Empire Theatre, Ardwick, Manchester

Performed over 6 days. Cast: Gerald Kirby (Capt Marcel St Remy), Norman Forbes (Major Von Goltz), Dorothy Fane (Louise de St Valoir).

‘A play by Sir James Barrie, entitled “The New Word,” will be presented at the Ardwick Empire, and the cast will include Miss Helen Haye and Mr. O. B. Clarence, two perfect Barrie actors. The play is described by the author as a “fireside scene,” and it deals in touching manner with an episode of the war. Nothing so pleasing of its kind has been seen on the music-hall stage for some time’. Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Saturday 14 August 1915. ‘The Ardwick Empire. - The feature at the Empire is undoubtedly Sir James Barrie’s one-act piece, “The New Word.” It contains the Barrie touch all the way, and losing nothing in the representation the performance is one to remember. A father and son endeavouring to stifle all emotion to how the war will hit them, the mother lifted to heights of emotion, and the daughter frankly joyous constitute a theme that naturally goes right home to a big proportion of any present-day audience. The mixture of comedy and pathos is deliciously worked out. The acting is quite first-class, Mr. O. B. Clarence, in particular, being great as the father. The rest of the programme is of a good average class’. Manchester Evening News, 17 August 1915.

‘A one-act American comedy, entitled “Next Please," was an extremely enjoyable item, chiefly notable for a fine piece of humorous acting by Mr. Jef Coates as a Jewish picture expert. Much fun is extracted from his attempt to sell faked “masterpieces" to a pseudo American heiress, and the manner in which he himself is defrauded in the end is ingeniously contrived’ (Manchester Courier, 5 October 1915). An advertisement for the show in the Era, 6 October 1915, quoted the Manchester Guardian as saying, 'The best thing is an American sketch (written by Horace Hunter). Careful and effective acting. It is the only thing in the programme which can be properly described as comedy’.

Performed by Gilbert Heron. Noted in The Era, 19 July 1916.

Advertised in the Manchester Evening News, 23 December 1916.

Performed for the week.

Performed for the week alongside Jack Pleasants (singer and comedian), May Hopkins (song and story), George Schreck and Mabel Percival (tumblers), Ada Cerito, Howard Bellman, Vera Caine, Brandow and Brand.

Performed for the week by cast including Harry Buss. On the same bill were: De Busse, George Newburn, Yamagata Japanese troupe, Alice Craven, The Kavanaghs, Little Erna Maude, Adam Tomlinson The Tyneside Comedian. '"In the Trenches" has made a great hit here before, for the capital picture it gives of the life and irrepressible humour of our Tommies' (Manchester Evening News, 27 November 1917)

Performed for the week by a cast including Harry Buss. Others on the same bill: Roxy La Rocca (harpist), Elsie Southgate (violinist, accompanied by her sister Dorothy), Zenora (hand equilibrist), Rich Hayes (clown), Neil McKay (Scottish comedian).