The Washington times., 1922-04-23
With Alan Dale at
the N. Y. TheaterS
CONTINUED frora Page s5

ooS VIZ
stars--and promotions were inter.
ssting to note. But this season
nothing OF the kind has been
known. No actors have knocked
at the doors Of fame. The new
season has no new luminaries on
fits list. We must telescope the
very same celestial bodies we have
telescoped for ages. and-it is rath-
or discouraging. Not that we are
abnormally tickle. Not that We
lack loyalty. But we do need in
oentive. and. goodness knows, We
have not had very much of that
commodity in the dying seasons
output.
It is not incredible that managers
are steering away from the star
system and are more inclined to
pin their faith to the plays them
selves. Stars were really made
for the road" They were a
trademark. Managers pinnacled
strangely incompetent people for
sthe sake Of putting something ION
the market" The stars name was
really little moro than the brand
Of . new pickle, . new cream"
or q now glove. New York ap-
proved and. loi the road" reveled.
But today the road" Is slightly
sut Of the reckoning. What II the
''roadf" Where 10 IT. Companies
returning from its labyrinths have
never found II. Where they were
once received with acclaim they are
now unwanted. The road" like
the popular heroine, may be imag.
ined drawing itself up to its full
height in splendid scorn.
The road" It seems, Is not clam
orous for New Yorks left-overa
It has no faith in them. 1t has
been deceived too frequently. It
has had our pet plays cheapened
by bad actors. It has perh.ps
viewed our stars. surrounded BY
actors other than those that We
acclaimed. It has been bitten. and
II IL shy. The road" is incredu-
lous. Tho road no longer be-
lieves. Tho goose that laid the
golden eggs has been killed.
TT stars were made for the
"road"-as undoubtedly they
were-the incentive Is no longer
there. The road says: "A fig for
your pretended luminaries." The
road has accommodated itself to
new conditions. The pictures. like
the poor. are always with them.
The casts Of pictures cannot be
changed Qf they could be changed.
they would be; that Is certain).
The fillums are the Same. What
New York sees in pictures the
road sees. It is not a case for tho
doubling Thomases. There is no
deception.
Pictures reign out of town
where formerly touring companies
were the rule. The touring COM
pany was advertised enormously
One heard Of thirty or forty weeks
in "the provinces" Today that
is almost unknown. Many New
York managers have decided
against the road and have de-
cided to place their successes only
In New York and two or three Of
tho very biggest cities. All
oshers-chaos and pictures"
Now, what is the use Of estab-
fishing trademarks IL these are
not needed? Why bother about
labels when the jars are not in
demand? People out Of town are
not crazy about our stars-as
they get them today-and can jog
along very nicely without them.
Actors are now doomed to long
runs in this metropolis, II they
can make 'em-and, if they can't,
they must, perforce, rest. Tho
old regime seems to have been
exhausted.
pUT, on the other hand, 1t may
perhaps be explained that the
lack of new stars is due to other
reasons. The old stars are not
anxious to fill their companies
with possible successors. That Is
only human nature. The old stars
look carefully at the list Of peo-
pie engaged to surround them and
reject those who might possibly
walk off with the laurels. You
very seldom see the powers OF the
star eclipsed by any member Of
the company. Those powers may
not be so great as to be uneclipsa-
BILE, but the manager has taken
their measure and he places his
star beyond the chance Of eclipse.
The star may be, and often is.
O bad actor, but he is surrounded
by worse. Only the other day /
met a very excellent leading man
who accosted me:
"You have positively queered