A Great Showman
By JAMES LAVER
COCHRAN—Sir Charles Cochran—was accepted by the youngest generation of playgoers as one of the grand old men of the theatre, one who was still active, still putting plays on with his inevitable care, enthusiasm and panache. But few of them, I think, had any notion of the completely dominating position he occupied in the late 'twenties and early 'thirties. Earlier than that some of the critics regarded him rather sourly. Even Agate, who later became a great admirer, was writing, some twenty- seven years ago, of " bold, bad Cochran" who was supposed to be sapping the seriousness of the English stage, bringing in unheard- of novelties and generally sacrificing everything to spectacle.
It is still possible to sec what they meant. Cochran was a show- man--and proud of it. In his early days he would transform Olympia into a cathedral for The Miracle or take the Albert Hall for a prize-fight, both with equal zest. But when he visited Spain in older to bring over the Flamenco, the Spanish Press refused to believe it. It continued to refer to him as " Don Carlos Cochran, promoter of box-fights." But this was all part of the genius of the man, his abounding vitality, his joy of life.
In a sense he was born out of due time. He would have fitted perfectly into the Florentine scene of the late sixteenth century, when a musical play and a mock tournament, a water-pageant and a display of fireworks were all regarded as part of the same enter- tainment. He would have rivalled Bernardo Buontalenti and been one of the pioneers in the use of perspective scenery. A little later at the Court of Louis XIV he would have delighted in arranging all the "Plaisirs de l' isle Fnalante." and would, no doubt, have employed Berain to do the decor and commissioned a new play from the Sieur de Moliere.
Yet no one can say that Cochran neglected the " serious drama." He was producing Ibsen in New York in the 'nineties ; he pioneered the plays of Brieux, he produced Cyrano de Bergerac (incidentally so lavishly that it couldn't have made a profit if every seat had been occupied every night) ; he brought over Eleanora Duse for her last appearance in England. He was responsible for Anna Christie and Porgy; he brought the Chauve Souris to London ; he introduced the Guitrys. Between 1914 and 1946 he personally supervised 125 productions.
But, of course, it was by his revues and musical plays that he impressed himself on the great public. From The League of Notions and Phi-Phi to Bless the Bride and Tough at the Top he offered London a series of spectacles such as no other manager has ever attempted. And, once he was absorbed in a production, nothing was too much- trouble —nothing too expensive. Was there a period of three minutes in the show when nothing much seemed to be happening, there was no question of " filling in" with the orchestra. Who are the best adagio dancers in Europe ? Wire for them to Budapest ! " The backers didn't always like it, and, from their point of view, the backers were sometimes right.
Perhaps revue does not add much to the history of literature, but its importance in the evolution of taste is often underestimated, especially when it is in the hands of men (but are there any others 7) like C. B. New movements in art sometimes make their way Into the decor of a " sketch " in revue long before they are seen on the legitimate stage. Cochran engaged Oliver Messel to design a few masks when Messel was still very young. He gave him his big chance in Helen—perhaps the most beautiful of all Cochran pro- ductions—and the baroque style in which' Messel mounted it had a considerable effect on interior decoration in the 'thirties. One could draw up a long list of theatrical designers who began their effective career by doing something for Cochran.
Perhaps a few personal impressions may be permitted. I had long made it a rule to see all the Cochran shows and had made a collection of designs for their decor, but it wasn't until the early 'thirties that I became personally involved in a Cochran production. He wired to me from Berlin to say that he had just read Nymph Errant and wanted to turn it into a play. I agreed, of course, and then the fun began. For a year or so I became involved in the " Cochran outfit," and learned more about his methods than I would otherwise have done in a lifetime.
He engaged the American actor Romney Brent to do the dramati- sation, and, with his infallible flair, selected Cole Porter to write the music. It should be remembered that Cole Porter was then known to the public only by a few cabaret songs like "Let's do it! " The world-wide fame of " Night and Day " and " Begin the Beguine " was still in the future. Cole Porter produced an admirable score for Nymph Errant, of which the two hits were " The Doctor Song" and "Experiment." Doris Zinkeisen designed the scenery and costumes, and Gertrude Lawrence was engaged to play the Nymph.
Nothing was more characteristic of Cochran than the delight he took in every .detail of a projected show. To see him " collaborating " with Cole Porter in the latter's luxurious flat in the Rue Monsieur, to watch him smiling to himself while the chorus elaborated their routines, to sit with him at rehearsals, was to realise that for him the theatre had not lost its glamour. He was never bored, never perfunctory, never even irritable. An suggestion was welcomed, examined and either accepted or turned down with the same good humour. He was the most agreeable man possible to work with. Everybody called him "Cockie," but there was nothing disrespectful in the nickname. It was simple a sign of the affection in which he was held.
He was sometimes accused of not having enough humour in his shows, of leaving the " funny man " out. Certainly he had no use for the uproarious comic. I think his mind worked in a succession of pictures, and when one looks back over the Cochran shows certain Ntage-pict ures do stand out as memorable for their show beauty: the Parthenon scene in Nymph Errant, the bedroom scene in Helen. Pompeii a la Massine. Ernst Stern's fantasia in gas-lamps in Bitter Sweet, the fair in Evergreen. the cool Regency room in Conversation Piece. A showman he professed to be, and a showman he remained The theatre in England would have been a much duller, poorer thing if Charles B. Cochran had neser decided to take a hand in it. And what a long period he spanned! It is hard to believe that he went to school with Aubrey Beardslc‘
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