, 1877-12-09
AhlUSEME,lN E,lNI'S. :
4 Disso|ving View Of Star
Combinations. =.
The Commercial Value Of
Stock and Star
Actors.
sidonie'' at McVicker's---
English Opera at
Hooley's.
a Nice Little Scandal AL
the Way from
Paris.
The Abbott Concert 7roupe-.-
The Gregorian War Con-
tinues.
xrusical Announcements and Cos
-s,4 Of Home and Abrnaf7
xfusical Announcements and Cos
sip at Home and Abroad.

LIN L
rrr sCpJEcr OF TIE DECLINE OF THE DRAMA
having been pretty thoroughly exhausted by
the 1nl.Iatieap!e interviewer, il will now bc in
or,,er Tor him to proceed to the matter Of low
tr;,r :,ices aud the salaries paid to actors. It
!; oue that is already receiving considerable at
,enlon from the Eastern press, and Z very large
c2ass of people arc Interested in the discussion.
Tb,re is seid TO be q movement ON foot among
the New York managers to cut down the sal
aries of the actors, and ut the suIne time to
,over the ur;ccs Of admission to the theatres.
The desire FOR some such step arises from the
uuprecedeutcdly dull Season, the heavy demands
c{ tue lcadiog actors, and the enormous ey
,euse attending the production OF good plays.
yers few managers are able to Clear expenses III
these days Of financial depression, aud they
imagine that concerted movement to reduce
rrice5 Ill round would be the means OF
,saxaScnin, the public from the apparent
soatby existing IN reference to theatrical enter
,ainc,euts. The experiment might be worth
irving to ascertain whether it would have the
effect Of Increasing the class Of theatre gocrs.
Is to the question Of actors' sa1aries, TINT isoue
that must be settled between the managers aud
:se:r employees. II will be found to regulate
j.self by the law OF supply and demand. The
yaIae Of an actor is just what he will draw, aud
j: Is 10: the manager to ascertain that. The star
system has to great exteut cbliterated the old
III; of reuluacrating talent. As sooa as IN
acto1 becomes popular, whether on account of
artistic merit, or, as is quite too generally the
case. by reason Of mere physical attractiyencss,
Or through some fortunate hit made in q new
pjecc, be becomes j star. He is regarded
Is the source Of attraction, and COM
uauds increased pay. Pat Rooney is In
tsior, as regards skilled merit, to the
most commonplace walking gentleman,
yet for time Pat Rooney is worth $3.50
week, while your walking gentleman gets $50.
This looks at first slghI like an Injustice, but in
-ea}ily there is no Injustice about 1t. SO long
is people will pay to sec Pat Rooney, and will
Pat wo:th higher price than Booth or Barrett.
1t is not Question Of merit, it is simply ali
illustration Of the old trade axiom that a thing
is worth what it will bring.
Ttis Unequal distribution Of wages is an in
cyitab3c result Of tue starring system. which
from au esthelic point Of vicw is to be dcplorcd,
but winch, IRON "a commercial point OF view,
mnst Dc accepted as necessity. It will fegu-
late itself in uue time. Already we begin to
see reaction taking place. The market is
glutted With t'sEars' u OF all degrees and kinds.
Many dogs there be
Both mongrcl puppy, whe1p, and hound,
And ours CT low degree
When the public bcconcfully awake tothe fact
that trashy combinations are not worth paving
money to see, the stock comp 3nics Will be re-
pcnished, and competition Will soon do its
work. without the need Of any movement
among thu managers
Just now there is perfect hcgra Of in,pov-
erisLed 1sstar combinations II passing through
this section on their way to New York. The
Northwest aud South have been fairly flooded
with them for some time. There are about
thirty o1 them at present on the tramp, all
dorginc each others footsteps, deadhcauiug on
raiiroads and dcad-bcating hotels. These peo-
pie come back crying aloud, ''Theres no money
in the country" as if it could be expected at
any time that in the small towns OF tile West, or
South, OF East there could be found support fo7 |
an endless succession Of hastily organized |
dramatic companies, each with some hastily |
prepared adaptation. There seems to be as !
little business tact among the majority Of these
as there is merit in their perform
ances. They all take the Eame route, following |
zach other through the country like G flock OF !
sheep, one jun ping over the fence because the |
otrcr did. At Bloomington, whlul contains two |
thcltrcs. there are III fewer than fifty-nlne /
lra1natic combinations booked to make their |
appearance in succession. II is no wonder that
.he woods are full Of distressed actors. There
cw Of the better companies, which visit the |
aEgc cities, are clearing expenses. The others |
ire simply cutting each others throats.
All this will speedily work its own cure. The |
will bc scattered to tile four winds, |
md the members Of the SAME, good, bad, |
md Indifferent, vii be absorbed into |
Inc stock companies. The managers will obtain !
hcjr SERVICES on moderate terms, the 'sintlated !
cadcg men'' will have to succumb to the force !
II circumstances and come down in their price, |
And then it will be time to consider the Ques- !
on OF lowering the admisslon-prlce.