The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-06-19

OF course there viii be no agreeing upon
the dear old drammer so long as some of
US insist that the theatre IS place
If amusement and should De considered as
such ana the others persist in believing
that the theatre should be utilized as a
training school for the serious minded.
Max BeerbOhm Is a dramatic reviewer
IN London who Clings to the jolly view OF
thea trlcals. Recently he was asked
whether on not I'M his opinion II paid dra-
matists to write plays That betrayed signs
or originality He replied IN the negative,
and then added:
The misfortune is that a very large
proportion of managers are not only good
fellows. but duh fellows. and they are
consumed by an instructive dread of any
thing which may be termed clever
why people continue to attend the So
called serious theatres I really do not
know. ! 90 because ! happau to bC a dra-
matte critic, but ] never so for Ely own
enjoyment instruction or amusement.
The plays presented DO not stimulate
thought they do not engage the eve and
there Is really very little Tor the ear.
Personally I have no doubt that the
public would rather so 80 see play
little above the average mental level of
the audience than one which is below it.
Play-gCers DO not object 70 being deli
cateiy fiatrcrcd i'm that way
The sorry truth is that our serious
managers have got into d groove, and
nothing, not even poor houses can pull
them out OF it, Therefore we all go 10
see musical comedies, and are at least
amused
Charles HaWtrey. too. has bad his trOu-
bles with George Bernard shaw, the bril-
liant eccentric OF London who VIII. uH-
less an signs fail be the most popular
playwright Of season after next. Mr..
Hawtrey believed iD Shaw and did his
best TO effect a joining OF interests, but
the author gracefully aud srdciOusiy side
stepped
Il had been anxious TO do the play that
Arnold Daily intends 90 produce next sea-
son. You Can Never Tell '' SAYS HaW-
trey. II wrote to shaw -sklns nls per
mission 70 do the play, end ne said ne
would come and read ~ o. one, lie came
and began by saying.
sometimes j think this is the best
play that was ever written, and al others
pretty poor play. but If you must have il,
well dont blame me for the consc-
queuces.
This was cheerful TO begin with. How
ever. / insisted that I did want it. After
ward I asked him III ] could compress the
last act He declined t9 allow one word
to be altered or cut out IN view of Ger
tain contingencies 4 had 10 teii him then
that l. could not produce It. His answer
Thank you so much. You have taken
great load OFF ms mind.
Vow, what are you 90 do with a man
And then Hawtrey spoke of his return
90 England and now i'll say farewell
years Maybe I am. ] thought 7 was
coming back next September, but proba-
b,v other people know better than I do.
AT all events I won't keep away amy
longer than J can help. 2 once knew a
man who always used tu sleep with "A
Bible Under his pillow and a sword by
his side-the one 10 keep OFF the devil and
the other to keep away the mortal cue-
my. I sleep with Bible and 'Huckieber-
~ Finn. The Bible keeps of the Old
HcTatCh-and. I hope. in future, accidents
and Huckieberry Finn'-well, that helps
90 remind me Of the American public
That's not effusive. but les true and /
rather fancy. quite original
A practice has sprung up lately Ga the
London theatrical world which is irritat-
ing TO Americans here because of the way
I'm which 10 hbels the artistic judemeut
of audiences az home. This consists of
announcing as having been "a great sue
cess in America plays that have been
nothing Of the sort. Two recent In
stances have been Captain Dieppe" and
'Ihe Sword Of the King Unless the
writer mistakes, John Drew found little
favor with the piece by Anthony Hope
and Harrison Rhodes yet when the play
was pat on at the Duke Oe York re-
Gently it was described as eau American
Success It lasted a fortnight here. one
has never understood, either that Hem
rietta Crosman made fortune out Of
The Sword 81 tae kins yet this piece