is difficult enough on the stage to
create illusions, and very important not to multiply difficulties.
Opera, with the magic aid of music, may contend successfully against
such monstrosities as one singer singing an Italian part in French,
whilst the others offer various styles of Italian, Anglo-Italian,
German-Italian, Swedish-Italian--almost any Italian save the _lingua
Toscana_. Spoken drama is not so robust in this particular, and the
matter in question does not happen often enough to acquire validity by
becoming a convention.

Stars

The past season has been comparatively disastrous to the theatres, and
many pieces have failed; this state of things is coincident with healthy
progress in English drama, and the year has seen several productions
that would have startled as well as delighted enthusiasts a few years
ago. Putting aside musical comedy and comic opera, one asks why it is
that a great deal of money has been lost at the playhouses and a very
large proportion of pieces have been failures.

There are outcries about a dearth of good plays and competent players,
and the supposed deficiency in these elements is generally offered as an
explanation. Is it the true one? Certainly not. The development of the
star system is the chief cause of the disaster. In former days we used
to blame the actor-manager, but since the time when all were throwing
stones at him a good deal has happened for which the ordinary
actor-manager is not responsible--directly.

To-day several of the managers who are not actors run their theatres on
the star system, and we find the announcement frequently made that Mr X.
will present Miss So-and-so, or Mr So-and-so, or Mrs So-and-so, in a new
play by Mr XXX. In other words, the manager is really offering his star
to the public, and not the play. Moreover, a number of players are run
as stars by syndicates. In plain English, most of our theatres are
managed, or rather mismanaged, upon the supposition that the principal
players are more important than what they represent.

It is the opinion of many disinterested observers that only three or
four of our actors and actress in legitimate drama draw an appreciable
amount of money in London to the theatre, and sacrifices made for those
who do not obviously are futile. The unfortunate result of the system is
that the playwright is sacrificed to the stars--most of whom are
ineffectual. He is required to fit his drama to the personality of one,
o