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Show 1 .iTlks : I . XXOUNCBMBNTS of proposed I A productions in New York for I next season are being made in Avondrons profusion, says William ' Eullock in the New York Pres?. Bach Micceedlncr day has its crop of I j iyors and promoters making loud Hj j p-oii ifie of good things in store. These- tli attic provider? are bobbing up with doik-like regularity, and so persistent j iy U elr song of the ciulck return of , prosperity that we are reminded of the i one lone of the cuckoo calling the hourc. Away from the ear of the pub-11' pub-11' . actors and managers are not at all sure about the future. "While profess-li profess-li s faith of an exceedingly successful tc is-cn, in their hearts they dread the :v'- inch of September, when words it u-1 give way to deeds. LnM. summer U ' ar llnmmersteln predicted a dis-a dis-a nous winter, and ay ho turned out to. b somewhat of a prophet there is en-cuKgement en-cuKgement in his present belief In a gnaial improvement In business next I il. Much has- been s-ald by managers l out the public Io of interest In the it f.H'irs, and speculation i& keen con-i con-i nil lg the likelihood that play-goers will continue in tlie same mood during other season. It seems as if actors? . il managers alike have misjudged t . imbllc, or else have not been sincere Hr l th .ir expressions of opinion.". 'I he attitue of New York play-goers us shown unmistakably by the 'geii-i 'geii-i 'm support given to productions of more than average excellence. T'-c- good plays that were ably acted i ver wanted for patronage; in the turs of "Merely Mary Ann," "Can-itia." "Can-itia." "Uafllcf" and "The (Jlrl from Iv i.v's" Is evidence sulllcleiil to meet i .- argument Hint Ihc public had ,i ivn temporarily tired of theater-go-! I k. These four productions cover al- j i u;-t the entire range of the regular t 'airical business; In looking hack-vard hack-vard over the events of the- winter and ! r.ip'ylng'thenl to the promise for next af-m they stand out as re p resent a-, a-, ti.e of four distinctly contrasting; H: i ms of amusement. "Merely Mary H' .k u" was sentimental; "Candida" was fined "11110110011101"; "Raines" was loniantle and charged with excitement, i d In "The Girl from Kay's" we had : i, iuy of the best features of musical ijtiii.-dy. To become more esact In fovtrlng the theatrical Held. "Swcc-t i.ltty Bellairp. rhe County Chalr-u Chalr-u in" and "The Babes in Toyland" i H'- n -y be included. In these seven plays t have as many opposite?, all of them ! r ' good quality, and all highly success- i T?ie fate of the new season rests with II f managers. On them le the blame io' the indifference of the public last Ir ter. True, many unforeseen event? vciked against them, notably the Chl-ca.o Chl-ca.o disaster, but the main facts, as H, i t wn from month to month, went to H t l: :i sum of evidence of bad man- ; r, meni. on the part of the promoters ji t us surely attended by many f ' ures. It has been demonstrated time ri 1 lime aaln that p'ay-goc-rs will not ir . ore first-clas!.1 productions. But the u. Jority of plays staged last winter re v.ealc in necessary qualities, and, I,-. Itley, we were iouI 10. resentment 1 the perslslen: ii emotion of the " "ar n.vstem." IIuw many productions H, r .ne to Broadway with well-balanced ci jipauk-f? Not a doz-o out of a total of a hundred new playx. of oil kinds. 1th the manager j it was "star" or H l r thing; plays were cut to one indl- i luol, companies were whipped into a I irit of subtfii-vienoT to . this or that , jll-blown luniinnn." One- splendid result of sad experience dl be (lie eclipse of many of ihes :-o- lieu "stars." Up in Forty-second, j t rcc-t David Belasco has been giving i at ileal evidence of the reward that ,1 Hows attention to detail. Mr. Bclasco- i vs his stars, surely enough, but they ' ' i i not shine from a pitch-black heaven. H I 'h; t would have been the fate of 'Sweet Kilty Bellairs" jr all the re- )onslbllity had been laid to Miss Crcs- tan's magnetic art? Probably one more i .Tcck would li'ive been added to the saaon's record. Weekly play-goers j xprcssed discontent wilh "slurs" by j -jnorlns them. Support was uniform , ( ud excellent: in the even plays nl- eady meuilonc-d. and, taking note of , dl the plays of the year. It will be seen ' hnl in almost every instance failure nine in attempts to foist a "star" In-1 In-1 j o public esteem. Much to the public's redii, it refused to be fooled. H i Still even now v.-e hear leading man- " igers say that America is given to the , 'alar system," and thai the great suc- , -esses of tlie future will be achieved 1 y planning with this In inlnd. The 1 other day Charles Frohman was ic- ported lu have said that In the United tateii play-goera desired "stars," while , in Bngland there was a tendency to lnd warmesL favor to companies of all- lounci worth. Mr. Frohman's word en riles weight, but how are we to dls- Hi ;'-- of the lesson of the season just H nunc to en end? Thoye with Ihelr ear i It- the ground luslsi that public taste .s changing, and more- than likely Mr. Frohman has already taken observa-lion observa-lion of this. Few managei-s now lierslat that musical comedy Is as popular us ever, and -it aopearn as If in another ear there would be a widespread agreement that the public wants some-thing some-thing more than mr-rc stars. It is natural for Interest to center in one player in u company, but this does not make it less ridiculous to hold that the cast may be filled out with dummies. H Had some of the stare seen here last H v. inter been strongly supported speedy H 1 (lights to the road would not have come H k-'o scKn. We have had too much of 1 ' stars," and the Indications are that 1 next fall they will not twinkle In lonc- H hncss in the center of the stage. H London gives poor promise for Xew H York's future amusement. From local H promoters now in that city word comes H that In order to keep many theaters 1 r-pcii reuort has been had to revivals. Thus we Me conditions arc much the same at home and abroad. In the winter win-ter months we hod forty revivals, apart from nine Shakespearean reproductions. reproduc-tions. The early summer in London Is umally marked by the staging of many new pieces, yet Just now the public there Is asked to part with Its money for wholesale resurrections. Foreign authors brought forty-one plays lo Broadway In the season and of this number were the majority of Important productions. Bvcry play-goer knows what the j'early return of Charles Frohman from Europe moans. How many American plays do you think he Is reading now in London' How many American plays will be In his sheaf of manuscript when he returns here In n ' couple of months? Last year the list he handed to reporters at the Incoming steaniBhlp looked like a "Who's Who" of Buiopean drumatlsts. The chances nre there will be only slight re islon thlsi year, bul with London overrun with revivals, where nre the foreign plays to come frcm? Nearly every Imported Im-ported play has first been tried across the Atlantic, and the playwrights over there have fallen short of their duty of late. There Is a scarcity of plays at home and abroad, and well may disinterested disin-terested onlookers entertain doubt of a return of the happy old days. The promoters and the players are professing profess-ing heartfelt optlsism. but were not these good folk a year ago proclaiming the advent of a season of unparalleled prosperity? .1 The present (our cf B. H. Sothern Is his last in romantic drama, as he has formed an alliance with Julia Marlowe for the presentation of Shakespearean plays. The management of the So-thern-Marlowe tour has been undertaken under-taken by Charles Frohman and the contract runs for some years, during -which these stars are to put forward three new Shakespearean productions each year. Mr. Sothern Is to have entire en-tire charge of the stage, its direction, the placing on of plays and the selection se-lection of the embellishments. All his present working start is to go with him. All the greal Shakespearean productions pro-ductions are to be revived in a manner man-ner that will bring them nearer to the people. Enormous plans are on foot It is the Intention to make this a sort of American Irving-Terry organization and thnt it shall be a permanent factor fac-tor In theatricals. Indeed, It Is the Intention, In-tention, If the public supports the enterprise en-terprise as It is expected it will, a special spe-cial playhouse will be built In New York as a home for those two artists for their Shakespearean revivals, and Hie name of Shakespeare has already been suggested for It. 4 Channlng Pollock is to Avrite a new play, not on the farcical order, but to have music, for Joseph Hart and Carrie Car-rie de Mar. .. .. It la announced that Mary Mnnner-ing Mnnner-ing will appear next season In a new play by Paul Potter. It will be an original modern comedy, the leading role In which is especially designed for the actress. . When Wright Lorimer closed his season sea-son at the Knickerbocker theater last month, it was generally understood that considerable "time" had been booked for next season; yet, beyond taking the addresses of the members of his company, com-pany, Mr. Lorimer said no word concerning con-cerning his plans for the coming year. This caused considerable comment among the actors, until nC bright young woman piped up hopefully. "Well, all Wrights are- reserved, you know." "McFadden's Row of Flats," which i Isn't so much anyhow, played to phenomenal phe-nomenal business in Ritzvllle, MonL. recently. Seats sold as high as $10 and ?20, at auction. But it was the first show that the town hod had In a year and It was play-hungry. A man asked the treasurer of a Washington theater: "Inasmuch as you advertise 'polite' vaudeville, where can I find some Impolite vaudeville?" He was sent lo a session of the .Uousa. "Nut" Goodwin Is generously gratified grati-fied at the success of his wife, beautiful beauti-ful Maxlne Elliott's, tlrst season as a slur, a season which has been much less propitious for himself. Of Mr. Goodwin's company is Neil O'Brien, whose- wife, -Eva Davenport, carries off female honors in "The Yankeu Cousin." Ay advices came from the metropolis, the husbands on the road compared newspaper accounts. This was their chief solace the lust seven weeks of the tour, which was maekr up of one-nlght one-nlght stands. One morning the two met In the stifling hall of an.up-tht-Stato hotel. Bach held a handful of clippings laudatory of his absent spouse and her metropolitan scorings. According Ac-cording to custom, they solemnly exchanged ex-changed tjiem. "Nat" Goodwin reflectively reflect-ively rubbed hia chin. He smiled, the only Goodwin smllo and observed: "We picked a. couple of live ones, didn't we?" The spring season o "The Sho-Gun," tho newest of the Ade-Ludcrs musical comedies, closed last evening, June 11. The piece enjoyed a ten-weeks' run at the Studebaker theater, Chicago, a feat considered remarkable when there la uncommon depression in the show business bus-iness there. "The Sho-Gun" will begin Its regular fall and winter term in Boston, Bos-ton, and, after completing its run there, will be transferred to Xew York. w 4 Blanche Ring Is doing stunts In three theaters at once. That Is, slie plays continuously In the "continuous." She starts her afternoon or night In Newark New-ark and then does turns In two Xew York theaters, making slxstunto a day. Jessie Miller started this fad for New York It Is ancient in London but sh? did only two shows an afternoon oi-evenlng. oi-evenlng. Millie James. In private lift Mrs. Kdgar Slacholberg. says she has given up the stage for good Manager Charles B. Dillingham had engaged Clyde Fitch Iladdon Chambers and Paul Keater to write playa for her. O H l Mrs. Brunc-, who did fine work in "Unorna" last year, has been In England, Eng-land, and was so successful that she has sailed for Australia to play there. Blind Tom, although over 70 years of uge, is still playing In public. He appeared ap-peared recently in a vaudeville house In Xew York. In a recent New York production a stately young woman, who had been promoted from a show girl to small parts, was given a dressing-room with an actress well known for her love of books. One evening as they were "making up" the show girl, endeavoring endeavor-ing to be amiable In a way which she thought would appeal to her companion compan-ion most, entered upon a discussion of current literature. Presently he asked; "Have you read that book they've dramatized dra-matized 'Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Some-thing oh, yes Mrs. WIg'gs of the Garbage Pile?' " Clyde Fitch, the playwright, collects In scrapbooks specimens of the errors foreigners make Iif dealing wilh strange tongues. One of Mr. Fitch's scrap-books scrap-books is devoted to French-English to the sort of English that Frenchmen sometimes use. A new addition was made to this volume the other day. It was a French tutor's advertisement clipped from a London newspaper, and it ran: "A young Paris man shall desire to show his tongue to classes of English gentlemen. Address," etc. i Rose Coghlan has gone Into vaudeville. vaude-ville. She Is In good company these days. o a f Edith Talllaferro, aged 10, draws $100 a week now. She plays with Ezra Kendall Ken-dall next season. 4- 4 Charles Frohman. when in London last week, signed with Mrs. Patrick Campbell for an American tour of twenty-seven weeks, to begin at the Herald Square theater, Xew York, in October. Mrs. Campbell will appear In VIclorleu Snrdou's latest play, "The Sorceress," which will bo presented in the larger cities. o Sir Henry Irving has announced that in two more years, when lie will have completed half a century of professional profession-al life, he will retire from the stage permanently. "Fifty years of active work as a player is enough," he said. "I shall make my last bow to the public pub-lic that has shown me so much love, patience and sympathy. T shall take with me, as I go back from the glare of the footlights, a memory which shall give pride and pleasure to whatever period of rest may be my lot." ' One of the dramatic critics or Sydney, Syd-ney, X. S. W., went to see a play called "Hamlet," by one W. Shakespeare. Here Is a part of what he thought of it: "There Is too much chinning in the piece. The author is behind the times and appears lo forget that what we want nowadays is hair-raising situations situa-tions and detectives. In the hands of a skillful playwright, a detective would have been put upon the track of Hamlet's Ham-let's uncle, and the old man would lavo been hunted down in a manner that would have excited the audience out of their number elevens. The moral of the piece Is not good. The scene where Hamlet checks his mother Is a very bad example to the rising generation, and It Is not improved when the dreary old ghost comes In and blows him up. Our advice to the author Is a little more action, a little more fine sentiment, and a fair share of variety business in his nexi piece. In the specialty spe-cialty arts of the play-scene he has entirely en-tirely missed his opportunities." Hi It Is a mistake to suppose that life in comic opera Is one glad, sweet cigarette cigar-ette picture. Just to prove thnt it is quite the reverse, Miss Alice Fischer of the "PlfC: Paff! Pouf!" organization organiza-tion Is instituting legal proceedings agulnst a certain tobacco company. Some time ago Miss Fischer was both shocked and pained to receive from a correspondent, signing himself "Your sincere admirer, Isadore Abrams," a note of enthusiastic eulogy inclosing a cigarette picture In seven colors, to which he requested her to affix her autograph. The picture showed a very blond and svelte young woman In scarlet scar-let tights. "The fact that the face in the picture is not mine does not help matters In the least. I never wore tights in my life and everybody who knows me at all ought to know thiit," said Miss Fischer. "There's no use of the cigarette cigar-ette people saying they meant some other Miss Fischer; it doesn't go down at ail, for there is no other Alice Fischer on the stage who spells her name as I do thai Is, with 'c' In the middle of II. I really thought my colored col-ored maid would never recover from the shock of seeing my name Immediately Immedi-ately under those red tights. It took her al least six Aveeks to become reconciled recon-ciled to my appearance In comic opera, and goodness only knows how long It will take her to recover from this blow to my dignity. Sue them? Well, you'd better just believe I'm going to sue." Wright Lorimer s production of "The Shepherd King" will be seen in four of the largest cities next season Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. Some idea of the magnitude of the production pro-duction may be- gained from the fact that It requires five sixty-foot cars to move the scenery and accessories, twenty-nine stage hands and thirteen property men to handle the material and thirteen to manage the stage lights. Florence Zlegfeld, husband and professional pro-fessional manager of Anna Held, Is a much worried man these days. He Is annoyed by persistent rumors that his domestic partnership with the little French oinger Is about to be dissolved by the actress. Anna Held, wife and reputed domestic domes-tic manager of Florence Zlegfeld. alao Is worried but not by the persistent rumors aforesaid. She is disturbed by the contemplation of her Impending separation, not from her husband, but from tho serious drama, which, she has discovered, the American people do not appreciate. Never again, she declares, -will she undertake to portray the sublime nnd e::alted for an American public, as she says she did In "Mile Napoleon." Henceforth she will sing topical songs and kick up her high heels to the great delight of the Yankee j taste. Referring to the otory of Infelicity, Anna said in Chicago the other day: "O, you will yet see we are like, what you call, two doves. Ze season Is now llnl and we go on vacation, joost we two. First we go to ze St. Louis exposition expo-sition pendant some days then w go, Joost we two all alone, to our country home, Belgrade. In Maine, near Boston no, no, near Porllund, Isn't It, Flo? It's a great fishing chez nous and I am fond of fishing I don't have to make up and T can wear a sweater. "Then we go to Paris, joost we two, and I stay In Paris as long as I can, and when I come back to America in September, Joost wo two, you will find I give ze people next time AVhot rny want. Americans don't like me In heavy plays. So I'm going to give up 7.0 serious grand roles and not bodder rny head any more about it. I will sing and be comedienne and en give ze Americans what zay want. Ugh! I'm glad zat 'Mile. Napoleon' Is linl. Ze American publlquc want something more light." |