WANTED-PLAYS!

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1797, 9 July 1913, Page 2

WANTED-PLAYS!

CHAT ON DRAMA,

AN AGE OF REVIVALS.

( "It is so difficult to get plays—that is good plays—plays with a grip. You cannot s-t them at present, for the simple reason that no one seems to ( be writing them," said Mr. Harry l'limmer, the actor-manager, at present in Wellington, in the course of a chat on the dramas. "I fancy,"' lie added, "it is troubling all theatrical managers just now, not only in Australia, but in England and Amcrica. At Home tho position is so acute that in every other theatre revivals of old plays are being made. It is practically • the same, in ; New York this . season, whore 'The Amazons,' 'lolanth?, 1 and- other old bills figure in the list. In London 'Diplomacy' has been revived after a I' spell of twenty years or more. Hiss Ethel Irving has been forced back to s 'Lady Frederick' once more. "I liavo received dozens of plays during the past year, but they all lack the elements which, I think, are essential to pleas? the public in this part of tlie world. Take, for instance, 'The Turning Point,' played by Sir George Alexander and Miss Ethel Irving, It was thought to bg a play that could liardly fail. Mr. Bourcnior saw it iu I'aris, and returned to London full of enthusiasm about tho new play. But Mr. Bourchier is a Frenchman, .and the'crises of tho play concerned the doings of spies on tho I>order of France and Germany—a subject of profound and exciting interest to the French, but having no appeal to the English mind. So tho play failed. Other plays are thin and anaemic,'and often too short. Tho short, play may. bo all very well for West End Londoners, who do not like' to leave tho wine and walnuts until 9 o'clock, but in Australia and New Zealand the public demand full measnro for .their money, and small blatno to them. "There have been many short one-act plays written lately, probably, to supply the demand of the development in that regard in the inusic-hall, but one-act plays are not. wanted out here. Tentwenty years ago, we had l'inero, Sydney Grundy, Henry Arthur Joiks, and R. C. Carton, all turning out really good plays every year, but no one has arisen to take the place of these brilliant playwrights. Instead wo have writers of tho 'ultra' school—Shaw, Barker, S.vnge, Galsworthy, and Co., who dfal with out-of-the-way subjects in an out-of-the-way manner, which only pleases a certain little cult in each community. And all tho time there is a big public waiting for plays—simple plays with a human interest—plays with motives which appeal to tho heart rather more than the mind. "It is a sign of the times, when ,T.C. Williamson, Ltd., cannot find what they want in London. It is London's failure to produco what is wanted that, is responsible for the production of :so many American plays of .late.They (iiv strong and virile, if at times not_sp*fihe ; ■jfif'Vpx. ture as the best 'EiVglisli'-pliiys/' aiii giv£ us a new set of character t.vpes to, figure ou.t. 11l the main they call for American actors of distinct typ;s, usually those who would be difficult to place in a repertoire of English plays,. The trend ■ to. be more and more, not to look for actors capable of characterising, but for personalities which aro as near as possible, the character intended by t;lie. author. . . . . Yes, it is highly debatable as to whether it is a healthy trend from an artistic point of view. It is.'unquestionably the easy way out.- ■ • ••.•••, •, ' "Plays are what are wanted—if someone could only turn'out a few more plays of tho 'Dr. Wake's' Patient' or 'Nobody's Daughter' type; I, for bne, would be 'very much obliged.''*",