The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-11-17
Americans Provide Large Share of Entertainment
COLLAPSE OF SHAW
English Audiences Beginning to Get Too Much Drama About Ameri- can Police Methods-Stan-
 laws Profits by Failure
nv MALcoLM wATsoN

week ago l mentioned that tne sidW- pinero- Barrie bill at the Duke of Works was not fated to enjoy long fife The idea then was to retain ]. M Barrie's little comedy "Rosalind" In the program to which would be added couple of new pieces. It is not al ways easy. however, to find exactly what you want at the precise moment when it Is most needed and this truth quickly became pressngly apparent at the Duke of York's. Consequently some other means to fill the gap had to be discovered Fortunately the success of Penrhyn staniaws' adaptation of Henry Kistemaekers' instinct" in Idv- ernool had set Aubrey Smith all agog to try the piece in London. Tn the cir cumstances 1t only took him few days te come to an arrangement with Charles Frohman's representative, by virtue of which Instinct" goes on at inc Duke of York's next week. with Barrie's "RosaIind" as an afterpiece. fear the news will be received neither by Shaw nor by Pinero with whole hearted satisfaction.
 Faraday Back
 Michael Farady is back from New York looking very sunburnt and some what geabeaten. On the whole he seems to have enjoyed his trip across the Atlantic and, although he tells me the matter is not quite definitely set tied, he has every hope that one result of the voyage will be the production of his opera "Amasis" on your side. Dur Ing his stay in New York he saw "oh Oh! Delphine," with which he appears to have been immensely struck. So much was this the case that he would cutie willingly have acquired the piece for the Lyric. As it happens. George Edwardes has got prior claim upon 1t, and if ''oh. Oh! Delphine" is as good as everybody says. Edwardes is hardly the man not to avail himself of his option.
 within the Law
 Apropos of Edwardes I understand that he has just bought the English rights in Bayard veilier's play within sthe Law" Miriam Clements wrote to him of it's great success in New York, strongly urging him to purchase 1t, possibly with the view of appearing in he leading part herself over here. Wal
 
 about a fortnight ago, brought the n1anuscript with him in his pocket. He wanted 5000 down by way of advance royaltiess whether he succeeded in ex- tracing that pretty considerable sun from Edwardes may be doubted The only thing fear is that we are being just q little. overdone with plays deal ing with police methods and the doings of crooks in America. It is a subject N hich only interests us to minor ex- tent and as the love interest in such plays is generally given d subordinate place in the background the interest, so far as our particular public Is con- cerned, is appreciably lessened. Some hing of this was made evident the other evening at the Globe where off cer 666" was played for the first time. After the curtain fell I found Winchell smith. Wallace Eddinger and John Miltern distinctly disappointed by the rather lukewarm reception given alike to play and players. l reminded them, however, that a London first night au- dence allowed itself to be stirred to an exhibition of great enthusiasm only on rare occasions.
 Tree Disappears
 Beerbohm Tree suddenly disappeared at the end of last week without giving any clue to his whereabouts. Just as we were thinking of putting the de- tectives on his track there came a tell egram to His Majestys announcing that he had arrived in Vienna and that his letters were to be forwarded to him there. Whether his object in visiting the Austrian capital is to secure a rew Viennese musical comedy or to ob- tain trustworthy news of how the war Is progressing neither I, nor apparently anyone connected with His Majesty's. can tell, But if he intends carrying out tpta af Ityer fnr week hence his stay on the continent cannot be much longer extended.
 Fannie Ward, as l hinted a little time ego, is to be the next attraction at the Aldwych She succeeds George Fawcett tfere and begins operations in a fort nights time. For her opening venture sine has chosen Porter Emerson Brownes drama "The Spendthrift," :" and during the first three weeks of her season she will have the support of Norman McKinnel. The latter, how ever, must leave the cast early in De- cember. as he sails on the 11th of that month for your side In order to play his old part in Rutherford & Son.
 Another American play which we are to see shortly is H. s. Sheldon's "The Havoc" This Arthur Bourchier Is to introduce to London playgoers at n special matinee at the Garrick this month. For some reason or another BOuCh1er has aDdnuOneo ms project or playing the leading part sustained when the piece was done in America by Henry Miller. That he has handed oyer to James Carew, whom you will remember as Ellen Terry's husband. Carew Is steadily making his way as a character actor and it looks as If be- fore long he would build up solid reputation for himself. ITO complete the bill Bourchier will on the same after noon appear in a one-act play called 'Phipps" written by Stanley Houghton, author of "IIindle Wakes"
 'The Younger Generation
 Houghton's new play, "The Younger Generation" is due at the Haymarket on the evening of the same day. I missed the opportunity of seeing 1t vhen it was performed experimentally at one of our suburban theatres, but am told that it Is an excellent piece af work. In front of 1t Is to be played a little one-act piece named "The Golden poom." by Lord Dunsany, a literary beer blessed with rather weird and eerie imagination. This is his second h,d for theatrical fame his first being .'rhe Gods of the Mountain" creepy uncanny bit of work about the merits of which critical opinion was mucn divided. "The Golden Doom' is, how ever, of a lighter and more amusing character than its sombre predecessor. < Ready Money is still doing fair bus mess at the New, although not altogether as good as was expected of 1t. Still, there is no doubt but that it will answer all needful purposes until the end of the year. Within week or two from that date