First night failure

Tuesday, February 26th., Cadogan Square, London.

First night of "Kate" (or Love will find out the way -Good God!) at Kingsway last night. It fell flat in the audience. The applause exclusively friendly applause. The thing was killed by a perfectly rotten book. The plot was unfollowable and the words terribly dull. No one that I saw in the audience thought other than that the thing was a frost.

Marjorie Gordon

We went behind to Marjorie Gordon's dressing room. Full of flowers and bonbons (costly) and two bottles of champagne which I was asked to open. I opened one. Completely different atmosphere. Marjorie, after her great effort, needing praise and optimism, and getting them from half a dozen people. Difficult to know whether these artists really believe in a success, when any grain of common sense should tell them that the thing was bad and failed to please. A woman saying, "I'm sure the stalls liked it." Me saying, "Delightful, you were splendid Marjorie." (Well, she was, but had nothing to do.) "Beautiful production," and so on. All praise, no criticism. Not a hint as to the badness of the book. On the stairs I meet Donald C. Well, he asks my view. I tell him I like the production (I don't- yet we are very intimate), music, performances (yes, true). I gave a slight hint as to the badness of the book. He likes it all right. But supposing I told him the book was bad enough to bust up any show?

We drove homewards, Dorothy and I, and say again and again that the thing is hopeless. And in scores of cabs and autos radiating from the theatre to all points of the compass people are saying the same thing. But the artists and the aged authors of the book are trying, not successfully I think, to convince themselves that the thing is a success. This is a first night sample of many first nights.