A RUN OF LUCK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume X, Issue 1840, 28 January 1888, Page 4

A RUN OF LUCK.

All London is crowded to see a singularly neat and laughable farce -which has been produced at the Globe Theatre by Mr, Charles Hawtrey, the author of "The Private Secretary." The play, which is called "The Arabian Nights," and is by Mr. Sydney Grundy, affords a curious instance of the vicissitudes of fortune, both in the work itself and in the management producing it. Mr, Grundy's farce was written nine years ago, and has ever since been passing an unquiet existence, tossing about managers 7 rooms unread and unappreciated, no man perceiving in it aught that was actable or amusing. Now that it has been produced by a manager at his wits' end it is simply " the rage." The sooner it reaches Australia the better. Mr, Charles Hawtrey belongs to the family of Hawtreys which has given so many canons and masters to Eton* His father is the proprietor of a school for very youthful aristocrats called Little Eton. The son was not a promising boy, and was, a few years ago, little likely ever to be able to earn his living. To amuse his idleness he tried his band at adapting a German farce, but no manager would accept it. Finding it accidentally one day lying about, his father read it, and putting it down said : " Charlie, I'll give you £200 to produce this farce with." Armed with his father's cheque, he found no difficulty about a theatre and a company. The play was none other than "The Private Secretary," and from first to last he made about .£120,000 by it—marrying, during its run, a beautiful young lady with £1,500 a year fortune" This great theatrical success was followed by very " lean years " indeed. " Frost " followed "Frost" at the "Globe." The Hawtreys had, besides, a pretty fancy for racing and rouge et noir ; and when the " Arabian Nights " was put in the bills things were looking very blue indeed. But now all is changed. Another fortune is piling itself up night after night with astounding rapidity. Such are the " vicissitudes " of theatrical management in England. To parallel them one would have to cite the experiences of a land speculator in a wool producing continent, subject to years of drought. There is nothing like it at this side of the Equator. — London correspondent of the Argus.