New-York tribune., 1922-11-20

the New York season so far interest
! tng because It is aof nevis the mum
her Of successor In which the over
lords Of the theater bad no faith. play
after play of which the management
WIS sure praised on the road and pre-
ceded By considerable fanfsre-.-iaas
rushed into disaster, Play after play
produced with forehodings and limp.
ing into Broadway in 8 spirit of des-
peratioa has found quick and surpris-
ing triumph.
Three of the outstanding dramatic
hSss up to now are eIoyalties,' z Rain. 2
and aThe Fool" In the frst of these
there was some eaniidence because It's
author was John Gaisworthy and be-
cause 1t had been success in London.
Nevertheless, there were blue days be-.
fore its opening and blue nights while
its fate hung in the balance. Then the
public gave its yerdict-the one decree
from which, in the theater, there Is no
anpeal--and gloom departed from the
Gaiety.
Rain is version Of Somerset
Maughan's short story "Miss Thomp-
son"--and report has it that the first
deabter was Maugham himself. They say
that, out of friendship, he read his tale
TO John Cotton, who saw play in It.
Maugham didn't, and Cotton asked
leave to attempt the task. When the
piece was presented outside Of New
York the management fel. doubtful,
and Eugene Walter, author Of "Paid in
Full' and 1.-THE Easiest Way" was
taken to Philadelphia to administer
first aid. Colton's obdurate refusal to
avail himself of this assistance brought
"gain1 in its original form to New
York, and to one Of the flushed vic
tories of the season.
This story is merely whispered, but
there is no whispering about the his
tory of "The Fool" which history is
being recounted in various forms. 1t
appears that Charming Pollock had the
idea for this play nearly ten years ago
and was kept from writing it by the
frank skepticism of his managers
These managers rejected the piece
when it was finished, and "The Fool"
enjoyed the usual number Of round
trip excursions to other impresari.
Finally, accepted jointly by two of
these, one of the pair gave UP his in
terest following a try-out in Los
Angeles. After rather an extraordinary
number of vicissitudes the play
reached the Times Square Theater,
where it has scored sensational sue
cess. Not only has this work achieved
Il following among entertainment-seek
ers here, but it is being published by
Brentano's and is about to be produced
in London. AT present "The Fool"
gives every indication of being Il
worldwide hit,
The inevitable consequence of such
histories is to make one wonder how
much the average manager knows his
business and his public, Does the
metropolitan producer underestimate
the intelligence OF playgoers, or is his
own equipment of q sort to enable him
to estimate it at all? The most
charitable explanation lies in an &C
count OF conversation with the late
Charles Frohman. "How can anybody
be sure of being right as to n manu-
script?" asked that most influential
Pam" "A matinee performance of
that comedy was going OF down stairs
as he spokc.) mo one now is being
asked To Judge that play from stark,
vantage of lights and music. and
seenery-~of expert realization of what
few non-expert minds could imagine.
1t has the psychological impetus OF be-
ing an accredited success, of having
been written by Barrie and acted by
&fdaude Adams, And yet, even now, If
%half this afternoons audience told the
truth they would admit seeing nothing
in The play. How car critics blame
manager for mistakes? Half the
critics found nothing in Peter Pam
even with lights and music"
Ali this is interesting and logical
And, apparently, the better the critic
the more fallihle his judgment. Ap-
parently culture, intelligence, train
ing have nothing to do with picking
succssees. One of the greatest failures
of tas year was selected by three dis
timely "high brow newspaper review
era. And "The Fooi"-~with lights and
mnkla"sas almost unanimously con-
demuea BY the wiseacres of the Pacific
slope and by not few in New York. |
After all, as another eminent manager,
A. M. Palmer, was wont to remark: "If
there we're a man in the world who |
could tell a popular play from the |
ether kind in advance of production he |
could earn million dollars q year,
The truth of the matter is that the |
OF play rests less in the /
VA ind NJ 4he ,,,ap xxtan xrsrofa Il Sha, ;s, |