Omaha daily bee., 1908-07-05
ENGLAND PLACE FOR THE ACTOR
Treated with Far More Respect by
Everybody.

Everybody.
LONDON, June 24-(Special Correspond
ence.)-"I am sorry to leave England" said
Joseph Coyne to me a few days ago, be
cause, from the viewpoint of the actor,
England is a far better place than the
United States. The actor has a standing
here: he has none in America. In Eng
land he is placed on a level with the artist
or the lawyer or any other professional
man. II he coiducts himself properly he
Is respected. In the United States he is
a hamfatter' and more or less Of an out
cast.
Behind the scenes also the actor in
England has a happier time than in the
United States. He gets better and more
considerate treatment from the managers.
The stage hands and other employees show
him a Difference unknown in America. In
the United states a servant Is as good as
his master and wants everybody to know 1t.
Between American and English audi
ences l see absolutely no difference. II
they like you they like you. and II they
don't, they don't. 1t is the same in both
countries. So far as I have been able
to discover there is no prejudice in Eng
land against either American players or
American plays
Coyne said this in talking of his coming
return to the United States. For although
The Merry Widow" shows no signs OF
diminishing drawing power, the American
comedian sails for New York on August /.
With Alexander Carlisle, a young English
actress who was Nat Goodwin's leading
woman in England, he will appear at the
Garrick, New York, in The Mollusc' I'M
der Charles ohm management. I
don't know OF any theatrical change of
the near future so interesting as this trans
ition OF Coyne from musical comedy to le-
climate drama. The comedian himself is
delighted.
II am tickled to death at the change"
he told me. lone can't be a musical com
edy comedian all his life. When the gray
hairs begin to appear-and to disappear
you're tossed In the scrap heap. You're a
has been and the younger boys come
along and put you out OF business. Al
though I am still a young fellow. the
change had to come sooner or later, and
when Charles Frohman offered me this
chance l jumped at 1t. I was a bit shaky
myself, but we have been rehearsing for
some weeks and Frohman is satisfied with
my work, so what else have I got to
worry about? We all know our parts and
could open tomorrow II necessary"
One Of the prettiest musical comedies I
have ever seen is Gustav Luders' Wood
land." I hear that after all these months
III Is to be produced in London at the
Adelphi in October. Luders' prince OF
Pilsen' was produced at the Shaftesbury
some years ago, and besides pleasing the
British public served to introduce them to
Camille Clifford. whom they took to their
hearts and subsequently married to a fu-
ture peer. The composer has been in
Germany, searching, It is said. for a new
libretto. but intends to return to the United
states in time for the production Of his
new operette, "Marcelle.' An application
came in this week, by the way. for the
Danish and Norwegian rights Of the
Prime OF Ptlsen."
Tomorrow evening Fannie Ward will pro-
duce at Terry's theater Eugene Walters
one-act play. Til Flag Station to pre-
cede The Three of Us" Wagenals &
Kemper have already made arrangements
to present Annie Russell in the journalist
dramatists Paid in Full in London in
the fall.
Al last Cyril Maude, who Is universally
beloved in England, has an unmistakablc
success after along run OF hard luck. He
has been blamed for producing poor plays.
but he retorts that they were the only
sort he could get, The audience at the
Playhouse on Tuesday night, however
cheered itself hoarse over The Flag Lieu
terant.' It isn't a great play, but Major
Drury and Leo Trevor. who wrote II,
know their business, and the situations
were so well managed, and the curtains"
in particular, so effective. that everybody
was happy, even though II was evident
almost from the beginning how the plot
was 20 end.
II is a story about = villain and without