Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-19
oNpoN. March 5.-Henry Art

I OND0N, March 5.-Henry Arthur
Jones recent offer-in the event Of
a state.alded theater's being
founded hereto write q comedy
for 1t gratis, has resulted in renewed
discussion as TO what chance there Is
that such a playhouse ever will be an
accomplished fact, An English national
theater--the establishment OF which
probably would be followed promptly
by the opening Of one in the United
States-would, of course. be managed
on the lines Of the Coincide Franchise
in Paris and the other state-aided thea
tiers which abound in every country
or Europe. There would be no stars
and no long runs which 70 many
authorities consider the bane OF Eng
lIsh and American theatricals, but In
stead stock company which would
present a different piece almost every
night; classics, and modern plays,
comedies and tragedies being on terms
OF equality In its repertoire, Moreover,
az the state playhouse ordinary the
atrical prices would be cut In half.
II may be said at once that the Eng
llsh government shows not the slightest
disposition to 'endow" national thea
Ter. But, considering the influence Of
the folk who are intent on getting such
playhouse started, II IL rather odd
that the comparatively small money
guarntee-Henry Arthur Jones says
$4,000 n year--necessary to launch
repertoire theater has not been donated
already in a private way, William
Archer, perhaps the foremost of English
dramatic critics has been writing and
speaking for several years In favor Of
British Coincide Franchise and has
behind him practically every prominent
friend OF the drama In the county,
including Mr.. Pinero, Mrs, Craigie, and
w, j. Courteney, editor OF the Fort
night Review, who recently devoted
much space In that influential quarterly
TO discussion as to ways and means
OF getting either state or privately
endowed thcater. Jerome X. Jerome re-
Gently es FUSED the same cause, and now
comes Mr.. Jones with his ideas on the
subject and his offer to write a comedy
for q national theater without money
and without price The author OF Mrs.
Danes Defence Is regretful over the
manner In which the British play
going public spends It's money at pres
emit Judging from some reports that
have appeared" he says, lat a rough
estimate English theater-goers must
have spent in musical comedy In town
and provinces something like E5000,0 900
or 900 during the last 10 years.
That II to say, on this paticular form
OF popular entertainment the English
public has In few years spent sum
sufficient 10 buy an entire fleet; a sum
which, capitalized, would bring In about
flN,OOO u YEAR, or exactly 10 times the
sum that We need to start a sane in
tellectual drama" And what, he asks.
have we to show for these e50O0,OO0 or
e6,00O,OOO?
Interested as play-goers here are In
the new piece by W. $. Gilbert, which
Arthur Bourchier Is going to produce,
not a single hint as To its nature has
yet been youchsafed, There liz a sus-
picion, however, that the play has
81 netting to do with pantomime AZ
given at Drury Lane, II having been
discovered that the famous lbrettIst
recently has paid no less than three
VISITS TO this theater, where the Christ
mas attraction "Humpty Dumpty,"
stu holds the boards.
Mention was made in these letters
last week OF the run OF bad luck which
Signor Gabrielle D'Annunzlo has been
having In connection with his new play.
THE Daughter OF Jario, but recent re-
ports from Italy indicate that the
dramatist may console himself with the
histrlonlc achievements Of his small
SON. This lad, who Is only twelve, il
evidently born actor, Some time ago,
HIS work In amateur thoatrlcals aroused
the enthusiasm OF those who saw II.
and when, recently, he made his public
debut In the part Of page in Giaco.
sa's Game OF Chess" critics did not
hesitate to describe the youthful ac-
tors ability rs altogether uncommon.
II Is being realized more and more,
in London,that the fact Of a plays hav-
ing scored at home Is little or no crit
erion as 70 Its chances here. There
have been frequent examples Of late
"The Climbers" Dolly Warden" and
most recently, Captain Dieppe" The