| Show HAVE A disagreement paul armstrong says florence rob erts will not play new york paul armstrong has been hiving strife with florence roberts it Is revealed inthe in the following from the isea york press paul armstrong has resolved that hereafter when ho produces a new play he will not cross the mississippi so much trouble has be wallen armstrong he presented hla latest work ann la mont in salt lake city that reports have been drifting in here that he has been at the point of distraction and more than once has threatened to take the first iraln to new york but the author Is going to stick it out and he writes to the press man that he Is beginning to see an end to his woe and that a long engagement in broadway Is opening before him there Is much of unusual interest in armstrongs experience he has suffered strain to his patience and his temper by the development that his play has not a star part it Is ot known that mr armstrong was possessed of the commendable intent of writing some merit into the minor roles but at all event he has evolved a play which gives importance to more than one player and the result has been a tremendous flurry on the part of miss florence roberts who dreamed of herself as a bright stellar light and now has a rude awakening there has been a marked desire of the public for many plays of rounded excellence but managers have stuck close to the star system the effect of their obstinacy is seen in the haughty attitude of miss roberts who believing she was sustained by the methods that prevail in broadway tried to twist every situation to fit her own fancy armstrong protested but for days he made no impression on the actress the playwright had tackled difficulties before and had adopted strenuous ways with unfailing success in breaking down the opposition of mere men but confronted by any angry strong willed woman ho was at first filled with dismay and almost routed argument and persuasion were of no avail and to gain concessions it was necessary tor him to assert himself and tread on the goei of the pugnacious miss roberts the actress not unnaturally took the position that the playwright had shown inexcusable temerity in writing a play not in accord with the ideas of the average manager and whatever armstrong thought miss roberts was determined ter mined to be a star his feelings may be gathered from this paragraph of his miss roberts will not play in new york my contract protects in against that possibility the play will come in without a star of course miss roberts thinks tho play is all wrong but this is a case where the star fails utterly the characterization carrying the play without her I 1 feel that ann la mont will be a success in new york it is running the same route as the heir to the aioo rah which was approved by the public though it had no star but thia new piece Is totally different to the honorah it Is a bohemian comedy it appears as it I 1 am destined not to write star parts and I 1 am not sorry the popularity of the honorah in new york and on the road shows that playgoers play goers want productions that are well balanced they want a variety of temperament it seems clear to me they are tired of the continuous parading of players whose reputations often depend on the lavish use of advertising ink I 1 am not writing a brief for my own play I 1 am simply expressing the opinions that have been pounded into me by hard experience alt was not satisfactory on the opening night but hy shortening the performance and giving more prominence to some of the minor characters charac teis we have caught the public for the past week the piece has played to crowded audiences and when the last is heard of this star fetish I 1 believe the production will glow in popularity |
