Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-16

| lutionizing London first night criticism or
| VIII THIS prominent actor manager speedily
| nave TO eat humble pie? These are the
QUESTIONS that are now being discussed with
avidity In theatrical circles here. and while
there Is little doubt what the answers to
them VIII be. the situation that the man.
aser OF the Garrick has just created is an
undeniably interesting one especially in
view OF some recent happenings I'm the
United States.
Briefly the situation in question is this:
Ihat from now on, according to Mr.. Bour-
chier's fixed intention, representative OF
the press Will be invited to his theater
either on the first night during the first
week OF new production. This announce
ment comes as the proverbial bombshell on
the eve of the production OF w. J. Locke's
piece, THE Morals of Marcus" at the Car
| rick, and in making II the actor-manager
OF that playhouse is kind enough TO explain
that his motive is twofold. First and fore
most 1t seems. his solicitude is for dramatic
criticism, which, to use his own words he
desires to save from sinking into the OBJ
security of mere reporting which the pres
ent system of writing against time owing
to the lateness of the hour, now necessi-
tates"
Apart from this" the manager continues
in the small leafet which. in lieu of seats.
he has sent to his accustomed guests. "a
piece is naturally seen under fairer advan-
tages to play and players after the first
few performances" So Bourcher pro-
fesses his entire willingness to receive the
press after the fateful first week has run
| its course, and now it onlv remains TO
what the London newspapers propose to do
| In the circumstances. Will they ignore the
new and unusually interesting production
at the Garrick altogether or instruct their
representatives to buy seats in the ordinary
way, or will they fall in with Mr.. Bour-
CHEERS ingenious. If somewhat paternal,
scheme and placidly await his good pleas
ure before publishing their critical esti-
| mates of the piece which Mr.. Locke has
made out of his successful novel, The
Morals of Marcus Ordeyne"?
Certainly it will be bad business for the
| manager of the Garrick If the newspapers.
declining to cooperate" as Bourcher puts
it. should one and all fail to publish notices
of this and subsequent productions at his
theater, and in that event 1t is hard to see
how the plucky. If rather hot-headed, actor
| manager can avoid a humiliating climb
| down" He was obliged to partake largely
of the humble pie once before, 1t may be
recalled, in consequence of his act in
| barring the Times critic from the first
night of a Henry Arthur Jones play. and
| as matter of fact the present innovation
on Bourchiers part is the direct result OF
a somewhat similar episode at the Garrick
This was the case of the critic of the
London News. whom Mr.. Bourchier recent
| ly declined to admit to his theater in con-
sequence of something that the writer had
said in print. Whereupon another promi-
nent critic announced publicly that he would
accept no more gratuitous seats from the
Garrick-on the ground that there was no
telllnS Wnicn reviewer might De the next
to offend its autocratic manager-and no
doubt it was this pronounciamento which
made Bourchier decide to send 10 first night
seats at all to the press, hereafter.
Meanwhile, the thing is just little hard
! on w. ]. Locke. the author OF The Morals
of Marcus" who. naturally would like TO
have his adaptation OF his novel noticed in
the regular way, as well as upon Miss Alex
andra Carlisle, the young actress who made
hit with Nat Goodwin and who is to make
her first important appearance in London
in the part of the fair. hut freakish, heroine
of the Garrick piece. However
Bourchier's action is bound to make a stir,
SO perhaps in this case the innovation will
be a valuable advertisement for all parties
concerned. His weakness. of course, lies
in the fact that he stands alone For If
Bourcher could persuade his fellow man.
ayers to cooperate" with him-instead of
inviting the press to do so-in fis decision
to avoid criticism in print until after the
first week of a run, quite possibly both the
| reviewers and the reviewed might benefit;
| it being undeniable that under the present
arrangement critics do have to work in a
hurry and that nearly any piece goes"
better after 1t has been done for a week or
more.