strength Ftafcsie Hope the

dancer has a clever iisidsput while Ruby Ray and Emily Fraudscomplete the list ot comediennes

LULA GLASER AS GERMAN GIRL

IN LOLA FROM BERLIN

Miss L ilu Giaser and company iachiding xtalph C Hers in a mutficplay called Lola fromB rlUi writtenby John J McNaUy will be the TUanksgiving attraction at the National Be-

ginning tomorrow eveningLola from Berlin will give Miss

Glaser a German dialect part Lola isa simple German girl ones toNew York In response to an airertlsement Inserted in a German paper Inwhich an heir to a large fortune inAmerica is sought She leads in Amer-

ica and seeks the lawyer who has theestate in charge only to mistakenfor a serwr girl for whom the wifehad happen advertise that sameday TJ Jf the mistaken identity is

an h K t for it is ojUckly clearedup it given the a start forLola unable to understand or be understood makes a laughable figure

In addition to the regular matinee ofSaturday special afternoon perform-ance will be given Thursday Thanks-giving Day

The supporting cast Includes Ralph CHerz Frankjyn Roberts Jaok StandingWalter Wallace OwenGeorge LaGuere William Qlaser Flor-ence Taster DnHan Seeacor LaviniaShannon Vlneie Bradcome and MinnieLei

MAJESTIC STOCK TO CLOSE

WITH UNCLE TOMS CABIN

Unable to undergo the strainby constant study and rehearsing necessary to up In a new play each weekMiss Kathryn Purnell has decided toend her engagement at the MajesticTheater This We6k the stock companywill present Uncle Toms Cabin andMiss Pnrnell will then resume her roadtour Manager W D Fitzgerald originally intended that his organization efplayers would remain at the Majesticfor the entire season Owing o MissPurnells ill health however he planned

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Charlotte WalkerReturns in Stock

Summer stock plane for next springmWa hiaeton are already being per-fected An arrangement was made lastweek width will be of great interest

local theatergoers William A Pagewho managed the stock company at theBeiascu Theater for fifteen weeks lastsummer has completed arrangementsto have two stock companies one InBaltimore and one in Washington nextspring working harmoniously togetherand exchanging players scenery andproductions as occasion warrants TheWashington company will be at theBelaoco and the Baltimore company willbe at Fords Opera House Mr Pagehas secured a contract with Muss Char-lotte Walker to head the Washingtoncompany at the expiration of hoc

with Mr Belasco in The Warrensof Virginia Robert T Haines will bethe leading man and star of the Balti-more company

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AT THE THEATERSOFFERINGSClara Bloodgood supported by William

Courtenay and a carefully selected com-pany comes to the B lasco tomorrownight In Clyde Fitchs drama i f

The Truth It Is said that in thishis latest comedy Mr Fitch has written-In many respects the best of his numer-ous dramatic offerings At the sametime we are to he has preached azeloquent sermon on the folly ae wellas the inconvenience of lying thatought to the laughter that hisclever lines and amusing situationsevoke to be followed by serious reflec-tion and good resolutions Mrs Bloodgood is an ambitious actress and am-bition cow Tined with talent have madeher advancement steady and rapid Be-ginning as a society actress but unlike moat others of this class adoptingthe stage not for the sake of notorietybut because it seemed the most likelyway of making her living she soon bepame known for what she had accom-plished instead of on account of hersocial prominence Mr Pitch drawsmany of his characters from the kindof society of which she had been apart William Courtenay will be seenin the role of Tom Warder the husbandof the fibbing Becky MrsOthers In the cast are John EmersonZelda Sears Frank Patton Mrs SamSothern Fred Courtenay and MariannaThurber There will be a specialThanksgiving Day matinee

THE TUNEFUL DAIRYMAIDS

ATTRACTION AT THE COLUMBIA

Charles Frohmans Dairymaids visitWashington this week The popularmusical comedy which delighted London and New York audiencesthe Columbia directly from the Crltenon The composer Paul Rubenswritten some of the best and most pop-

ular music of the day and his workshines with particular brilliancy In thishis latest work Among the Wg songhits are Mary McGee Fd LJke toMeet Your Father Every Sort InEvery Port Barcelona TwilightLazy Land Cold Feet Down the

Strand I Must Have a Lot of LittleGirls Around Me Principalthe funnufters is Huntley Wright who1 as created the comedy p rts in most oft Je London Oayetys successes Withhim kro thwe able InEugene ORourke EdgatrAitclslnson Elyand Langford KIrby Sanderson

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to close the engagement here and willpresent her on road in a onepieceattraction

For this weeks offering a wealth ofspecial scenery has been prepared MissPurnen will be seen as Gassy Ed Redding as Uncle Torn Arthur Pickens asSusan Legree Franklyn MunneH as MrSt Clair and Mr Shelby W Jeff Mur-phy George Harris Harry Bewley asMarks Miss Della Deshon as Harris and Mrs St Clair and Helen Hyleas There will be a special mati-nee Thanksgiving Day

PULLMAN MAIDS HEADLINEOFFERING AT CHASES

Chases bill this week embracesand Chappelles Pullman Maids

Julian Btlinge the Colby Family JohnE Hazzard Arnoldos Arenic Sensa-tion Ford and Swor Great Scott andThe Aeronauts First Plight motion

pictures The Pullman Maids are acidto be the liveliest and costliest noveltyfeature of the kind presented in vaudeville Mr McMahon and Miss Chappelle introduce their specialties andmany interpolated dances andkeep the frolicking at riotpitch Mr Btlinge be the added attraction IH his new Gibson Girl offerIng The Four Colbys will giveoriginal musical novelty An EveningHome John E Hazzard a quiz ontimely topics

BERTHA AT THE ACADEMY-

AS THE SEWING MACHINE GIRL

At the New Academy this week theattraction will be A H Woods produc-tion Bertha the Sewing Machine GIrLIt is said to be a most elaborate production iu point of scenic settings andmechanical effects the Sewing Machine Girl is a tory of NewYork city where the shop andgraft abound

There are four acts In Bertha theSewing Machine Girl which areinto twelve scenes some of whichare said to be Ingenious masterpieces of

pictorial stage craft of thesecond act the motor boat chase isclaimed to be the epliome of stirring

A motor boat containing thevillain his confederateand the blind Is showndashing down center of Hudsonriver towards the sea

Burton Holmes on Vienna Tonight-At the Columbia tonight at 880 and

afternoon at 430 Burton Holmeswill deliver his second Travelbgueon Vienna 3r Holmes otters a com

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New Shakespeare PlayNo Go Among Germans

American theatrical managers whohave been fishing for hits all seasonwith but little success are today laugh-ing in their cuffs They say the trouble with the drama is that the peoplestastes are so bad no not even thepremier of them All William Shakes-peare esq could please a DIr

In proof they point to the cablodispaioh test Thursday which told ofthe virtual failure in Berlin of a newplay from the pen of William Shakes-peare produced m the German capitalthis week

As William has playgoing public with nothing In severalhundred years considerable interest at-taches to this sew effort entitled Aatonlus fouract drama produced under direction of German Spiritualis-tic

As the Bard of Avon is not upon tJvuse of the modern typewriter his per-sonal hand Is not ta vt4enc in Antoniue but of its genuineness tu rcan be no doubt as Medium Banff aleader of the German spiritist move-ment says she received ttidirect from William himself Nut jJthat but Frau Banffy declares Shakes-peare really staged the production per-sonally as he made many valuable sug-gestions concerning scenery costumesand stage business to her

Despite the previous successes of thsauthor critics failed to warmup to Antonlus and about m tstenthusiastic the pressof from the G rman papers was one critics opinionthat Antonius was not BO bad Inthe opinion of most of the scribes how-ever long vacation from playwriting has caused hJtn to become alittle bit rusty They figure that he isprobably a victim of the offseasonWhen Frau wants to dip acalm of the psychic she should studyunder Augustus Thomas Who has justmade the hit of his career with TLeWitching Hour

Miss Hawkes PlayThn annual productions given by Miss

Hawke at special matinees for childrenwill take the form this year of theold and riuchbeloved fairy story

Red Riding HoodThe entertainment will take place at

the Belasco Theater Fnday afternoonNovember S at 215 oclock

Miss Hawke has arranged some verypleasing and entertaining numberswhich will be executed LittleKed Riding Hood the fairy queen thewolf ant mother will all oe thereto amuse the young folk

The cofctaroes of the children andstage settings will be attractive andvery in all making a mostenjoyable affair

plots pictorial presentation of theVienna of today showing the magnifi-cent results achieved by the Viennese-In their effort to create A City Beautiful Mr Holmes will Moo show thenearby places of recreation for theViennese such as the lake district ofSalzburg and an Alpine climb to thepeak of the Gross Gloekner

Bon Tons at Gayety

This weeks attraction at the Gayetywill be The non Ton Burieoquers TIeprogram includes two burlesques

Pousse Cafe and Girl From MarsThe list of numbers embraces

The Girl With the Red Mask SixEnglish Cocktails Rawson and Clarin Just Kids Woods and Green HallRoom Boya and Ben Pierce that funnylittle German There are twentyfourshow girls with the company Thescenic effects electrical Innovations andcostuming are said to be beautiful

Lady Birds at Lyceum i

A novelty is promised by ManagerAlfred G Harrington when he produceshis Lady Birds Company at the ewLyceum this week His production thissooson will consist of a musical extravaganza in two acts entitled TheIsle o Somoa

Nina Collins formerly soloist withSousas Band Ethel Lawrence

attractlons Isabel Hall character Im-personator Tom White Harry FoxFrank Batte Harry Young comedianand tenor Sn r Tom Jordan the Clip-per Comedy Four are amon the mem

of the Lady Birds Company Thereore also twenty show

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