1 " 4. Night b The practice of giving plays a provincial try-out
before thrijg them to London began, long ago, to take some of C eXeitement out of first nights. Curiosity and suspense were inevitably lessened when, all over the audience, the initiated ould be heard telling the uninitiated how well the play had Vie in Glasgow or why they had decided to alter the ending to the light of Manchester's reactions. Even more damaging stowingWhat habit of giving a charity performance of the play on brut staff officers would call N-1. I Am A Camera, the Van Theatre, play which opens tomorrow at the New dr,eatre, has in fact been acted every night this week (the it dramatic critic of the Daily Express, having presumably seen at 41Imo Brighton, rather disingenuously pretended he had been day aY's performance and reviewed it at length on Tues- tt e.ning). Charity previews suit the managements, since f"..,..c charity buys up the whole house and resells the tickets at 1 INTe..Y ,prices; and the old method of helping a good cause, aeto`e0Y. after a play had become an established success, the for „rs. the orchestra and everyone else gave one performance not "J/thing and the charity got the box-office takings, might invoer ays be acceptable today to some of the Trades Unions it; and So I suppose the new system has a lot to be said for be abut Perhaps, as first nights go down in the world, one will 1.4, e to attend them without being involved in an over- -arsed thing tableau vivant. But they won't be quite the same
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