The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-19

ultimately ndde fortunes out OF tnelf
successes. Among them was "kismet.3 .
Edward Knoblauch's drama which is
said to have Welded well over 100000
to its English hackers and which is
still doing record business on tour.
Peter Pan" was also brought to him
by Barrie before Charles F'rohman had
chance to produce it, and, as Tree
says, many people have since made for
tunes out of Peters adventures in Ken
sington Gardens. Sir Herbert says he
considered that the name part was un-
suited to him
/ do not wish to trouble the high ex-
pectations of the thousands of men and
women who, in response to these words
of Tree will Immediately write offer
ing their services as play tasters. But
Tree himself wet -blanlSeted them in ad :
vance whom he concluded his remarks
by saving that the infallible guesser
did not exist and experience had taught
him that the only way to discover the
commercial worth of play was to
try it on the public"
That Tree is very near the truth is
evidenced by the continued run of fail
ures that are logging the steps OF even
the most experienced London managers
Years Of Discretion which in con-
junction with Charles Frohman, that
fine actress. Ethel irving, produced at
the Globe theatre, is coming off after
a short run and an unsuccessful at
tempt to boom it into popular favor
1t was not happily cast but aside from
that, for which due allowances ought
to be made, it is impossible for the
writer to see any reason for the severe
stating administered by the London
critics
Ethel Not Good Manager
1t is to be feared that Ethel Irving S
attempt at actor-management has not
L.. MI IN oAr
was raised by a syndicate in the hopes
that that would be sufficient to estab-
lish her, but most. If not all of it. has
been lost on the three productions she
has made-zs'Vanity.' a revival of Lady
Frederick and Years of Discretion. .
She will temporarily retire from the
field yielding the remainder of her
lease of the Globe to Ethel Warwick
the daughter-in-law OF Lewis Waller
who has an even longer list of failures
behind her than has Ethel Irving. For
tunately. Ethel Warwick has several
good and wealthy friends, including
Lord Willoughby de Broke. who have
an inextinguishable confidence in her
ultimate success.
Years of Discretion Is not the only
recent importation from the United
States to meet with failure in London
THE Scarlet Band has not found pop
ular favor despite the fact that the
first night audience was enthusiastic
and the critics gave it an unusually
enthusiastic send-off Arthur Chud-
leigh, the manager of the Comedy"
theatre, is puzzled over the failure and
in his attempt to discover reason has
met with several regular theatregoers
who claim that the murder around
which the play revolves and which is
supposed to take place In side room,
should have occurred in full sight of the
audience. And yet youll probably not
find one manager in a score in the West
End of London who would have advised
it,
Girls Did Not Please
Clyde Fitchis Girls" did not please
anyone and its withdrawal after an un-
usually short run at the Prince of
Wales theatre was the best thing to
do in the circumstances 1t was put
on under the personal direction of
Shirley Kellog's husband. Albert de
Courville, in an attempt to fill the the
atre until Leoncavallo's new "go-as,
you please" musical comedy, which Ned
Wayburn is producing. is ready.
Girls falling, another attempt TO keep
the house open will be made with "The
Fugitive" John Galsworthys new play,
produced recently at series of matinees
at the Court theatre The Fugitive"
in manuscript, is one of the most
powerful and thought-compelli plaSs
produced In London in many a long
day, but somehow 1T doesn't seem to
get over the footlights. Although 1t is
play dealing with an unpleasant
phase of woman's life, not the slight
est objection can be taken to the dia-
and striking sentence, which can be de-
Tended as absolutely necessary to a
proper understanding of the situation.
Robertson Obtains Handle
Now that Forbes Robertson has OBJ
tained his "handle' the field Is clear
for some of the other aspiring London
! actor-managers Who will be the next
to join that select company of Tree,
John Hare George Alexander Wynd-
ham and Squire Bancroft. who are en-
titled to write the magical Sir" be-
fore their names? According to well
Informed gossip it is an even money bet
on either Arthur Bourchier or Cyril
Maude. The former is the more push
ing but the latter is the more popular
The writer would prefer to put his
money on Maude. Incidentally the
profession cannot claim that it has
been overlooked in these days what
ever might have been their just COM
plaint in the days before the late Sil
Henry Irving became the first actor
knight. Nowadays, lunching at the
Garricl< club, where most of the actor
tfaHtiStiS SdthtI 1T iiiid ud y, Il mere
Minister feels quite out of it and in
sheer desperation fees to the more
modest rooms of the Green Room club
where actors who boast that they have
not played three weeks in as many
years. abound.
Revue Has Not Yet Passed
Despite those pessimists who see
nothing good in anything that comes
to this country from the United States
we have not seen the last of the
Revue The Empire theatre has just
! put on a new one, although it is called
"a vaudeville and no less than three
other houses,--the Alhambra. the Lon
don opera house and the Hippodrcme--