The San Francisco call., 1905-05-21
Britain Invaded bV
the Yankee
Actors.
Plays Which Scored
Here Well Received
Across Atlantic.
Theatrical Season in Paris
Unsatisfactory From the
First to Close.
Special Cable to The CAN.


LONDON. May 2O.-The American play
invaded England and conquered the Brit
ish public. Under the generaIship of
Charles Frohman the experiment has be-
come a decided success, and Frohman
declares that hereafter his companies will
include London in their tours just as they
do Chicago and San Francesca
AS the result Of five years of effort
Frohman has twenty-three companies
now on contract TO play on British soil
and by next year he will have four
theaters in London.
The result of his experiment of bring
ing whole company over here TO pro-
duce an American play anc the fact that
Leah Kleschna' has also made such a
big hit has made the American manager
feel that his prediction that American
plays could succeed just as well in Lon
don as English plays in America has
been borne out.
The Anglo-Saxop peoples are some-
what alike after all' said Frohman
and the question OF locale IN play
amounts TO nothing il the play is there
The difficulty with US managers is that
we so seldom see where the play is and
that when We don't find it out we blame
the audiences.
The American playwright is beginning
to take his place among the leading play
writers of the world, as l said when l
arrived here this time
Il had then in view the production of
five American plays. 1 have produced
two of them-beth with great success,
though they are so widely different
The strong drama of Mr. Mcclellan
CLeah Kleschna). with its human
touches, made its effect in London, just
the same as in New York
The typical American character por-
trayed by Collier in Mr.. Davis play re-
ceived the same shouts here that it did in
Broadway.
''One thing is now demonstrated Plays
from our country-I mean by that real
plays-are welcome in England. American
actors of individuality and distinctive
manner will find success here as star at
fractions or among an army of successful
actors.
LONDON IN ALL TOURS.
II hold contracts for at least six Amer
lean plays produced in America that L
feel positive will succeed here. | now
have in rehearsal just for copyright per-
formances William Gillette in his new
American play. My important stars wsll
find in the future that their tours win in
clude London just the same as they do
Chicago and San Francisco. My actors
may be called upon to play in Philadel-
phia in December and in Edinburgh IN
February. This isn't the outcome of two
plays, but five or six years spent in es-
tablishing my work here as fully as IN
America.
Il wish to announce that at the begin
ming of next year / shall have in London
the Duke of Yorks. the Vaudeville, the
new Oldwich, now being constructed, and
in November the building OF a new thea
ter will begin for me in Shaftesbury ave-
N the
Apollo 1heater.
From the plans l believe this will be
equal in construction to the Empire Thea
ter in New York.
L nave already organized twenty
three companies to tour in England for
Miss Marie Tempest is to continue star
ring and Miss Ellen Terry is to make
provincial tour.
collier was more amazed the other
night than his audience, and was doubt
less the happiest man in London when
he found his points coming back to him.
The result OF his success has been that
he is now walking up and down Picca-
dilly in a high hat
My friend Barry, who never goes to
first nights. attended the dress re-
hearsal with me and insisted on having
tickets for the opening night, thus see
ing the play two nights in succession"
POOR SEASON IN PARIS.
PARIS, May W.-The Paris theatrical
season commenced badly this year. and
its end has been no better than the be-
ginning. With the exception of the
Coincide FraRcaise, which is scoring a
great success with lie Duel" there is
nothing worthy of remark Other thea
ters are already renewing their bills,
though only for a month. Whether this
is due to the war. to bourse difficulties
or to the temperature is impossible to
determine, but in any case there is quite
slump in theatrical activity just now
The Isola Brothers, proprietors of the
Folies Bergeres and the Olympia, have
sold those noted Music halls to NJ Paul
Ruez. proprietor OF the Partisan. the
Quintania and a few more music halls
The Ruez combination is described as
a music hall tr9st. and as such is hav-
Ing difficulties with the Societe des
Auteurs, Compositeurs ct Editeurs de
MusiQue.
lsn interesting dramatization of Kip
lngs Jungle Book has been nrade bv
Nine. Ciaudius Jacquet. who has ADAPT
ed NM Louis Fabulet and Robert
Il Hur17iere's translation of L;,l;v -, IL