Sir Philip Ben Greet: and a Notable English Company in an American Tour

              Announcing


Figure



The Famous English Actor and Producer
Sir PhilipBEN GREET
and a Notable
ENGLISH COMPANY
in an American Tour
PRESENTING

Everyman
Hamlet
Twelfth Night
Much Ado About Nothing


WITH BEN GREET HIMSELF IN EACH CAST



The REDPATH BUREAU
CRAWFORD A. PEFFER
Knickerbocker Theater Bldg.
NEW YORK CITY

HARRY P. HARRISON
Kimball Building
CHICAGO

W. V. HARRISON
Sixth and Oak Streets
COLUMBUS




Ben Greet Players
Appropriately marking the golden anniversary of his first public appearance as an actor, and closely following the knighthood conferred upon him by the King of England, Ben Greet—eminent Shakespearean producer and actor—is scheduled for an American tour that is notable in dramatic history.

The repertoire of Mr. Greet and his all-English company includes the much-discussed morality play, Everyman, in which he appears as the Doctor; the first quarto of Hamlet, in which Mr. Greet is seen as Polonius and the First Grave Digger; Twelfth Night, where he has the Malvolio role, and Much Ado About Nothing, in which again he is actor as well as producer, appearing as Dogberry, the Constable.

This first American tour of Ben Greet since 1914 should be the crowning triumph of his notable career.  He is bringing a carefully selected and personally directed company of English actors whose first concerns are faultless diction, absolute reverence for the text, and high regard for the prevailing spirit of the story.

It is difficult nowadays to assemble a Shakespearean cast such as Mr. Greet is introducing to American audiences.  His actors are unique because they can give the poetic content of the lines, instead of the modern colloquial tang which disguises the tone of Shakespeare.


Knighted by King George
King George V, of England, on his birthday, last June 3rd, conferred upon Mr. Greet the honor of knighthood and dubbed him Sir Philip Ben Greet.  This distinction was bestowed in recognition of a life devoted to the cause of drama in education—a life of conscientious service in behalf of the best stage traditions.


Ben Greet was born on a recruiting ship, on the River Thames.  The ship was commanded by his father, Captain William Greet, of the Royal Navy.  He was educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross, but instead of following his father's example and entering the navy, he chose the stage as his profession.  He joined the company of Mary Anderson at the Lyceum in London, where he was in the supporting cast of Lawrence Barrett.  He was in Jim, the Penman during its celebrated run at the Haymarket Theater.



Attains Fame as Producer
These notable experiences gave Mr. Greet his preliminary training for what became his permanent and distinctive theatrical line of effort—the management and direction of pastoral plays and Shakespearean productions in general.  In the former he was the pioneer, first in London and the provinces, and later in the United States.

Mr. Greet's staging is a model of ingenuity.  He creates an essential atmosphere of mediaeval reverence.  Nothing detracts from the play's significance.  His only modification of the true Elizabethan manner is in the use of richer and more elaborate hangings than were employed in the Elizabethan days.  The simplicity of his productions is based upon the theory that the stage should stimulate and inspire, rather than relieve the imagination.

Mr. Greet wrote a red letter page in dramatic history when with William Poel of the Elizabethan Society he revived the great morality play, Everyman.  This dramatic masterpiece, by an unknown author, had slept for 400 years before Mr. Greet and his Players revived it in the quadrangle of the Charterhouse, to the delight of London.  Charles Frohman became interested in the uniqueness of the play and brought it to America where, simply but nobly presented, it made a deep and lasting impression upon surprisingly large audiences.

During the war Mr. Greet was engaged by the London City Council to present plays at the Victoria Theater on Waterloo Road in London, which is known as the Old Vic.  There he produced 24 of Shakespeare's plays, and 15 others, including Everyman and the first quarto of Hamlet.  However, he gave up that assignment when the board of education of London requested him to present Shakespearean plays in every part of that city and its suburbs.  More than
 a million school children attended these Ben Greet presentations.  The performances were continued until 1922, since which time Mr. Greet has been offering pastoral, as well as indoor productions, in both France and England.

When Shakespeare's 365th anniversary was celebrated by the London Shakespeare League with a series of performances at the Arts Theater, last April, announcement was made that Mr. Greet would take his distinguished company of Players to America for a 25-weeks tour during the 1929–30 season.  And he has been asked by the London Council to resume his productions there, upon the completion of the present tour.



Many Stage Children
One of the greatest tributes to the genius of Ben Greet—a bachelor—is the large number of stage children for whose professional existence he is credited.  On his American tour in 1905, for instance, there played in his company Sybil Thorndike, now the foremost tragic actress of England.

Once, when asked his favorite recreation, Mr. Greet answered: Watching the eminence to which members of Ben Greet companies have attained, and the apparent ease with which they have done it.  These actors and actresses regard B. G., as they know him, with the utmost affection.  It is a rare treat to go about with him on the streets and in the theaters of London and witness the cordial greetings he receives from the almost countless members of the profession who have been associated with him and who hold him in high esteem, not only for his abilities, but also because of his great kindliness, his unselfishness, and his personal character.  Furthermore, his standing as a Shakespearean authority leads to his home door in London practically every great Shakespearean actor and producer.  They value highly his counsel and companionship.

In appearance Ben Greet is distinguished.  His abundant hair is snowy white, and is brushed back effectively from a fine forehead.  His face is clean shaven, with well marked features that add dignity to a commanding physique.  His kindly eyes denote intelligent observation, and his mouth reveals a keen appreciation of things human and humorous.  His speech is cultivated, his voice gentle and modulated, and his accent most agreeable.




An Interested Public
That the American public is tremendously interested in Shakespeare—the most illustrious genius who ever used the English language to move the minds and hearts of men—is evidenced by the extreme popularity of no less than seven companies that traveled this country last season, presenting Shakespearean plays.  With this appeal strengthened by the living presence of an outstanding favorite of the English-speaking world, in the person of Sir Philip Ben Greet, it is predicted that new high records will be established.

A series of engagements in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia, including a special performance at Columbia University, November 23rd, is followed by a journey to the Pacific Coast, and touches practically all of the leading colleges and universities.



National Interest is Aroused
At the announcement of the present tour, outstanding men and women of the stage, the pulpit and the press, as well as leaders in the field of education, expressed their enthusiasm in no uncertain terms.

DANIEL FROHMAN: I am delighted to note that Sir Philip Ben Greet and his company of English Players are again to visit this country.  I am especially interested in his re-appearance because my late brother, Charles Frohman, appreciating the fine work he did in England, was responsible for his coming to this country, originally.  Now, more than ever, does the stage need such performances and plays as Ben Greet is so splendidly capable of giving—a kind of work which will help maintain interest in the stage; and the stage represents not only a great element of culture for the community, but also an institution of entertainment for the people.  It has always been so.  It will always be so.  But it needs men like Ben Greet to foster interest in the worthy drama.  May I express the sincere hope that he enjoys the marked success which he so well deserves.

DR. S. PARKES CADMAN, President of the Church and Drama Association: I am glad to learn that the Ben Greet Players are returning to the United States.  I cannot too highly estimate the educational and recreative value of the drama as presented by the Ben Greet Players.  Mr. Greet is doing a valuable educational work in presenting Shakespearean and other classical plays in a simple and original way.

WILLIAM LYON PHELPS, Yale University: The educational value of performances by the Ben Greet Players is exceedingly high and appeals most strongly to all students of English literature—as well
 as to the general public.  I think that Shakespeare's plays and the morality play 'Everyman', as Mr. Greet presents them, will be a revelation to many spectators.

DR. JOHN A. RYAN, Catholic University: I have very pleasant recollections of the Shakespearean productions by Ben Greet and his English Players.  And I wish to say that I can heartily commend the play, 'Everyman', which I saw produced several years ago.

SUE ANN WILSON, Drama League of America: Some years ago all theater-wise persons were buzzing over productions of 'Everyman' and Shakespeare which were being presented throughout the country by an English company.  As a result, the name of Ben Greet, organizer and director of this group, became a familiar one wherever two or three drama enthusiasts were gathered together.  Now comes the welcome news that Mr. Greet, with his all-English company, has decided to make an American tour, the season of 1929–30.  Those who know him and his work need no recommendations.  That there is a demand for Shakespeare well done has been definitely proved.  Now comes an opportunity which will be welcomed.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR (London Bureau): Ben Greet, busy in his spare moments upon an autobiography that will cover 50 years of active stage life, has been hard at work producing Shakespearean plays at special matinees for the school children of London.  Being a trifle skeptical concerning the genuineness of the interest taken by the pupils, in these days, we went one afternoon, at Mr. Greet's invitation, to the Regent, King's Cross, and from a box looked out upon the auditorium of that large theater, crowded to the roof with an eager audience of boys and girls.  Long before the first curtain, any doubts concerning the children's interest were set at rest.  There could be no doubt about it: the young audience thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all that it saw and heard.

NEW YORK TRIBUNE: One comes from a Ben Greet performance feeling that an evening has been spent with profit to his taste and intelligence.

NEW YORK TELEGRAPH: The finely drilled, grandly rehearsed playing machine which Mr. Greet has trained to perfect unity renders great drama with a spirit and smooth consonance well worth going through even a pouring rain to see and hear.

NEW YORK SUN: Instead of spelling 'ruin', as was said once, the bard's works now mean prosperity of the first order.  No better illustration of this can be had than in the remarkable demand for seats for that splendid acting organization, the Ben Greet Players.





Condensed Facts About Ben Greet
He presents the best in dramatic literature with true histrionic art, and in a way which has not been excelled by any other producer.

He is considered one of the greatest living authorities on the English drama, and is world famous for his remarkable productions of Shakespearean plays and old English comedies.

He has been on the stage for 50 years and has taught more actors than perhaps any other man living.

For 40 years he has been prominent in England for the performances which his splendid companies have given in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford-on-Avon and other places in Shakespeare's England.

When he presented Everyman in America, under the management of Charles Frohman, it was the first time a play had been offered in this country, by a professional company, in the Elizabethan manner.

The Ben Greet Players gave a season at the Garden Theater, New York City, covering nearly 200 performances.

Columbia University, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, California, Virginia and West Virginia Universities have enjoyed Ben Greet performances on one or more tours.

Ben Greet's company was the first to be invited to appear at the White House grounds in Washington.  This was during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt.




THE PLAYS

Hamlet
On the present American tour Mr. Greet offers Hamlet as his Shakespearean drama.  This Hamlet, however, is a distinct novelty—a Hamlet never before presented in America.  The first quarto will be used.  Two copies of this edition, published in 1603, were discovered in 1823.  One of these copies is in the British Museum; the other is in the rare Huntington collection in California.  Hamlet, as it is generally known (the second quarto) was written a year after the first manuscript, and was padded to twice the length of the original.  Hence it is always cut for presentation.  The first quarto, in its entirety, requires only a bit more than two hours for production, and it omits none of the actual drama.  As such, Shakespeare's masterpiece is a literary and dramatic production ranking second only to the Bible.



Everyman
Whoever the unknown author, he was far in advance of his day.  In fact this morality play is as pertinent now as it was when it was written centuries ago.  No change in fashion, taste or time can affect it.  Historically it occupies an important place in literature, as it was the only drama of the 15th century, and as such was produced frequently over a period of 100 years.  Then, after a dormancy of 400 years, it was revived by Ben Greet.  In the development of the drama it occupies a place immediately following the miracle and mystery plays, and preceding Shakespeare.  Its purpose is to drive home moral truths.  The characters are allegorical, such as Good Deeds, Fellowship, Riches, Death.  Each represents an abstract virtue or quality, such as was found later in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.  The characters enter from the audience and the play runs without intermission.



Much Ado About Nothing
With Mr. Greet producing and acting, this is one of two Shakespearean comedies in the present repertoire.  Witty, vivacious and intriguing, the story interweaves two thrilling love stories with true Shakespearean brilliance.  In this play Mr. Greet is delightful as Dogberry, the constable.



Twelfth Night
This play possesses an abundance of rollicking humor and is one of the merriest of the Shakespearean comedies.  It was written before Hamlet.  Mr. Greet is well remembered in America for the part of Malvolio, which character he plays on the present tour.