The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-09-08

! THE ENGLISH PUBLIC DEMANDS IN TUE
| WAY OF AMUSEMENT = SHAKESPEARE
DOESN'T PAY.
| To the Editor of The Times:
| Sir,--I do not wish to intrude on the dis
mssion concerning the moral effect OF Mr..
Boucicaults new play, "Formosa y; but,
| Is manager of Drury Lane Theatre, must
| 70 allowed to say that If | had perceived
| n it any such stain rs some persons pro
Tess to see, I should not have given II
| houscroom. Your correspondent, An
| Amateur Critic" suggests that we should
announce in play-bills that unmarried
| ladies' arc not to be admitted. The Ia
| lies. both married and unmarried, have
settled that question. / shall gladly sub
| nit to your correspondent my COOKBOOK,
| crowded with the names Of ladies the high
est and most respectable in London. And
I point to my boxes and stall, where the
| ladies are to be seen nightly in large ma
| ;ority. Surely the public is not child,
! and can Judge for itself. have no right
| 20 object to the virtuous Indignation of your
correspondent. ] give him credit for sim
,crclv feeling every word he writes. But
| 10 YOU think this overwhelming majority OF
| ladies would be found in my audience il
| The play were as indicate picture as
| nc REPRESENTED it to boz IF he sees
| indcccncy where they do not, am | not
permitted to suspect that he brings the
| excitement of an unchastc mind to the
subject? | do not complain Of his convic-
tons, but I do complain that these views
| the views OF q confessed small minority
should find expression in your powerful
| journal, and, in a manner, tend to inJurc
me in my business. 1t is not, however,
with this part of the question 1t was my IN
tcntion to interfere. It's discussion is in
ADLER hands than mine. L am accused OF
degrading the standing of Drury Lane
Theatre by the production Of "Formosa."
Now, sir, it is tine the public were put in
possession of some statistics, by the help OF
which they may Judge what | have done
for what is called the legitimate drama, and
if may be Justly accused OF deserving Ii
or turning it out Of doors. For seven
years | have been the manager OF this
house, and this is my experience: l
have produced the best plays OF Shaks-
pcarc, Byron, Milton, and Goethe. 10
illustrate these works I have engaged Miss
Helen FAUCET, Mr.. Phelps, Mr.. Barry Sui
Ivan, Mr.. Anderson, Mr.. Montgomery,
and ali the tragic talent to be obtained. l
employed Mr.. Beverly and Numerous as
sistants to paint the scenery, sparlng no
expense to render the representations per-
Feet My enterprise was supported cheer
fully by the pit and gallery, but my boxes
and stalls were sadly deserted. | lost mo
ncy. Had not the Pantomimc and Christ
mas come to my rescue | could not have
stood my ground at all. waS stubborn,
and pursued this policy for pridc's sake
during six years. But, sir, l am neither
literary missionary nor q martyr; L am
simply the manager of theatre, Il vendor
of intellectual entertainment to the London
public, and found that Shakespeare srelt
ruin and Byron bankruptcy. IN this
extremity. in which | Was led by my
faith il the fine taste of the upper
classes for the poetic drama, I turned TO
the dramatist who has made the fortunes
of moro than one manager III London. /
need not say with what result. by his
advice opened the theatre i'll August, when
London is supposed to be cmpty-at pc
Rod when no manager has ever dared TO
open it until ROW. 10 my objections nc
replied that the city was only cleared OF
those who never patronizcd the drama they
talked so much about; that London always
had three millions OF people i'll it when the
town was said to be empty that he wrote
for the middle classes and .he working
classes, who alone could be relied on to
support any intellectual entertainment;
and that where they led their bettcrs would
follow. lie proved to be right. The
amount taken daily at my box-ollicc
| before the doors open for securing
stalls and private boxes alone to sec
| - Formosa'' exceeds the gross contents Of
nv theatre to witness " Macbeth" Five
years ago produced :" ConuB " in the most
splcnlid manner. The public would not
comc to see it. They praised it and kept
away. At the same time Mr.. Boucicault's
drama, "Thc Streets of London" was pro-
duccd at the Princess's Theatre, and for
two hundred nights that theatre vas
crammcd nightly with those WHO deserted
Milton. Now we have changed hands:
"Acis and Galatea," the classic work OF
Handel, was produced at the Princcss's Il
fortnight ago in the most magnificent style,
and with what result? The manager closes
his door next week, and awaits the produc-
ton of new drama. /, on the contrary,
produced Formosa," By the author OF
iThe Streets OF London" and | obtain that
public patronage which my rival enjoyed
five years ago.
The public have been good deal abused,
managers have been called merccnary, and
we have been led to understand that there
is an intellectual and refined class some
where, who only want the opportunity to
come out and support the higher class OF
dramatic entertainment. Where are they
Mr. Macready, my predecessor in manage
mcnt here, tried to discover their existence,
but retrcatcd from the search with sore
pockets, Just as | did. No such customers
exist. There is, however, q class OF
literary men and dilcttanti that profess to
deplore the degradation of our times. |
have remarked, however, that when pro-
duce Shakespeare these gentlemen, who are
entitled by courtesy to admission to the
theatre, rarely ask for orders, but since |
have produced "Formosa | have been
overwhelmed with applications from this
quarter for private boxes for their wives
and families. I state facts. | allow others
to comment upon them.
Yours obcdicntly, +. B. CHATTERroN.
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, August q.
A SrR1G OF RUE FOR Mrs. STowE.-Th