The Billboard 1921-06-11: Vol 33 Iss 24 (1921-06-11)

Se ee ee. AP ape ms The Billboard JUNE 11, 1921 (All communications, HENRY HERBERT —_———— Says Art Theater Is Pretentious —EuropeanA tors Tricksters With Their Art HERNY HERBERT Born London, Eng., in 1880, First appearance at 17, With William Poel and Elizabethan Stage Society, which put plays on by the Elizabethan playwrights aries of Shakespeare, With Frank Benson Repertory of Shake and contempor speare for twelve years. Also director and manager of this company, as well as actor Been in America five years. \ Has played with Granville Barker and Sir Herbert Tree. las appeared in America in ‘“‘Androcles and the Iion,” in “The Dumb Wife,” in “Servant in the House,” in “Army With Banners,”’ in ‘The Faithful,” in ‘“‘The Blue ®lame,”’ in “‘Lady of the Lamp,” in “John Ferguson,” and in Los Angeles in ‘‘The Pilgrimage Play,” taken from the life of Christ, St. John version, in which he plays the part of Christ. Now giving introduction to ‘Four Horse men of the Apocalypse,” at the Astor Theater, Believes actor should have good voice and diction and modesty, It was a mutual friend that told Henry Lerbert I wanted to interview him, “Interview me?’ repeated Mr. Herbert, bel ligerently. “I don’t wanna be interviewed They did it once too often.” Our friend is exceedingly tactful. She didn’t fay anything just then. But in a few when she was sure he had forgotten all about it she broached the subject again. ,He demurred, but this time a bit more gently than before, Our friend assured him I was different from other interviewers—not knowing me very wel!l— and Mr. Herbert, who is really quite a kind person at heart, capitulated. “Well,” he objected, feebly, “if you'll prom days, ise me that she won’t ask me what I eat for breakfast and if I prefer raw meat at dinner and how many wives I’ve had and if I live with them all and how many children I have and if they are all legitimate, I'l! see her at the Astor Theater at 2:30 any day.” With this ultimatum fresh in our mind, we were ushered, trembling, into Mr. Herbert's presence. The man who came forward to meet us, with outstretched hand, was slight, almost frail of figure, despite his robes, rather under medium heicht, with an aggressive nose, kindly. blue eyes and a face in which humor was pre-eminent, HAS BEEN IN COUNTRY ONLY PIVE YEARS Henry Herbert has been in this country cnly five years, and during that time has practically mever been idle for any lengcth of time. He doesn’t believe in it, and that is why at the present time he is giving the introduction to “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalrpse” at the Astor, dressed in Biblical roles, in which he greeted me. He has been on the stage for 24 yeors, making his first appearance in stock at 1? Mr. Herbert has had much experience in Shakespearean repertoire. He was with the EBlizabethan Stage Society in England, an association which puts on plars by the contem poraries of Shakespeare, as well as the hard. He was with the Frank Benson Shakespeare Repertory Company for 12 years those of From this school many of the most prominent actors in England have been graduated. He has nleved the whole range of Shakespearean characters from Hamlet to Launcelot Gobhbo: and the last half dozen rears that he was with this company he also directed and put on the plars. fie to America—tust trip at first—until Granville Barker persuaded him to stay for more When Sir Herbert Tree was in this country Mr, Herbert was in his company also. eame for a pleasure serious business Last year he was asked to play the part of Christ. in ‘‘The Pilgrimage Play.”’ in Los Angeles. This was given first by a small group of interested persons in a the walls of which curiously resemble Palestine A crude etadicm was erected, with a capacity for 1,000 canyon Srey aw —-—— ee THE DRAMATIC STAGE A DEPARTMENT OF NEWS AND OPINIONS Patterson James, Billboard, 1493 Broadway, New York, N. Y.) persons. The initial performance was given before an audience of ministers of all creeds and denominations. It was unanimously acclaimed a Since then the city of Los Angeles has subsidized the venture, enlarged the 6eating capacity of the stadium to 2,000, and plans to produce the play annually for ten weeks or more during the summer. Mr. Ilerbert is going to the Coast to appear in this piece again thie year, and will return to New York rather late in the fall, Somehow our conversation drifted to a discussion of the art theater and here I found Mr, Herbert has some interesting theories. ART THEATER NOT ART *“T don't like the art theater,’? be declared. “Ande I think we have rather an exalted opini of it here. In the first place it does not do what it sets Out to do. It is just as anxious about its box office receipts as are the success. feels his parts. Forcign actors, with their marvelous technique, are tricksters. They can do an emotional scene perfectly, a love scene admirably, they can do anything and everything from tears to a comedy fall on order. They play with their parts, It is all sort of 8 game with them. They don’t feel them instinctively as we do. We may not be so perfect, technically, but we are more sincere, and that’s why I prefer our style of acting.” ASSOCIATED WITH EARL CARROLL IN NEW VENTURE Mr. Herbert is associated with Earl Carroll, who is building a new theater at 50th Street and Seventh avenue, and which, it is expected, will be ready by Thanksgiving. ‘‘There'll be plays of wide appeal and merit produced there,”’ Mr. Herbert said, confidently. “It is well for the young man who goes on the stage to have some other source of income. HENRY HERBERT Terbert is en route to Los A , Cal., where taken from he pleys the part of the Christ t h in the “Pilgrimage the life of Christ. so-called commercial theaters. The art theater is pretentious and high brow and clannish, and exclusive. It plays to a certain audience, which has cultivated a taste for the sort of plays it produces, “I spent some time in Germany a number of years ago, The German Art Theater has sort of a glorified name in England, just as it has in America, and I expected to find I don’t ku°w what. But I was disappointed. The peo le who come seemed to attend the performs: s as a duty rather than as a pleasure. There was always a strained atmosphere in the house “It seems to me the theater is the place for relaxation and enjoyment if nothing else. Personally, I prefer big houses and mixed audientes. Then if a play gets over you have something of a wide appeal. I don’t like ‘his exclusiveness. If we can’t have Shakespeare, then for goodness’ sake let’s have our “Peg o° My Hearts,"’ our ‘“‘Romances,’’ rather than ‘art’ at such a price. These plays appeal to the mass of people If an actor of a play cannot reach the heartstrings of the public, then the actor should get ont of the business and the play ought to he relegated to the ever-increasing pile of unsuitable manuscripts. “So far as acting is coneerned, of course, the European actors are wonderful technicians. But I prefer Englixh and” American acting. The American actor takes his work eeriously and It's a precarious living unttY one gets a foothold—and it might go hard with him until he becomes used to it. If he has a chance to go into something else I should advise him to do that in preference to the But, of course,”? with a twinkle is his eye, ‘“‘there’s no earthly use of telling a young man that. If he wants to the stage, he'll go anyway. “I should him to give himself five years in which to find out if there is any possibility of a future in it for him. If he hasn't won some sort of that time he outht to get into other business. Five years isn’t too long, and he won't be too old to change at the end of the time if need be. “To make a success he'll need a good woice and diction, personality and modesty. Above all—modesty. This seems to be lacking in so many actors.**, “Rut is modesty conducive to getting engacements?” argued his interviewer, “Do you know a manager who can be impressed with modesty?’ Ile considered a moment. peared again, ‘*No,’* he admitted, “I don't. And perhaps we had better leave thiut out of an actor’s make-up. In fact, now that I think of it, if an actor wants to écome popular and successfnl he had better leave modesty behind him-—when he visits managers for a job, at any rate.’* stage, £0 on advise recognition in some Then the twinkle ey All of which you will agree with me bas not the slightest relation to raw meat or break. fast or illegitimate children. But that past ex perience of Mr. Herbert's suddenly poked its malicious head over the transom of Mr, Her bert’s memory, and in parting he said: “This has been very nice. BUT please don't put too many words of wisdom in my mouth, will you?" this last a bit wistfully. Suspicion dies hard, doesn’t it?—MYRIA\Y SIBVB. DRAMATISTS AND AUTHORS MERGE —_—— Society Joins With Guild and Chooses New Council and New Officers From Both New York, June 4.—The Society of American Dramatists merged this week with the Drama. tists’ Guild, bringing virtually every play wright in the country under the banner of the Authors’ League of America. A new set of officers and council have been selected from both organizations. The merger was effected on Tuesday during a meeting at the headquarters of the Authors’ League in Union Square, between representatives of both organizations. The new officers jointly elected were: Owen Davis, president: Anne Crawford Flexner, vice-president; Edward Childs Carpenter, chairman of the council: Percival Wilde, secretary; Eric Schuler, executive secretary, and Henry Erskine Smith, treasurer. The new council consists of Angustus Thomas, Channing Pollock, Cosmo Hamilton, J. Hartley Manners, Rida Johnson Young, Roi Cooper Megrune, Avery Hopwood, Montague Glass, Rita Weyman, Jules Eckert Goodman, James Forbes, Gene Buck, William Cary Duncan and the officers, Among other things a new board was elso elected which, it is hoped, will combine the author-manager, author-producer and the anthoractor. The new board is called the ing Coune'l’ Cohan, chell “Consultand is made up of George M. William Gillette, John Golden, WinSmith and Jane Cowl. STUART WALKER LOSES Court of Appeals Upholds Judgment of Lower Courts in Royalty Suit Albany, N. Y., June 1.—The Court of Appeals today handed down a decision affirming the lower courts in giving Tugh Stange and Benjamin Mears a judgment of $4,715.52 against Stuart Walker, actor and playwright, as royalties for the production of the play, “Seventeen.” Stange and Mears obtained the consent of Booth Tarkington, author of the book, to dramatize it in consideration of forty per cent royalties. They made an agreement to produce the play and were to receive a five per cent royalty, and he was to pay the author's royalty, Walker rewrote the play written by Stange and Mears, saying it was crude and unsatisfactory. Walker presented the play first in Indianapolis and then in New York, advertising it as the dramatization of the book by Stange and Mears, and paid them the stipulated royalty for a time. We then refused to pay furtber royalties and brought an action against them to rescind the contract on the ground of fraud, alleging that Stange and Mears falsely represented to him that they had the exclusive dramatization rights to the book from the author, but this action has not been tried. Walker claimed at the trial that he wrote an entirely new play without using any part of the play submitted by the plaintiffs, and that he was rot obligated to pay them royalties. The decision is final and no further appeal may be taken. PRIZE AWARDED By Arts and Festivals Committee, U. N. H., for Best One-Act Play The Arts and Festivals’ Committee of the United Neighborhood Houses of New York an nounces that the prize offered for the ‘est unpublished one-act play written by an Amer ican citizen has been awarded to Dan W. Totheroh of 4052 17th street, San Francisco, for his play, “In the Darkness." The three plays receiving honorable mention were “The Noose,” by Tracy D. Mygatt; “Trains.” by Evelyn Einig, and ‘‘The Prairie,” by Elaine Sterne, ° Thrée prizes of one hundred dollars each «re to be offered next season for the best Play, the best community pageant and the best spring festival. Full information regarding the contest may be obtained from the Arts and Festivals’ Committee of the United Neighborhood Houses, 70 Fifth avenue, before March 1, 1922. “HOTTENTOT” STOPS one-act William Collier, in “The Hottentot,” close’ the season at the Columbia Theater, San Fran cisco, last week. The company will go dir to New York. Business was not up to © pectations on the Coast, and bookings in the Northwest were cancelled.