BIB_ID
431817
Accession number
MA 1617.441
Creator
Tree, Herbert Beerbohm, Sir, 1853-1917.
Display Date
London, England, 1890 October 23.
Credit line
Purchased as the gift of Edwin J. Beinecke, 1955.
Description
1 item (6 pages) ; 18.1 x 11.3 cm
Notes
Written from the "Theatre Royal / Haymarket" on its stationery.
This letter is one of seven letters from Tree to Henley related to Tree's production of "Beau Austin, a play co-authored by Henley and Robert Louis Stevenson. The letters were written from June 26 through November 14, 1890 (MA 1617.438-MA 1617.444). These seven letters are housed with an undated letter from Henley to Tree which appears to be written in November 1890 soon after the production of "Beau Austin" at the Haymarket Theatre on November 3, 1890 (MA 1617.445) and a letter from Henry Dana to Henley, dated May 3, 1901, concerning a production by Tree of Henley's play "Macaire" (MA 1617.446). This small collection also includes three telegrams from Tree to Henley (November 3, 4 and 8, 1890) relating the success of the production.
This letter is one of seven letters from Tree to Henley related to Tree's production of "Beau Austin, a play co-authored by Henley and Robert Louis Stevenson. The letters were written from June 26 through November 14, 1890 (MA 1617.438-MA 1617.444). These seven letters are housed with an undated letter from Henley to Tree which appears to be written in November 1890 soon after the production of "Beau Austin" at the Haymarket Theatre on November 3, 1890 (MA 1617.445) and a letter from Henry Dana to Henley, dated May 3, 1901, concerning a production by Tree of Henley's play "Macaire" (MA 1617.446). This small collection also includes three telegrams from Tree to Henley (November 3, 4 and 8, 1890) relating the success of the production.
Provenance
Purchased as the gift of Edwin J. Beinecke, 1955.
Summary
Saying "I have received your telegram of today. I could not have sent you the seats, as they have not yet been allotted. That business is to be done to-morrow, & I will have them forwarded to you direct. You will understand that I have an enormous number of applications, the press alone being in excess of the holding capacity of the house, while the expenses are heavy. Let me know about the prologue. I think it should be spoken by Miss Neilson if spoken at all, but time seems getting somewhat short. I told you before that I think it could have been of great importance to the play, if you could have come to town. There was never a play written that did not require some manipulation at rehearsal, and here & there cutting is necessary. But I presume that you will leave that to my discretion. I am glad to tell you that I think the play is coming out very well indeed, & all the people seem suited to their parts. The music shall be as you wish, and also the ends of the acts. What I feel, & indeed Carr feels so too, is that what is wanted is a little more heart in the scene between Fenwick & Austin in Act II. If you will refer to the scene, you will see exactly what I mean. Indeed you have already expressed your agreement with my views. I think that some such speech as this at the bottom of page 22 would be advisable for Fenwick: "You, who have such a high code of honour as between man & man, will you take a lower view of the code of honour towards a helpless woman?" This, of course, is clumsily put, but I think that just a couple of lines to this effect would greatly help us in acting the situation. The Pantiles is to be in exact reproduction of the real scene. I sent our artist down to Tunbridge Wells specially. By the way, you have your way about Miss Leclercq, also Brookfield. I have handed your note to our Musical Conductor. I shall probably put on Beau Austin at once for a series of matinées, if it turns out as I think it will;" adding, in a postscript, "There appears to be a great deal of interest in the production generally."
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