The San Francisco call., 1905-08-29
RUNNING
OVER A YEAR
Several Shows Now Being
Produced in London Have
Been On for Many Months
SHAW WANTS A TRUST
Dullness of Concert Season
Brings a Vail From Many
of the English Managers
SHAW WANTS A TRUST
Special Dispatch to The Call.

LONDON, Aug. 2s.-While theatrical
managers generally are complaining
that the season has been a bad one and
that the excessive salaries demanded by
stars render some form of theatrical
trust inevitable, the long runs achieved
by some really good plays in London
show that there is small foundation for
the frequent complaint that the pub
lie taste is deteriorating Among the
plays that still held the boards, We
ronique' has just been given for the
450th time, The Catch of the Season
has reached its 3s4th performance.
The Walls Of Jericho has been pre-
sented- 304 times, with no signs of
diminution in its popularity, Lady
ances to it's credit, and Leah Kleschna"
has been seen los times and is still run
nlng strong.
Doubtless some of these plays will
be continued through next season, and
their runs may approach those of
notable earlier favorites. Among these
"Charley's Aunt" still leads. with 1856
consecutive performances in London
and Our Boys as close. second with
a run of 1852 performances. The Pri-
vate Secretary and The Chinese
Honeymoon" both ran for over a thou
sand nights in the metropolis The fol-
lowing are the figures for consecutive
performances of some other striking
successes: Dorothy" 931; San Toy"
over 500; La Poupee," IT'S; The
Geisha" 760 "A Country Girl" over
700; The Toreador," 675; The Mi
kado," 672; and 'Our Flat" 645
These figures relate only to consecu-
tive performances In London of the
plays mentioned. 1t would be a diff
cult matter to tell how many times
some of them have been seen here and
in America with several companies
playing them simultaneously in both
countries. The record for that peren
NAL favorite, "Charley's Aunt" must
run up to several thousands. The fig
ures for some of the older melodramas
would be found to exceed these. The
Silver King" and The Lights of Lon
don" have been played on some stage
or other practically every night for
a quarter of century. The record for in
dividual achievements is probably held
by Miss Jennie Lee, who has acted 10
in "Bleak House" nearly 5000 times
The other day Fred Powell stated that
he had played Jagon in "A Grip of
Iron" over 5000 times and Van Biene
has registered his 3055th performance
of the genius in The Broken Melody"
SHAW WANTS TRUST.
One never knows whether Bernard
Shaw is talking seriously or only just
fooling, but his declaration that the
establishment Of theatrical trust here
would be enormously better. both for
the morals of the nation and the pri-
vate affairs of the theatrical profess
sion,". meets with no support from other
playwrights Among others. G. r.
Sims. who has been journalist and
playwright for the last thirty years,
has been interviewed on the subject.
III once a theatrical trust becomes
firmly established in this country" he
says, 'it will be bad thing for the
author. bad thing for the actor and
a bad thing for the public, Take our
railways. : If these Were, monopoly see
what it would be for the people. We
should have the same old stations and
the same old trains. and IL we grumbled
we should be told that If we didn't like
it we could stay away. the, railway trust
knowing full well that in the end you
would have to come to them 1t would
be Just the same with the theatrical
trust. for the theatrical passenger