The London Season

Abstract

THERE ARE NOT MANY 'l1lUSTWORTHY CONCLUSIONS to be drawn from six months of limited playgoing, but the first and most enduring is that the London theater is a more lively and varied one than any in the United States, and, from all reports, in Europe as well, There are banality and commercialism enough, but interesting plays still seem to be able to survive without thunderous acclaim. Except for My Fair Lady or a Margot Fonteyn appearance at Covent Garden, tickets are generally available at fairly short notice; and they are quite cheap by American standards. (Most theaters still hold gallery seats for sale the day of the performance at prices under half a dollar; it is possible for students to go to the theater often and easily.) In part, the situation is improved by subsidy; the Arts Council has about three million dollars to distribute annually, although it must be a small portion that reaches the Old Vic and the English Stage Company. Yet the vigor of related arts, such as opera and ballet, and the survival of numerous local repertory companies must have their effect upon the training of audiences as well as of players and writers.