New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-06

and the leading editorial IN '"'
r,ohe- Of The Stage" 20 reach th'S
country gives AZ least an mixing Of now
highly Mr.. Frohman was r'earo'o D."
the older half Of AnGlo-SaNond'm' cay
"The Stage -.
Tho death Of Charles Frohman
.h~o,,cb the atrocious torredo'ng OF the
rm,.,ar,s bv the Germans is IN 1eeol-
az sense loss 20 both TINS ''u"',!
- tho United States Charles IRON
man was. N his own way, a colossus
No,.r;d;,e no. one world but two. The
states. from length TO length formed
the SPACIOUS field Of his CHIEF opera
,ions: and there he was born. ana mere
uos his home as FAR as man passing
forth and back across the Atanuo
1T 20 said 10 have home. Nu' N
addition 90 his American management
there was his permanent EnghSn man.
.oo-,or, not on so vast a scale. yet o.
much importance; and there was MS
Ang,o-Amcrican management when III
its extent and ramifeauon was a th'nS
ui,bout pa~aIc. in the activities Of the
,bca,ro He was the working factor be-
,,yecr the stages Of the TWO countries.
lie hrougnt many plays 10 ms COZ"
NV. and he TOOK countless more OF GUS
- ffc States In the same way ne '"-
troCuccd American actors here %nn' a.
with British plays so WIN ~ -
oc.ors he found them, from Henry
T.. crrp extra market
IN me United States. ms intern"
tionsl work OF his was beyond ques non
Tho most valuable achievement o. ms
career. /; caused the stages ana even
,be Deoples Of both countries 10 Hno"
oach other better II did so IN c'rcuH.
stances redounding TO the honor o.
American management, 81 !eaSt IRON,
10 ,oirt Of view Of our authors ana
sctors For Charles Frohman. strong
&c his ros,tiOn was 20 make ms own
borrain and comport himself very niue"
as he pleased. was man OF un:eI "a
ing generosity and uprghtHeSS o. cn%'
acter In his dealings with them. ne
4rst words o. the loving ana beau'lu
tribute that Sir James Barrie pays 10
him IN The Daily Mall throw a WV"
i,cb, mon Charles Frohman IS Eng.lsA
authors and actors knew nm: -Ae
80 Who never broke his word.
The career IS. indeed, a romance. ne
sbr and elusive rguTe embodied we
Most strenuous o. i0Givlduahtes. me
,,oracor who keeps in the background.
,rLo is inaccessible. not from any pride
or eecre-ivencss of nature. bat from ms
osson+ial roodesty. reads Ike contra
Giction In terms. SIR James Barre re-
marks that many actors and one
,,,icbt add most actors have played Ior
rim, and never spoken - Alm' l""'
sor,c Of them have seen him dart UP
side street a. their approach mere
was no pose here, only ldloSyhct'@E
and u is 8 trai: that was not the !e"s'
20 erdear him 20 the r." VINO hnt"
him intimately. He was not any the
iess an enthusiast. any the less great
worker For the art OF the stage ne
rad q true passion, and he served u
,r..b the whole Of his strength To ms
sincleuess Of purpose and ms unshahe,
sb1c nf,reuit Of Il he no doubt owed
much of his success IN LIE.
He was. then. in sum, commeic4ai
manager Of the most extensive klNd
conceivable. That is not 10 say that ne
did not. in certain respects, secure SUI
s:antial artistic results. 10 give q
concrete instance. he maintained at the
Tmpire. New York, for many years
stock company q remarkable exceIiehCe'
And i'm . general way he placed the
American stage under a heavy deDt hot
merely by his managerial! suppo!V o.
Miss MauGe Adams and most OF 'he
o.bor leading artists Of his own coun-
49,. bu, also BY his introduction Of
FnClish and French artists. WIN MN
or his associated managers such artists
riaved under liberal and stable condl-
mons. which formerly did not prevail
The same remark applies 10 the WORKS
Of most Of our leading dramausts ana
not few Of the French. and there Is
M evidence that. with an area as I'M
r,eDse as the United States and as open
20 cultivation. this large employment
Of cis-Atlantic art at all kept BACK the
home growth The way in which ne
established himself in this country was
probably, TO some extent, dlctated ny
considerations for this American extra
supply, but in no sense solely In ms
country he made no attempt al man
aqement on trust lines. As producing
manager here his energies were cnlehy
centred on the Duke OF GOrk's, when
he controlled without interruption since
1897: but he ran various other west
End theatres or was interested IN them
at different times; and when the pro-
vincial stage was more lucrative than II
is to-day. had many companies on TOUR
OF his individual management the con
duct Of the Duke Of Yorks remains ms
best. as il was his outstanding, eN-
ample Il was not remarkable Tor the
announcement of new dramatsts OF
the discovery Of actors OF great GIT
Enterprise Of that kind did not ne
within his policy. He relied upon wei
known authors and, for leading parts
olrouiN m
their mark. Il was an expensive policy
the more so as he invariably cast the
ghole of the parts IN play with th'
hest artists available. HIS star mus
shine in suitable surroundings. He ha'
no belief. in d single luminary, mad
ridiculous by the furtive CLEANS OF
dozen rushlights.
A Duke of York's production was al
ways soundly acted and often brill
iantly. In that manner he improved
on the old star system. but at rat
OF expenditure that possibly lett mn
with very little, Il any. pront out o
his eighteen years OF West End man
soemcnt The charge that. by TIM
manner. he also inflated injurious!
The general costs Of production in tn
West End does not seem 70 have niue
in II. for the market remained an ope
one. Wide as his experience was, an
intense AS were his love for and inter
est IN the drama. he does not apear |
have been a good Judge Of plays. On
test Of his capacity for higher man
agement came in his elaborate semen
in 1910 20 establish the Duke OF ! orK
asa rcpertory theatre. But the piece
were more remarkable for the name
Of their authors than for their merit
as plays; and the ten thousand pouno
said TO have been expended IN IN