New-York tribune., 1909-05-02
LONDON NOTES
Renertory Theatres plays and
Pictures.

"a.
"a A+.ernoou Theatre" at His Majestys is
g source Of refreshment for faded play
en5 two more repertory houses are prom
One enterprise is to be directed by Mr..
--.-,.-t Trench with Mr.. Leyel behind him as
-..,aI manager, and there is said to be capital
e,.dged for three years experiment as haf-
Lo,,sa The time Will be divided between
81 ,ons run drama and repertory pieces Inc
Its and rnatinees, when the money maker Is
= nroduced will be devoted successively 10
-,,ssic drama Of the Shakespearian order. mod
=, revfvals and new plays The repertory
.h.-s will be repeated so long as there is
-,,h,,c support for them and changed When
-. :. an evident craving for more interesting
- Mr.. Charles Frohnan has also an
.o,,rced that he intends to conduct the Duke
:. v-,,.s Theatre on similar lines without call
- ,,,on wealthy patrons Of a more intellectual I
=. for financial subscriptions He will re-
- ore-half Of the performances for roper
e., rlsvs. giving the preference to new Eng
,,.b drama continuing the recent work OF the
,-or-+ Theatre and obtaining the active coop
.r.+fon Of Mr.. Barrie. Mr.. Barker, Mr.. Shaw
and Mr Galsworthy-
7-,.sa notable experiments. which will open
.ha nav for the establishment Of the National
-bakespeare Theatre with an endowment De
,.5 - ere compromises on half and half terms.
The long run system is not abandoned but nm
80 :, three nights Of the week and two natl
rees and the three remaining nights ana
.,t-5 matinee are set apart for the encourage
,e,+ of the new dramatst the cultivation OF
a.. o,5-fzshioned art Of acting and the intel
,..+e1 invigoration Of audiences. Commercial
a.. al dramatic art are TO meet half way and
- &c n help the other out. Mr.. Trench has
-. named either his authors or his plays but
~, Frobnlsn gives forecast Of his policy ny
ro-,isjrg productions like strife. Ihe SlI-
= Roy John Bulls Other Island The
1--se,, inheritance" Blot in the 'Scutcheon
and Peer Gynt," in addition TO What Every
Woman Knows THE Admirable Criohton ana
.pe+er Pan" For carrying out this programme
ha is already recruiting a strong company Win
-. 4, Il who will consent to play small parts
occasionally Less costly scenery VIII De Pio-
i5e5. actresses will cease TO advertise dress
makers and niiliners and Will dress the parts
.s tbev would in real life. and dramatists are
= - encouraged TO write plays with ideas and
:. -errodrce life as it is lived These things
..s,, almost too good to he true The theatre
e +besA reforms are carried cut, will become
once more 2 school of acting, stronghold OF
nroeressive thought and social satire, and the
home of 2 broader and deeper drama rooted III
the home soil Of wholesome realism
The successes Of the week have been scored
=. the vaudeville and the st. James's- Miss
Rose stahl fascinated her audience with prl-
-oa-,. o,1+hurst Of slang. an exaggerated accent
s,5 smile that warmed the Coldest heart
.rTbe Chorus Lady" was poor play stocked
with rrlstv vornout devices, but the American
actors never glanced at stalls or galleries, were
entirely preoccupied with their parts ana dlo
their vrorl, with sincerity and consistency. Miss
stahl had triumph. such things go. and she
won il without showing a sign OF nervousness
or indecision Seldom has company or AfheFl-
can players received a heartier welcome Il
nearly every cne spoke with a nasal twang the
audience liked it When Miss Gertrude Elhou
plaved the part Of an American widow IN MI
Henry Janes's THE High Bid" and converted
her inro 2 we'll bred woman with faultess man
ners and accent and musical laugh and voice II
was TOO good a performance to please some OF
the critics who demanded the nasal note me
stage conventions were followed by the chorus
girls at the Vaudeville, and they were creolleo
with having good looks and with acting efec-
tively- with characteristic American energy
Without doubt Miss Stahl viii be a popular ia
vorite if she ever returns with better play ana
continues 10 hold on TO her accent
The other success is the light comedy Coio-
mel Smith, by Mr.. Mason, at the St james >
III medley Of politics and country house life.
an imaginary lover by romantic heroine ana
the necessity for fegning GRIEF when he is killed.
It is highly entertaining and amusing, with
two capital old men, well played by MI
William Farren and Mr.. Vivian Reynolds, hair
e dozen young people brImming over with bright
talk and buoyancy OF spirits, and with MT
Alexander and Miss Irene Vanbrugh IN the
leading comedy parts and Illuminating them
with the most delicate art and the most spark
ling hurnor It is a thoroughly delightful play
with whimsical rather than farcical situations
and with drol sayings at every turn Of the dla-
logue Mr.. Alexander and Miss Irene van
brugh are so often seen in melodrana or emo
tional plays that audiences are in the way OF
forgetting how good comedian each OF them
is In this play the comic spirit brings out their
finest qualities
Mr.. Wilson Steer has been one Of tho most
Industrious painters of the New English Art
Club with style which has been becoming
year by year broader and more decorative, both
IN landscape and in portraiture- 1t may be
premature to describe him as q great painter Of
portraits and subject pictures. although his
work stands ont on a wall with a Sargent; but
II cannot be questioned that he is & landscape
PAINTER Of the first rank. No other conclusion
can he formed after collection OF twenty
seven Of his sketches and finished works has
been studied at the Goupil Gallery. The big
canvas "Corfe Castle" with q range Of undu-
lsting hills illuminated by vivid glare Of
sunlight except where shadows are cast by
storm clouds, might be mistaken easily for a
Constable were 1t not for the decorative effect
Of the green's puppies and blues. Only a painter
with q great style would have ventured to re-
dice the gray ruins to a minor detail In the
folds Of the majestic sweep Of the downs Mr.