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T is but a few steps across historic Pennsylvania avenue from the National Theater to Poli's; yet what an expanse of artistic separa- tion was covered in the brief jotirney, reaching all the great distance between the Temple of Ziegfeld, high priest of the i to the operating studio of Maeterlinck, anatomist of gloom. The “Follies” gives you a ritual of superficial pleasure whose magnificence of embellishment hides the perfunctory tendencies that must creep in with the years. It is a gay flirtation of the moment. “Pelleas and Melisande” tells of love genuine and grown so terrible that a heart’s blood must flow in sacrifice as effort is made to reveal the great human mystery. * ok kX HE career of Ziegfeld is a curious vindication. He introduced the ollies” at a time when the public of this country regarded “gay Paree” as a term implying a mad and merry wreckage of the proprieties. It seemed an echo from afar of the “Folies Bergeres.” Zicgfeld was roundly and incessantly abused as the Great Awp (abbreviation of awful person) of the theater, and careful mothers huddled their little ones close to the fireside when he announced, with ingenuous insouciance, his revelation of life among the Paris apaches, or reproductions of scenes in the Barbary Coast of San Francisco. He attempted no hypocrisies, but endeavored to be as rough as his audiences might demand. He did not excite prurient curiosity merely to leave it unsatisfied. But neither did he sacrifice the finest artistry he could command in creating pictures for the eye and in evolving novelties to meet the changing fancy irom year to year. His disdain of academic criticism has been as complete as it was suavely courteous. He appealed squarely to his public and per- mitted himself no apologetic assumptions of regret when his measurement iound taste in some respects rather low. Neither did he make that measurement an excuse for slighting any opportunity to beautify his En)duc!mni He never flattered himself with the assumption that he ad found a perpetual market for any crudity that might assert itself as more aggressive than the general run. Rugged attacks on the national sense of humor there have been, but they were subordinated in effect by a charm oi ensemble which neither trivial words nor moron antics could suffice to dispel. * gk ok Kk IT would probably disturb Ziegfeld's equilibrium now to herald him as a reformer more than it ever did to denounce him as a demoralizing influence. Yet there were certain standards he refused to abandon. He did not reduce what was genuinely good and cheapen it. He accepted as a part of his programs much that was of itself inherently and flam- boyantly unworthy. But he asserted a love of sheer beauty with an in- sidious persistence: pretending all the whiie, with cynical calm, that he was concerned only with meeting the public on its least exacting terms of refinement. He has the satisfaction of seeing his public now frankly admitting that what they really value in his career is his artistry and not his obliging willingness to give them improprieties if they seem to insist. x*xxx I HE “Follies” this year make no pictcuse of literary smartness, except ‘<% for the delicious bit of satire which enables a performer, without the assistance of music or scenery, to hold the stage for many minutes with a demonstraion of “pictureless movies.” It is beauty and animation all the time, with never a “bluestocking” intruding into the color scheme. It has * Xk x O FTEN has the theater lamented the scarcity of girl heroines. been said that Juliet is well nigh an impossible role, since the analyti- cal mentality necessary to comprehend it cannot be expected in anactress able to portray the sweetness of youthful simplicity in the earlier scenes. Despite the magnificence of production and the intense appeal of Mel- jsande, it was Jane Cowl's Juliet that was most talked about. The demand for Saturday seats was, before the week was half through, beyond the capacity of the theater. Miss Cowl’s Melisande was not the less a triumph because the people seemed 4o like their Shakespeare better than their Maeterlinck. The engagement s candidly devoted to the work of perfecting the new production for New York presentation, yet to the casual spectator it seemed to lack no detail of finish. Its story is im- mortal in interest; the story of impetuous love and a remorseless fate. Sorrowing lovers will go to see the play and think of themselves just as lovers to this day go to Pere Lachaise cemetery to leave roses on the tomb of Heloise and Abelard. Thoroughly unconventional in structure, the play requires so frequent lowering of the curtain as to thyeaten a fragmentary impression. Yet each scene is a revelation of such exquisite proportion in color, composition and lighting that waiting is invariably well rewarded. Tt needs all the extraordinary talents of Miss Cowl, as well as the unusual competence of the other members of the company, to keep the pictorial part from being as strong a consideration as the intellectual and emotional expression. = ok ok ok HERE is a hint of Elizabethan dominance in Miss Cowl's career as it has so brilliantly developed. She has co-ordinated all kinds af capabilities about her, with herself as the supreme glorification. To out- shine her upon her own stage would be impossible, and it becomes a dis- tinction to contribute to the splendors of her histrionic regime. She has magnetic subtlety and is most commanding when she appears most gently to appeal. * ok ok ok N the Jane Cowl engagement the theater reverts to an old practice among stars of reserving Saturday for a special demonstration to Elease either the mood of the public or the whim of the player. When obert Mantell used to play “Monbars” and “Corsican Brothers” through the week, he reserved Saturday night for “Hamlet,” which he played well, but with little hope then that the American public would, as it now does, regard his Shakespeare as his real work. Richard Mansfield when he was exploiting different plays of varying degrees of popularity always knew that he could crowd the theater and rejoice the box office on Saturday night by putting on “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” Many players arranged their engagements with the week end in view. In a number of respects, the American theater appears to be reverting to first principles. PHILANDER JOHNSON. Conversation of the Stage. 'HIS season in New York, it ap-|the house? All the artistry in the world will never make up for what pears, the majority of plays have been put on by directors who belleve in “the conversational tone” for the delivery of the lines. The result has been that the people who have pald their money for seats have not only been dissatisfied, but they have ex- nressed their dissatisfaction by cry- ing “Louder! Louder!" But as the actors haye been coached r—aye, ordered!—to use the low tone, there can be no help from the play- #rs themselves. “Most certainly I am against the gonversational tone in the theater,” pays McKay Morris, who plays the ole of the Red Hawk in Mrs. Trim- le Bradley and George Broadhurst's Mew play. It is my belief that the audience has paid to hear—as well as mee—the play, and if the lines are spoken In an ordinary tone. how is it possible for those seated in the last TYows of even thé small theaters of to- day to enjoy the play when they do not know what it s all about? “It {s much the same as & person going to seo and hear a play given in & foreign tongue. If there is suffi- clent action, the pantomime will give & bare idea of what it is about, but one never gets full satisfaction either from the low-tone plays or, the for- eign-tongue dramas. “I do admit that one—by onme, I mean the actor—can get more char- acter out of the lines and more ex- pression from the various inflections of the words spoken—but if an au- dience can't hear words, of what use 4s inflection, diction or even the lines themselves, not to speak of the plot? “If audiences are disappointed by not being able to understand what is being talked about, they will remain away from the theater. . And without audiences there will be o plays. “In the past three or four years a certain producer has made it an in- variable rule for the actor to speak in the conversational tone. He did .one play in this way once, and the eritics raved about its verisimilitude to life. It may be all right for the person who sits in front of the first six rows, but what about the back of can’t be heard. Beautiful and artis- tic scenery, handsome gowns, gor- geous furnishings and hangings feast the eye, but 8o can this self-same au- dlence ‘see the same things on 5ih avenue, New York, and in the shop windows In Washington, and they will not have to pay for them, either. “While an actor may be abla to get more expression out of the lower tone, yet there is no possible reason why the actor can't get practically the same effect from the louder tone—es- pecially if the actor knows his busi- ness; and volce culture Is a much a part of an actor's curriculu: avility to deplot emotion e “I'd much rather people w: of the theater and said of me: ‘e a rotten actor, but I heard every word he said,’ than to have them say they couldn't understand me. “Not in defense, but in of the manager of whom I have rein en above, the real fault, in my opin- ion, 18 that the manager has caused to be produced what we term a type ac. tor—one who looks the part’ whather he can play the role or not. If an ac- tor or actress is the ‘type, the rest they think. will be tiken care of. The rest isn't taken care of becanse the ‘type’ actor does not know his business, and the resort to the con. versational tone is tried. Personally Tpahink the conversational ‘tone i 'St trouble with can theater toda e dmerl; A Muscular puzzle. : BREI’BART is one of the most un- usual figures on the stage. He is nothing less than = muscular wonder. He Is said to have baffled sclentists in England, France and Poland—his homeland—who have tried in vain to explain the source of his almost miraculous powers, Unlike the varlous Sandows and strong men that have loomed up on o foreign and American stages ithin the past ten years, Breitbart does not lemonstrate his super- human strength by lifting cumber- - MILLER and LEON ERROL National MoRrris Garnick . BurTON HOLMES Nattonal Current Attractions AT THE THEATERS THIS WEEK. GARRICK—"The Red Hawk,” premiere, melodramatic play. Opens tomorrow evening. POLI'S—San Carlo Opera Company, “La Giconda,” tomorrow eve- ning. NATIONAL—Ziegfeld’s “Sally,” musical comedy. Opens tomorrow evening. BELASCO—“The Hunchback of Notre Dame, photoplay produc- tion, second week. Showings this afternoon and evening. KEITH'S—Breitbart, “Iron King,” morrow afternoon. COSMOS—Norris’ opens tomorrow afternoon. STRAND—Harry Fox-Lady Tsen Mei, afternoon. GAYETY—"Silk Stocking Revue,” Garrick—"The Red Hawk" Tomorrow night George Broadhurst will present the first of his season’s theatrical productions, a play written by Mrs. Trimble Bradley and himself entitled “The Red Hawk,” which will have its premiere at the Garrick The- ater. This new play is a romantic drama with the locale laid in Sicily during the sixteenth century. The char- acter of the Red Hawk is said to be one of the most unusual roles seen on the stage in some time. Mr. Kay Morris, who was with Ethel Barrymore last season, also as the inimitable Dr. Kennicott in “Main Street,” Demetrios in “Adrophite, etc., is the featured player. In his support will be Albert Bruning, that fine actor whose performance of Sin Kal in Belasco's “The Son Daughter was the outstanding individual hit of a season of excellent acting; Dod- son Mitchell of George Cohan's “The Tavern,” Walter Ringham, H. Paul Doucet, Andrew_ Molony, = Franklin Bogart, Dan E. Hanlon, Thais Law- ton, Julla (Lydig) Hoyt, Faversham's leading woman in the revival of “The Squaw Man,” Zeftie Tilbury, Julia Mec- Mahon and Katharine Brunnow. “The Red Hawk” has been staged by Mrs. Trimble Bradley. The scenes of the play are exact replicas of in- teriors and exteriors of historical Sicilly. The walls of these sets, in- stead of being painted. are coated with real plaster. In fact, the pro- duction is said to be one of the most realistic ever placed upon the stage. —_— some objects, raising planos from the floor or loading his powerful frame with eight or nine men larger than himself. But he manipulates metal of every known degree of hardness, and there is in his per- formance no trace of chicanery or illusion.. What he does he performs in plain sight of every one. He is a prodigy, for he works intimately, slowly and with little or no effort. In appearance he resembles a col- lege foot ball hero rather than & professional entertainer. “Springtime Follies,” vaudeville. New show opens’ to- vaudeville. New show vaudeville. Opens this burlesque. Opens this afternoon. Nationd—-ziegfeld's "Sal.ly"‘ “Sally.” proclaimed a rare jewel of musical comedy, with Marilyn Miller and Leon Errol as co-stars, is Florenz Ziegfeld's offering at the Natlonal Theater tomorrow night and for Thanksgiving week. Its unprece- dented success has been broadcast everywhere, although it has been seen in but a few big cities. For seventy weeks without a break it played to absolute, capacity at the New Am- sterdam Theater, New York, followed by a run of four months in Boston and Philadelphia that broke every record in the fifteen vears' history of the Forrest Theater. In Pitts- burgh it exceeded the 350,000 mark of sthe Follies. The Chicago capacity run of five months ended last May. It comes here closely following a re- cent New York revival at the New Amsterdam. “Sally” {8 acclaimed a dainty fab- ric of exquisite beauty, embroldered with fragrant romance, wholesome mirth, memory “haunting melodies and prodigal splendors of costuming and scenery. It is sald to be the last word in gorgeous and luxuriant picturization. Its fairy tale of the little dish- washer in & humble restaurant evolving into a Ziegfeld Follies celeb- rity and the rich youth who woos her leads through the garden of a Long Island country house and across the stage of ballet splender to the portico of “the Little Church Around the Corner,” with a triple wedding of its principals. Mr. Ziegfeld tenaclously and at steadily mounting cost, has kept the original company intact, with but two exceptions, since December, 1920 —something unprecedented for a musical play. In association with Miss Miller and Leon Errol are Wal- ter Catlett, Kathlene Martyn, Paul Frawley, Felice, Frank Kingdon, Al- tred P, James, Phil Ryley, Agatha De Bussey, Mary McDonald, Jacques Rabiroff, Floyd English and some eighty others, -including many fa- mous Ziedfeld beauti The book of “Sally” is by Guy Bol- ton, the lyrics by Clifford Grey, the score by Jerome Kern, the butterfly ballet music by Victor Herbert. the scenery by Joseph Urban, the whole A, | Belasco December Bookings. ANAGER LOUIS J. FOSSE of the Shubert-Belasco has booked an interesting list of attractions for De- cember. Beginning December 3, Willlam Faversham will offer his latest com- edy, "A Lesson in Love” for one week; December 9. Al Jolson pays his annual visit to the National Capital with “Bombo,” also limited to one week; then comes the “Cat and the Canary,” a show that thrilled Broad- y an entire season, with the pre- Christmas attraction, H. B. Warner and Lucille Watson, in the Harvard prize play, “You and L” which ran one full season at the Belmont The- ater, New York. HELEN KENNEDY Caijety staged by Edward Royce, and the or- chestra directed by Max Bendix. Owing to the length of the perform- ance, the overture begins at 8:10 sharp. Poli'e—San Carlo Opera. The Washington season of the San Carlo Grand Opera Company will open tomorrow night, at Poll's Theater. The first opera will be Ponchielli's “La Gioconda.” with Mme. Marie Rap- pold in the title role. This master- work is an exqulsite gem of lyric composition, with such beautiful arias as “Voce di donna:” “Clelo e mar”; “8i! morir ella de't” and the entranc- ing ballet music in- the third act, known as the “Dance of the Hour: Special attention is also called to he opera for Friday evening, Verdl's ‘Otello,” a work rarely produced in this country, due to the unusually heavy demands it makes on the singers. Impresario Fortune Gallo announces Cosmos BREITRART Kerths Burton Holmes Today. Burton Holmes begins his thirty- first season at the National Theater today at 3:30 p.m., with “Mediter- ranean Sky-Cruisings” as his sub- Ject. While the greater part of the | actual journey is made by airplane and there are many thrills, Mr Holmes will frequently bring his plane to the ground for glimpses of interesting spots, citles, towns, Dpeople, historic landmarks, ete. Starting from Toulouse he will sai} over southern France and thence over the Pyrences and across Spain to Gibraltar, landing at Barcelona Alicante and Malaga, thence to Mo- rocco to visit Rabat and Casablanca and many interesting interior cities be- tween Orand and Algiers, There will also be niotor rides tc many Interesting places, the whole aero-travelogue being a distinctly en- tertaining and novel journey, ending with a flight over the French Riviera from Nice to Monte Carlo. “Mediterrangan Sky-Cruisings” wil be given this! aftérnoon at 3:30 and again this evening at 8:30. Pttt b P S that he has assembled this seasor “one of the most outstanding opers |companies ever presented in Americ The Pavley-Oukrainsky ballet wil' be an integral part of the San Carlc performances here, appearing in al operas having incidental dances and also in ballet divertissements of their own, in conjunction with tic opera performances. The complete repertoire follows: Monday, “La Tuesday, “Afda”: Wednesday, “Mad- am Butterfly”; Thursday (Thanksgiv- ing) matinee, “Martha”; Thursday evening, *Tosca’: Friday, “Otell Saturday matinee, “La Bohem Saturday evening. "Il Trovatore.” Keith's—Breitbart, “The Iron King.” Breitbart, “the iron king,” a sensa- tion of Europe, who calmly bites through tire chains, winds steel gird- ers around his body with his bare hands, breaks heavy steel bars with his ' fingers and drives spikes Intc hardwood with his unprotected fist, headlines the bill at Keith's this Teek. A youthful Pole of excellent family and education, handsome, graceful and natural, he has baffled the scientists of the continent with his demonstrations of superhuman strength. There have been trained elephants, monkeys, dogs, ponies. horses; edu- cated pigs and educated cats, yes, ana even trained fleas, but now comes Jocko, the educatea crow, declared just about the last word, human to all appearances from his actions. He plays alone. He needs no supporting company. He has no equal and is said to be worth $50,000. Kate Elinore and Sam Williams will present thelr satire on the hous- ing problem, entitled “House Hunt- ing in New York,” from last season's “Music Box Revue.” but extended (Continued on Second Page.) Coming’ Attractions National—Lenore Ulric as Kiki. Lenore TUlric Kiki,” a new | David Belasco production, is an-| nounced by the National Theater for | next week, beginning Monday, De- cember 3, after its run at the Belasco Theater in New York of two years, the longest run of any star or play at tkat theater. Miss Ulric depicts the character of Kikl, an extremely vacillating young woman, one of those characters who evolve from some mediocre phase of | life and gain position among folk of' vastly greater education and position. She comes from the rejected of the chorus to be a big factor In the life of a great musical comedy manager. The action opens in Paris. Miss Ulric makes Kiki particularly a mystery, sometimes a child romping with the energy of a twelve-year-old, again as the most colossal liar of all stage characters. Sometimes her tears move to compassion and sympathy, to be overwhelmed by a rage of tem- per disastrous to humans as well as furniture. The original New York cast promised will embrace Sam B. Hardy, Max Figman, Thomas Findlay, Thomas Mitchell, Carleton Brickert, Harry Burkhardt, Ruth Gates and Jane Farrell. Poli's—"The Covered Wagon." “The Covered Wagon” will come to Poli's Theater for a special cngage- ment, starting Monday, December 3. This story is the picturization of the great magazine serial by Emerson Hough, which was made for Famous Players-Lasky under the direction of James Cruze. Emerson Hough was one of the fore- most writers of the west. He said just before his death that he had reach- ed the height of his dreams when he witnessed the screen success of his greatest endeavor. The timeliness of his theme in this particular is that it made its appearance when the coun- try was satiated with war alarms and the radicalism which came in the backwash of the war. Contrasted with that ill-timed movement of aggression, the story of how these mem and women of great courage and high resolution set forth upon their perilous trip of 2,000 miles acre the uncharted plains and desert, is inspiring. In the covered wagons drawn by | oxen and reeling off an average of twelve miles a day, they laughed and | sang and loved and suffered and fought to build what is now the great western heart of this greatest of all countries. | There is romance and adventure in every forward move of the winding | trains, as they trek onward and on- | ward ‘toward the end of their 2,000-| mile journey. Cpsmos—:T—he Fashion Minstrels.” A group of clever woman minstrels | whose talents have turned from mere entertainment to sartorial art will | appear at the Cosmos Theater next week in its headline position as “The Fashion Minstrels.” Seven attrac- tive girls of the aggregation will not only “strive to startle the feminine | rissey There Belasco—'A Lesson in Love’ The Shubert-Belasco next weelk, opening Monday, will present Willlam Faversham, under the direction of Lee Shubert, in a new comedy, “A Lesson in Love.” Rudolph Besler and May Bdginton are co-authors, and their penchant for scintillating dialogue and in- triguing situations may be best judged from the fact that they pro- duced “Secrets,” which had a season’s run_on Broadway und is just now | edifying Chicaga deals with a who finds the gallant termi- his The story French officer nation of the world war tur activities to gentler ends. He has just helped tmprove the world; now he turns his attention to improving the most important part of e word the ladies. One lady in par- he finds in urgent need of im- ‘ment, for she has never felt the soul-atirring emotion of real lov He proceeds to remedy this deficiency by making her fall in love with him ‘aversham will bring with s splendid company & new leading lad. who has been acclaimed by critic a real find—Gilda Leary. Keith's—Powers' Dancing E].ephants. Powers' dancing elephants, Lena, Jennie, Roxie and Julia, will all he on hand for the Monday matin December 3. at B. F. Keith's, to present their wonderful performances twice each day throughout that week. They are sald to be the most widely known pachyderms in the world and were for years the feature of the New York Hippodrome. They will car in Washington almost simultaneously with the premicre of the New York Hippodrome, when it opens under the direction of the B. F. Keith circuit These elephant; pets and he sa as pets from dogs in their Gayety—Bedini's 'Chuckles’ Next week the G offer Jean Bedini's presents Columbia burlesq form that made London adm Americans can produce 18 worth the show that ran all ford Music Hall, London, overflowing audic tional wonder show, w girls, its beautiful scer geous costuming and its whol comedy. Cliff’ Bragdon and are the featu are also Pat the Four Pas riing Saxo Band Baler, soloist, and El leader of a host of the L size. heater will same the its dan ermane, | ford girls, who sing and dan fon of watch ticks Strand—Master Gabriel. Next week the Strand Theater will the prec! heart. but to entrance the masculines |feature as a headline artist Master as well, for they are excellent singers and dancers, even If they do wear gorgeous clothes, Miacahua, the Brazilian wonder and the only woman on the stage who walks the wire or the tight-rope, it matters not which, without the aid | of a balance pole, will be an added | feature. Others will include Lauretta Rhode | and Ruth Watson in “A Mu Menu,” written by Neville Ficeson Arthur Hill and Marie Quinnell variety offering full of life laughter, and Bert Rome and Henry | Dunn, one of the best of the singing duos. 'in harmony as you like it. Gloria Swanson's Paramount pro- duction of “Za ill be the sensa- tar of * i Gabriel, the diminutive ter Brown™ and “Little ported by a large company. | Lait's “Captain Kiddo," a must fantasy in three scenes. Bob La Salle, late of the “Midr Frolic,” is billed as an added attr tion, with Murray Rubens at plano. Others include Redford den, a varfety and Beattie, in melodies, and Lil spectacular miniature Ball.” The_photoplay sent Gladys W and tional photoplay offering for the week. Duse Coming’t ELEONORA comed film oWashing’ton DUSE, The World's Greatest Tragedienne. N answer to insistent demands on ithe part of Washingtonians, the| world's greatest living tragedienne, Eleonora Duse, who achjeved a tri umph unparalleled on our stage at her premiere at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York Monday night, October 29, under the direction of F. Ray Comstock and Morris Gest, has consented to give one perform- ance in Washington, at Poli's Thea- ter, a matinee, as were each of her] appearances in New York succeeding her premiere, Thursday afternoon, December 20. Bhe '~ will present “Spettri” (“Ghosts™), by Henrlk Ibsen, Signora Duse appearing in the role of the mother, Mrs. Alving. The success of Duse on her return | 0 * ab. nnals t the the to America after twenty year: sence has been unique in the of our stage. Her premlere Metropolitan, it is said, drew most_brilliant audience ever housed in_that distinguished auditorium. while 2,000 people were turned away from the doors, unable to gain admi tance. All the seats were sold day in advance for the succeeding mali- nee performances at the Century Orders for tickets and boxes, ac- companied by ch or money order, with self-addressed, stamped en- velope, may now be sent to Morris Gest, Poli’s Theater. English tran lations of both of Duse’s plays, which, of course, will be given in Italiam, will be available at the box office,