13 MARCH 1926, Page 5

Last Saturday afternoon the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stratford-on-Avon was

burned down. We shall not go into mourning. The site on the banks of the river is magnificent, but the theatre was ugly ; its colour was painful ; and the accommodation for pro- ducing a play was dreadfully inconvenient. The building was in what someone, with gloomy happiness, called " the late marzipan style." The theatre was opened by Helen Faucit in 1879, and, of course, many admirable and pious productions have been given there. We can only hope that the forthcoming productions will not have to be abandoned. This is an anxious thought, but we cheer up when we turn to the possibility of having a really seemly and well-planned theatre in place of the old one. * * * *