Autumn Plays in London

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19959, 17 November 1934, Page 12

Autumn Plays in London

REVIEW OF PROSPER Most of the London plays opened early in October. His Majesty’s had ! the Napoleonic play, “Josephine,” j staged with all the luxury associated ; with Sir Herbert Tree’s theatre In | spite of this, and an expensive cast, I the play ran only three nights. “Josei phine” thus established a record in ! short runs at this theatre, which has never before had a play that ran fori less than a fortnight. The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, also is closed. It will not reopen until pantomime time. The directors are unable to find a play which is likely to make money, and as they lost £51.000 last season they prefer not to tempt fortune with an unpromising play. What Drury Lane wants is another “Cavalcade.” Negotiations are in progress with Noel Coward to that end. The other Theatre Royal, the Haymarket, has just lost its manager. Horace Watson, who has controlled its fortunes since the death of Frederick Harrison. The Haymarket is lucky in having a clearcut theatrical policy. It has produced clean comedies with almost unvarying success since the days of the Bancrofts. At the moment it is running C. L. Anthony’s “Touch Wood,” which is playing to full houses. The Haymarket, in future, will be managed by Stuart Watson, son of the late proprietor. The Place of the Revue Mr C. B. Cochran’s 21st revue, “Streamline,” has established itself at the Palace Theatre. The libraries have bought £30,000 worth of tickets, so Mr Cochran has already covered his heavy expenses. Mr Cochran’s policy is not to stint money, and thus he makes money. Even in the provinces the play was making more than £3,500 in a week. He has sold 400 stalls a night to the libraries for the next 12 weeks. The revue has been written by A. P. Herbert and Ronald Jeans, but it owes its success to its dancers, headed by Tilly Losch, and its beauty chorus, every member of which works as if she were a leading lady. Another production which is assured of financial success i 6 the Hippodrome comic opera. “Yes, Madam!” The hero and heroine are played by Bobby Howes and

:CTS OF THE SEASON Binnie Hale, a proved pair of musical comedians, who first became famous in “No, No, Nanette.” But the chief success of “Yes, Madam” is won by Vera Pearce. Since she was in Australia Miss Pearce has put on weight. She now plays heavy comedy with delightful aplomb. She promises to become the Connie Ediss of her generation. The other musical success of the hour, a revival of Edward German’s “Merrie England,” suggests that public taste is reverting from jazz and an earlier theatrical age. This is the first revival of Edward German’s “Merrie England,” suggests that public taste is reverting froifi jazz and crooning to the melodies and humour of an earlier theatrical age. This is the first revival of German’s opera, though it has long had continuous popularity among amateur companies. New Plays Mr J. B. Priestly continues to write cheerful comedies, and seems to have established himself as an institution at the Duchess Theatre. His new play is a Yorkshire story, called “Eden End,” which dates back to 1912. The theme is the return of a prodigal daughter to the home of her father, a doctor in a Yorkshire village. Stella, the prodigal daughter, is supposed to be a successful i actress, but really she is a failure. She comes back thoroughly homesick, and longing for a change from life in the lodgings of a touring actress, but she finds that her return is likely to spoil the love affairs of her sister, so she retires. Beatrix Lehmann, as Stella, and Ralph Robinson as her actor husband, a tippler and ne’er-do-well, lead a clever cast. Gertrude Lawrence has been welcomed back to London in a Clemence Dane comedy, “Moonlight is Silver.” It is not a great play, but Miss Lawrence has Douglas Fairbanks, jun., as her lover, so film-lovers are being attracted to the Queen’s Theatre in large numbers. If Miss Lawrence only displayed her lovely frocks she would fill a theatre for weeks. Miss Jean Forbes-Robertson has entered the ranks of actor-managers with a presentation of a play by Pirandello at the Royalty Theatre. It is

the story of a young wife who impersonates another woman, the point of the plot being that Pirandello leaves his audience in a final doubt whether she was, or was not, the other woman. The impersonation is so complete that the young wife really may have been the other woman. The play furnishes Miss Jean Forbes-Robertson with opportunities for a wonderful display of nervous, emotional acting.