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IMurder in the Cathedralabortive 1936 New York transfer;e1its usurper founders;a4 mustDukes, Ashleyfrom where he reports;b1 write to let you know what results fromBrownes, the Martin;a9 seeing Ashley Dukes last night at the Brownes’. HeMurder in the Cathedralunsolicited 1936 New York production;e2Rice resigns from;a4 did not know that Murder had been withdrawn, but was not surprised. HeRice, Elmerresigns from production;a3 spoke very well of Elmer Rice, and of his producer, Stanstead Wells by name, who he said seemed to know what a performance of the play ought to be like. Rice was very apologetic to him, as also was Brace, who had offered to pay the preliminary expenses in order to stop the production. It was left that rice [sc. Rice] was to produce the play for two or not more than three weeks; but it was uncertain whether he would do so, because the man they had for Becket was very unsatisfactory, and Wells agreed with Dukes that if they could not get a good Becket they had better not produce the play at all. Then just before Dukes sailed, Rice resigned from his position, which he was finding difficult. Apparently some authors had been objecting to the Federal scheme, because it involved boiling down their plays to an hour, and playing them in extempore shelters with loudspeakers – best seats twenty-five cents, ordinary places five cents. This was not to have been the arrangement for Murder, which was to have been done at a theatre called the Manhattan Theatre. But Dukes supposes, in view of your cable, that either the play was dropped because they decided that their Becket was not satisfactory, or else that after Rice resigned the whole of his programme was scrapped.
AnywayMurder in the Cathedralabortive 1936 New York transfer;e1deferred to autumn;a5, it would seem that an abortive attempt like this will do more harm than good. I now find that Dukes’s intention is to continue to run the play here through March and April; and to come to New York in October with a repertory of three or four plays, and, if there proves to be a demand for Murder beyond a few weeks, to run it on. I am rather disappointed, of course, simply because once the suggestion of producing the play in New York in the spring was broached, I had turned my mind to coming over then. Mytravels, trips and plansTSE's 1936 American trip;c4autumn better for seeing EH;a5 only consolation is the thought that possibly, if I come in September, it might be an easier time in which to arrange to be with you somehow in the country; and if you got some sort of college job which would claim you from the latter part of the month, I would come early enough to have your company before you began. And if the play is put on in October, I might arrange to stay over for the opening of it. But if you found that circumstances were such as to make you prefer to have me come earlier in the year, I would do that. As I have said before, the play is merely a pretext, and all I care about is to come at the time of year at which I can see you under the most favourable conditions.
ISpeaight, Roberthis performance agreed to be going stale;b6 spokeBrowne, Elliott Martin1935–6 Mercury Theatre Murder revival;a7agrees about Speaight's decline;a4 toDukes, Ashleyagrees about Speaight's decline;b2 Browne and Dukes about Speaight not being quite so good when I saw the play last. They were inclined to agree that the performance was going stale through repetition, and thought that it was inevitable when a play had a long run, and that there was not much to be done, though Browne thought he might have a word with Speaight about it. I am convinced myself that repertory is the only way in which acting can be kept up to standard. Inactors and actressesand the benefits of repertory;a5 a long run, the actors are almost irresistibly impelled to exaggerate what they find the audiences like.
I am more disappointed than I have let you know, about coming in the spring – but why try to find words for it? After all, I will come at a time of year that suits you best – preferably a few weeks notice! AndHale, Emilybirthdays, presents and love-tokens;w2further ring sought for EH;c8 I do want to bring you a ring that you can wear all the time – or at least when you are not wearing the other ring of mine – for I should like you to have some ring of my gift always round one of your fingers.
IBurnt Nortonall but final lines please TSE;b1 am still unsettled about the last lines of ‘Burnt Norton’: it has been set up in proof and I think I am fairly well satisfied with the rest of it.
My dear, my radiant Lady,1 I love you and it will always be the same. Now, in spite of protestations, I am going to kiss your toes again.
IPerkins, Edith (EH's aunt);c3 have had a nice letter from Mrs. Perkins – I am sorry I asked about your giving the presents.
I am rather stupid tonight; but I shall have another weekend to myself, and shall try to write one or two INTELLIGENT letters.
If you compare enclosed report in the Irish Times with my script, you will see that the report is rather brief and garbled.2
IAnglican Club of the University of LondonTSE's speech to;a1 have written out a rather interesting 20 minute speech for the lunch-hour meeting of the Anglican Club of the University of London – I mean the subject is rather interesting and I think important – I don’t mean that I have expressed myself very well – but if it seems to go off well I will send you a copy. That is on Friday, and it is my LAST speaking engagement. ISave the Children Fundfor which he is thanked;a2 hadRoberts, Ursula;a1 veryNoel-Buxton, Rt Hon. Lord;a1 civil notes from Mrs. Roberts3 and Lord Noel-Buxton about my Save-the-Children speech.4 But I wish you were here for me to refer all such invitation[s] to!
1.Quivi la donna mia vid’ io si lieta: ‘There I saw my lady so radiant with joy’ (Paradiso V, 94.).
2.‘Originality in Poetry: Fertilisation of Literature: Views of Mr T. S. Eliot’, Irish Times, 25 Jan. 1936, 6.
3.UrsulaRoberts, Ursula Roberts (1887–1971), author, was married to the Revd William Corbett Roberts, vicar of St George’s Church, Bloomsbury, London. She was a member of the Church League for Women’s Suffrage (later the League of the Church Militant); Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Press Secretary of the East Midland Federation of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies; a member of the Anglican Group for the Ordination of Women; and a member of the interdenominational Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church. Writing as ‘Susan Miles’, publications includine Dunch (1918), The Hares, and other verses (1924) and Lettice Delmer (novel in verse, 1958; repr. 2002); and a biography of her husband, Portrait of a Person (1955).
4.TheNoel-Buxton, Rt Hon. Lord Rt Hon Lord Noel-Buxton, PC, thanked TSE on 31 Jan. 1936; and Edward Fuller, Publicity Secretary of the Fund, notified TSE (12 Mar. 1936) that the meeting had generated £35 – ‘the gift of which I feel sure is very largely due to your able advocacy of this work’.
4.E. MartinBrowne, Elliott Martin Browne (1900–80), English director and producer, was to direct the first production of Murder in the Cathedral: see Biographical Register.
4.AshleyDukes, Ashley Dukes (1885–1959), theatre manager, playwright, critic, translator, adapter, author; from 1933, owner of the Mercury Theatre, London: see Biographical Register.
4.TheNoel-Buxton, Rt Hon. Lord Rt Hon Lord Noel-Buxton, PC, thanked TSE on 31 Jan. 1936; and Edward Fuller, Publicity Secretary of the Fund, notified TSE (12 Mar. 1936) that the meeting had generated £35 – ‘the gift of which I feel sure is very largely due to your able advocacy of this work’.
8.ElmerRice, Elmer Rice, born Elmer Leopold Reizenstein (1892–1967), playwright, socialist, screenwriter, enjoyed Broadway success with plays including On Trial (1914), The Adding Machine (1923) and Street Scene (1929; Pulitzer Prize for Drama). He was the first director of the New York office of the Federal Theater Project. See too The Living Theatre (1960); Minority Report (autobiography, 1964).
3.UrsulaRoberts, Ursula Roberts (1887–1971), author, was married to the Revd William Corbett Roberts, vicar of St George’s Church, Bloomsbury, London. She was a member of the Church League for Women’s Suffrage (later the League of the Church Militant); Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Press Secretary of the East Midland Federation of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies; a member of the Anglican Group for the Ordination of Women; and a member of the interdenominational Society for the Ministry of Women in the Church. Writing as ‘Susan Miles’, publications includine Dunch (1918), The Hares, and other verses (1924) and Lettice Delmer (novel in verse, 1958; repr. 2002); and a biography of her husband, Portrait of a Person (1955).
2.RobertSpeaight, Robert Speaight (1904–77), actor, producer and author, was to create the role of Becket in Murder in the Cathedral in 1935: see Biographical Register.