FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 14573, 23 May 1911, Page 8

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By Call Boy.] The newa that Six Squiro Bancroft is to direct the rehearsals of th<> command performance of Lord Lytton's * Money * .at Dnrry Lane reminds one of the change in the manner of rehearsals since Bancroft's t*rly working days. Mr Brookfield, for instance, in 'Random Reminiscences,' points cut this difference:—"The only officials." he wrote, "superintending rehearsals were Bancroft himself and his faithful henchman, Mr Edward Hastings. Occasionally an author would appear in the stalls. But nowadays there are often to be seen on the stage at once (i.) the actor manager, (ii.) the 'producer,' (iii.) the literary aoviaer, (iv.) the stage manager, (v.) a ballet master to teach bows and curtsies, (yi.) the prompter, (vii.) the author, and (viii., u., x etc.) anvone who like to olfer a suggestion ; the result being that rehearsals last till five or six o'clock in the evening, and the company get tired to death and make little or no progress.'' Mr Robert Arthur is forming a repertory uompanv to plnv at the Coronet Theatre, London! for rinnv months each year, in revivals of classic and modern plays, and in new plavs of ;m original character. Ihe endeavor will be to maintain a good "all round" company, and to present, a very full and catholic entertainment, while the old method of the slock days will ne attempted by attracting for i>peeml parts "stars" that may happen to have open: time for a reupDearr.ee m some of their favorite roles Mr Arthnr will commence this new order of things in the week of \pril 24. As is onlv tit, he takes ctl his hat" to the Bard of Avon, and commences with a few weeks of Shakespeare—to wit, four of the comedies. He has made a most interesting engagement in Miss Alice Crawford for Rosalind m 'As lou lAe It,' Beatrice in 'Much Ado About Nothxne,' Viola in 'Twelfth Vght, and Katherrno in "The Taming ot the Shrew Her powc" ° f comedy-acting have not been given a chance m town, and much is expected of them. i Mr Arthur's effort for the Coronation \ period is a tour do force, no lees than a | Charles Dickens Centenary lestival, to; give an opportunity to colonials of wit- ; nessiniz his never-to-be-forgotten charac- | ters This will be historic, for never has , such an attempt been made to compass | within a season such a Dickensnui least. Entirely new plays from the novels o ; 'Dombey and Hon,' 'Bleak House, David , Copperfield; ' Great Expectations, etc etc will be staged, and the festival will open on or about May 24 with ' Dombey and Son,' adapted by Mr Metcalfe Wood, the part-author of ■ The Elder Miss Bios- j som,' 'The Housekeeper,' etc., and so long j associated with the Kendals as an actor • Miss Alice Crawford has also been retained , to play Mrs Dombey the Second, and Mr ; Arthur is making a big bid generally. ; The Dickens Festival has the support of j Mr H. F. Dickens, K.C., the son ot the ; noTelist, and the Council of the Dickons Fel- j Jowship-<ind there is no doubt that the : Coronet Theatre will be a sought-after ren- I dezvous this season. ; A novel aspect of the matinee hat ipies- i tion is being discussed by managers on | the Continent. The rule that women who \ have seats in the pit or stalls should re- j move their headgear is always enforced, and it is very seldom that any objection is , raised to it. But now a new rule is being I mooted, at th.« suggestion of the Prefect, of Police at Park, and it is nothing less , than the total prohibition of hats within < tie theatre. Women seated in boxes, and | wearing the smart "opera hat," which is; so fashionable on the Continent, even at j night performances, are henceforth to appear hatless. For the third time Mr Nat Goodwin, j the well-known American actor, has been | divorced, and by the terms ot the decree ! granted by the Supreme Court of New j York he is forbidden to marry again. Mr i Goodwin was married to Miss Ella Good- : rich, bv whom he has just been divorced, I in November, 1908. When the divoire ; proceedings were begun it was said that a j deed of gift conveying to Miss Goodrich , one-half of £520,000 worth of bonds and i real estate in California had been given ! to her by Mr Goodwin three months before ', their marriage, and before Mr Goodwin ! was divorced from Miss Maxino Elliott, : his third wife. Counsel, it was said. ' would raise the question of the validity of ; the deed of gift, contending that it was , subject to the"dower rights of MissMaxine ; Elliott. The previous marriages of Mr , Goodwin had been—firstly, to Miss Eliza ; Weathersly, one of the most beautiful of ; New York's stage beauties, who died; ■ secondly, to Miss Nella Pease, of Buffalo, '■ by whom he was divorced ; and, thirdly, ; to Miss Maxine Elliott, against whom Mr j Goodwin obtained a divorce on the grounds i of " desertion." j —Music Hall v. Theatre— \ There is one thing the music hall audi- . ence demands of its entertainers. Perhaps it is beet described as virtuosity. Whatever the performer has to offer must be of the be6t. The audience at a music hall is more the typical British Philistine than the audience at an ordinary West End theatre. It goes to the music hall in preference to the theatre, simply because at the music hall it gets better value for money. It goes for a solid five shillings' or three shillings' worth of entertainment, and sees to it that the quantity is liberal and the quality guaranteed. 'Phe jugglers must juggle as never mortal man juggled before.; and the singers, whatever be the rubbish they sing, must warble in strictest tune and time if they think to be applauded. For the audience is not patient with mediocrity even in the production of the knave of clubs from nowhere, or in the man who plays the 'Tannhauser' overture oh a banjo as big as the side of a house. It has all through the air of wondering whether this particular " turn " or that is worth sixpence orfivepence three farthings. Ti* music-hall audience bas come for a fixed quantity of enjoyment. If it gets good value, the verdict at the end is that the "show" is a "good" show, or a "sound" show, or "quite a respectable" show. This attitude may not be the attitude of higher criticism ; but it means that the audience is interested, and attentive, and giving to what it hears and sees as much intelligence as it has to give. It is ready to think and to take trouble. Also, it comes very definitely to an opinion.— The ' Saturday Review.'