New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-03
CROUCH ON LONDON
American Floors the Unemo.
tional Englishman and Jeers
at His Sense of Humor.
Rrom The Tribune Correspondent,


! London, oct. 27-There is a good deal
! of intermittent discussion I'm the London
| papers as to why the music halls are
| more popular than the theatres. That is,
on why the music halls draw crowded
| houses for two or three performances
| day. while many If not a majority Of the
! theatres have a hard time getting enough
/ patrons TO pay expenses.
Just at present there is a little more
| than the average amount Of discussion
| of the subject, and when one looks over
the field il really does seem surprising
that the halls should draw better than
| the theatres. Although there is no par
| tlcularly good reason just now why the
| theatres should be crowded.
The attraction OF the halls is hard 10
understand. With worse than mediocre
! performances they are. as the critics say,
crowded for two and three performances
a day. What the London public will APP
plaud in the way Of entertainment Is
truly remarkable. The programmes Ofte
| halls overflow with the cheapest Of slap
. stick comedy, the counterpart Of which
New York could hardly ind in the neigh
borhood Of 18th street and Third avenue.
Ii is commonly said that the English
take their pleasures sadly. 1t would be
more true to say that they take the
saddest pleasures. They have been fed
so long on the bosh and buncombe that
they are an Unconditional and non-hys-
terical people that they think II is true
and spend their lives trying 20 live up
TO the reputation. IL an Englishman re-
ceives a telegram telling him that his
grandfather has been murdered he says,
How annoying" and sends out for
cup of tea. II he is told that his house
has been burned down by his best friend
he says, That's quite all right
When winter comes the English public
is fed with this kind OF thing by
the dramatic critics: Except when we
are drunk, physically or emotionally, we
do not parade our patriotic feelings. An
Englishman does not boast Of his love
for his country any more than he boasts
except on the stage-of his love for MS
wife" .''~
Really. IT is not surprising that slap
stick comedy should be required to'Teach
lnelI StIlSt u III A' N%'N'--
Cafe, Mr.. Cyril Maude is not content win
a humorous situation and an apt ,po1-
trayal of character, but he tries 70 IN
veigle a laugh with the broadest kind OF
caricature. In the halls Il is the stsno'
and-fall-down comedian who gets the
wild bray-vows. For this unemouoN4i,
non-hysteTical nation will cheer itseii
black i'm the face at the sight of msh
pulling chair from under his graha-
mother. .f"~..,
But there is still another reason ioi
the popularity of the halls. AT the useA
OF the dress circle there is broad prom
cnade, with at least three barrooms open
ing from II. The seats in the dress CRUZ
at the Empire are seven-and-six. Az
mission to the promenade is five shl4ihes.
Orchestra stalls are ten-and-six' A"N
orchestra IS usually from one-halt 10 IVY,
thirds filled The circle is pretty We.
taken, and by 10 o'clock the promena'e
Is damned. II should be added that thefe
is row OF comfortable armchairs %Y's
the back wall OF the promenade ""
there are divers small alcoves, eoHI0i"
bly, fitted for a solitude deux.
The attraction however, lies IN w
promenaders, who saunter back ana 10Y"
to be ogled and appraised, and VINO W
a price will undertake to make the e''n
ing interesting for the Unconditional NV,
hysterical Englishman. French German lDas
Scandinavian. Austrian. Russian ms"
English. Scotch, all nationaliues,
there. The whole world has founu w.
out. And in the whole world II is 0"'
the Englishman who does not laugh
An American.