The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-05-07
BY LAWRENCE REAMER.

P'eA "a IL SVClclS u
make future productions on a
basis less extravagant than
tha, OF ;he commercial theatre de-
serves ncour cement Waste is OF
course the most important factor with
which managers have 10 deal. The ex-
f., pense OF productions Is far more than
any mere layman can ever understand
IN view Of the general tas,olcssness and
uTdriness Of most theatrical PERFORM
inces. Then after a pay has failed
tie scenery and costumes are FOR some
lrscruiable reason equally without
'aiue after the run of a failure which
may have been acted FOR only a few
r:ats. Managers compute that every
pay which fails must cost somebody
$4,000.
ANY plan which will diminish the
COS, Of producing the worthless stun
which j. placed before the public will
10 N,.cone. Just why so much of +,
IL selected II ia not easy to decide.
Especially in the domain ~ American
farce do the efforts nf American man
as~rs seem mlssu!ded, Ire knowing
have explained tina; there is less Of "A
gamble in farce since the running en-
fenses are less heavy than in most
Pays. Thus the rewards are greater
when there Is n success Bur there
seem 20 be precious few successes TO
observe the way in which many Of
'hese plays crump,c up after a forced
run on New York. There. is a splen-
d'tiy stimulating atmosphere Of Mis-
sour. abou; the road" II Toes nut
NE p~retentious plays so well into their
places.
A'ier all the public is in many cases
altogether obl.vious of the points in a
PRODUCTION which may have cost so
much money. They are often very
Proud. these Crummels. over details
winch the general public takes no heed
o. But the cost is there. Any means
u production which NAV diminish
'Nese useless expenditures Is bound to
nave artistic results. The Drama So
Getty has made THE Tempest" inter-
sung with all its simplicity Of per-
'oFmance and It ought to find other
pays equally worth its activities. But
Swhen there Is another drama Of Shake
epeare 70 be given there should be con-
'aerao.v more attention paid to the
manner n which the verse Is spoken.
Ihat is the chief essential according TO
me present view OF lovers OF Shake
:pear"' II Ia Just that particular In
"a''A the current production Is least
satisfactory.
refhaps II is their inability to act
VI" Ola plays in anything like the
"aa'''"nal Nance that has led to the
s'anIonment ~ the usual "all star"
'''
'N''ai ct an old play this spring.
~" Great Pursuit" at the Shubert
''ea'f" could not possibly have been
N"'e' 'he revival Of a well known
pay since neither as THE Idler' nor
!" us latest incarnation was there any
"''"S famous about Haddon Cham
"'ss play. Arnold Daily Is the only
'ar IN Beau Drummer and he has
'''dently attempted nothing more than
d competent performance. There has
wen this year nothing that might he
called an all star revival" of a famous
play.
'h" acting la ii,-ss pi.c-s i,a.
"''a'y been unsatisfactory. This was
"' merely due to the struggles of the
actors TO play for points" rather
man the general effect, but to their
'd'N or the grand style which is 30
necessary to impart any of the essen.
val spirit OF these old plays. Then the
%Auhhner OF them IL comparatively small.
~"'nsularly enough. even the dramas
y" dEnnery. which have seemed to
retain their interest longer than most
:" inc others. are much less absorbing
~ they advance from scene to scene.
~ Celebrated Case" dwindles in in.
"Fs@ from the prologue. Then the
sooiences Of the day have little