252

CHAPTER XIII

MISCELLANEOUS

Finance in Plays--Some Unsuccessful Dramatists--The
Ending of the Play--Preposterous Stage Types--The
Professions of the Dramatis Personae 271

CHAPTER I

THE DRAMATIC CRITIC

His Qualifications

The production of a play in the Russian tongue renders topical a phrase
once used, not unhappily, by Mr Cecil Raleigh concerning the
qualifications of the dramatic critic. After listening to a somewhat
extravagant speech about the duties of the critic, he said that the
dramatic critic ought, apparently, to be a "polyglot archangel." During
the last few years we have had plays in Russian, Japanese, Bavarian
_patois_, Dutch, German, French and Italian, to say nothing of East End
performances in Hebrew and Yiddish, which we neglect. Latin drama we
hear at Westminster; a Greek company came to the Court but did not act.
A Chinese has been promised, and a Turkish drama threatened; Danish has
been given; there are awful hopes of Gaelic and Erse; and goodness knows
why we have escaped Echegaray, Lope di Vega and Calderon in the
original. A Mezzofanti would be at a premium in the craft if knowledge
of languages alone were sufficient; but one may know many tongues and
possess no judgment.

We have to accept great responsibilities. Some people measure the
greatness of the responsibilities by the amount of money involved in
theatrical enterprises; it is hardly necessary to discuss seriously this
point of view. Nevertheless the fact remains that the voice of the
critics has some effect upon the fortunes of ventures involving large
sums of money and the employment of many people. It is rather curious to
see how lightly as a rule the influence of the critics is regarded; for
instance, from some remarks uttered by Sir John Hare it appears that he
thinks they are not influential. Here are his words taken from an
interview published in a newspaper.

_The Interviewer_: "How is public taste formed? Do newspaper criticisms
affect it?"

_Mr Hare_: "Very little."

This view is rarely pressed upon a jury by the plaintiff in a libel
action, and it may be remarked that although, when a play is running
well, some managers almost ignore us, as soon as business drops they
become delightfully amiable and long for our presence. Moreover, at
considerable expense, they quote our opinions if favourable--even with
judicious modifications when unfavourable.

Per