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ris a sort or literary l.ouserleantnE thfrt the Sothern-Marlowe company encage-* in on its present tour, a brushing away of cobwebs and a '?evHatk'ii <>f Shakespeare in spick ami" "span brightness. embellished, per haps, but not mutilated. Shakespeare Is no longer the supreme test of the popular favorite on t'te stage. Many an actor Is successful on whom doublet and hose would appear absurd. Shakespeare has many traditional handicaps. There is a j inisiv impi essii >n in the minds of many of us that the true and essential quality of the bard of Avon is represented either b\ .1 sepulnhral voice repeating '"1 nm thy father's pirit," or else by a wild, rati t-o'js shout <>f "Me kingdom for a liorse!" ?Jt , Mr. Sothern and Miss Marlowe have 'altored with < xrellent taste and with pja tieal finesse to put the poet, whose greatest admirers have allowed pedantic zeal to make them his worst enemies, upon a basis of frank human under standing. The auditor of the present generation i? maae to feel something akit Jo eotempornneous interest. So | constant are the traits of mortal being I wliieh these plays so vividly set forth' ibat thi.- is easily done when real ability consents to discard scholastic affectation. The lover yearns for the words of a Borneo iu express his devotion today no j Itsts than in the Elizabethan time, and J the fact that Katherine is not :i militant suffragette does not pr.-vent her from bfcirg a recc ?gnizable type in sonic of our most modern households. So close to current intelligence does a frank and confident portrayal of Shakespeare come that these presentations tend to \ indi cate the uninformed but discerning audi tor, who, after seeing one of America's celebrated stars play Mantlet, enthusias- 1 th ally called lor "Author!" j * . I.ike Mi*. Favershain, whose success in i "llerod" has been one of the wonders of J the theater, Mr. Sothern developed from light comedy into a commanding ulaee in classic interpretation. Air. Soth-m is probably weary of bein^ reminded of "T.ord Cbumley." but his triumph in that Piece was so important an episode in his career ihut it cannot !)e ignored or for gotfen. Tiia: he lias not lost, his facility in a. lighter vein wa* demonstrated hi his I'ttruchio. v When in circles of chatty discussion that question of eternal conversational po tem > arises, "Whom do you consider our greatest actor?" Sothern's name is sure to find ardent championship. In many in stances a great producer or a great stu dent is accepted as a great actor because he is the central and dominating figure of an impress.ve display. To conquer pub lic opinion by intellectuality and scholar ship is surely as great a thing as to win it by physical graces or personal magnet ism, gifts often bestowed by fortune's 1 erratic beneficence on personalities not otherwise admirable. To analyze the qualities which have enabled Mr. Sothern to attain his present eminence might be interesting, but scarcely important, since he sucreeds in giving the public at one and the same time what it desires and what it ought to have. Tiiis is a proud distinction,^sufficient to silence caviling. I , * To observe the appearance of Miss Mar- j lovtfe in Shakespearean roles after her ? presentation of "The Goddess of Reason" | is like seeing her step from tog into sun- \ light. Several plays in which this great actress has appeared have been saved from dullness by her marvelous reading. Her Juliet burd ns her with no handicap and will rank as a model and a standard of comparison for many years to coinc. j * . ? i Kvrle Bellew's appearance m 1 lie Builder of Bridges" may be taken as a, hopeful evidence tbat he has been finally j established in a line of characters above j and apart front roles of tlimsy romance, such, for instance, as "A Gentleman of i Fiance." Mr. Beilew is an actor of native elegance of manner and graceful repose. It is refreshing to see him as a gentleman of the present day, who can . perform deeds of fine chivalry without swashbuckling or homicide. ? Mr. Sutro, the author of the play, whose literary factory has enjoyed a large pat- i ronage in the dramatic mart, makes a demand on credulity as great as that presented by Mr. Gus Thomas in "The Witching Hour." although it is less spec tacular. In most plays the plot has what might be called a dead center to o\ercome, a point which requires imagination or emotional momentum to prevent the machinery front coming to a halt. This occurs in "The Builder of Bridges" when the first betrothed of the woman rushes unbidden into an as sent blag."1 of people with most of whom he i* on distant terms, and bawls forth ti,e details of business of the most private and delicate nature. It would require a great deal more enthusiasm and mag netism than the casting of the role pro vides to excuse this affront to the crudest sense of propriety on the ground of eager and reekles* impulse. The play is in- j tfresting, and ha.* a wealth of charming : epigram in its dialogue, and it seems ' strange, even culpable, that this jar | should be permitted to occur in its other- { wise polished, efficient mechanism * The Columbia Theater has had a num.- ! ber of engagements which tend to indi cate the presentation of standard suc * esses rather than current novelties as the j?ohcy of that house. "The Man of the Hour" is one of several economic drama* which have found favor, it dis cusses questions of municipal govern ment. but With so much deference to ^eait interest and hetoics that the moral] becomes obscured by the melodrama, i Mr. George Broadhurst, like Mr ?'harlesj Klein, believes that a play should have i some topic of general public interest as j iti Inspiration, and both these writers '> have enjoyed a measure of attenton and esteem sufficient to vindicate the theory on which they proceed. PHILANDER JOHNSON. DAMROSCH AND VON BUELOW.? Walter Damrosch dwells with particu lar fondness on the time when he was received with so much kindness by Hans von Buelow in Frankfort. Famous as von Buelow was for his caustic wit and cutting sarcasm, it was his human side t'nat he showed to the young Damrosch. whose father had been his friend. Dur ing this visit, however. Damrosch was not without opportunity to observe the well known traits of the master. Once whec the two were out for a stroll there appeared before them a fellow who hatt presumably at some time been intro duced to von Buelow. Striking an atti tude before him, he said jauntily, "Good morning. Heir von Buelow; I'll wager jou don't know who T am." Von Bue low eyed him from top to toe an in Stani and exclaimed with vehemence. "You've won your wager." HAI.F A CENTFRY AN ACUOBAT. "Whilc I am a native of Manchester. I England," says William Hanlon, tlie! I genial veteran of the spectacular stage, | "and the son of Irish parents, 1 have al i ways claimed to lie a thoroughgoing citi 1 zen of the T'nited States. ">ly father, Thomas Hanlon, was an actor on the English stage, ami ;i 11 of his six hoys?Alfred. tJcorge, Frederick, he a hrllliaiit ? vent Mi I lammcrstcin, who will HccompaiiN Ins stars to Wash ington. ycstcrdax in New \ ork expressed himself as highly gratified with the out look. "Althoush." he added. "1 have ??1 - ways had such faith in Washington that I am not surprised at the interest shown in niv first visit as tin impresario to the National Capital. especially with such stars and such a repertoire as I am presenting. What of t ic future? I will talk about that later." Music lovers and the public generally have bv this time thoroughly informed love. The role of the monk is assumed by another great "singing actor," the eminent French bar tone, Maurice Re naml. The tenor will he Charles Dal morcs. M. Marcel Fharlier will conduct) the performance. Mine. Tetrazzini w 11 have an oppor tunity on Wednesday afternoon of show- j ing not only her beautiful voice, but her unusual power of emotional expression as the heroine in Verdi's "Traviata." As j every one knows, the Violeita of this , opera is none other than the heroine of ! Dumas' famous play "Camille." Mr. j Mct'ormack will be the lover Alfredo.! octssaatsatf JtffeHKiN Fred JIanlon Ti TGHELLUftRRl 5 -AS) IfejSALA Richard I^uhler Ben "Hue,. Thomas. Kd ward and William?became acrobats and gymnast;;. In !M7, when 1 was but seven years of ape, three of us, Ueorge, Edward and myself, with John Lees, an Knglish artist of rniicli ability in his then somewhat novel profession, went to France to present a new act of j trapeze and bar combination, together with a posing feature by Mr. l.ees. and ali of winch proceeded from the fertde brain of our preceptor and patron. ?Our ads were new to the natives or the various countries wo visited and we had appreciative audiences. At Ismalia we gave a special exhibition before the Khedive Abbas Pasha. lie was a fat, jolly sort of a potentate, who was keen enough to see all tin- good points in ourj tricks and performances. In India the! Rajah of Oud? took a fancy to us boys, j dressed us like princes and kept us with him for several months. "Since lw.V.?, anil that is fift> years, we have spent the greater part of our time and devoted the Kreatcr amount ?>f our efforts as artists to the American amuse ment-loving people. Some thirty years ago or more the 'Voyage en Suisee' was written by some French dramatists of minor reputation, and who were greatly aided, I might say, by Offenbach, the composer. We have 'showed' the 'Voy age* in mauy countries, and among those who first saw the piece at close range, in Paris, was Kins Edward, who was then the Prince of Wales. The prince had his accustomed viewpoint on the sage behind the scenes. "After touring France for a brief sea son we crossed the frontier into Spain, in which country we encountered many ad ventures, such as the forming of most delightful acquaintances with persons of noble rank, and continuing down the scale to the fighting of brigands in the Span ish mountains. "From Spain we continued our wander ings into Malta, thence to Turkey and Hgypt and to India. At all these places, which seem something of a remarkable route for young English travelers, as I look back upon it, we met with much success." Belasco. The advance sale of seats indicate? that the Manhattan grand opera season this week at the Jielaaco Theater will ^ 7 IVkonei ItJWER. "VifeUTfLR T^amro&gh: themselves as to the operas to be given this week and the personalities of Jhe artists who will lake part in the per formances. However, for those who have not already made up their minds what the" want to hear, a brief resume is of fereil Opening with Donizetti's "Lucia," which deals with ihe story of Walter Srutt's "Bride of Lammfrmoor," Wash ington will Monday evening hear for tiie first time Mme. Tetrazzini, who has been described as "the world's greatest colora ture soprano." Her piece de resistance In tiiis opera is of course the mad scene, in which her vocalism and cadenzas are said to be nothing short of marvelous. In the cast with her will be the popular young Irish tenor, John McCormack, and a young Italian baritone, Giovanni Po lese, besides Henry Scott, a well known American basso. M. Giuseppe Sturani wiii I'ondui't the opera. Miss Mary Garden, who was born in Scotland, but came to th's country when a mere child, will make her Washington debut in Massenet's beautiful opera "Thais." which was neglected by the American impresarios for years. Mr. Hammersteln first produced it in America three years ago. Tt is a story of a monk of the desert who sets out to save the soul of the most, beautiful and most notor'ous woman in Alex andria. He leads her into the pathway to sainthood, but in so doing imperils his own salvation by breaking his vows and surrendering his heart to a human pride is rebuked, for thr> miraculous coni in-; to life <?f the Virgin statue and h?M* acceptance of the Little Juggler's simple offering of the best that was in him proclaims him the worthiest ??f the com pany and teavhes them tliat they have entertained a saint unawares. The char- 1 acter of the monastery cook, the most >. human and tender-hearted of the breth ren, will be taken by another eminent | French baritone. Hector Dufranne, | whose singing of the "Legend of the Sagp Bush" is a notable feature of the opera. The prior will be the French basso M. Huberdeau. Others in the cast afforils the great soprano an opportunity I of showing a?iu'v\ sid ? of her talents. It , .s distinctlj a comedy role The peasant lover will be Mr Met"' rmack. M G lbert < has tl:f role of Ser^t. Sulplce. In "Pagliacci," \\iu<h tells the tragic story of the clown who, discovering h itiself to be deceived t>y his wife, awaits his oppor tunity tn slay hrr during the action Of j h's little play and unmask her sweet heart and avenge himself on him, Wash ington will hear for thf first time the i so-called "new Taragno." N cola Zerola. an Italian t"nor. M. Samtnareo. M. Zero la, Mme. Walter-Villa and M. Crabbe are the Italian baritone Mario Sainmarco, will be the father. M. t3tura.nl will eon duct. Wednesday evening Miss Garden will appear in the title role of Massenet's operatic miracle play, "Le Jongleur de Notre Dame"?"The Juggler of Our Lady." or. as it is more popularly called. "The Little Juggler." Here Miss Garden personates the pathetic figure of a little wandering mountebank of the middle ages, who was induced to enter the mon astery to save both nis body and soul. Ho llnds himself unable to dedicate any talent to the service of the Virgin, and as a last resort offers the Madonna an exl ibition ol' his pitiful tricks and songs to the horror of the brethren of the monastery. As he falls exhausted and dying before the shrine their spiritual JiiRMciJfeMILTQIi ^UKLBSQUEi will lie the young Belgian baritone Ar mani! Crab be, Henry Scott ami Al. Du vernois. "The Tal?'s of Hoffmann," a fantastic opera, and the only serious one left by Offenbach, based upon three lov. stories by 10. T. A. Hoffmann, who live I in the early part of the last century, and has been called tue Kdgar Allan Poe of Ger many, will be given Thursday evening. This will present to Washington Una Cavalieri, who will appear as Uiulietta, the Venetian light o' love, with whom the poet Hoffmann, who will be personat ed by M. Dalmores. had one of his luck less amorous adventures. Mile. Trentini, one of the most popular members of the Manhattan Opera Company, will be Olympia. the mechanical doll, in the first tale, and Antonia, the consumptive maiden, in the third tale. Renaud will have the triple role in which Hoffmann's evil genius jfppears?first, an Alsatian peddler; sccond, an Italian aristocrat, and lastly, a witch doctor. M. Carlo Nicosia will conduct. The operatic season will close Friday evening with a double bill?Donizetti's "Daughter of th<? Regiment," followed by Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci"?the former old, the latter modern. Mme. Tetrazzini will be the central figure of the Donizetti work, whose story of the young vivan diere, who lalls in love with the peasant and who afterward becomes a line lady. GHaungey Ol,cott in Hie cast. M. Sturani will condui t both operas. The evening performances are an nounced fur s o'clock and the matinee for - o'clock. Auditors are requested to be in their seats promptly. "Ben-Hur." the spectacular classic, will open a week's engagement at the New National Theater tomorrow night. Each of the many reasons tiiat this powerful biblical drama has been before the pub lic has served to emphasize its hold on popular ilitercst, and it may now be re garded as a permanency. The extent to ! which the management went in making the original production was a matter of ' wonderment even to theatrical promoters accustomed to spend a fortune on a sin ble scenic equipment. The announce ments indicate no-diminution of the colos sal scale on which the presentation, was originally designed. A company is an nounced which, including the crowds fig uring in tableaux, numbers lion people. The remarkable scenic device which per ? iniis a realistic leproduction of an ancient ? chariot nice employs twelve horses. In ! transferring the story from the covers of i a novel?one of the record-breaking lit erar> successes of its day. and still a cherished library classic?to the stage great skill was shown in arranging the situations and climaxes to secure dra matic effect. A carefully selected com pany has this important element of the performance in its keeping. Ohauiice.N Olcott in "Ragged Robin" is the attraction this week at the Columbia Theater. The play' this season was written by .Mrs. Olcott and Rida Johnson Young, Mrs. Olcott furnishing the tales of Irish fairies, the leprahaun, peat bogs, banshees and will-o'-the-wisps. "Ragged Robin" is the name of a blue flower, as every wanderer in the Held knows, and "Ragged Robin" in this play earns the nickname by wearing a blue posey in his buttonhole. This Robin is a minstrel of the h'ghways until lie comes into his rights, which include many acres and the title of Sir Robert Ilarcourt. He is best loved when he is ragged, like the flower TTew National. Columbia. he w>ars, for then he pours from lid throat a veritable* torrent of melody. Oleott would remain "Ragged Robin" throughout the play It he an.I lis hungif clog did not sleep beneath the Ilia -* in Andrew tlrattan's dooryard at Inishan nun. The fairies ?-onie to him (hftv early in the morning and awaken lilm and lie goes to their well and drink* from a gourd. It is the Kith of May, and who ever drinks from this well on the l??th of May will soon lie wed to the tirst vision of loveliness who puts the gourd to her lips. This time it is Margaret Grattan who ,-ools her thirst, and Im mediately she and Kobin are in love. But again the path of tnip lo\e ha? it rough places, and a villainous foster brother steps in and marries the beautv whj drinks at the well. But tin- banshe. moans and flies past Andrew Grattan door on the even of the weddhiR ami everybody knows' that the bride wi'l have a hard row to hoe. When tills banshee rides on the wind t ie atidien< e heroines shivery and goo>e-t1esh> as a youngster listening to a spook stor\ on a how lintf w Titer night, and "Ragged Robin," too. knows that there is trouble ahead and cails his dog and set" out upon the highways. Three years later lie returns and And* Margaret a widow. There is a famine in j the land and Margaret has become a dig ger of pe.it. Ragged Kobin is rich now ' and he cornea to ber relief, and, of course. , they live happily ever after -as all tol?s j :n fairy tales do. Chases. Chase's eleventh anniversary will be j festively conunenwttt 'd this week wit . a special bin. comprising All>ert Whelan William H. Murphy. Blanche Nichols and company. Nellie Nichols, the Thre* Krnests, the Melnotte Twins and Clujr Smith. Krna and Jenny Gasch. l,"e. Allen and Lee land "Buffalo Races" by the I American vita graph. Australia is the native heath of Mr Whelan. As a suave, smiling comedian he is sa d to he in a class all his own The extra added attraction is the Mur phy-N"i< hols in "Tiie School of Acting. ' ; a travesty on barnstorming actors. Nellie Nichols appears In topical song* and stage "take-oils." The Three ISrnest are another of tiie special bill. The Mei | notte Twins and flay Smith will be heard in a nonsensical number and tiie Gasch sisters in a German novelty. I.ee. Allen and Lee will join in a terpsichorcan treat on woo I and ice. The vitagraph number will conclude the hill. Academy. Lovers of the 1 {anions* tri< k and spec tacular pantomimes will he given an en ! tirely new entertainment this season iti j "Superba." which open? an cngagemen ! at the Academy tomorrow evening. The j production is new in every respect ex cepting the old enticement and delect - able mystery characteristic of a Hamon performance. The story of "Superba has been rewritten by Herbert Hall Winslow and furnishes an original set ting for the specialties, songs and tricks Fred Hanlon will again be s?>eii Pico, the clown, and will be assisted by William Hanlon lid. The specialty fea tures include Hilda Carlo and her twelve ??Military Suffragettes." and Bess Ross, a singing and dancing souhrette; "The Cocoanut Dance" and other novelties. One of the novelties is a conservatory j scene with a magnificent arrangement or ? flowers that appear to be alive and blooming. Another is that of "Old Glory." in which a novel electrh al bat tleship effect is offered. The first tab leau shows the "Origin of Our Navy." the second the "Modern Oreadiiaught ' and the third the "White Squadron." The third act is given over principal I v to a spectacular African Jungle s~ene in which Col. Roosevelt is surrounded b> I denizens of the tropics. The "I'seful Man" is among the new trick novelties, a gentleman froi# whose person Pico ex tracts almost any article he desires, end ing with a rapid-fire gun with which he routs the jungle dwellers. New Lyceum. | "Watson's Rib Show." with the origl : nal Billy Watson, will begin a week s engagement at the New Lyceum Tlieater. ? commencing with tomorrow's matinee. The bill will include vaudeville, comedy i anil two new burlesques "The .lolly Mis" Clover" and "Bashful Venus." in which I Mr. Watson will again assume his char acter of Philip, the head waiter. Majestic. The Majestic Theater has an attractive program for this week. The high-class vaudeville includes the Four Musical Cates. featuring Frank R. Cate. cornet virtuoso; Walter H. Cate. saxophone solo ist, and Fred O. Cate. playing solos on the mastodon saxophone; William Burt and company, in a sketch entitled "Cattle land"; joe Hart, character comedian, and t-reda Haubiei. singing and dancing comedienne. The lastest motion pictures form a part of the entertainment. Hammer Symphony Orchestra. For its first Sunday night concert a program of French compositions will be presented by the Heinr ch Hammer Symphony Orchestra at th?* Belasoo Theater tonight at popular prices. Th* I flattering reception a -corded the artistic work of this new organization at its j two afternoon symphony concerts prom { ises a gratifying future for it. Mr. Ham mer who hegan his career as a con ! duct or at the age of twenty years. has been successful as a conductor of sym ' phony orchestras and choral soclet es In Germany, Sweden. Holland and Switzer land. Having become recognized in Kurope as a conductor of the first rank Mr Hammer was selected to form and i to conduct ihe New Philharmonic and Municipal Orchestra of Goeteborg in ? Sweden. The program will be as fo! I lows: . . Overture. "Phedre." Massenet; "Om phale's Spinning Wheel," Salnt-Saens. first suite. "M gnon." Thomas; violin j solo, intermede. "Thais." Massenet. 1 Mr Chris Arth; suite, "Sylvia." Delibes \t the Belasco Theater next Friday afternoon at 4:45 will be presented by i this orchestra the third concert in its i series of Beethoven symphonies. The program Consists of the third symphony i (Eroica, E fiat major! and the fourth symphony <B flat major>. So successful was tills newly organized orchestra a:, its two previous symphony concerts that a large audience is expected on this oc casion. Wright Kramer Travelogue. At the Columbia Theater toniglit "Our Own Hawaii" will be the subject of an illustrated lecture by Wright fcramer, i Burton Holmes* fellow-traveler and as ' soclate lecturer. The Honolulu of todav is vividly pictured, and by means -.-f finely colored lantern slides and motion pictures Mr. Kramers audiences will make little tours to Waikiki, to Maui an* its crater of Haleakala. to Hilo and to the active volcano of Kilauea. Academy Concert. Sondheimer and Helmuth have l>e<?n a train secured by the management an additional appearance at the Sunday night concert at the Academy. Cassidy and Moran will be heard In a comedy act of new songs, with monologues. Be sides these combination acts the man agement has provided a program of mo tion pictures. Auditorium, Pictures and Vaudeville The popularity of unique motion pic tures and refined vaudeville acts at the New Masonic Auditorium has induced the management to make extra efforts to provide an entertainment unexcelled atj