New-York tribune., 1920-11-14

broadway than ever have beer
wasted In oil stocks OF oil lesses, in
gold mining experiments, roulette
fare bank, or in the Investments Of
fered by the bookmakers. So say
the experts.
But producing plays Ia fascinat.
ing pastime. and repeated failures
rarely have subdued the ardor Of the
man who has caught the fever.
The manuscript Of q play may
read like million dollars"--and
after @ week on Broadway its cha
grined producers may head the
scenery right for the storehouse and
begin on a new project.
After One Week
A recent play, shown In one Of
tho largo cities not far from New
York, gave the greatest promise
In manuscript and rehearsals. It
was produced by one Of the most
skilled Of New York producers. 1t
was provided with players of high
merit. Scenica1ly 1t represented an
investment of many thousands of
dollars. In it's first try-out in a
week stand, in a city Of nearly one
million inhabitants, it. did $1,100
gross business on the week. A sue
cessful play should do at least S1,100
Of business in one night. They
haven't given up entirely with this
particular production. The play
doctors are giving the failure emer-
gency treatment. It may still sur
vive.
''The Americans in France" by
Eugene Brieux, was one of those
plays that had the earmarks of sue
cess. 1t was a great play to read.
"The Americans in France" read so
well that Frank J. Wilstach, very
able play critic, got suspicious of it.
It read too good to be true. 1t was
produced in New York early this
season and lasted about three weeks.
Eugene O'Neill's Beyond the
Horizon" was a New York success.
1t was conspicuous in that the play,
a high-class effort, literally forced
itself upon the producers who un-
dertook to show it to the public.
offered last season at matinees only,
it proved so acceptable that the man
agement put aside "For the De
fense," play for which Beyond
the Horizon" was filling out at the
rlatinees, and made the O'Neill play
the regular bill at the Little Thea
ter. 1t finished the season in New
York. 1t was widely exploited
throughout the country. O'Neill,
the young son Of the actor of "Monte
.Cristo" fame, was heralded as one
of the really great American play
wrights OF this generation.
Booked for Good Towns
Beyond the Horizon" was sent
on tour this season. 1t was booked
solidly until the period of the spring
freshets. 1t was routed over good
time. Baltimore, Washington,
Pittsburgh, Chicago-all the good
tcwns-were to get a view of it.
Players of the company sublet their
flats and prepared for a season out
Of New York. They are back in
town. Baltimore, Washington,
Pittsburgh couldn't see the O'Neill
drama. 1t curled up and died in
Chicago.
This introduces another phase of
the show business gamble. What New
York likes other cities may not like.
In New York a play carrying an
atmosphere that essentially belongs
to Broadway or some other section
of the greater city may be as inyste-
rious as Greek to the gentry in
other sections Of the y. S. a.
Commuters a Strange Race
The Commuters" play Of ten
years ago by James Forbes, was
essentially New York comedy. It
was understood in New York, for
New York is headquarters for the
long-distance commuters of the
world. But on the road? In most
places the good people didn't under
stand what the play was about.
Whitaker Ray, the advance agent.
asserted that he spent most of his
time explaining to dramatic editors
the meaning Of the title.
MY. Forbes's "Show Shop" pro-
duced in 1915, was a play about the
show business, and to the actors who
saw It 1t was riot. But out on the
road, especially, the vast numbers
who have never seen life beyond the
9ootlights aid have not counted ac-
tors among their acquaintances and,
were not familiar with
khc3Y. frih,vy = iiNr,n an %ha{v .cnon%v,3o;