New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-10-06
A Repertory Venture


which Harcourt himself appeared last
season, had the same distinction OF
manner. Following "An Ideal Hus-
band" play of his will be produced
at the Comedy Theatre. 1t is called "a
Place in the Sum- and is on an Eng
lish war theme.
While Cyril Harcourt was removing
the elaborate makeup Of the Earl of
Cavesham in the dressing room next
door, l quizzed Norman Trevor or his
aims Looking at his keenly intelec
tual face, I said: "You must want 10
play Hamlet, think GAS matter of
fact" retorted Mr.. Trevor, that's the
last thing I do want to play. l am too
much interested in the modern play. |
would not attempt to bridge the sharp
cleavage between the classics and the
modern stage
But it was difficult to hold Mr..
Trevor to the subject of himself, and
he was soon on the general scheme OF
the repertory theatre. 1--WE shall store
up a repertory of modern plays-some
of them will be revivals, but none will
be classics in the modern sense. To
carry it through we shall sometimes
need to call in visiting stars. But i'll
the main the organization will be dem
ocratic No one viii have an option
on leading roles. For instance, in
this play Harcourt is playing the minor
part of the Earl of Cavesham.
At this point call from the stage
tore him from my clutches. and Mr.
Harcourt having invested himself in
bathrobe, ! was admitted. A substantial
makeup still concealed the real Cyril
Harcourt from view, but that did not
prevent conversation.
Harcourt is quick and nervous, and
talks with sharp spontaneity.
"Do you include such moderns as
Ibsen and Strindberg and Andreyev on
the list of moderns for your repertory
theatre ?" asked.
He shook his head in negative. You
see" he said, I'VE English-I should
say Anglo Saxons, because the same IS
true of you Americans-ar not race
Of theatre lovers. Oh, / know how
many theatres New York supports and
how much every one goes to the the
atre. That's because in New York its
go to the theatre or walk into the river.
But though you. and we in England
too, go to the theatre a great deal that
does not make us intrinsically race
| of theatre lovers-not in the same
-,
ScandinaVians are. We look to our
/ theatres for entertainment and diver
sion; it is not a means of racial self
! expression, because we are not built
i for expressing ourselves in the medium
of the drama. We are too reserved,
self-revealment so public cmbarrasses
US. That is why we are incapable o.
writing or supporting such drama as
the French, Russian or Scandinavian.
Our men Of genius have his reserve as
much as our people. That is why they
write books, not plays. And our audi
ences cannot bear TO see something
really intimate in human nature dis
closed on the stage. That is why VIC
have no enterprises like the Art The
atre in Moscow or Reinhardt's the
atre. We have no native public to sup
port it. New York is slightly different.
You can get an audience for anything
n this city. But native ideas prevail,
md permanent institution like rep
ertory theatre must be a native express
sion. And we have not the plays, wo
have not the audiences for drama like
Ibsen or Strindberg. We have Shaw,
yes-because in the final analysis
he makes easy for the audience 10
shirk the issue Ours is the drama OF
diversion. And within these limits
repertory theatre can do much TO up
aold the standards of taste"
So the repertory theatre starts out
nth quite honest limitations and no
falsc promises of intellectual insur-
gcncy.