THEATRE'S TROUBLE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 8 December 1930, Page 18

THEATRE'S TROUBLE

TOO MANY INCOMPETENTS

ALNLEY'S CONFESSION

"What bothers us on tho stage is tho number of incompetent actors and actresses," said Mr. Henry Ainley when responding for the "Players" at tho annual luncheon of tho Critics' Circle, held at the Cafe Koyal. Mr. "W. A. Darlington, dramatic critic of the "Daily Telegraph," and author of "Alfa Button" and other plays, occupied the chair. "I have a. good idea," went on Mr. Ainley, "and that is that we should lift 2000 of these incompetent actors and actresses and put them on a big ship and send them, far away to sea, and leave them on an uninhabited island to live on the ilora and fauna. Wo do not want them here. They aro keeping good actors out," reports the "Daily Telegraph." "Having got rid of this boatful, there is another thing. "We'must guard the entrance to our profession. There should be only one entrance, and that should be through the Koyal Academy of Dramatic Art. "I had a, letter yesterday from a man who wrote me, 'I have seriously thought of adopting the stage as my profession as my firm has gone bankrupt.' (Laughter.) That is definitely true. "Then, again, we are constantly asked, 'Where are the kings of yesterday'?' 'What would Irving do if he were alive?' 'Where are thp actormanagers?' That is not fair. We have the aetor-mauagers. We have Leslie Henson, Miss Copper, and Sir Martin Harvey. "We cannot havo the great ones back, but we have the remembrance of their traditions, and we ought to employ a little of the romanco and glamour and rigour of the game. That is what we need. We have a iino example at tho Haymarket. I know no artist so supreme at her job as Miss Marie Tempest. (Cheers.) "There are men to take the place of those who aro gone. There is Cedric Hardwicke, there is Baliol Holloway, and there is John Gielgud. Aud Leslie Henson is a marvel. He is worth all the great comedians that Lamb described rolled into one. "I am tired of hearing people say that -the stage is done. The stage is not done. There is a blaziug trail going round from Drury Lane to Hammersmith by way of Strcatham-hill. There is a renaissance going on, ana 11 know that the glory, if it has not returned, is returning quickly and permanently." (Cheers.) Mr. W. A. Darlington, proposing the "Guests of the Circle," said that, for obvious reasons artists did not like critics. Artists throve on praise and were killed by blame, though there were some hardy fellows who said that blame did them good. Some were like the musical comedy actress —who should ba nameless —who said, "I do not want praise. Fulsome flattery is enough for me." (Laughter.) After the first night of a play that was not a howling frost, half the audience went on to the stage and congratu lated everyone. "Darling, you were marvellous," and the darlings believed it. When the "Darlings you wero marvellous," saw the papers next morning they got a shock, and came to the conclusion that the critic was a beast and a bore, besides being a liar and a slanderer.