Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-17
London Dramatic Letter

i 2 4 i-
lengthy interview had with him yes
tterday he frankly admitted that the
Original lines laid down for his roper
tory theater have had to be abandoned. 4
He is still quite determined to perseyere
in his intention of selecting plays only
for their artistic merit and not Tor
any chances they might have OF proving
popular OF course If you have a capt.
tai of s375,000 at your back you can
afford to do this--so long. at any rate,
as the capital remiIins. But 1T does not
necessarily follow that because a piece
fails to catch the public fancy 1t must
possess high artistic merit. Irench,
then, despite his preliminary flourish OF
trumpets, is to start at the F1aymarKet
in September just as any .other ordln-
ary manager might start elsewhere. He
| has selected a revival. of King Lear,
| for his initial venture with Norman Nc
| Kinnel up to lately Lena Ashwells
.,producer', as the king. After year
or thereabouts he hopes that quote
| his own words" strengthened by the
confidence Of the public, by the expert
ence gained respecting its tastes, ana
\ by the practical knowledge shall then
| have acquired Il shall he able to take
| up the repertory theater question
again.
So may 1t be. Yet to me, at any rate,
/. 1T seems very doubtful that what men
4 like Tree, Alexander, even Irving MN
self. have failed to accomplish, or have
| Sprudently decided to avoid, will be Sue
cessfully achieved by a manager IKE
Trench who comes to the business, fuli
i of ideas as he may be, wholly lacking
In experience. And new am waiting
i to see what Charles F'rohn,an will do
4 He also. has promised euT 4 repertory
4 theater at the Duke of York's. begin
ming next February. Clearly, however,
i his nostionI differs essentially from that
4 held BY Trench It Is an old Snowman S
& axiom that what you lose on the rounu-
fibouts you may. make up on the SWINGS,
and Frohnan can well aitora 70 uio Up. .
4 good deal of money In London, pro-
aI3yided by so doing he can secure the
/. material wanted to keep his theaters
& lin America going. 1t will be interest
Fl ting to watch how his scheme works out
z IN practise. The principal difficulty
Trench met with lies with the drama
s, tists-those. at any rate, of established
81 posltion-who naturally are firmly OPP
I posed to any system Of short runs IN
s volvinp a sudden cessation of royalties
One OF two there are. nevertheless, liRe
: Barrie, to whom Frohman in the past
!, has paid enormous amounts VINO cur
, we'll afford to regard his project WITT
/ eouanimity, knowing that sooner or iat-
|, er they will be rewarded FOR any I'M
| mediate sacrifice MADE. lHeil, at-..n
) there are enthusiasts like Granvilis
/, Barker IN Whose eyes. pecuniary recon-
. nense Is the last consideration. On sucl
: as these he can pretty confidently rely
) for cooperation.
An old bone of contention mas peei
2 thrown to the newspapers again IN TN
share of complaint by Marc klaS
$ that no American actor or actress cal
7 hope to receive Justice at the hands 0
the London critics. Frohman has pu
: an the gloves In defense OF these gen
tlenen whose consistent fairness, an
: even occasional exaggerated clenlene
: ha ID at pains to insist on. He cite;
3 3 among other examples, the cordial We
: come extended to William Gil!ette'
: Wiliam Collier and to Rose STAN, WI
= a themselves have always been promp'
q acknowledge the kindness shown c
:; ,vard them. The truth is, London IS q
: ,va,,s ready to receive with open arm
:. whateyer is good or, at least wfa lt',, ',
+ # considers to be good. Comparing y y
a sledge-hnnmer methods OF some o. - :,
- New York critics with those OF U
majority OF their English contreres'
# Is diflicult to conceive how any ~
- sonable being can find GROUNDS LOT p.,e
IS tense in the tone of flrst-ilgnt iio''e
a on this side of the Atlantic.