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COWARD DISCUSSES
AMATEURS' SERVICE
By First-Nighter
AMATEURS were thrilled during the week when so many
of them were able to meet Noel Coward personally at
the big ball on Tuesday. They found that Mr. Coward, like
most 'really important folk of this world who have done
things worth while, was just a human, jolly, likeable fellow
when it came -to mixing with people.
DURING the week, I had the opportu
nity of talking with him about
theatre work in general. He showed
himself to be very interested in
amateur work. and said that, consider
ing the state of the professional theatre
in this country, he might find it neces
sary to recruit some players from the
amateur field when he returns after the
war to present some of his plays.
Noel Coward may be a brilliant
speaker, entertainer, writer, and singer
of popular songs, and many other
things. But primarily he is a man of
the theatre.
He was practically brought up in it,
and he knows its workings with an un
cannily general knfwledge, born of ac
tual experience under difficult condi
tions in his younger days.
"Amateurs cannot hope to compete
with professionals," he said, "but in the
absence of professional vitality, they
are doing the theatre a magnificent ser
vice by keeping things alive until better
days come round."
Tonight, playgoers will have the last
performance of the Independent
Theatre's production of "Till the Da.y 1
Die." which should settle down Into
something really worthwhile. Its faults
on the first night, last Saturday, were of
omission rather than of commission.
The players deserved a better au
dience than they had on Saturday, and
probably they will get it tonight.
Tonight the curtain will go up at
the Tivoli Theatre on the first Play
box production to be given in a pro
fessional theatre. "The O'Brien Girl,"
which is being revived on a particularly
grand scale, will be by far the biggest
thing the Playbox has ever handled.
I haven't the slightest fear about the
outcome, knowing as I do the combina
tion of real enthusiasm and capable
effort that have been put into the show.
It should be a grand night, and repeat
performances on Wednesday, Thursday,
and Saturday will be given to cater for
the large number of people who will
want to see the show. Actually it will
be our first big amateur musical show
this year.
1941 Season
The Repertory Theatre this week an
nounced that it would open its 1941
jseason on March 1 at the Tivoli Theatre.
The opening play has not yet been
decided upon, but the year's produc
tions will be chosen from "George and
Margaret," "Busman's Honeymoon,"
"He Was Born Gay" (a period play by
Emlyn Williams). "Accent On Youth,"
"Laburnum Grove," "The Unguarded
Hour." "The Two Mrs. Carrolls," "Quiet
Wedding,"' "Little Foxes," "When We
Are Married," and "Our Town."
The last is Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer
prize play, an unusual work, in which
no scenery is used, and the curtain re
mains up all the tithe - before the
play and during the intervals.
The Repertory Theatre will again
hold a Christmas party on the Tivoli
stage this year. The date has been
fixed for Monday, December 23, but de
tails have yet to be finalised.
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