The Washington times., 1914-11-01
SOME ELEFT-OVERS FOR THE
THEATER OILERS
By GARDNER MACK.

bY UAnDl
Pluygoers who witnessed the perform
auce of Mary Goes First" by Marie
Tempest and her capable associates last
week were given a demonstration of the
reverse English on one of the most con-
Vincing and emphatic reasons why GER
t&in popular American plays have never
been success in London. No ono
who saw Miss Tempests play could find
fault with the way il was played. The
company was a very capable aggregation
OF actors and actresses and their in
dividual work, even in this play, ap-
pealed to the observant playgoer as
artistic in the extreme. The dialogue
was witty, the dramatic structure was
We'll reared, there was practically notn-
ing lacking in comedy technique, as
a matter OF fact. Yet the play seemed
6ull at times.
II was because of the motif-a motif
That was so distinctly related TO one To-
cality tnst many persons in the audi
cncc felt as a stranger wouiu who found
himself suddenly injected TO the midst
Of family discussion of a subject of
which he knew absolutely nothing and
cared even less. The question Of pre-
EVIDENCE, with it9 related questions CT
English county politics in this play, Is
so foreign to the average American
mind that il means nothing at all.
England and the home life of the Eng
lish in the small centers of popula-
tion, enjoyed the satire keenly. IL was
n satire and 1t was written in Henry
Arthur Jones best style.
AnG that is exactly the reason why
so many American plays of note have
failed to reg ster in the English play
houses. When We wonder why, we
have simply lost sight OF the fact that
the greater number of these plays were
nf diltincrlu AnnarlCan tVDe. Plays
have been sent to London from New
York which would seem to contain
every element of success backed by
long runs and great popularity IN every
section cf this country. They tailed
absolutely. Plays have come to this
country from London that had enjoyed
remarkable success throughout Eng
land-and have failed. We seem always
ready 10 laugh at the English COMEDY
type that is so frequently introduced In
American plays or American plays with
an English setting. In the same way
London has hugely enjoyed plays pro-
duced III that city having American
characters or settings. The fact is-and
this Is the second idea that we get from
Mary Goes First"-that We have had
our own ideas OF English character or
English settings and England has had
its own Ideas of what an American
character and an American setting
should be. The result is that neither
of US would accept thing that does
not coincide with our accepted nation:
When an English piece is produced
that makes the English people some
thing different than what we nave re-
garded as the proper types, or an
American play is produced In London
that makes the American bit dlnerent
than the accepted type, 1t fails to make
much of a hit Especially is this true
IL II deals with q distinctly American
question or an English question as the
case may be.
one of the things that has been done
by the frequent interchange or plays
and PLAYERS, as well as other ideas and
gossip, between the two countries during
the past few years is the lessening or
this difficulty. The situation Is conslo-
erably better than IL was lew years
ago. Because we are realizing that the
people of the two nations have some
thing more in common than language,
and we are consequently beginning W
know and appreciate each other better
the failures are becoming less frequent
Probably that Is why the promoters 9t
Miss Tempests American tour Were led
to believe that Mary Goes f1fst
would be appreciated here. 1t was a
great success in England--deserVedly
So But the time for complete under
standing OF each others family caprlces
has not quite arrived-even II some OF
rs do think We are members OF the
same family and ought to be ADMITTED
10 all family intimacies
here appears to be considerable di-
.Crgence OF opinion concerning the "el-
ance of theatrical business this seaosn.
4 rather conservative manager VINO
recently dropped into Washington for
q social" call reversed the usual nara
luck tale by stating that New YORK Is
enjoying the most remarkable season
IL mas ever had. While he admits there
appears to be more actors and mana
gers out OF work on Broadway TINS
season than ever before, he asserts
stoUtly that Broadway is supporting
10 less than seventeen successes and
supporting them literally. He declares
chat the statement that the theatcrs
in New York are not making money Is !
n fabrication. Not single one of the
Leventeen plays he referred to has LIST !
Iacney Oh a weeks business since il !
gI.ened and they have every one If
them, on the other hand, enjoyed a
Ligger patronage than was ever known
iefore for so many plays at one time.
As this manager has just closed a show ,
81, NeRy York and has none there at
the present time, his words seem to be
ds.nteresting enough TO be accepted.
I; appears from his statement Of the !
situation, that New York and Chicago |
are enjoying the big business while the
J I,mainder Of the country iE suffering.
Good productions are doing very poorly |
on the read. Washington is reported to !
br considered a rather poor town 20 |
iuv this season. And il really seems |
hat there is more than a grain Of truf I
in the report Several Of the very best |
lays that have come 10 this city dur- |
iU" the last month have received miSer- |
"ble support. The Misleading Lady" |
Birds OF Prey" The Better Way" "A |
Pair Of Skies" are notable examples. !
There seemed to be no excuse for the ,
apathy in the case of The Misleading
Lady and "a Pair OF iSXes." Both Of ,
these plays enjoyed long runs in New
York. Both were reported truthfully TO /
be unusual productions in every gense, |
and bah came to Washington with prac- |
ricaily the original casts. Such changes |
as were made did not weaken them IN |
the least. But the public declined % !
patronize them.
Three important prcmieres last week !
are given extended notice in dramatic |
papcrs Nine. Nazimova's new play
was produced In Atlantic City with fair