New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-06
IN THE LONDON THEATRES
New Plays This Season Mostly
Poor in Quality.
"DO0RMATS" FALLS FLAT
George Fawcett Alters Last Act
of Great John Canton" to
Please British Audiences.
LRy Cahln To The Tribune. ]

lBy CaDle 10 iIlpuHe.I
London, Oct. 5.-Of the three new
plays produced in London this week,
The Turning Point" at the st.
Jamess, is the only one which has any
reason to hope for a successful run.
The other two. THE Open Door" and
"Doormats," were disappointments.
London has had more than a fair
share OF poor plays among the new
offerings this season.
THE Open Door" is rather cheap
religious melodrama, supposedly deal
ing with Russian peasant life. Door
mats" is intended to be comedy, deal
ing with a married partnership. in
which one member is the doormat.
while the other Is the shoe that kicks II.
The characters. however, are unreal.
the development is strained, md there
is nothing about the whole thing de-
serving Of success.
George Fawcett has found THE
success with the British public. 1t
takes It's audiences the whole OF the
first act to begin TO get acquainted with
the characters, and at no time. seem
ingly, is the spirit of the play grasped.
Mr.. Fawcett, however, likes London,
and. though he received an offer from
William J. Brady this week to open
with a new play In. Chicago. he prefers
-. H.. III is, f,o,
with an English author over a play
which he hopes to produce in a few
weeks. '....- s,1.s4fg.
Meantime ne is trying to keep THE
Great John Canton" going by putting
on a new last act, in which a happy
ending is obtained without straining
probabilities quite so fearfully as In
the present version.
George Bernard Shaw is understood
70 have completed two long plays as
we'll as the one-act play which is TO be
put on with the Pinero and Barrie one
act plays. One Of the long plays. it Is
said deals with the Christian Martyr,
n type which. according TO Shaw, is
now properly presented to the world
for the first time. The other is called
"Pygmalion," and is concerned with IA
professor OF phonetics who reduces the
study to such scientific exactitude that
he can tell the origin and history Of
every one merely from the infections
OF the voice. ,.-
Now that 1.-The Girl in the Taxi" has
made such n success ct the Lyric. p.
Michael Faraday Is preparing for his
return to America to arrange for the
production Of his and Frederick Fenn's
musical play '"Amasis, - watch had a
fine run here several years ago at the
New Theatre. 'N'.a. - %.
c. NJ. 5. Mcclellan and Ivan Caryll
are now about to start FOR Pars- 70
work on a musical version Of THE
Little cafe" the cable reports as 10
"Oh, Oh. Delphine" being so satisfac-
tory.
Frank Stayton has just finished a
new three-act comedy. "Tantrums, "
which will take the place OF "a Young
Mans Fancy when that piece has An
ished it's run at the Criterion. Mr..
etayton's play was finished less than
fortnight ago, and was accepted
within a week after Il was written.
H. b. Irving. who has long made
criminology his hobby, is about to pub
lIsh book on the Maybrick case. Mr..
Irving's book on French criminals is
well known. lie is n member Of the
Murder Club, which meets once a
month In London to discuss current
crimes.
Steps are being taken TO organize a
chorus girls union to3secure Increase
Of pay. The organization work is be-
ing undertaken by the Musicians
Union, and strike Is threatened for
November unless the rate of pay for
chorus girls is raised before that date.
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