New-York tribune. [volume], August 13, 1916, Page 8, Image 26

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ALL PLAYS AND NO WORK THE ORDER OF THE DAY
________ -? - .-?? - _.
IN W1GS AND WINGS
Almost Any Audience Can Learn to Enjoy Being
Fooled by Play.
K. HCYWOOO BROfX.
EVERYBODY in town was seriously
aaaoyed when first the young,
man'called "Wolf" and there!
wai* no wolf. Put when the trick was
ted folk began ta SSi thi fBBB*.
tids of the prank and until his sudden
and somewhat trafic death the young
man was held ia 1 ?" a Prac'
tical joker.
Just so, ;' '?>*?? fl,r a P,ay-'
wright to fool hi- audience once, but
he can gain forgiveness by fooling his
audience twiee, Haven't we read
or other that when anvbody
freezes he is revived by being rubbed
with bbow, and thal two wronga make (
a right? No audience will leave
"Cheating Cheaters" in a spirit of
has been fooled. The
i deecptioa
fraahly. Haviag fooled his sadisaes
complctelv Ifl ths '? wn('n tne
revelation is made that the Palmer
tom \y ll a gang of crooks. he gives
promise of having still nnother aur
tho identity of Fotrris, tho
detective.
Bj thil time the SU ' iHlflg
tr. accept the play in the spirit in
;? realizes that it j
.1 to tak* part in a
I ,.me. No matter which way
mi. tB- "uthor cannot
Tho man who difMOrfla in ad- j
. is the dl
. | by his ? h!d
thinhs that Toi
prove to be Ferrii hai a sarpriss in
store for her.
i ii * ohjoctioo iniiy be rs
Mereia'a raaapeiga of doeoption. H<
doe* not play the game fairly at all
"Cheatiag " Bill Botj
stand the test which may be applied to ,
the pla| of perfect construction. It
cannot be played backwards, for there j
is at least OM ?cer.e in which the hero-:
deliberately instructed to de
ceive the audience. Nan Carey is a
detective. an.l j et, in a scene ifl which
she is alone with a charactill
knows her neither as crook or detoc*
tive, she simulates fear at the mention
of the name of FeH
ways acts OBt of her character for
?i i i.eiu-i.t of the eadieaci I
Palmer CIOM Ip their pretence
?f w. '! br. .Lility iu a seSBS
eh they srs lefl te their own,
de* ices.
?lh, ., re not likely to count
hea\ilj* against "Cheating Cheaters."
but t! ? .-ther trtvtal. II
must be remembered that the longer a
trick play rum tho more SBBCtiag
jrrows tbe audience. Three BaOBths
from now at least half th* perSeaa in
ths EHIags Theatte will know the ?e
of the play before the CUtrtain
this for. sight, th<*y may be piqued hy
*uch hits of deceptlon ?s are not.
.te.
Oa the othor hand. ?p think the
.iill amuse the miin who I
how it is eemiag out, because n num
bar of the sarprialag developaieats of
the play are carefully and minutely
prepared for, Sfld the recognition of,
these toucb- pleaslag to
the omniscient auditor lft<
is almost as mueh fun in watching the
come oul conjurer's
slrr-ve ?s seelng i? for t_M
when it omeTget from ths bottOBI 0
the *-11 k hat.
We hold thnt in farce and in melo
drama tbe actor should i-i S I*
take the audience into his eoaddeBCfl
Tbe villain, we think, should be on
winking terms with the folk
front. It ll well thnt the anxiety of
the audience should not centre on the
question of whether or not |
turn out all right Ifl the sad
merely as to hnw the happy ending isl
to be aehieved
M
AR.TORTF: RAMBEAU playi N'an,
ot ' Cinstiiy. Cheatcrt," ia the
nght spirit. She loses her grip just
at the end, and plays a love scene too
seriously. For the rest of the tvei l -
one can feel that she is braving dan
gers light heartedly. Cyril KeighCe. ,
on the other hand, is inclined to sllow
his evil deeds to rest a bit too hcavil,
upon his shoulders. He seems to feel
that he BBBat act like a thief and not |
like a man who is playinc the part of
a thief in a somewhat fantastic melo
drama.
rpiI..RE has been some little discus
sion as to whether "Cheating
ters" is a farce or a melodrama.
i be distinction between the two types
? preat. A melodrama is played
in the ahadow of the Tonha; a farce
in the shadow of Ludlow.
R
(<*T*HANKS to the advantage he en
jojri of never having taken a
course in play writing at Harvard or I
any other incubator of futility, Max
Marcin has contnved a most amusingi
phiy," writea Loaii Sherwia. "lf hei
had thoroughly studicd the drama he j
would have had it rubbed into him thar |
never, never, never mu<t nn author
keep ? lecrct from his audienc, that
a plot must be obtioni and that sur
prise< are odioui unless fhey are
trivial."
Of course, Mr. Sherwin hns matrhed
himself with a strawman. To the best
? knowledge, the varioaa pi
erated bj the critic are not
known at the address given. Mr Sbor
'ii believs that. unlihs all
the other arts, drama is something
entirely spontaneuus, that nobody
knows whether or not he can write a
piay until he tries. There does not
erm to be mueh reason to tack such
a theory to Max Marcin'^ play, which.
whatevef its merits, certainly has no
great claim to spentaaeity. Since Mr.
Sherwin believes that, study and prac
? iar the playwright rather than
! ' p him, no doubt he thinks that "See
My Lawyer" i* a better play than
? I | ating Cheaters."
ni COOPEB MEGBUE ba* i net
trick. In "I'nder Fire" there was
: 'iglishman who went about
: l.-iliy complaining thal war was
a bally aaisaaes BBd that if his .oun
tr> became involvrd in one he would
jolly woll stay out of it. Then came
the conflict and tho young r'nglishman
advanced to the footlights, londly ifl
? whether or not he eould not
t thal vt'i-y : .
Ihe Megrue tradition is maintained
Iu ">,\?" .'i old man
wlm eeastaatly growls about the gea*
dness of his wife, only to
?addonly eulogize her virtues and pro
claim his love for her when she is
i \i rth appendicitis.
The* Be-nefits Are ReKinninR.
Th. ? of the young season
will bo ashsred ln at the New Asistef
dam Theatre to-nigh*. wjien thc Actors'
Fund and "The Lights." that Freeport
crowd, will divido the receipt-. Ths
programbi loemi up as something out
ordiaary. Fred Staae, of Meat*
rj and StOBO, with his own com?
pany, bas arranj.nl a "great bi_ sur
Irviag Bertlfl will sing some
?? j_*<; Frank Tinni'.v sad
J. ( orbett have arranped a novel
act; Hernard Oianvills and Will Rog
? Ziogfold'i Follies, arc g"mg te
do something a little different from
thrir acrustompd performances; Victor
? I *.\ i.'rr lollier have a com
?; Kitty liordon and Jack Wil
si.ti have prepared a new art, and '.
Hirsch, composer of the "Follies," will
play some of his newest composi'.ions.
UtistS who will appear include
. unr.ir.gham, Harry Klhs and en
sfmble, Albert von Tilzer and chorus,
|;?v Atwrll, Dofl Rarclay, Swor and
Mack, Hussey and Boyle; Saranoff,
Kslmaf and Rrown and the Gardner
Ino, __ , ,. ,. --
A New One Every Day
"PLEASE BELF EMILY," to-morrow eveniflg at the Lyceum. Ann Murdock
become- a star ifl this piece, which is a farcicai comedy by H. M. Ilar
wood, of london and thereabouts, and whieh has been having huge
success across the water. The east. it should be'remarkcd right about.
here, includes Charlea Cherry ind Ferdiaaad Gottschalk.
This will be Miss Murdock's first appearanee on the N.'w York
s?age rince her appearanee in the "all* tBT" -BSt Sf "A C. lebrated Case"
and it is the Frohman announcem.-nt that quotes "all-star." Tho
piece il described as a Bittatioa ia three ac's, aad deseribes the manner
in which the herome acquires a husl and or se they sayi. Th.
are laid in a bachelor apurtment and a hotel in Oi.tend.
Some of the others i:i the ca=t nre Jeffrsys Lewis, Alice .lohn, John
Rarwoed, Habert Draee, Keayaa atasgrave, Jalei Raucourt. Bydaey
Blalr, J J. Horwits, Mood Milton, Alice Hale and Joseph Allenton.
--o
"l*i:o\l>\\ 11 \Mi Bl TTERMII.K.' Taeaday evening at the Masias Flliott.
Announced for last week. thil comedy by Willard Mnck was postponed
becaass Of ths heat. Hlancho Ring is the star.
o
"His BBIDAL MICHT," Wedaesday evening at the Bepablie. Heigh-hel the
Daily sisters are setiflgl Lawrence Risiag first put "His Ilridal Night"
together, and llargaiat sfaye did ths n I l( I "a daiaty and ssiasiag
play tspeeially sdapted to the BBiqae personalities and talents of the
u tiatera," which probably means that they do a lot of daadag.
U ry. as you might imagme. h eoneornod with ? fOBBg maa who
..ne of tho liateri nnd can't tell her from the other one.
Thi easl ineladsi Laeile Watsea, John Westtey, iv.iro da Cerdoba,
1, ?..<? Ralph and Harry Lillford.
o
"Tl RN TO THE BI6HT," Thursday evening al ths Gaietj*. This is a play
by Wmchell Smith and Jaek Hazzard, and the announcement has it that
thfl title was selected after mueh thought. It tells the story of a boy
who stands at the forks of the road, and then - turns to the right.
In the company will be Forrest Winant, the ever-remembered dopey
youth of "Kick In"; Hdgar Nelson. who was the fat boy in "The For
tune Hunter"; Ruth Chester. Roy Fairchild, Sam Reed. Louise BattOT,
William K. Meehan, Frank Nelson, Harry Humphrey, Lucy Cotton, Alice
Hastings, Justine Adams, Al.raham Sincoff and C.t-orge Spelvin.
-o
"IHE Cl'ILTY MAN," Friday evening at the Astor. This is the most im?
portant produetion of the week. The play is of the strong variety so
popular with llaaager A. H. W.n.ds. and is made doubly interesting be
ii.iise it is ths last work of the late Charles Klein. It was originally
written hy Ruth Helen Davis, from a short story by some one whose name
is not mentinned in the announcement. and was then rcwritten by Mr.
Klein. lt is described as "a story about the saJTeriagl of three people
a man who lived -e'.tishly, a woman who loved BBWisely and the in
nocent child whose life bore the brunt of their error."
The company numbers Irene Fenwick, Lowflll Sherman, Gareth
Hughes. William Pevereaux, Fmily Ann Wellman, Ciarence Handysides,
Austm Webh, Samuel Edwards and others.
The Portable Portmanteau.
The entire Portmanteau Theatre or
Hanization, including plagers, scenic
artists and mechanical Itaft*. left New
York last Monday te sp. ad the month
of August as the guests o^ Mra. Coon
_j Ward st her sstate st WyemiBg,
N. Y. Stuart Walker. the director. ha
just _eeured the BSelashrs American
rights to several plays by Lord Pun
laay, including "The Coldea l'oom,"
"The Gods of the Mountain" and "King
Argimer.es." These and others to be
produced in the Portmanteau Theatre
the coming season will be nlaced ifl
rehearsal during the st.iy at Wyoming.
The Portmanteau tour. under the di?
rection of Maximilian F'.-er, jr., and
Russell Janney. will open early in Oc?
tober and will take this mtere-tire
portable stagfl a* f;ir v.e-t as Califor
ma. Many of the engagement ? arill be
filled outside of regular theatres, the
Portmanteau being so constructed that
it can be set up and a performance
.- Sfl m any hall, auditorium or hotel
ballroom.
The Portmanteau players now at
Wyoming include (lertrude
Gr.gory Kelly. Judith Lowry, Lew Med
bary, MesXoy Morris, Edgar Stehli,
Ward Thornton, Willard Webster,
Naney Winston, Gitruda Tristjanski,
Floreree Wnllrrsor. Robert Cook and
Edmond Cren.haw.
Loew's American Theatre.
VigliOfl Parsifal. an Italian tenor
who selected a gOOd name whrle he
was about it, will top the bill at
Loew'l BBierieafl Theatie and Roof
during the tirst four days of the week.
He will bfl sssisted bj Hon Mullaly &
Co., -,n "The Fnd of a Perfect I'ay".
Mclntosh and his musical maids, m a
el Symonds, tramp come han;
Edwia Fords and others. During the
latter half of the week the programme
will include "On the Nile." a musical
comedy; the Chinese Musical Entertain
I ... ii-:.-h and BobiasOB, rn "The
p," BUly Mcl'ermott and
others.
Well! Here Is "Katinka" Again.
After a metropolitan run which in
eladed most of last ?>eason "Katinka"
iurk at the I.yr.c Theatre
to-morrow evening. The pi*ce will re?
main there only two weeks, however.
as the stajre must be cleared for
Richard Walton Tully's "The Flame."
*-?
Columbia Theatre.
(ince more a "burlesque departure"
la announced for the < olumbia.
George Stone and Ftta Pi'.lard, sup- |
i by a large companv, will hi
seen in an extrava?anza entitled "The
Raj. Poll in Ragland," and a mu!- I
of trick propcrti-.'s will be employed to
bnr_r about ?_? doUic llUninn.
Where Plays Continue
DRAMA.
LONGACRE."The Silent Witness
COMEDY AND FARCE.
ELTINGE.??."Cheating Cheaters
GEORGE M. COI lAN'S."Seven Chances
CORT."Coat-Tales
HARRIS."Fair and Warmer
Bl .1 .ASCO."Thr Boomerang
MUSICAL
THIRTY-NINTl 1 STREET."Yvette
NEW AMSTERDAM."Ziegfeld Follies
WINTER GARDEN."The Passing Show of 1916
C \SlNO ."Very Good Eddie
NEW AMSTERDAM ROOF. . . , "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic
i YRK" ."Katinka
IN THF. VAUDEVILLE HOUSES
ATBIO sf stars a priraa donna, a
comedian and a BBBCei
baad the week's bill at the Palace.
? i.a Baa bsi iaterrapti
c.-rt tour loag oaoagh to toel ip with
n.'W fOWBS and takfl a brief n.cr into
tbe two-a-day; Nat WiUs will bring to
Broadway a sew lastalsieBl of his
ams and other topical jokes, r.nd
Praaces Pritehard, lat.- of '-Sybil" aml
"The Peasant Girl," will Biakfl her
raadeville debet, sssisted by Carl
Hammcr nnd the ColeiBSn Bassiafl <>t
K. Boward, sided by
Sh.-lby. ,r: bil s,,np rflVBO;
B..- _ofl sad Girlie, ia
dancing act; An.lr.-w Tombea *B : I
v.. twortb, reBiembered la "The Brids
Shop"; Beri Mel t_ bil high
table-; Viol.r.sky and thc FoBI DBB*
ubes will complete the programme
- .
A conlensed version of "Paglii.cci,"
Carus.'s favorite orera, will be orTer?d
patrons of the Royal this week. The
best known of T.eor.cavallo's works will
| hy a senpaay of a d
has just returned from an engagement
in ths London masic hall*. Ber' BaB*
lon, "the modern philosopher," in his
eccentric act; Santley and Norton,
. Dorothy Grenville and company, two
other act.? and a fcature tiltn round out
the bill.
At the New Brifhton Theatre Ireai
Franklin will make her last appear
ance in the greater city before coming
ir in "The Melting of Molly."
, the piano, Miss
Fianklm this week ayll sia| I
tiOBS. These, it is
aBBoeaeed, were to bav? beea used on
a long vaadeville tour, which bas now
been set a-ide for the starting Sl
meat. Tbe eaased -upplement
tbeSfl with a number of her old
Tho World Dsncora, behded by
Tot.i DiBgjs and Bmi aeeatly
maks tbeii
Harry Cooper, eoi
I
by A. Bosa BobertsoB, is to offer "The
Mail Carrier," while ol
(.rammi- ar* Camilla sad Bo
-.. licKay and Otl t
Brothers ar.d Alderman FrsflCil P
Beat. -
"The Miiisummer Carniva! Bil " will
be continued all week at Headersoa's
Music Hall, Coney Island. The lateat
edition will be headed by Stella May
bew and Billee Taylor, and others who
will take part BTS Billy Gibson and
Texaa Gaiaaa, Johnny Dooloy and
Vvette Rugel, Mullen and Coogan. Stan
Stanley and company, Ernie and Ernie
ar.d thc Three Alexes.
Homer Miles, in hia sketch "The
Innocent Hystander," will be the head
liner at the Prospect the first three
dayi of the week. Kirk and Fogaity
will present "Odd NoBsease." Begin?
ning Thursday, Harry Gerard, "The
Man at the I'iai.o," will be the feature.
A _*EW VIEW OF WALLIE EDDINGER.
-Ui-_ EtlMl TtsjaOX catch-- him fact tir.t at "The _j..._.e.a.*g."
STRICTLY PERSONAL
Lo AM) BBHOLDI Whitford Kar."
is writing a play. Mr. Kan.'s
play is not of the sort generally writ?
ten by actor.s thc sort. in brief, that
solely in the mind of the pub
i licity agent. Mr. Kane you remember
him aa Willie Mossop in **Ko_-OB*l
Choice" contirmed the play rumor in
a ron-press agent conver-ation held in
a northbound subwav express. It Ifl *
COBSedy <?f Irish life. with scenes laid
in Ameriea in the '*0?, and is being
written in collaboration with somebo iv
whose name was drowned by the roir
of a passing tiaifl
This season Mr. Kane will bfl
on tour in "Justice," playing the role of
the counsel for the defence. Contrary
to ths announcements, thia was not his
rolfl in the original produetion. Gran
ville Barker found fault with his Irish
accent, and th.- result was that he was
east as Cloary, ore of the convicts in
thc thiid act. In a lat. r Kngiish pro?
duetion of the play. however, he did
tbfl attorney. Thu. year, by way
of doing a good sveaiag*s arork, be will
double in the roles. as the lawyer ap- ]
pear.i only in the second act and Clear'.
oaly ni tne third.
In tbe kiadaass of his heart Mr.
Kane gave Harold Brighouse an idea
for a new comedy, along about the
time that "Hobson's Choice" was get?
ting on its feet, and Mr. Brighouse
wrote it and titled it "Zack." John P.
Williams has acquired it, and Richard
B rnet*. is shortly to be seen m it.
?_riLL ROGEBS, cowboy, turned re
\\ porter during the recent per
formar.tcs of "The Stamped*'" an I
wrote long pieces for Mr. Hearst's pub
[ieatiOB. Ilogers really wrote them
? ippad Ifl at the Astor ever;,
ing and dictated them to the ateno ;
:, just like any other reporter.
Then he carriod copies of the paper
j around with him until the next day's
p,-i[n r c.ime out.
When his tirst story was published, a
week ago to-day, Rogers proudlv
showed it to a newspaper man and in
quircd hia opinion. Thc newspaper
man read it and showered BIBiSS
"It'l very good, Will," he told him
good, mdeed. Quite prais.'
worthy. I know just how it il I'd
probably be an swfal joke tryiag to
thn.w a rope, too."
LOUIS HIB8CH, wa. wrote "Hello,
i," ar.d remeinbered "Good*
bv. "My Uear Old Bachelor Pa> s"
;_-?? r?? <i composer. And not only
does bs Bflfl ten tingers, but even thc
boad is brought into play once in a
while. Mr. Hirsch is a pupil of Ju
aad was cducated to be a con
?. When he has accum .
a fortune from popular music h.- will
!' rlm and resume his
M, at all .-.?
Mr. Hirsch believes that the da) sf
? _;er eomposer has BS
and ealls a'tention to the improved
quality of popular music. But bl
it modestly, and he doesn't believe for
a minute that he has been largely re
b!e fer the uplift.
VLONG comes Otto Hauerbach.
Starting from scratch, Mr.
H.iuerbach has now reached a point
... wr.tmg S-tivitioo where he
is competing with Roi Cooper Megrue,
George V. Hobart and Willard Mack.
Mr. Hauerbach began with "Thre*
Twins," six or seven or eight or nine
years ago, an.! hai been
gradaall)
An.l rtOW laok. I.ast Thuisd.\*r **????
ing Mr. i-'r i/.e.- produced "The - I
iim
In a couple of flrill praaflBt
?? \ P Qam ".<," one of Mr BflflJ>
bacb'i ? had *
' run ii I "k'hia
?
another af Mr. H r'aice.MB*
some time tlurin-; tl -ettaa
Arthur Hamm. . ftointt I
Haai i ????*
to this tho fact tBBt "K..* j ' :* rl*
1 turning for aaothar I and it
is distinctly po- I flf *??"?
Haaflrbach'a draautifl wil\ b*
fl* Vork bflf. thfl -ea^on U
over. Von, Mr. BflBflrbacfa i on Broad*
way.
V -K the man Uflflh <
one?aad
he will ft-!'. jrfl . '.?ttut'
i .BBfl 8*'
i arith Lat* i . afld
Bernard, and l>- 8*1 ". ?nd
?Fillifl
t ertainly she'* a I BBfl. P*
isn't a trapedlenn.', me ?
then!
Everybody, it appe;irs. li ufrreed flflofl
the fact tha* ||iafl ' ? t0"'"
dienne?except Mis* DrflflflflR S(l'
*ays *he doesn't kno.v what iha la *ni
; she can prove it
"When ' opened Bt At?
lantic City," she declared, "I didn't
kr.ow what to do when people lauaV*1
at my lines. ' oJ ther''
waiting for the laui-i ' nar'
ly fori*ot what came a-fllt. Il **?* **"
-A career that m*"
! lines of mine had c- VJ*h*
. excepting, now that 1
hurle.-que of 'Inno.-. -r.\' in ti
, Broadway '
?Ar.d >i" [Va bai -i ?'?:'?"* *'**?
comedians all my Hfl ?- " ,l"
re:i?rin, I BBflr"B4M .'.-.v?y? b*?a
the comedians who have had the l?ut ?
I ha%.' bflflfl thfl ot taai arha **'??? '"
questions."
And thore you arr.
i8*pOAT*TAI*B*l taUfi ** ???
a hot araa bi. Jc"
i Sbait '??1 '*
' last i ' ' *
heavv coat ar.d ffwrb) hfll roqulred *>
rt. A
charairters in the piece ia r<*qu;r?d
flreat a far eaal 'J'"
. a stretch. .
Th. radieai
however, i- ? ' wh" ti
mercury i* aro .- "^
" ^
member, aad ia for.- ? '*"'
... minute* or rr.
thafa what *h.* .
J UUUfl TANNFN' r |8 taken
1 of lal iratjraia pra* ?!??* "^
about* becauae flf ''r'r.?*
, ina. Mr. lannen ? *?? .
' ing maoairors tfl kaaw thal ??>?
,ire.4 ifl a/ttifBhaad < otUffl. Siaat**?*P
M .-.
Luna Park. ^
tt Lut.a Park tha latefll lonaat*^
j the "human dynamo" a young ***,,
who i* obligmgljr eharged ??'??
! Ediaon's electricitjr and then u?*
j a match. Tnrchefl. for **'mr''JL
I lighud by touchmg them to *??**? *?*