New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-02
To Say Nothing of Kern,
Who Rounds Out the
riumVirate

EOR the past four or five months no
Il edition of any newspaper has
been considered genuine unless 1t con
tanned somewhere an announcement
which wound up as follows:
"The book and lyrics of the new
piece will be written by Guy Bolton
and P. G. Wodehouse, and the score
will be composed by Jerome Kern"
To paraphrase a remark once made
by Rennold Wolf, it appeared that
the way to become a manager was 10
hire a roll top desk and sign cor
tract with the triumvirate viz. and
to wit: Bolton & Wodehouse & Kern.
Latterly one or two managers have
had the temerity TO engage one of the
triumvirate without his fellows, or two
without their fellow, but for the most
part the announcements OF the coming
season have been merely a recurrence"
of that familiar and rhythmical re-
frsin: Bolton & Wodehouse g. Kern.
The average reader began to get the
idea that the said Bolton & Wodehou-e
& Kern were a trio Of chaps entirely
surrounded by musical comedies, who
were determined 10 write whole
theatrical season or bust.
Well, it isn't true. Mr.. Kern was
missing when the vote was taken, but
Messrs. Wodehouse and Bolton have
been duly Intercepted. They have no
desire, they declare, to write all of the
current seasons productions; in fact
at no time did they aim to do more
than 95 per cent Of them. 1t is true
that recent developments may lead
them to revise this figure, but they
are positive that it will not go above
90 per cent, They have no desire to be
hoggish about it,
The way things stand is like this;
Taking Messrs. Bolton and Wodehousc
as the subjects to reason about, they
expect 10 continue to draw the Gus
tomary percentage Of the gross takings
registered by three companies Of "Oh,
Boy!"- or 1t may be four. The same,
of course. is true of a couple Of compa-
MES Of "Miss Springtime' and one Of
two Of Have a Heart" Next IN line is
Leave It 20 Jane" which, havin.
opened at the Longacre no longer ago
than last Tuesday, furnished the i'm
petus for this statistical inquiry. About
the 1st of October they will begin TO
draw royalties on Kitty, Darlin'.' A
few days ls'cr-white paper is unim-
portant at a time like thistle Cen
tury will open. And who DO you think
have written the Century show this
year? Correct!
Even before that time there Will be
another one installed in the New AM
sterdam-"Thc Riviera Girl" by name.
A little later the well known Dolly girls
will blossom forth in a new musical
show, also fashioned by our little he
roes. Around the holidays there will
come an u-musical dramatizstion Of
Mr.. Modehouse's "Piccadilly Jim built
again by the busy duo and at present
bearing the title Of "Fifty-Fifty.' Still
later in the season will come pair Of
pieces on which Mr.. Wodeton- beg par
don, Bolhous,-is now working. These
are (a) a dramatization Of Mr.. Mode-
houses Jccvcs stories, printed IN the
5. T.. F.. and Db) d musicslization of a
Frerch farce called Madame and Her
Godson."
Mr. Wodchouse, as every ono knows,
fills out his spare time by contrlbu-
ting literally to VANITY Fair and
"Thc Post" and Mr. Bolton varies the
monotony By writing other plays