The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-13
NEWS AND GOSSIP
 OF LONDON STAGE Elliott Refuses to Play "The
 Inferior Eex" FANNY WARD COMING Shaw, Pinero and Barry Triple Bill Attracting Much Attention-Tree Wants to Revive Shake
 speare in England
By MALCOLM WATSON

4.
 V. Esmond's new comedy, "A Young
 Mans Fancy" produced less than fort night ago by Carl Level at the Criterian.
 In the emergency Level has been casting about to secure some new attraction, but up to the time of writing has not succeed
 ed In coming to any definite arrangement
 regarding the future. He holds the En-
 glish right in "The Inferior Sex,' the
 piece which Nadine Elliott did some time
 ago at her own theatre in New York, and
 he would have lost no time in putting 1t
 on had he been able to secure that ac-
 tress for the part. Failing her he offered
 It to Irene Vanbrugh. who. however, has
 a scheme of her own which she hopes to
 carry into effect later in the season.
 Levels last move was to open negotia-
 tons with Louis Meyer of "The Glad
 Eye fame, to come in at the Criterion on sharing terms with Gladys unser
 new play, ..The Son and Heir,' which, as I have already mentioned, Meyer late ly acquired from Vedrenne and Eadie. Whether anything will come Of the pro- posal remains to be seen.
 The other day 1 looked in at the Duke of Yorks to see if it would be possible to fix up a special triple interview with Pinero, Barrie and Bernard Shaw con- corning their three little one-act plays which Frohman puts on there as his next programme. Pinero at once expressed ms willingness provided the other two agreed to fall in with the plan. l knew should have no difficulty in landing Shaw, who is always good for column or there abouts of racy copy. Barrie recognized to be the doubtful quantity and my sus- picions in this respect were speedily con firmed. In the whole course of his life, he declared he had never publicly dis cussed a play of his and with every pos
 sible regret, nothing, he continued, would
 induce him to alter his determination.
 When I communicated the news to Pin
 ero he. too. retired into his shell, saying
 that it must be all or none. The result
 is that playgoers will have to walt the
 first performance before learning any
 thing authoritative about the promised
 triple bill.
 One interesting little detail I succeeded
 in unearthing, however. When Pinero's
 and Barries plays were put into rehear-
 sal 1t was found that the two had one
 very important feature in common. Each
 contained certain rather special theatrical
 effects leading up to the crucial point Tn
 the piece and, wonderful to relate, they
 were of an absolutely identical character.
 Certainly it is the oldest thing in the
 world that two writers working quite
 independently and for the same manager
 should have used similar means for the
 purpose of bringing about the crisis or
 their respective plays. But so 1t has nap
 pened and in the circumstances Barrie
 at once offered to withdraw his piece and to substitute for it another which by good luck he had in his desk The proposal was accepted and I dare say the loss to the public will be of the slightest The chief sufferers are, of course the mem bers of the company originally engaged, whose services will not now be required. Apropos. Pinero has laid the action or his little drama in the reign or George III This Is the first time, unless am
 greatly mistaken, he has given us a cos tune play.
 George Fawcett, Fam sorry to say. has not struck oil at the Aldwych with 'The Great John Canton Frankly, I never expected he would, for the play is hardly of a kind to appeal very strongly to our public The next occupant of the Aid wyeh will in all probability be Fanny Ward in an adaptation of French play called "Montmartre" I remember read ing the notices of the original when II was done in Paris where it enjoyed fair measure of success. Whether Fanny will do any good with it is another ques- l ton. Her ventures in London have not, l so far been productive of very brilliant | results.
 From Liverpool, where he is playing in
 
 lprobably to make sure that His Majes- | tvs theatre still retained it's old place on | the map At the same time he had the opportunity of convincing himself by an examination of the returns that brake | was doing as big business as ever. What he will himself do in the near future he hardly knows He has several schemes
 on hand, but which is destined in the | end to come to the surface is still prop | lematical. Among the plays he wants to produce is Somerset Maugham's version | of "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.' called | "A Perfect Gentleman; that he would rather like to do at another theatre. Ana having been immensely struck by Alex ander carisIe's success in "Everywoman' he has written her suggesting that she
 might join him as leading lady after her | Drurv Lane engagement Still, were 1t possibIe to read Trees inmost thoughts. | I think you would find that his dearest ambition Is to cross the Atlantic agaln and give your public an opportunity of | judging him in a series or Snakespeareah revIvals The idea is at present only in the air. vet 1t is by no means impossible that | ii may materialize by the end of the year Should Drake" have finished by l then the chances are that Tree will put up at His Majestys Pierre Lotfs 'The I Daughter of Heaven,'' about which and
 it's production at the New Century thea
 tre everybody in New York seems to be | talking just now The suggestion is that
 Forbes Robertson might be tempted to
 take Trees place at His Majesty's, and
 plsv the leading part In '"rhe Daughter | of Heaven" I, for one. am convinced. however, there Is not money enough in London to induce him to try to memorize
 a new part.
 ! Granville Rarker's revival of "A Win | ter's Tale" at the Savoy has provoked storm of discussion. Barker. of course. l is we'll able to defend himself and his methods and he is shrewd enough to rec
 ornize that controversy is hardly likely to iniure business. Tn order to get through the piece without cutting any of the
 lines he had apparently enforced upon his company the need Of gabbling the text. The result was that in many instances If was quite impossible to know what the performers were talking about. Barker insists that he is only endeavorng quite simply and sincerely. by the method Of
 trial and error-for he who makes no mistakes makes nothing-and by the light 1 of his own wit and ragination to inter- bret a dramatic masterpiece. All he asks | is that the critics and the public shall | judge his efforts by the standard of an open mind and natural taste and not of artincially stimulated prejndices. I can not help wishing sometimes that Barker
 would give I'D play producing and return ! to hs old business of play writing We
 conld very we'll do with successor t. .syhe Voyse- Inheritance.'
 1 was chatting with Marie Tempest
 the other day when she suddenly sprang
 it upon me that her son had entered the ranks Of theatrical ma nagers. Sometimes | .oov,u little difficult In raoo,,ot,..