Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-07
WELLSPRINCS OF THE DRAMA
Where the Plays Come From and Why
They Come.
ART IN STRETCHING TRIPLES
Best JudGs Of American Plsys-The
Napoleon of the Foreign Mar
Eet-suitInE Plays 60
the Stars.
ART IN STRETCHING TRIPLES

Where do all the plays come FROM Is
perhaps as interesting a question as, Why
do they come? II Is. At all events, a good
deal more easily answered. Where they
all 60 to is not so simply determined
and, Indeed. IL doesn't matter much what
becomes Of most Of them. One thing is
fairly certain; all the plays that amount
70 anything come sooner or later to
America, not TO mention a great many
that amount to less than nothing. Some
of them are greeted with an enthusiasm
that does not diminish until they have
visited every nook and corner Of what
Is usually described as our fair land
all the way. In fact, from the most expen-
sive and pretentious theaters Of Broadway
to the ten, twent' and thirt'" play
houses of the circuit.
Others are met at the pier by the battle
axe brigade and speedily put out Of their
misery, while still others are allowed to
die lingering, but still early deaths, on
the theory. perhaps, that sudden demise
is too good for them.
Not s% our plays, OF course, are immi-
grants, but a large number of them are,
and OF these a great majority come, like
our language, from England, like our
fashions, come from Paris, and a few are
made in Germany" Little Of the Italian
output has reached us since Americans
got to understand what D'Annunzio really
means. Now and then something sneaks
in from Russia or Spain. The scandi-
navian importatlons ceased, Of course,
with the passing Of the viking Of the
drama. Ibsen.
Imported Plays.
Nine out OF every ten Of the imported
plays get to America through the hands
TLa
English and French fields are his especial
care, and he goes over them annually
with a fine-tooth comb and a microscope.
Mr.. F'rohman has been called the Napol-
con OF the drama, and there's rumor that
he doesn't mind it a bit. And. perhaps,
II one could forget Waterloo, the charac-
terization would seem more apt. But
there isn't the slightest LANCER of Mr..
Frohman ever meeting his Waterloo. Ma
poleon knew perfectly well before ever
he entered that Justly popular battle that
he was taking chances.
But Mr.. Frohma doesn't believe in taxi
ing chances. He let's the other fellows DO
that. At least 30 per cent Of the plays
that Mr.. Frohman produces in America
have been already produced by somebody
else, either in Paris or London. and liked a
good deal there by persons in the habit Of
spending money in theaters. Mr.. Froh-
mans formula is: What England or
France have liked, America will like, too
and experience has shown that II is On
the whole a fairly workable formula. Oc-
casionally It fails. 1t failed in the case
of ]. M. Barrle's gastric comedy, Little
Mary" London liked that immensely.
America begged to differ. 1T was too
subtle for you" said London. we don't
like plays about our stomachs," retorted
America.
Few, indeed, are the French or English
dramatists Of consequence upon the Amer
lean rights of whose plays Mr.. Frohman
has not a practical option. even before the
plays are written. j. NJ. Barrie, Henry
Arthur Jones, Sir Arthur Wing Pinero,
Captain Robert Marshall, II. V. Esmond,
r. c. Carton. Sir Conan Doyle. w. somer-
set Vaughan, George Bernard Shaw and
many others are virtually under contract
TO him. And the beauty OF It, from the
managers point Of view, is that II their
plays fail In London 1t isn't necessary to
bring them to America at all. This is
highly desirable, but it's a trifle inconsis-
tent with the Napoleonic legend.
Restricted Home Market.
Occasionally Mr.. Frohman does produce
a play by an American dramatist but Il is
n rare exception when that dramatist is
not a man of proved ability, such a play.
wright as Augustus Thomas. who would
like to be a politician, or. the late Clyde
Fitch, who didn't care to be. It is said
that Mr.. Frohman has safes ana safes
rammed to bursting with plays bought OF
American authors which will in all prob.
ability never be produced. One native
dramattst boasts that he has received $500
in advance royalties or other payments
on plays OF his that Mr.. Frohmsn will
never produce. However hat may be. 4
is safe to say that II any play OF Engilsl
Or French origin gets into this country