POOR SHAKESPEARE

Southland Times, Issue 18968, 15 June 1923, Page 10

POOR SHAKESPEARE

ASCHE AND WILKIE. According to Mr Oscar Asche, who passed through Adelaide recently, Shakespeare is dead. The adults, he said, had had enough of Shakespeare when they were younger. It had been rammed down their throats at school, and the consequence was that, instead of 'earning to appreciate his works, they had the utmost dislike fcr him, and it v/?.s not jurprising that they would net go to see his plays. Apart from the English, the Germans are the on v people who can produce Shakespeare properly. The Italians can only do “Othello.” “Everything Ino muot be done properly. I have played Shakes peare for 25 years, and seme of hi? plays I have produced 1500 times. The scale on which 1 stage ‘Julius Ctesar’ costs me £2OOO a week, and it does not pav. People want something modern, like “Cairo,” which costs £2OOO a week, but pays for its production.” Mr Allan Wi’kie, who is playing a Shakespearean season in Adelaide, said to-day that Mr Acche was apparently generalising from liis own experience. He quite ignored the fact that during the past two years and ahalf there had been more performance:? of Shakespearian plays than in any other period in the history of Australia. Mr Wilkie' said that he himself had been responsible fcr 95 per cent, of these productions. He did not wish to full into Mr Asche’s error of generalising from personal experience, but he ventured to say that Shakespeare would be a living and triumphant force when the name of Oscar Asche was sunk : .n oblivion. Mr Asche had said, “I am convinced that cn my style of production, Shakespeare is dead.” “With this statement,” added Mr Wilkie, “I ccrdia’ly agree."