Rents Too High

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 194, 5 November 1927, Page 22 (Supplement)

Rents Too High

London Theatres SEYMOUR HICKS HITS OUT "The Gentleman with a Chequehook has succeeded in almost clearing out legitimate theatrical enterprises from London,” declares Seymour Hicks, the actor, in an article in the London "Evening News.” He adds: We have a Government which, one hopes, would like

to send to gaol people who acquire houses at a small rental of (say) <£loo a year, and, by subletting room by room to the poor, make a profit of perhaps 100 per cent. But why does this same Government lean back complacently and watch the professional theatre-rent

speculators (most of them of alien origin) buying oui playhouses and raising the rents them at one fell swoop from, s.i\. £5,000 a year to £25,000 a year. I am quite willing to bet that (wit a three or four exceptions) there are n«»t any big legitimate theatres which, over a period of five years’ London tra< i:<~. would not show an enormous loss to the producers, owing to the present cO‘ossal profit-rentals —which, remembe i. do not include the bars, most of whicn show a profit of from £7O to £IOO a week nor cloak-room fees and chocolates.’ “Chocolates” in one case ; to my knowledge, amounted to £bu profit in a week. I Let us take as an example one theatre I know of. The original builder received £4,000 a year. The present lesee receives £ IS,OOO on top of that, plus the bars and other aforementioned perquisites. Adding it all up, instead . of it costing the producer about £ll as rent to take his curtain up every evening and one matinee, its costs him well over £BO.

Sean O’Casey, the famous Irish dramatist, has married Eileen Carey, an English actress.

Basil Bean is to produce “Sirroco,” Noel Coward's new play, in London shortly, with Ivor Novello in the lead. Another of Mr. Bean’s ventures will be “Come With Me,” written by himself and Margaret Kennedy, and in association with the Baniel Mayer Company he is also producing “The Second Man.”

There has been much discussion in the London Press lately concerning the salaries paid to “old-time” actors. An interesting contribution was made to the “Baily Telegraph” by Lady Wyndham, widow of Sir Charles Wyndham, who was a contemporary of Henry Irving, and proprietor of the old Queen’s Theatre, London. Here is a copy of her salary bill in the year 1867. At the head of the list stood the name of J. L. Toole, who drew £lO 16s 6d for one week in September; next came Alfred Wigam with £7 6s 8d; after him John Ryder, £7 10s; Ellen Terry, £5; Henry Irving, £2 13s 4d; John Clayton and Lionel Brough, £2 10s each; Henrietta Hodson (afterwards wife of Henry Labourchere, M.P., proprietor of “Truth”), £3; Charles Wyndham, £3; and Henry Collin, 15s; the total expenditure on salaries for that week having been £66 17s 6d! Contrast those figures with the £4OO a week paid to leading musical comedians or the. £750 a week stated in a

recent cable to have been offered to Charlie Chaplin for a 20 weeks’ engagement in the heart of the Empire.

There have been many stories of the controversies over the title when “Ruddigore” was produced (January, 1887) in London. Originally it was called “Ruddygore,” and there was a storm of protest against this unnecessary piling up of “horrors.” Perhaps the best version is that a friend meeting Gilbert soon after the production asked him how his VBloodygore” was going. Gilbert said: “It isn’t Bloodygore—it’s Ruddigore.” “Well,” said his friend, “it’s the same thing.” “Is it?” said Gilbert. “Then I suppose you’ll take it that if they say “I admire your ruddy countenance,” it will mean that I like “your bloody cheek.” However a compromise was effected and the title was chang’ed to “Ruddigore.” The opera will be done in Auckland shortly.

“Michael Orme,” the clever lady responsible for many excellent adaptations, including “Tiger Cats,” has just written “The Lonely Road,” a piece admirably serious in intention. She has chosen two themes—the inherent selfishness, or rather self-preoccupation, of the great artist, and the woman of mature years who falls in love with the boy of talent. The short first act is good, the second act weaker, largely owing to the presence of a quite impossible humorist and a vamp who would appear to be drawn from the sillier kind of film. The third act examines the case of a Madame Potiphar who fails to attract, not Joseph, but Monsieur Potiphar, and ends a new theme with a good, old-fashioned tirade The short fourth act —in which the man of sense makes the man of genius see that he must atone for the lives he has ruined, not by a spectacular suicide, but by forcing that genius which was his excuse to bear fruit—contains some and is extre mely well written. v\ ith some eliminations and a general tightening in the middle “The Lonelv Road” will be a good play. As it is, it is a contribution to dramatic art which one can respect.

al f nil } e operas were staged in Wellington during the Gilbert and Sullivan season. They were: “Ruddigore “Mikado,” “Patience,” “Yeomen of the Guard, “lolanthe,” “Gondoliers,” “Pinafore,” “Princess Ida” and Pirates of Penzance.” With the exception of “Ruddigore,” which was presented for there nights and a matinee, a change was made nightly. The performers (principals and others) stood the strain well. Strella Wilson (the leading soprano), Wilfred Williamson and Patti Russell, and James Hay (principal tenor and producer of “Ruddigore”) Chas. W'alenn, John Ralston, Bernard Manning, Leo Barnton, Lance Fairfax and John Byrne have proved themselves to be highly capable artists. The operas are produced in the firm’s best style, and that spells the highest standard. The Auckland season opens on November 26 and concludes on Becember 8.

Leon Gordon, the actor-playwright who toured Australia and New Zealand with “White Cargo,” in which he appeared as Witzel, is to return to Australia early next year to again appear under the J. C. Williamson, Ltd., management. In making this announcement, Sir George Tallis, in the course of an interesting letter to the firm, said: “I was glad to be able to get Leon Gordon to come back to us for another season. After combing out England and America, I am more than ever convinced that he will again be an enormous draw, especially as we have got some fine pieces for him.” Sir George Tallis mentioned that he had had a very strenuous three weeks in London, after an interesting fortnight

on the Continent, motoring from Paris to Berlin back through Belgium and the war zone into Paris once more. After a visit to America he is returning to London prior to leaving for Australia, arriving in Melbourne at aboait Christmas.