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NEWS OF PLAYS AND PLAYERS "To-night's the Night"Too Much Realism, Says Lederer-Other Notes. By HECTOR TURNBULL. Eighteen local costume designers have made personal application to the management of Grossmith and Laurillard's all-star London Gaiety company, "To-night's the Night," for permission to attend final rehearsals of this musical comedy prior to its formal opening at the Shubert Theatre on Christmas Eve. These rehearsals being strictly private affairs, all the requests have been refused. A host of latest and exclusive spring and summer models from London and Paris are included in the wardrobe of the production. Many of of these gowns were designed by M. Comelli, who is the designer by special appointment to various members of the British nobility Other dresses are from Maison Lucile and from Mme. Fisher. In the chorus wardrobe are sixty-four summer models for 1915, some of them from the Parisian shops of Doucet and Bernard. In speaking of the new models, Miss Emmy Wehlen, one of the principals, who brought four steamer trunks full of new gowns for her American engagement in "To-night's the Night," said yesterday, "The trend for spring and summer fashions is in sand and putty color, or any tinge of similar dulness. The coming year will see a passing in favoritism for pinks and blues and greens." The electric sign now in course of construction atop the 44th Street Theatre for the new dance rendezvous, "Castles in the Air," requires a total of 1,242 bulbs. Three colors will be employed in the myriads of brilliant flashes: green, amber and deep crimson. "Castles in the Air" opens Monday evening, December 28, and Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle will appear there nightly in a repertory of their latest ballroom evolutions. "Too much realism" was the reason, take it from the press agent, who says George W. Lederer gave for limping about on a cane yesterday and looking as if he had been between the firing lines in Belgium. It was his first appearance in nearly a week, having been confined to his home as the result of townspeople mistaking a motion picture scene as being a reality. Mr. Lederer is engaged in putting into a picture Bayard Veiller's "The Fight," and one of the scenes is a run on a bank. Mr. Lederer got permission to use a Hackensack, N. J., bank (the People's National) for this scene. But it had an opposite effect to what was anticipated. About four hundred supers were in the mob that clamored for their money at the doors of the bank, and fake policemen were among them clubbing them regardless of race, color or sex. The "run" was witnessed by the townspeople, who instantly thought it really was a run, and like the German army mobilizing they started coming from every direction, until nearly two thousand persons had joined the actors. Mr. Lederer tried to stop the rush and fought them back, explaining it was only a motion picture drama, but the crowd would not take his word for it, with the result that they fought, pulled, hauled and mauled each other to get into the bank to save their money. The actors took it on the run after they had been battered about and the make-believe policemen had been swept aside as if they were not there. Then the regular policemen appeared and dispersed the mob, but it was not for some time that they would believe that they were not being victimized. The casualties among the actors consisted mainly of numerous broken canes, blackened eyes and torn clothing, while Mr. Lederer was a mass of bruises and had to have the attention of a physician. "But it made a great scene for the camera," he joyfully exclaimed. Clarence Dickinson, organist of the Brick Presbyterian Church, of this city, is the composer of the fourth set of pieces selected from among the many submitted to Winthrop Ames in response to his recent offer to play new, unpublished American music during intermission at his Little Theatre. His work will be played for the first time in public at an early date. has placed. Miss
