THE STAGE IN ENGLAND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 424, 15 November 1930, Page 15 (Supplement)

THE STAGE IN ENGLAND

MANY CROWDED HOUSES TWENTY-TWO NEW PRODUCTIONS I | The autumn theatrical season, though only three weeks old, has yielded much I better prospects for success, say# the London Maily Mail. There arc live more first-nights this week, making no fewer than 22 this month. The majority uf the West End theatres have re-opened, and plans have been announced for those still closed. I The new Phoenix Theatre, in Charing I Cross Road, opens this week, while three I other new playhouses will soon be ready. | While there is bound to be some weeding-out among the new plays there I has been a larger proportion of “ winders” than usual. “House-Full“ Boards I Including old-established plays, the ■ West End is now in the rare position of having at least 21 definite successes, with the prospect of this number being considerably increased within the next few weeks.

“House-full” boards, which had become dusty with disuse, have been reappearing in the lately deserted Shaftesbury Avenue and at other theatres. The almost forgotten spectacle of people standing in pits and galleries has again become common. “I think the theatre has regained some of its old-time glamour for many people who had been drawn away for a time by counter-attractions,” one manager said. Remarkable Success The remarkable success of “Street Scene” at the Globe Theatre has caught even the ticket agency exports by surprise. So great has been the demand for seats that the “libraries” were last week compelled to buy from the theatre, without any discount, nearly £lOO worth of tickets more than the outside figure they had originally estimated they could sell.