Behind the Footlights

rst Plays (Pinero, Grundy, Sims)—Cyril Maude at the Opera—Mice and Men—Sir Francis Burnand, Punch, Sir John Tenniel, and a Cartoon—Brandon Thoma

bert Marshall’s first important play appeared, has suddenly leapt into

author of the best book on miniatures, was a doctor by profession; Edmund Gosse and Edward Clodd have other occupations besides literature. Although known as a writer, W. S. Gilbert could earn an income at the Bar or in Art;[Pg 93] A. W. Pinero is no m

his brother entered Sandhurst at the top of the list, and left in an equally exalted position. This inspired the younger brother with a desire for the army, and he enlisted in the Highland Light Infantry, then stationed in Ireland. The ranks gave him an excellent training, besides affording o

e a dramatist by profession. It was about 1898 that he left the Service; but he has made good use of the time since[Pg 94] then, for such plays as His Excellency the Governor, A Royal Family, The Noble Lord, and The Second in Command ha

os of this, writes

He translated and sold it to Lacy, an old theatrical manager and agent, for about ￡10. Mr

, instead of reaping a golden harvest as he did with his translation of the very same piece. Times have changed i

have been sold by hundreds of thousands in the streets of London for which the authors, composers, and publishers have never received a cent. Mr. J. M. Barrie, who was[Pg 95] sitting beside me, joined in, and declared, if I am not mistaken, that he had never got a penny from The Little Minister

ous, and so much abused that the Royal Assent was given in Parliament to a copyright bill proposed by the Hon. George Lamb, and carried through by Mr. Lytton Bulwer, who

I. Zangwill, gave an amusing representation of his play called Merry Mary Ann, founded on his novel of the same name. The performance took place at the Corn Exchange, Wallingford, and

g

di under these c

wo-guinea fee

hich is licensed for

by means of posters that

erson pay one guinea, that person constitutes an

friends proceed to read, or whenever possible act, the part

s at Wallingford-on-Thames, where he represents literature and journalism, G. F. Leslie, R.A., representing art; both joined forces for one afternoon at tha

as one performer after another threw up their r?les he was finally left to act them all. The female parts he played in his shirt-sleeves, with a high pitched voice. Mr. Clement Scott gave

arious men; for instance, Mr. Pinero, writing in the

and is more considerable than the composition, which did not employ me more than a single afternoon. My next venture was in the same year, and entitled Two Can Play at the Game, a farce produced at the Lyceum Theatre by Mrs. Ba

ndy tells the

ms: ‘Dear Sir,—Mr. Buckstone desires me to inform you that your comedietta is in rehearsal, and will be produced at his forthcoming Benefit. Mr. and Mrs. Kendal will play the principal parts.—Yours[Pg 98] faithfully, F. Weathersby.’ New authors were such rare phenomena in those days, that Mr. Buckstone did not know ho

ribes his initi

e young friends. The price of admission to the day nursery, in which the stage was erected, was one shilling, which included tea, but visitors were request

10th, 1875, at a matinée at the Olympic Theatre, by Mr. E. J. Odell, and was a translation or adaptation of Le Centenaire, by D’Ennery and another.

periences of three emi

g

m; but no more united little band could possibly be found than that behind the scenes at the Haymarket Theatre, where the rehearsals are co

proportionately less to do. Thus it was I found time for scribbling; it was actually while A.D.C. and living

r first play?

f Bonnie Prince Charlie from Scotland in 1746. My first acted play appeared at the Lyceum, and

ed hard during the last few years, and deserves any meed of praise that may be given him by the public. Many men on being told to relinquish[Pg 100] the profession they loved because of ill-health would calmly sit down and court death. Not so Robert Marshall. He at once turned

was known to write, act, stage-manage, and paint the scenes of another play himself. Enthusiasm truly; but it was all e

the charge—and certainly humble and modest as regards his own work. The author of The Second in Command is athletically inclined; he is fond of golf,

re appreciative listeners in[Pg 101] the house than these two men, both intensely interested in the representation of Tannh?user. Poor Mr. Maude having a sore throat, had been forbidden to act that evening for fear of

he amuses himself constantly at his pian

use it makes no mistakes, and with a little practice can

e Riviera or some other sunny land. The home reflects the taste of its owner; and the dainty colouring, charming pictures

in has a most exalted opinion of Mr. Gilbert’s writings and witticisms. He considers him a model playwright, a

not, however, stand the loneliness of a big establishment by himself—a loneliness which he does not feel in his flat. Consequently that peace and quiet which he went to the country to find, he himself

Mrs. Hodgson Burnett, was founded on her own novel, Little Lord Fauntleroy, of which more a

oncerned—for burlesque touched up

an almost unknown writer have taken such a hold on the London public? It was well acted, of course, for t

n, its l

ther with[Pg 103] strong human interest. It aimed at nothing great, it merely sought to entertain and amuse. Love rules the world, romance enthra

one of the most successful of these was written in a night. Mr. Burnand, as he was then, went to the St. James’s Theatre one evening to see Diplomacy, and after the performance walked home. On the way the idea for a burlesq

inted white beard, but looks remarkably youthful. He is a busy man, and spends hours of each day in his well-stocked library at the Boltons (London, Eng.: as our American friends would say), or at Ramsgate,

to devote his time to his Punch cartoon. One warm day in July, 1902, however, John Tenniel was persuaded to break his rule, and proved as kind and lively as ever. Although eighty-two ye

ked. “I have nothing to co

d he did. The dear old man’s hand was very shaky, until he got the pencil on to the paper, and then the lines themselves were pe

e done before and since. Cartoonists and caricaturists ply a difficult trade, for so few people

ming house[Pg 105] in Bolton Garden

I was invited to dine and go to the theatre. I had only just arri

ndians amongst the a

lf-castes love the theatre, and

be better? Gladly I accepted the invitation to dine and go to the theatre afterwards, where, as subsequently proved, they h

r, even in the best places wore dress-clothes, any more

omehow appeared familiar. I looked

been brought to s

isher, to meet the great “Jimmy” Whistler. I was telling Mr. Brandon[Pg 106] Thom

hed Zürich. ‘Let us try to get a decent dinner,’ I said, ‘for I am sick of table d’h?tes.’ According

re closed just n

ly somethi

of music hall, but the Herrschaf

laimed, longing f

ulgar piece, it would not please the gn?

ow stupid. Tel

replied the wai

ey went. Needless to say, however, the author hardly recognised his child in i

s considerably cut in the provinces, Mr. Thomas restored the original matter and entirely re-wrote

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of Baroda, and the Maharanee (his wife), and we all went on to the theatre to see Charley’s Aunt. At that time His Highness the Gaekwar was very proud of a grand new theatre he had built in Baroda, a

ople a bad idea of English education; no,

on of our education that his sons a

enjoyment into life; and yet Brandon Thomas feels almost obliged to blush every time the title is mentioned. When Mr. Penley asked him to write a play, i

ke to play an old

r.” And when the play was written Penley acted the part made up like the ol

wn, the Bluecoat School has disappeared, and now Clifford’s Inn has been sold for ￡100,000 and is to be demolished. Many of the sets of chambers therein contained beautiful carving, and in o

to the President of France but to the entire Republic he represented. From the Circus through Leicester Square the crowd was standing ten or fifteen deep on either side of the road, and we had various vicissitudes in getting to our destination at all. The police would not let us pass, and we drove round and round back streets, unable

or the occasion, we passed through massive oak doors

those carvings are b

are reputed to be, and in a fortnight will

t beautifully carved, and the whole room was panelled from floor to ceiling. The furniture was in keeping. Beautiful inlaid

clever comedian, who played in the New Clown for eighteen months consecutively. Such an interesti

;[Pg 110] another time they will see the fun from the first rise of the curtain. Personally I prefer the audience to be rather dull at the beginning, for I like to work them up, and to work up with them myself. The most enthusiastic audiences to my mind are to

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