BIRMINGHAM GETS THE STARS .sx A STAGE TRANSFORMATION AT THE THEATRE ROYAL .sx By .sx .. THE MAN IN THE WINGS .sx YOUR entertainment is going to cost you more .sx The increases in the entertainments tax come into force to-morrow , and with exceptions , such as in Birmingham , where the Prince of Wales , the Repertory and the Alexandra Theatres have decided to bear the increases themselves , most of the theatres and cinemas are passing it on .sx It means very little .sx Miss out the boxes at the theatres and the increases will rarely exceed threepence and generally will average only a penny .sx If the theatre has got the show or the cinema the film the public will spend the extra penny and think nothing of it .sx London Pays Double .sx Has it ever struck you , by the way , that the provincial theatre audiences to-day are getting much better value for their money than they were in pre-tax days ?sx Look at the number of London shows with the London castes that are seen in the chief provincial cities to-day .sx If you go to see them in London you have to pay anything from 14s .sx to a guinea for a stall .sx In the provinces you see the same entertainment for 7s .sx or for 7s .sx 3d .sx as the case may be after to-morrow .sx Talk about " bargains " and the advantages of living in the provinces !sx Of course , you may retort that occasionally you pay your 7s .sx and see shows which are neither London shows nor entertainlng shows .sx But then so does London and London still has to pay double the price for the doubtful pleasure of finding it out .sx More of the Best ?sx In the future , too , I think the provinces are going to see even more " London " shows than they do now .sx Is it foolish to imagine that some day a London season , instead of being the more or less exclusive thing it is to-day , will become part of the general tour , and that every London production will visit Birmingham , Manchester , Liverpool , Leeds , and the other chief provincial centres are part of the routine of play production in just the same way that the provincial production takes all the dates it can get ?sx Approaching Equality .sx The tide is flowing that way , and has been for some time .sx When the fashion of launching London shows in the provinces set in , no producer ever thought of staying more than a week , and they always referred to this little venture as " trying it on the dog .sx " Then they discovered that the " dog " was an appreciative and a profitable animal , and they extended the week into several weeks .sx Now the fashion is setting in very strongly for provincial tours both " before " and " after " London presentation .sx Nor do the London management come into the provinces now with an air of patronage .sx It is a serious matter of business , and the fact that they get it is hastening the reduction of the gap between the London and the provincial stage .sx Stars With the Gloves on .sx I don't know where flies go in the winter-time but if you want to know where American pugilists go at the end of their " season " the answer seems to be Hollywood .sx There are more than a dozen former pugilists earning goodly incomes in the film city by training male film stars in the art of keeping fit .sx One of the most successful of them is Nate Slott , who was prominent in American boxing rings ten years ago as a light-weight champion .sx He trained Richard Barthelmess for his fight in " The Patent Leather Kid , " and others who have been under his wing for physical training include Warner Baxter , William Powell and Douglas Fairbanks , junior to say nothing of such feminine stars as Dorothy Mackaill ( whose wedding has brought her prominently into the news this week ) and Winnie Lightner .sx Greta for Variety ?sx I hear that Greta Garbo has been approached on the subject of making a .sx variety appearance in England .sx She is not , I understand , averse to it , and a strong dramatic sketch has been found which would make a suitable vehicle for introducing her in the flesh to audiences in this country but at the moment the multiplicity of her film engagements is holding the matter in abeyance .sx It is quite possible , though , that we shall see her before very long .sx But it Must Be Good .sx If she does come I sincerely trust that that " strong dramatic sketch " which is being talked about will really be " strong " and " suitable .sx " Past experience has taught us in this country that it is not sufficient for a film star , however famous and however popular , to merely come and bow to the audience and draw a fantastic salary at the end of the week .sx He or she must deliver the goods .sx Otherwise we " impossible Britishers " prefer to buy their picture postcards !sx Just for Show .sx Writing of Greta Garbo reminds me that a fashion note from Hollywood records the making for her of " the most intricate costume ever made .sx " Thousands of glass beads have been sewn to its basic fabric and it took 15 dressmakers 21 days to complete it .sx You shall see her wearing it in " Mata Hari .sx " Overdoing It .sx Leslie Henson , who in the past has " doubled " his film work with his stage work spending the day on the films and the night in the theatre was telling me the other day that he is never going to do both at the same time again , but is going to keep the two separate , because film work is " so arduous .sx " And Dorothy Mackaill has recently been enlarging on the subject .sx Not Trade Union Hours .sx " If you don't believe I work for my living , " says Dorothy , " follow me around for a month or two .sx " When a picture is in production I work twelve to fourteen hours per day , rain or shine , hot or cold .sx " For an 8.30 a.m. call I have to be out of bed no later than seven .sx Often it is earlier .sx " Breakfast is a matter of a few minutes , and the brief lunch hour six times out of nine will be taken up by interviews , still pictures , or a wardrobe fitting .sx " Then back on the set .sx No motion picture yet made has been right on schedule to the hour , and this means two or three extra hours overtime in the evening to make the day come even .sx " Generally it is eight or nine at night before I drag my way home to dinner and to the learning of my lines for the next day's work .sx " Miss Mackaill , who has married Mr. Neil Albert Miller , of Los Angeles , is of course a Hull girl .sx She ran away from Hull to London , where she spent nine months at a stage academy and then joined the chorus at the London Hippodrome .sx Later she played in stage shows in Paris and New York .sx Her first venture on the films was in a British picture , but it was in America that she became a front rank star .sx She and Mr. Miller met last April at Honolulu , where Mr. Miller was sugar planting .sx " Wonder Bar " Novelties .sx Birmingham theatre-goers will not recognise the stage of the Theatre Royal as it will be set this next fortnight for the visit of " Wonder Bar .sx " An army of workmen took possession of the theatre last night and will be working right up till to-morrow afternoon , by which time they will have brought the stage forward over the orchestra pit and one or two rows of stalls ; built staircases connecting it with the auditorium , installed a special lighting set ; and carried out several other quite revolutionary alterations .sx The players will make their entrances from the stalls instead of the wings , and , generally , Birmingham will see this show in all the unusualness that so attracted London during its run there .sx Carl Brisson .sx Carl Brisson , as big a favourite in Birmingham as he is everywhere else , heads the cast of " Wonder Bar .sx " With him are Norah Blaney , Gwen Farrar , Joseph Hayman , Hugh Rene , Betty Frankiss , Irene Russell , William Cavanagh , Arthur Rosebery's Band , etc. .sx Sybil Thorndike in " St. Joan " .sx Sybil Thorndike is at the Prince of Wales in " Saint Joan , " probably the greatest of this great actress's many triumphs .sx Only Bernard Shaw could have written this play , and few actresses of any generation could have made such a success in it as Miss Thorndike has done .sx Famous Comedians at Theatre Royal .sx " PETER PAN " GAINS MORE LAURELS .sx THE visit of the musical play " Meet My Sister " to Birmingham , at the Theatre Royal this week , will re-introduce to local theatre-goers those two great light comedians George Grossmith and Joe Coyne .sx Nor are they the only notable stars in the east , for it also includes that popular actress , Anne Croft , who has recently been playing with much success in the revival of " The Maid of the Mountains " in London ; Roy Royston , the well-known " juvenile" ; and Marie Dayne , a comedienne who comes from America with a big reputation .sx " Meet My Sister " is a romantic love story ending with an amusing epilogue - in a French divorce court .sx There is no chorus , and a more accurate description than " musical play " would be " play with music " - of which , by the way , there is much that is good .sx The Prince of Wales's holiday week attraction " Peter Pan " has already made an excellent start for owing to the theatre being closed for a short time Barrie's immortal piece was able to begin its return visit yesterday afternoon .sx Kathleen Vaughan plays the part of Peter , Mary Casson , a daughter of Sybil Thorndike is the Wendy ; and Cyril Horrocks is the sinister Captain Hook .sx The scenic pageantry , and the lighting and flying effects are well done and old and young were delighted in the renewing acquaintance with the fairies , the pirates , the Red Indians , and the crocodile .sx The play will continue all the week .sx Old favourites who are returning in a variety bill to the Birmingham Hippodrome are the Four Harmony Kings , designated " a symphony in " :sx Daphne , the wonder chimpanzee , who is presented by Arthur Conquest ; those popular entertainers Elsie Bower and Billy Rutherford , and Hans Shistl's American Wonderettes , an act full of surprises .sx Newcomers in the bill include the Three Pirates , who present a most unusual dancing act packed with laughs :sx Fred Brezin , " the mirthful , mystical " , George Bettam , a new style comedian ; and Hazell and Day .sx The Grand presents " The Merry Parade , " a bright revue , which has Neil Nelson as its chief dispenser of merribent .sx Included in the company are Maeder and Madova , the dancers , the Skating Desardos , a brilliant duo , who present a whirlwind act that has been a big success on the Continent ; Sterndale , a violinist ; Donald Peers , a light comedy entertainer , who has played for Randolph Sutton in numerous shows ; and Margaret Morgan , vocalist .sx The revue , " Why Go To Paris ?sx " is on a visit to the Aston Hippodrome .sx The cast is headed by and old Aston favourite in Jack Gallagher , the comedian , and helping him in the entertainment are Helen Breen , who possesses a fine soprano voice ; Fred Spreadbury and his Band ; Trixie Tatton ; Jackson Moore ; and Arthur Carvey .sx Love interest , adventure , unparalleled scenery , a strirring theme , and an authentic historical background are all closely connected in " The Big Trail , " which is at The Scala .sx The story is dedicated to those brave men , women and children who wrote many indelible pages in America's history .sx There are 20,000 scouts , frontiersmen and Indians seen in the picture in addition to 4,500 buffalo , elk and mouse .sx The stars are John Wayne , Marguerite Churchill , El Brendel , and Tully Marshall .sx An outstanding attraction at the Gaumont Palace is " Young Woodley , " featuring Madeleine Caroll , and in which a cricket match between two public school teams plays an important part .sx The story hinges round David Woodley , ( Frank Lawton ) an 18-year-old schoolboy , who , in the last term before he goes to the Varsity conceives an idealistic passion for the headmaster's wife , is detested and expelled because in an ungovernable rage he attempts to kill two schoolfellows who peer at his infatnation .sx Mrs Simmens shares his passion but lets him go because she does not want to spoil his ideal of love .sx