suggested by his letter:--first, as an all-conquering military hero; then as a world-dominating statesman; next as a peerless singer, the idol of two hemispheres; finally,--after she has been turned out of doors by an indignant hostess because of the scandal of her conduct with her multiform lover,--in the guise of a wretched, one-armed street-beggar, upon whom her husband makes a furious assault, whereupon, shrieking, she awakes. Then, her husband returning with the actual _Sascha_ (who proves to be subordinately concerned with the business which _Marshall_ has in hand), she is left alone with him. The interview that then occurs between them is much the cleverest passage in the play. The woman, rather forlornly, tries to discover in the man before her some trace of the romantic glamour with which she had fancifully invested him, but finds only a plebeian dullard, stupidly embarrassed, inveterately selfish and petty, and much interested in her husband’s brandy. At last, when she is relieved of his tiresome presence, she drops his long-cherished letters into the fire and joins her husband in his contemptuous amusement at her sentimental memories and the sorry figure of his “phantom rival.”--Belasco’s preservation of an unreal, dream-like atmosphere throughout the dream scenes of this play was perfect. And, of the kind, nothing so good as the acting of Miss Laura Hope Crews and Mr. Ditrichstein in the last scene of it has been visible on our Stage for many years. “The Phantom Rival” was first produced, September 28, 1914, at Ford’s Opera House, Baltimore: on October 6, it was presented at the Belasco Theatre, New York. This was the original cast: _Sascha Taticheff_ Leo Ditrichstein. _Frank Marshall_ Malcolm Williams. _Dover_ Frank Westerton. _Earle_ Lee Millar. _Farnald_ John Bedouin. _Oscar_ John McNamee. _Waiters_ { Louis Pioselli. { Frank E. Morris. _Louise, Mrs. Marshall_ Laura Hope Crews. _Mrs. Van Ness_ Lila Barclay. _Nurse_ Anna McNaughton. _Maid_ Ethel Marie Sasse. “THE BOOMERANG.”