ME was AN Acton Oxce."—Being. the ferneries of Robert' Courtneidge, Hutchinson' & Ca, Bed, 'The author's gift of style, marked by no little distinction, makes this ook of reminiscences' more than mere revelation of character, Mr. Courtneidge's appreciation of the various figures which fluttered across the stage in his time are valuable. enough for their own intrinsic merit, but they also com-dine with his' shrewd disquisition:
the problems of his profession to give a book which may welt be regarded as an eloquent apologia for the actor, In recent years Mr. ~-Gourtneidge has been. known mainly a successful producer, For wher on July 28, 1925, he appeared us Professor Pecketing Peck in a revival of "On Change" it was, in point of fact, his first appearance for nearly thirty years. His decision, to desert the acting for-the producing side of the profession was made when he was appointed Managing Director of the Prince's Theatre in Manchester. After seven years in Manchester he came to London to Work under the late atr. George Edwaules, for.whom he produced the "Duchees of Dantzig."
'This book tells of the struggles of the early part of his acting career, In fact the first 149 pages wre passed before he has really established himself in his profession; and then he acted for: twenty' years before he became a producer. His success with the "Duchess of Dantzig" encouraged him to start on his own account, It is interesting to recall that he made start with that now little known, "but then very much appreciated, musical comedy "The Blue Moon," in which Florence Smithson made her firet appearance on the London stage.
There is much to be learned in Mr, Courtneidge's easy narrative of thie difficulties to be encountered by the aspiring actor or actress, and Stage-struck amateurs would do well to digest the passages in which he discusses the terrors of unemployment among even the best artists, He himself, as producer, had his ups and downs, ard it in noticeable that a huge success made can quite easily be followed by tun of il luck which throws the account terribly on the wrong side.
the War, naturally, had a fatal fect on many theatrical fortunes.
Courtneldge's was no excep: ion, By 1914 he had done exceedingly well. He had produced, above all, "The Arcadians," a remarkable success, because marly everyone At, welding Dan Rolyat and Altve 1 Lester, were convinced that it would be a failure. Mr. Courtneidge does nat tell the story, but it is perfectly true that after the dress rehearsal, Dan Rolyat, whom the piece was destined to make, told Alfred! Loster, another who prospered bz "The Areadians," that ko was goings aut to look for a "shop," as tha how could rot last a week. it ran for over two years ant brought Mr. Courtneidge a small fortune. In the next production he lost 20,000, owing, as ko admits, to an oversight io failing to. make sufficiently binding contract. with the leading comedian, who fell final finavetal blow. He managed to keep going and to come agai, as it were, with more successes, among which he would probably count as the most important th rise of his daughter, Cecily Courtneidge, who,-with her hubbard, hae made for herself a speci! niche in the London theatre-goers' gallery. Mr. Courtneldge frankly recognizes the popular belief that his daughter owed her success in the early day: to her father's influence. It was very persistent doctrine among the wiseacres who haunt the Strand, but Miss Courtneidge has trium-pliantly, proved that she could succeed On hersown merits, ard her father this.book makes it clear that he insisted on her being given no particular advantage over the chorus girls with whom she accep when she made her first appearance in "Tom Jones." However, so con-vineed were father acd daughter of the difficulty of getting over the circumstance of their relationship, that early in her career. Miss urtneidge cut adrift from her int and worked her way up nder other management.
Not a little of the attraction of the Book lies la the eloquence sith which the author pleads the cause of the unfortunate members of profession: actor, actress, et Shoriater, "braga Livery, vacancy. for_an
Sores "of applicants, Ths salary, when considered in relation to. t5s paint at salaries of hoae whom I wish to engage. I the in Vargaining with for it is then generally a business' transaction Which sentiment has little, if any, Place, Te" is when T deal with th Others thatthe inward struggle be:
gins. In all such cases I have determined beforehand the graas the entire east ought to coat, and, roughly, "how I shall apportion it.
But how am T-to keep within thes Sgures who
and the luck that has been out for hae Soham haven met monthe, perhaps years?* Perhaps there is no profession I which the fall from popular favour can be a3 rapid and as decisive. As Mr, Courtmeidge says, the rise is easily traced, the poin* at which begins to decline "is difficult determine, ind 20 often the declin? seems to come from no fault of the unfortunate actor or actress.—e.H,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.