GAIETY FINANCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20355, 12 March 1928, Page 11

GAIETY FINANCE.

MUSICAL COMEDY LOSES £21,000. A musical comedy entitled “The Girl from Cook’s ” was produced at. the Gaiety Theatre recently, writes the London correspondent of the Melbourne Argus. It had no particular virtue in humour, tuneful music, or cast, but it might well have run for sis months with the aid of Mr W. H. Berry, a comedian, who can do as much with a comic hat and ill-fitting trousers- as most other funny men do with a well-written part. There was a time when Mr Berry could not touch a failure. He appeared no fewer than 2000 times in musical comedy roles at the Adelphi. As he said, “ I think I go with the gas brackets.” “ The Girl trom Cook’s," however, was far from successful. After losing £7OO a week throughout its short run, the producers handed over the play to the company, who attempted to run the show on a cooperative basis. For a week this was done, the chorus, orchestra, and stage hands being paid out of receipts, while the principals divided what, remained. Unfortunately, the balance was so small that Berry and his friends could not continue the experiment. When the curtain fell on the night of Saturday, December 3, notices were posted that the run of “ The Girl from Cook’s had ended. The news was unwelcome to the chorus, who demanded a week’s pay in lieu of notice, regardless of the fact that only the generosity of the leading actors and actresses had allowed the play to run so long. Angry scenes between the male members of the chorus and the management resulted in the chorus seizing the stage costumes and threatening to go off with them. In retaliation the management locked the doors of the theatre, and refused to allow the chorus men to leave until the costumes had been replaced. It was 1 o’clock on isunday morning before a truce was arranged. The play cost £21,000 to produce, oC which £II,OOO came from Mr Morris Rozenweig, a Manchester business man, whose wife played the soubrette part. It was originally produced in the provinces, and it went excellently in Manchester and other towns. It was only when the play reached the Gaiety Theatre that its shortcomings were revealed, particularly the absence of a heroine who could sing and of attractive musical numbers. Mr Berry might have been trusted to provide the requisite humour, but he could not improvise a heroine or comprise lyrics. About £I2OO a week has been taken at the Gaiety in recent weeks, yet this meant a constant loss owing to tho heavy rental and the high cost of chorus and orchestra.