THE LONDON STAGE

Press, Volume L, Issue 14916, 14 March 1914, Page 4

THE LONDON STAGE

(FEOII A CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, January 21

Martha Redman, tho Swedish actress who, '-lent" by Charles Frohman to Sir George Alexander, has made such a hit in "Tho Attack," has beon interviewed half-a-dozen times, and one of the inevitable questions put to her is concerned with her advice to young girls who aro ou tho point of entering tho profession. Frankly, sho declares that she does not care for the rolo of adviser to other women. As a proof of her own determination, fihe told how, when she was ready for her first engagement, Mrs Strindberg consulted a great stage manager, asking whether he would adviso her to take up the stage as a career. -1 advise her not to do so," he declared. "But at tho same time I shall not think much of her if she follows my advice."

"I should never dare to advise anyone myself," says Miss Hedman, ' the responsibility is too great. But what I am quite certain of is that the girl who is really born to be an actress will not allow people to counsel her. bhe will go straight on her way m the face ot all difficulties, living tnrough hard and disagreeable things, defying disappointments until she gets to her goal. Mr Oscar Ascho and his wife, Miss Lily Bravton, havo just returned to London from a highly successful tour of two years in Australia. New Zealand, and South .Africa, and have brought back a prctfcv pile to add to the earnings of "Kismet," in which they appeared for 359 nerformances at the Garrick Theatre prior to their departure for the colonial tour. There has been somo talk of Asche building his own theatre, but I doubt very much it that scheme will materialise in tho near future. In the meantime he has entered into an arrancement with Charles Frohman, whereby he takes over tho Globe, now being re-decorated, for a season. His first production will bo a revival of- Edward" Knoblauch's "Kismet," which seems reasonably sure of a successful run. Indeed, tho .original production was going strong when Mr Ascho had to withdraw it to fulfil his Australian engagements. For subsequent use Mr Asche has secured the dramatic rights of Rider Haggard's latest book, "The Child of Storm," and he is busy at work writing a play around the intensely interesting adventures of the heroine, a sort of Zulu Helen of Troy, who sets the rival tribes warring to satisfy her ambitioas. "Even now tho Zulus are at work in their kraals preparing our costumes, and oxen of the right colour are being slaughtered to get the proper hides for our shields," says Mr Asche. "I spent somo time among the Zulus myself, in order to get an idea of kraal life, nnd have been practising a little to get the proper 'chclc' into the pronunciation of Zulu proper names. , In the pursuit of 'local colour' —mostly black, by the way—we have travelled. • over Africa far and deep, observing domestic customs, and witnessing weird feasts that seemed likely at any moment to break out into wholesale massacre." We are to have a novel production of "Hamlet" at the Little Theatre next week. According tb Mr William Poel, the true Hamlet, as intended by Shakespeare, has not been seen on the English'stage for two centuries. And he has made up his mind to show the critics and the public how it should be done. "The modern evil is this," he says; "all tho scenes that create tho puzzles of tho play are left out. and Hamlet is made dreamy, complex, inconsistent, even nu immoral character. The modern idea sees in 'Hamlet' only a man standing in the middle of the stage, sayinrc pretty things. I believe that intelligent people, when they leave the theatre after my piodnction. will say to themselves: 'Now I know for the first I time what is the story of Hamlet—what is tho plot of the play. The king is the pivot of the play, ■ His part is a longer nnd more important part in the version [ bring before you, and presents a clearly finished portrait of a character that was well enough known in Shakespeare's time —tho princely intriguer. "What constituted the sensation of tho play to the Elizabethan, and it will come out strikingly in my version, is that Hamlet, having resoived 'to put an antic disposition on,' the king sees through the trick at once, and on every possible occasion accuses him of madness. It was in this way that Shakospenro protected himself from what would have been regarded at court as political satire, matter almost too dangerous for presentations Hamlets was ns sane and alert n mind as ever camo into existence. Tho , 'madness' was merely ." veil for his political •utterance'?. But thf» great point was the importance of the king, and his mar- . Tine* with Hamlet's mother is made more ronn<— inn* in th» Poel version by the fact thflt he is shown as a young m.Ti wadded to an old woman.

"Modern r " , o-'~cers Tn-e- boon at s«*a." said Mr Poel. finally, "hecarse the-.- have »iot realised the kind's importance. He i<s the T>ivot of the r'«—. And the sub<=+ance of the play « *»3= yon so! . . . Revenge! . . . Revenge!"