The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-30
IS BRITISH CRAZE
FOR RAGT|ME DYING?
Would Be a Calamity to
American Performers
CHORUS GIRL STRIKE
England Threatened in Another Di-
rection-Much Advertised Revue
Is Really American Show
Adopted to English Taste
CHORUS GIRL STRIKE
BY JOIN cARpENTER

lOng is the present remarkable br1tlSll
craze for ragtime to continue? Several
undoubted authorities claim that the tide
has reached its flood and is now ebbing
fast The question is one of serious mo-
ment not only to the American artists
whom one meets on every hand in the
theatres and music halls of London and
the provinces. but also to the hundreds
ave. thousands-who, still In the United
states. are planning to journey to this
side in the hope of picking UP some of
the easy money. The late spring and
early summer always witness a big in
vasion of American talent but what it
will be this year with the stories of easy
triumphs for mediocre artists with the
American accent and the undoubted anx-
iety of the London managers to secure
American talent of almost any kind, no.
body can tell.
Among those who think that ragtime
has seen its most prosperous days in
England and that there are signs of reac-
tlon on every hand, is that keen judge,
Oswald Stoll undoubtedly the greatest
of British music hall managers. Speak
ing to the writer recently of the craze,
nothing to do with 1t and in support of
his decision he pointed out several dis
turbing facts.
Look" he said. 'aat the Empire, where
ragtime started on its mad debauch in
this country. 1t is half empty. Drop into
the Alhambra, to which ragtime brought
real prosperity after many lean years;
you will find a significant slump In the
business. Visit the Hippodrome, where
'Helloi Ragtime' was positive sensa-
ton when 1t opened a few months ago;
YOU will learn that business Is on the
down grade. No, ragtlme is destined to
be short-lived obsession and before an
other year has rolled around will be
thing of the past.
But whatever the future has in store,
the present is a golden dream. One of
the strangest circumstances of the whole
business is the number of artists and
turns which have made good despite the
fact that they were never heard of in the
country from which they came. OF course
we have had some really big people here
like Ethel Levey. Lew Hearn and Bonita,
and are hoping to see even bigger ones,
but the. fact remains that numberless
performers have been billed at first-c1ass
houses as ''kngs of American ragtime,"
who were never known on the big cir
cults in the United States.
am in possession of inside informa-
ton about the new revue which is being
put on at the Hammerstein Opera House
and which it is announced is being writ
ten by Max Pemberton-and to secure ad-
vanced information about this revue Is
no mean feat, for the outer portals of
the opera house are guarded like the
entrance to a Sultan's harem, lest any
of the secrets leak out. Doubtless you
know that it is being produced by Gus
Sahlke, who of course halls from New
York and than whom America does not
possess better man for the job. His
methods have quite surprised the En-
gish members of the company, for they
expected clustering, bullying person.
and instead have met a man who is even
more quiet in his methods than the av-
erage English producer.
Much as 1t may be advertised that
Pemberton is writing the revue, it is APP
parent to those on the inside that he
vii, have little to do except adapt the
production to English tastes. 1t does
not take a Sherlock Holmes to discover
that what they are doing at the opera
house is some American production with
additional numbers concocted on this
side. Even the scenery Is American and,
before Pemberton put pen to paper, was
set up on the opera house stage. Incl
dentally this American scenery is second
hand and the policy of using it in Lon
don may be one of immediate economy.
but it is almost certainly one of penny
wise, pound foolish" If there Is one de-
partment of the theatre in which the
T London managers can teach the Amer-
can something it is the sumptuous man.
ner in which the musical comedies, and,
of late, the revues, are mounted. George
Edwardes and Robert Courtneidge in the
musical comedy world. and the Hippo
drcme and the Alhambra in the revue
world, have taught the English theatre
going public to expect too much in that
direction to permit any flrst-cass pro-
duction that does not say the last word
In elaborateness and newness to come to
London with any hope of success. In
this connection one remembers, inevita-
bly,. the unfortunate attempt of Marie
Dressler to foist a secondhand Weber
& Fields show and scenery on the British
public.
One wonders IL Internal dissensions will
ruin the opera house production
bunch of American chorus girls have been
brought over and about the Same num-
her OF English girls hired to fill up the
ranks. The pampered American misses
are drawing down SIS per week, while
the English performers must rest more
or less content with $40 for practically
the same work. Furthermore the two
arc not mixing we'll. During intervals in
rehearsals the Yankee contingent gather
ufstage, while John Bulls maids con-
igregate on the side.
Every once in q while you hear about
English prejudice against American
plays, but naturally there Is sour grape
or so in that kind of talk. If you don't
believe it. come over and watch the Lon
don audience at 'Bought and Paid For
No play produced this season has been
received with more genuine and hearty
appreciation, and undoubtedly the big hit
in the cast Is the one American in 1t,
Frank Craven, who was brought over to
play the part Of Jimmy Giley." be-
cause no Englishman possibly could have
done 1t. To American audiences the rest
of the company would have seemed out
OF keeping; but English audiences see
nothing un-American in Allan Aynes-
worth and Alexandra Carlisle, and they
certainly do see the good acting that