New-York tribune., 1909-12-12
THE PLAYG0ER
Uhat One 4ct0r-Manager Has
Done an London.

tOr-managers with theatres OF their own,
houses for which and in which they built
mp reputation. served art with high credit.
and attracted r large public following? As
the race died out in New York. so IL per
isheG throughout America. The syndicates
attended the funerals and considered the
baked meats But in London the actor
manager stii lives and flouTishes. produces
good plays. serves art as well as he can,
Hand keeps alive in fitting. not fitful, fashion
Lshe best traditions Of the stage.
Take the record Of one OF these men-Sir
IFIerbert Tree. Consider what Tree has
N.ione as manager. There are several
,opinions. there may he dozen opinions
OF him as an actor; there can he but one
'opinion ~ him as manager. a producing
actor manager. Consider him as eN-
ample Of individual initiative devoted 10
she work of a single theatre. not spreading
lis energies over the universe
Sir Herbert Tree has been an actor-man-
lager for twenty-five Years. first for sea
son ar ths Comedy Theatre in Panton
street where ne produced The Red
lI.smp": sfierward FOR nine years Al the
flIavnlarllet Theatre. where ne produced
isuirty-siN PLAYS. three of thcm 10y Shakes
.s,earc: and r"W for twelve years at His
Msjcsty~s. where 10 has produced forty
.rhrec plssvs. eleven 81 them Shakcspoare's.
sand one opera.
Tree has been an actor for something
-3fke tlurtv wears. ones recollection ~ him
lsiates back 10 an evening in the pit a. the
london Criterion in April. 1881. The first
niece on the programme was tVo-act play
DIV Arthur MatihisoH. It WAS called Brave
lIearts" spd Tree enacted an old and inn
ycvorisbed French nohenian, the Marquis
lie Chateau Laroche. who Was teaching
fuusic in London. George Giddens and
Mary Rorke were in the piece. and slight
though the lntlc comedy was Tree made
Dir IN II. The principal piece ~ the even
.ng was = rafting German farce IN three
.cts. called Where's the Cat@" adapted
h.y James Alhers. whose wife, Mary Moore.
sad not vet joined the Criterion company.
Charles Hyndham, who, Of course, man
Hced tho theatre. was not in this hil'
.-narles GIenney. Herbert Standing. George
ssiddens, Rose Saker and Miss Eastlake. all
-nf whom were 10 become known TO Amer
scan audiences tGiddens, indeed, had al
sraady been here and returned on several
subsequent occasionsl. were I'm the cast, as
was Mrs John Wood. who had been
,avorfte IN America before amy of these
Others including Wyndhsm himself tWho
s.nd acted in her company AT the Olympic
sn New York during the Civil Var, had
,hought OF going on the stage Tree in
shis three-act farce. appeared as young
purhor. one forgets what the young
shor was like. hut the old Frenchman
stands forth to-day. although Tree prob
shly has forgotten the part. Six years later
Tree went into management with outram
Tristrsm's Red Lamp.
His frsr production at the Haymsrket.
n
locks version Of Theodore de Banville's
.'csringoire." Pollock named n The Bal
asd Monger" Robert Ruchanan's Part
slers'' followed this. and ''Cupid's Mes
senEsr" poetical play in ono act by Al
fred G. Csinour. Then came a play by W.
as; Wills and sydney Grundy, founded on
JlrschvoeeIs ..NarciFsa." which they called
--Pompsd-lr." A comedy in one act
.sned "A Compromising Case" adapted
srorn tho French by Mrs T r. Smale, was
also produoed. But the first important pro-
suction Of 1883 was Captain Swift" by
1Taddon Chambers. Succeeding this came
VI q revival Of Masks and Faces" by Tom
Taylor and Charles Reade. and a comedi-
rita The Duchess 0f Bayswater & Co, ,"
s,v A. NJ. Heathcote.
Ia lsss Tree made his FIRST excursion into
ahe ShalNespearian world with a produc-
wealth" by Henry Arthur Jones sue
oeeded this and then followed "A Mans
Shadow" adapted by Robert Buchanan
from the French play Robert la Homie. 20
sydney Gr7Indys play. a Village Priest,
Mas produced IN 1920. and so was Rachel
o. dramatic sketch by Miss Go Graves.
Julia Nelson's first appearance was in ".
s. Gnberts Comedy and Tragedy re-
vfved al the IIaSmarket in lS.D. the same
scar that saw 'Called Back" by Hugh
conway and Comyns Carr. Maeterlinck' :
pne-act piece. The Intruder. Beau Aus
sin." by W. y. Henley and Robert Louis
Stevenson; ''The Waif," by COtsford Dick.
and Peril" by Saviue Rowe and B. {.
Stephenson, were produced that year.
The Dancing Girl" by Henry Arthur
zones, was the only production al the Hay
market in 1881, and Hamlet the only one
sn 1872. 'IIyparis.'' a superb production
oscar WIIde's comedy. "a Woman Of No
Importance; Jbsen's An Enemy OF the
f5aeopie," Jones's THE Tempter' and Zang-
fNriII's six Persons" I" we're put forth in the
f1ollowing year.
Tree, IL viii be seen. had got into the full
,swing OF activity. his list had both variety
tand distinction. In 1885 he produced five
hplays-Buchanan's The Charlatsn" and
len adaptation on which he CTree) collab-
orased with Louis ~. Parker, 'Once Upon
Is Time" based upon Ludwig Fulda's Der
craftsman" Octave Feuillet's ''Montjoye'
Lvas done over into - Bunch Of Violets. -
land "a Modern Eve" by Malcolm Salaman.
las well as 'JOhn-a- Dreams" by Haddon
lChambers. were the productions OF that
krear. Herman Merivales version OF Sar-
idou's Fedora" Was the first pisy in 1888,
land 'srriIby'' the second. Henry w.
Cfrst psrt) was the production for 1896. A.
the end OF that season Tree left the Hay
.snarl1et Theatre, and IN the following year
Opened Her Majesty's. now Ills Majesty's
the new house which had been built for
him on the other side OF the street. There.
sn ls97, his productions were:
The Seats OF the Mighty" by Gilbert
Parker; ''Chand d'Habits," a play with
out words and IN three scenes by Ca
tulle Mendes; ''The Silver Key" a comedy
by Sydney Grundy. adapted from Alex
andre DumRss "Mile. de Belle-Isie.' and
katherine and Petruchio."
Julius Cesar the first production
.n 1855. and Ragged Robin" an adapta-
tion by Louis y. Parker. from Jean Richie
pins lie Chemineau." the second. The
Musketeers," Alexandra Dumss's trio. q,
course. arranged by Sydney Grundy. was
1he ;hird play OF that year.