19 APRIL 1957, Page 27

Celebrities

THE new edition of Who's Who in the Theatre (Pitman, 5 gas.) had better be kept out of the way of Puritans who will be astonished and horrified to find so many people engaged exclusively in such a Parasitic line of business; but for us who do a bit of blood-sucking too and are glad to be thus preyed upon in our turn, it is its usual invaluable self. How big is the Coliseum stage? How old is Dame Edith? How much did Shaw leave? How long did The Second Mrs. Tanqueray originally run? You will find the answers here inscribed. There are, however, considering it is supposed to be up to date (March, 1956), some astonishing omissions. Beckett, Feuillere, Hall, Ionesco, Tynan are all, for better or worse, features of the present theatrical landscape. They