Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, January 30, 1916, Page 15

: forbes-Robertson wn "Hamlet” Ae -3/0«43 Claude Gillingwater ATIONAL censorship for mov- ing plctures, as proposed by a bill now before congress, is engendering considerable heated debate, and not a little writing of arguments on both sides. The proposal is assailed from many points, one of the chief arguments of the | opponents being that it is an infring- ment on state rights; that a national censorship of films will be followed by a national censorship of the theater, and this will continue until all amusements are brought under the regulation of some form of governmental oversight. One of the most recent of the written arguments in support of the opposition to the fiim censorship comes from a prominent film maker—for that matter, the greater part of the objections to the project are from the managers—who sets up that it is an abridgment of the right of free speech. He contends, rather ingenuously, that the “movie” is the latest form of giving pub- licity to current events, and that any interference with its operations is in the direction of an attack on the free press. i St This department of The Bee in times past has taken high ground against the creation of a public censor, either by the federal or state governments. It has been contended that public opinion will serve in the long run as the best possible form of criticism, and that the managers must in the end bow before this as ultimate. t the managers have so far outrun public thought it is almost a question as to whether the conclusion so carefully reached might not at this time be revised. It there be anything of the nature of & well grounded demand for public censor- ship of the movies, or the stage in any of its manifestations, It is because of the actions of the managers and producers themselves, For many menths a rivalry has existed as to which could go the [ farthest in the direction of outraging decency, which could press the closest to the verge and yet be permitted to continue the exhibition. Several seasons ago at least three pornographic plays, some of them since done into fllms, were stopped by the police authorities in New York because of nauseous vulgarity of thelr action. Each of these plays pleaded for the right to show because it wi dealing with “actual conditions.” In each case the manager set up that he sought only to serve the public by producing a warning to the unguspecting of the ? dangers that lurked in the shadows. The plain truth of the matter is that in neither did the manager have a thought above filling his purse with the money lured into his hands by the parade of actual filth, What is true of the stage is true of the movies. Producers have vied here with a purpose of making sen- sational appeals to public curiosity, and e achlieved some ‘*wonderful results M the line. Such exhibitions lose their pealing to the less worthy nature of the beholders, and are doubly dangerous, for they are patronizsd by the immature in far greater proportion than is the theater. Their only contribution is to the lowering of the general standard of morality, and as such they do not deserve to be coun- tenanced isblieete It is interesting in tnis connection to record the fact that one great division of the amusement industry went ser- ‘ fously about the task of censoring itself, For many years buriesque flourished in | different parts of the country, the local homes being generally classified as ‘va- rleties,” “honkytonks’ and the like, and each in its own way affording a class ! of amusements not especially clevating | and sometimes actually depraving. With the establishment of the great burlesque eircuit combination, under the name of the Columbla Amusement com- pany, came a condition that could nof obscure theaters and set on a plane Where it attracted more general attention. Not very long time was needed %o convince the men at the head of the new enter- prise that the old form of “entertainment’ it were to survive. So they set about Wwith the deliberate purpose to ‘“clean up,” and the burlesque of today is no more like the burlesque of half dozen years ago than day is like night. It has truly heen elevated, its objectionable features value from any standpoint except as ap- | long exist. Burlesque was lifted from the | ld have to be comsiderably altered, | have been done away with, and it now affords clean, and diversified entertain- ment. The managers, whose’ money is in the game, realized quickly that thelr watrons did not want the risque, and that fun could be easily made without mixing it with smut, and they are prof- iting thereby. Patronage is steady and they are finding a growing clientele amgng a class they never could have had under their original plan of opera- tion. It will be good for the theater and the movies, too, when the example of the burlesque men is generally followed. — Great and widespr. lowed the announcement that Forbes- Robertson, who appears for the last time in this city at the Boyd tomorrow night and Tuesday and Wednesday, Is making his farewell tour of America. An actor of such commanding talents, magnetic personality and spiritual insight can not well be spared from the stage In these days when great actors are rare. His career has been devoted to all that is best in the theater and his portrayals and production have set a new standard of the highest sort. His fine presence, his command of the technic of acting, his beautiful voice, his great iIntellectuality and his Indisputable genjus have placed him at the head of his calling. During his long career of forty years, he has been assoclated with the few great actors of the period and his art combines all that is best in the old and the new schools. He has ap- peared In every style of drama and comedy and 1s equally at home in the classic as in the ultra-modern. Forbes-Robertson has made nine visits to America and has been seen in this country in many of his great successes. He is now 62 years old and has decid~d to leave the stage while still in full possession of his powers which have made him famous throughout the Enxlish- speaking world. He will be supported by his English company of fifty players, in- cluding Miss Laura Cowle, the 23-year- old leading woman who was so highly praised whenever she appeared with Bir Johnston last season. “Hamlet” will be played Monday night and Wednesday | matinee, ‘“The Light That Falled,” on ;’l'utsdny, and for Wednesday night “The Passing of the Third Floor Back.” Forbes-Robertson's Hamlet, is in accord with the acting standards of today. He employs naturalistic methods In speech and in stage business, but he is artist enough to employ them only so far as is possible without marring the poetic and romantic beauty of the masterpiece. He blends the poise and deliberation of the older school of tragedy with the more | direct and simpler methods of the pres- ent day, and thus produces an artistic whole which impresses us who are of today as wholly true to mnature, and yet in the highest degree poetic and beautiful. His Hamlet lives and is in all things essentlally human. Forbes- | Robertson employs numerous readings and bits of stage business which are in- teresting and {lluminative. Many of them are new and all of them show how care- fully, thoroughly and intelligently the player has studied the character of Ham- let. His reading of the longer soliloquies is In every instance marked by the fin- est possible moderation, intelligence, and naturalness. He is merely thinking aloud, the audible sighs of a man who had suf- fered great sorrow and who feels in some indefinable way that conditions around him are not what they should be, with that dramatic intensity the speech de- mands but never with augh® of rant about it regret has fol- a romantic com- edy which will be presented by Mr. and Mrs. Coburn at the Brandels theater three nights beginning February 3, is a play unique in the annals of the Amer- fean stage. George C. Haselton and Ben- |rimo took from the Orient beautiful poetry, quaint humor, gorgeous settings, nd colorful costumes. and combined them with a dellghtful entertainment JREREF RS “The Yellow Jacket,” | sister). enacted in a stage setting copled from | Nigel THE that of the most popular theater in Can- #+|ton. China. During the five months' run of this plece gt the Fulton theater, N. Y., it was halled with enthuslastic approval by people possessing every different kind of viewpoint. Thus one critic sald: “It is 80 realistic that one can almost smell the hop.” Another sald: “Poetry and passion, dusk and dawn, a bewildering dip into all that is picturesque and original” An eminent writer finds it: “A song carved in animated ivory, flaming and tingling with little Mghtenings that ignite the fancy and captivate the senses.” In the words of one New York reviewer “The Yellow Jacket" 1is the finest play on Broadway since Peter Stuyvesant brought his wooden leg."” It is evident from the diversely praising criticisms, of which the above are a mere sample, that “The Yellow Jacket” is that rare flower of the theater, a play that is lmited to no one varlety of outlook or school of thought. Indeed in about one hundred opinions, noted for curiosity's sake, from representatives of the arts and professions, it was found that hardly two resembled one another. All liked “The Yellow Jacket” for different reasons, which was all very well from the manager's viewpoint—as long as all liked it. Mr. and Mrs. Coburn bring to this city the original production, all the gorgeous costumes that go to make the stage pio- tures dazzling in their Oriental brilllance, the unique accessories, the effective music written by Willlam Furst and played by a speclal orchestra carried on tour. Salem Tutt Whitney, colored star, ia headed this way along with the noted Smart Set company. This popular or- ganization, which can boast of more sing- ers, dancers and fun-makers than any organization now before the public, will be the attraction at the Brandels thea- ter for four nights, beginning tonight, with a matinee Wednesday. The vehicle will be the musical comedy hit, “George ‘Washington Bullion Abroad.” The ag- gregation is composed of forty artis who can be depended upon to provide endless fun and merriment. In the way of scenic investiture the production s also well equipped, in fact every depart. | ment has been refully looked after, with the result that a performance cal- culated to please anyone is assured. At least a dozen soung hits are distributed during the play, which include “Love Me Anywhe “Kentucky Blues," “Smiling Sam,’ “Don’t Do that to Me, Dear,” “Back to Dixle,” “Dear Old Southern Moon,” and many others. The dancing numbers are out of the ordinary and J. Homer Tutt and Blanchs Thomp- son will again support Mr. Whitney, also & chorus of sweet singers. “Nobody Home" is commended to us as one of the most delightful musical come- dies the stage has had for years. It is to be presented to the playgoers of Omaha at the Boyd theater next Sunday night for three nights under the ‘direc- tion of Elsabeth Marbury and ¥. Ray Comstock, and comes here with the en- dorsement of & run of six months In New York, four months im Boston and three months in Chicago. The original ecast will be seen Intact headed by Eng- land’'s foremost comedian, Lawrence Grossmith, Zoe Barnett, Charles Judels, Maude Odell, Quentin Tod, Mignon Me- Gibeny, Coralle Blythe (Vernon Castic's Lydecker, Carl Lyle, Alison McBain, George Barrie, OMAHA SUNDAY Helen | BEE: Plum Blossom " {31 The Yellow Jacket ™ A bhe Brandei's Wkite ; W&i the Orpheam Clarke, Gertrude Walxel, Elisabeth More, Helene Wallace, Rena Muanning, Anne Kelly, Beatrice West, Elaine Ford, Mae Manning, Patrice Clarke, Lester Green- wood, Frank Ross, Wilbur Rodier, Sam- uel Miller, Theodore Burke, Robert Chid- sey and Harry Miller. The situations are #o funny that there is one long, linger- Ing laugh from the rise to the fall of the curtain, intermingled with more song JANUARY 30, ] 1916, | eity, Plsa, is wonderfully beautiful? It | will be shown in motion plotures by the Orpheum Travel Weekly, There will also be views of the Buddhist temple in Pekin as well as scenea in Spain For the week of February & the Or pheumn has three headliners scheduled on the bill, Lilllan Kinsbury is making her first vaudeville tour In “The Coward.” a playlet by FEthel Clifton and Brenda Fowler, George Whiting and Sadie Burt, typleal vaudevillians, will come with a smart patter and song turn, and Arthur MoWattors and Grace Tyson, a lght | comedian and planist, have a new act they call “Iteview of Reviews —— The “Malds of America” is sald to be the largest ovor to play the Gavety theater in this eity. 1t has a number of new and novel electrical effects never before been seen in a production of this Kind. The gowns worn are the most elab | orate ever to grace a burlesque stage. | The cast s headed by Hall and fea- play- Al K both stars, but now Malds of Ameriea,” Don Barolay tured with the fng the ecoontric creations of George Tot- ten Emith, “a snowman' and ‘“red hot stove.” The vehicle is called “The Girl from Starland,” and abounds in witty sayings and laughalge situations. It is sald that the chorus of twenty-four of the prottiest duncing girls ever seen on any stage is the bost of the manage- ment of the “Malds of America,” and they have been allotted a long program of songs and dances with a chance for elaborate costuming. Hall and Barclay are surrounded by a capable cast of well known people: Klsa Rostel, direct from the Winter Garden, Rerlin, is the prima donna, pretty Mae Mack is the soubrette, and reports have it that she is as 'vely as a cricket; Ruth Noble, Carrle Cooper, Burney Norton, Joe Ward, Arthur Rrooks, Harry Lang, ¥ Weldon and the Tomple quartet. A high olass ollo of standard vaudeville acts will be offered between the acts, Today's matinee starts at 8 o'clock. ladles' dime matinee dally, beginning tomorrow. “The witehi our,” written ~ugustus Thomas and phvaa wia great | success by John ..ason, will be presented by the North Bros, Stock company at the nrug theater for a week, starting mal- inee today. Genevieve Russell, after = weok of rest, the first she has had since coming to Omaha will appear with her co-star, Sport North, on leading roles. ‘“whis is a play in which Miss Russell and Mr. North take a particular interest. “Big BII" .tner, an Omaha “boy," has joined the North players and will make his debut this week as the gambler In s play. derson, who made a favorable impres- sion last week In ‘“Thorna and Orlllgn Blossoms,”” will be seen In another lead: ing part. The full strength of the comn- pany has been cast for this week's bill. Seats for the entire week will be on salo | today. Family matinees on Thursday and | Baturday. Another program by the Chi- | cago Ladles' orchestra. The policy of politeness and preparedness prevalls at the Krug every day. story toM in “It Payas to Adver- which appears at the Brandeis theater for three days, beginning Feb- ruary 10, has to do with a rich young man, who, coerced into a business career, the medium of a publicity campalgn that embraces love, printer's ink, and the soap industry, and his methods and manner of accomplish- hits than you've ever heard in one musi- cal comedy. Among them are “Why Take a SandWich to a Banquet," “Any Old Night,” “The Magie Melody, ‘San Francisco Fair," '‘Bed, Beautiful Bed," “You Know and I Know,"” “Keep Mov. ing,” and many othera. One of the speclal features of the per- formance is the dancing done by Quen- tin Tod and Helen Clarke. These two dancers are the latest “finds" of Elisa- beth Marbury, who managed and was responsible for the success of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle. The scenery and stago decorations were designed and planned by Miss Elsle De Wolfe and will be much appreciated because of their ar- tistio and unusual appeal. This is the first time Miss De Wolfe has designed anything for the stage, and it was only through her friendship for Miss Mar. bury that she planned the work for ‘“‘No- body Home.” The chorus is composed of the prettiest girls Miss Marbury could find. There will be an augmented or- chestra for the engagement at the Boyd. For a stellar attraction this week, the Orpheum s to offer Claude Gilling- water. No dramatic star in vaude- ville is better liked than Claude Gilling- water. His new vehicle, ‘The Decision of Governor Locke,” was written for him by Ethel Clifton and Brenda Fowler, It is a political play showing to what ey tremes a politiclan will resort in ordsr to achieve an end. “Sayings and Songs" are to be contributed by Harry Hines. In the sketch, “‘Green Goods,” Arthur Stone and Marion Hays are sald to be extremely funny. ‘Marvelous,” is the adjective most frequently used by re- viewers to describe the work of the Six Schiovanis, a troupe of gymnasts who offer what is termed * strenuous comic novelty.” Olga Cook is a singing come- dienne who was featured In several of the Winter Garden shows in New York. Three attractive young girls are the Na- talle Sisters—one a planist, another a cell- ist and a third a violinist, and each gifted. Do you know the old Itallan ment are so nious as to make for al- most continuous merriment through three acts, in which Messrs. Megrue and Hackett have written thelr piay. ——— A musieal program is offéred at the Empress for the first half of the week, beginning January 30. Probably the lead- ers in the mediey of skilled performers who will entertain will be the Five Mu- sical Gormans, featuring ‘“The Boy With the Baton,” who directa. Although bdbut & boy In years, he is a musiclan of wide and varied experience. Baron Lichter gives a wide selection of mongs at the plano. Gene and Kathryn Krug are com- edy singers who keep the audience in uproars of laughter, Montrose and Sar- dell present a novelty in bicyele riding and dancing. Last, but not least, the second chapter of that fascinating drama, ‘“The Strange Case of Mary Page,” fea- turing Bdna Mayor and Henry Walthal, will be shown. Other pictures, both serlous and comia, are shown. HENSHAW CAFE Concert Dansant EVERY EVENING FROM 10:30 P, M. SPROCIAL NIGHTS Monday, Friday and Saturday Augmented Orchestra Entertainers. (1) nce AUDITORIUM To-day at 3 O'clook George Green, Conductor $1.50 W.nh of Music for m; Phone Douglas 494, Gophawven THE BEST OF VAUDEVILLE. Famous American Sopra: HARRY IIIES In “Sayings snd Songw” " THE SIX SCHIOVANIS in & Streauous Comic Wovelty THREE NATALIE SISTERS Beauty and Melody TMADAME CHlLSON OHRMAN Accompanist Sidney Arnecitch AITIII STONE AND MARION HAYES ofln - o-nlvu ——ofifflu _A Dnlll[ The vam &t Work and ¥iay, Around orldwith the Or. pheum u-nn-- Mo- Pioture “The Decision of CLAUDE GILLINGWATER With MISS STELLA ARCHER And Company in the New and Intensely Human Politicel-Matrimonial Episode, Governor Locke” lylmmmm 5y Wbt —mmu‘-fl') 100..‘.&.!"“ ny «i0 welghs 30 pounds and is | something of a comedian. Anna Hen- THEATRE-3 Ilys Com. BOYD Matinee Wednesday at 2 P. M, MoNnAY FAREWELL GREATEST | OF ENGLISH- | FORBES- & | ROBERTSON (Positively His Gast Appearance in Omaha) AND LONDON COMPANY Tuesday Night Mon. 8 p. m. sharp. HAMLET]|THAT FAILED | | 3d Floor Back Nights--$2.00, $1.50, $1.00, 75¢, 5%¢ Mat. Wed.--$1.50, $1.00, 75¢, 50¢ Three Nights Beg. Next Sunday With Sppolal Matines Tnesday, MARBURY-COMSTOCK CO., Offers The Chicago and New York Musical Comedy Success NOBODY HOME With LAWRENCE GROSSMITH and ZOE BARNETT Full of Jolly Tunes--Pretty Girls Clever Comedians Newest Ballroom Dances BRANDEIS THEATRE ““{ia™ TONIGH T 32, ¥0roAx. tusepax ashin SALEM A0--30Eud 0 -t- Y22 PRICES-—250, 000, 750. WEDNESDAY MATINEE 200 and S50e Three Nights and Saturday Matinee, Feb. 3, 4 and 5 Evening Prices, $1.50 to 25¢ Sat. Mat., $1.00 to 250 MR. AND MRS. COBURN, Present n ‘“George W . WITH T Mt By GEORGE 0. HAZELTON and BEN RIMO. ‘With the Original Production from the 8ix Months’ Run at the Fulton Theatre, New York, and a Specially Selected Oast Including Mr. and Mrs, Coburn, A Comedy of Hilarious Humor. A Tense and Absorbing Drama of Life. A Fascinating Drama of Youth and Love, FRANCES NASH weaind... GEORGE HAMLIN in concert BOYD THEATRE TODAY, 4 P. M. Tickets-$1.50, $1.00, 75¢, 50 'EMPRESS || TODAY ouunu Vaudeville Foto Flays. l“ EKATHRYN XX uu- of --u-. and ¥oo! MONTROSE SARDEBLLE .ovolly Iloyclo and Danocing fln. ¥IVR uvnou. oomn With the loi at the Beoond Ej 04‘ The Strange Case of luy Page With Bana Mayo & The Book t's With G, M. (Billy) Anderson. The Fable of Florea & Adolph Belig Tribune Weekly No. 8 10c--ADM ISSION--10¢c Phone Douglas 998 Reserved Seats 100 Bxtra. Today W NEWATonit 2:30 & 8:20 Mn-n-. Bost Bargain PERPETUAL STOCK CO. Augustus Thomas' Masterpicocs, “The Witching Hour" Marie Swanson PIANO—HARP 533 South 27th Street. Phone Harney 1055, AL K, RALL Vaudeville includas Norton & Noble. o surpri the season. Beauty chorus of Ameri- can Maids. The Red. White & Bius Bhow Ladies’ Dime Matines Week Days. L De LONE R -:HARP:- T 805 LYRIO BLDG. Y DOUGLAS 8704 A Harps Reuted to Students. Turpin's School of nmlu Mw\h & %lfl tima