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Show Dramatic News j And Comment 11 Almost everyone has written a play. j j Ij Many have Imbibed strange actions of lllfw thc profltablo nature of this occupation a 111 W from tho great success and huge reve- ihJK nues a few playwrights havo made from IltlB It. Tho fact still remains that over D9 II9H per cent of the plays that find their way Hlffl into managerial offices are absolutely 1M worthless, that over 60 per cent of thc llnj plays that aro finally accepted for pro- injw ductlon fall flatly, yielding their authors jJljH perhaps $500 or 5600 on tha average as a IWM roturn for what may have been a year's vm work, and that of the remaining -50 per f jijBj cent of the 100 per cent of plays submit- I ill tod, about one-third are merely nominal PfH successes from which thc author Ik lucky t full to got ?3000 or $4000. Over against this Is the occasional llltt "knockout." Up to thc beginning of the 1 lit At present century the undisputed royalty till record for a play belonged to Hall Caine. lltim whoso "The Christian" netted him 5250,- i9l 000 from this country alono. bosldos what ihlm ho derived from the English. Australian . rj and South African presentations. Since fVlij that tlmo this figure hns been exceeded )Um not more than once, though the two big luM century spectacles, "The Garden of Al- m lah" and "Joseph and His Brethren." il threaten to eclipse It totally. Tho for- lfj mcr. a play that theatrical experts be- Jnl Ilcvc will run for many seasons to come. f:I has Just begun. Its third season, thc au- Ijjf thor being at least $150,000 the richer by roason of Its production, "Josuph and fltfl Ills Brethren," written In lriOiJ. but not tUw produced until a year ago, is as valuable lf a play now as whon It was written and Bill will probably bo as valuable ton years hence. This play, a year younger than Jjal "The Gardon of Allah," has apparently IIUA set out with tho determination to equal or exceed the high business records of iMj Its sister spectacle. llm It was calculated tnat .ur. rarKcrs Ht JI royalties from his various plays last sea- 11 V son brought him more than 5120.000. This 5HT9 season, with the London production of lijl! "Joseph and His Brethren." and the pro- tj)a ductlon by Cyril Maude of his version of IliK "The Vicar of Wnkcfield," this total IV g should be exceeded. A quarter of a mil- tP J lion dollars In two years for a mere play- BHiu wrlght sounds llko big money, doesn t It? ivfm But do tho two things balance? It Hit took Mr. Parker twenty years to learn to TE write successful plays, despite an excop- iilffl tlonal equipment for the work. He had lUE to teach music ln n little English nchoo 1H5 to make ends meet until "Rosemary" 1HD brought him enough money to satisfy giai him that ho could live by writing and jJjjM staging plays. , tPlf; Very fow of the few playwrights that 8J succeed do so right ofT the reel. The au- In thor of a successful "first play" recently 113 1 confessed that It really was his forty- INI ninth. Thc other forty-eight had coat him a small fortune In roturn postage, JHfi A young man had a fair success this Irllf season with a play written an an "araa.- till tour." Tho play was the result of nix Jill years' study in various universities that fin gavo special dramatic courses, and a year IfM as ntago-hand In a thcator whero they IB 1 changed the bill several times a week. IBM i Ho had taken his Job to familiarize him- ff MS self with the practical theater, and had lUf , been writing plays since his high school IfTJ , days, all of whloh goes to prove that lUf ; successful playwrights are made, rather IST ,' than born, and that much promiscuous II f playwrighting Is merely wasted effort. Ul Apropos of Forbes-Robertson's knight- Jlj . hood, by which ho is now corroctlv and I2 I privately known as Sir Johnston, thnugh Iff he modestly disdains to uae his title for jq'j businos3 purposes, a good story of Irv- WC ing is recalled by tho former's general g manager, Percy Burton, who wae for tt , some years associated with Sir Henry. M : Finding that his title was being used I S J agalnBt his wish for publicity purposes. W Irving wrote direct to tho printers say- IK j k ing that in future ho would llko to lie fl known as simple Henry Irving. What waa his dlBmay on coming to the next Ji 5 town to find that tho printer had taken HI J him all too literally, and that the posters If ! on tho boardings bore the straneo device I H I of "Simple Henry Irving." Such a catas- ' W. I trophe Is hardly likely to happen in the if : ( caso of Sir Johnston Forbus-Robort- J U ' son. I 1 M ' George Arllss commenced hi" fpurth finl season In Louis N. Parker's "Dlsrneli Hjj1 1 i at thc Court Square theater. SprlngflMd. iffH 8 Mass., laBt Monday (September 22). The f If II J ? performance marked tho first appearance RH? I of Mrs. Arllss In the role of Lady Bca- lilt 1 J conslleld. Violet Homing, Margarot Dale. III? a 9 Charles Harburv. Oscar Adye. Arthur h J Eldred. Dudley Dlgges and Mnlre Qulnn till I are also In tno cast perhaps the boat s cast that has ever appeared ln this de- till jj Ughtful comedy. jff j! |
