The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-10
Mr.. Deans Views of
Repertory Theatres
British Manager Seeks Me-
dunn Between Artistic and
Commercial House.

Natives OF this land OF the once free
lunch often have an inbred conviction
that only American theatrical producers
have an endowment of the spirit TO be
always up and doing. But any one who
meets Basil Dean, one OF the younger
and more successful London managers.
who has Just arrived here. realizes i'm
mediately that this boyish looking en-
share of energy.
In appearance he is as spruce as our
own George M. Cohan, in spite OF having
been associated in his earlier days with
repertoire and little" theatres abroad
which over hero are often the signal for
their devotees to acquire a resemblance
to fungus growths. None of his aspect
or keenness is lost through having to
peer through thick eyeglasses, for his
eyes do not remain fixed In the way of
30 many shortsighted persons whose
minds have become fixed. Mr.. Deans
mind seems constantly moving on
wheels.
1t Is not surprising to discover in
man so closely akin to the American
temper a we'll of enthusiasm for our
homegrown productions over which Eu-
ropeans have often been as tolerant
as Americans are over ANYTHING abroad
that Is compared to Niagara rails. Mr..
Dean owned up freely 10 such feelings
the other day at the Playhouse. where
he was directing rehearsals of John
qalsworthy's play, THE Skin Game"
which he is to produce soon here with
William A. Brady, after having melted
Londoners to see it for some time.
"P1ays like Enter Madame The Bad
Man and The Bat are excellent en-
tertainment.' he said, "as good as can
DO found anywhere. Your theatres are
beautiful-not even In Munich or else
where on the Continent have I seen any
house superior to Henry Miller's Thea
ire, for instance. The technical arrange
n1ents for your plays over here are SO
efficient as to make acting a pleasure
instead of a battle with the elements.
And in details of lighting British pro-
ducers can have their eyes opened by
America.
You have some very fine character
actors, though perhaps In the way of
light comedians England can still rest
comfortable. Your women stars. partic-
ularly those 1 saw in England, are ex-
traordinary-they are almost a new spe-
cies on the stage. There Is an intensity
about them not seen In our actresses,
many OF whom have grown soft as So
cial butterflies. Perhaps 1t is because
your women have to work harder here
and have a wider market for their
talents, whereas in England the girls
have a smaller and less varied field
for stirring up theatrical excitement
''But on the whole ] think 1t is be-
cause the English actress performs too
often at teas. We often had trouble
thprn rxfth oil ryb< haA haa
taken up extensively and whose stage
career seemed to cut into numerous
social engagements. OF course, the
drawing room fifty years ago spoiled
tho London stage. Sir Henry Irving
was right-we ought to have remained
rogues and vagabonds. It's only in that
way that stage people can be detached
enough to be slaves only to art.
what counterbalances this, however,
Is tho work which the repertory theatres
such as the Manchester and Blrming
ham group are doing, which is certainly
making its influence felt on the COM
mercial stage, much as It may resist.
founded the Liverpool repertory theatre
and had much experience with that kind
OF work. finding 1t valuable training and
also great fun to handle the stage ma
chinery and perhaps be called on to
play a part at short notice, and then
Wrlte plays IN ones spare InOHleuts.
'.As to whether a repertory theatre
can be financially successful, that is ex-
planned by an old riddle OF Sir Herbert
Trees, who propounded the question.
When Is repertory theatre not q
repertory theatre7 His answer was,
When II Is q success.'
"a repertory theatre. like an endowed
theatre, can be a success artistically
only when some magnetic personality
dominates It and not as is SO often the
case IN endowed playhouses. the pork
butcher and tho tailor and every one who
is OF prominence is Invited to dictate
me policy. Then they succeed only in
being dull. The ideal theatre should
have Its own peculiar character and
should present Hamlet one night and a
roaring farce the next In my present
undertakings seek to strike happy
medium between the utterly artistic and
the utterly commercial theatre. in the
hope Of getting something reasonably
well DONE