The New York herald., 1877-01-07
THEATRICAL STAGNATI0N.
The Unemployed Managers
Actors and Singers.
ART AS AN INDUSTRY.
Theatres Closing and Conbina-
tons Breaking Up.

The haupts or actors and musicians In this city are
| now unusually full Of unemployed artstA Since the
''harc times" in with the panic OF 1873 there have
NO. been so many professional people without engage
the present time, and many excellent per-
formers both the lyric dramatic stage are verg
ing on absolute want. Al Morctt's cheap cafe in
Fourteenth street, exhibiting the marks OF maccaron
all IL there gathers from day 10 day host or
singers bearing distinguished names. who can only
unite in singing "waiting" and "Swect BY and By"
Al the Bevcdere House. Irving place, there fam
lily Of prime donnc hoping that some manager will ap
pear to demand their sweetest notes. Al the Albion
Club. In Fifteenth street. and at the Union Place Hotel
there is always q hos, OF unemployed man
ayers and actors. II is impossible TO turn
Of the angles In Union square without
Josting an idle tenor only TO be tossed against
equally idle "eading man. - and in crossing Broad
way there Is more danger Of being run down by an
aimess 'heavy" than maddening stage sold men"
and .juveniles," sold women" and ''walkng ladies'"
bartones and bassos sopranos and contraltos crowd
the thorougharcs. meeting their oid-timo managers
withoo. hope that anything will turn up to relieve
hcir distrcsses The managers as badly OF as the
artists, and enc Of these, just returned from "the
road" declared the other day that It would bc mpos
siblc 10 succeed with travelling company even If the
actors were willing 70 work without pay. The
theatrical and musical business has not been so bad
in many years Most OF our theatres are empty
With the exception Of Theodore Thomas or
cnes.ra, the Philharmonic and oratorio societies.
the Esspof concerts and weeks musical
festival given by Mr. James Morrissey at
the Academy OF Music there has been music in
New York this season. The travelling opera COM
panes with the exception OF the Kellogg troupe, have
disbanded, and nearly all tho dramatic companies on
the road have fallen TO pieces The members Of these
unfortunate combinations have found their way to the
metropolis to swell the army OF the unemployed. and
Chicago ,s as full OF idle New York. In
every direction the outlook gloomy one. and the
feature OF the prospect Is that nobody can tell
when the clouds will break.
YORK.
During the war II used 10 be SAID that was impos
sble 10 shake stick Ut dog without striking briea.
der general Now II is impossible TO traverse half
block in broadway without encountering halt
dozen theatrical and operate managers with nothing TO
do Uu view The beauties OF that splendid thoroushare
| Even our best known operatic managers are idle.
Max Maretzek to whom New York owes much tor
good opera, compelled TO teach 10 exc out iveli
hood, but he Is looking younger and fresher than IN
his hacyon days. Maurice Strakosch is busying him.
self with colossal opera house, but he has i'm
mediate operate projects Max Strakosch has just re-
turned from unfortunate campaign in the est and
| Is waiting tor better times TO begin again. These
brothers excellent examples OF men who made
money by good manag gement and lost by bad Among
the IDLE are Mr. Carlberg, who lost his all with the
"Flying Dutchman;' De vivo, just back from
the antipodes with "nothing to DO" and james
Morrissoy, VINO lost SO largely and so patiently in
his Academy OF Music venture that he s likely to wait
long time before he again tennis fortune with col
people are absolutely idle, buL 1t is dull work trimming
their sails catch the first favorable breeze Leonard
head full projects but Of them to be dcs-
tined a Minerva.like birth. George H. Tyler whose
Humpty Dumpty troupe collapsed the other day Is also
here looking ior orders, and has. is said, designs
upon uptown theatre where some OF the daring
are better all people Will be ousy again. but for
the present the idle managers present even moro
doleiul appearance tnan the idle artists
SILENT SINGERS
The number OF silent singers IN New York at this
time larger than ever was known before. Nine.
| Pappenheim aud Nine. Palmeri made a little money
early in the season; but, although both Of them arc
good singers, there is no prospect that either OF them
VIII be hired this winter. Nine. Gulager and Nine.
Br!gnoli both Tor appearances but there
is no indication that either will find opportunity TO
be heard. AT the Belvedcre House any number Of
really endowed ladies'. including such artists Anna
Drasd, Antoinete Henne, Henrietta Beebe and Clara
nation. Miss Emma ThursDy Is fortunate in holding
the leading position IN the Tabernacle In Thrtyfourh
street in thesc hard times, Miss Gertrude Coroett.
obtained IN appearance as Norma last
year, is still studying, but without present
prospects of exhihing the results Of her
studies Then there tho latest American singer,
with the stamp Of European SUCCESS Miss Emma Alb
bott whom the times afford little real encourage
ment In addition 10 the above array OF prime donne
we have for tenors and bassos sgnor Brig
noli, still the silver.voced alter so many campagns
Mr. Charles Frtch fine German singer. who also does
the Italian and English; Mr.. William Castle, long u
New York favorito In English OPERA Signor Pamiere,
MIR. Tom Carl Mr. Romaine, Jacob Muor, Mr.. sohst,
Herr Hum, Sgnor Reyna and Alberto Lawrence In this
bundle OF artists there are singers enough 70 form TWO
or three opera companies, and yet even with the best
OF them manager has the courage TO risk one short
season ut the Academy OF Music
THE PAST PRESENT CONrRAsrED.
In singular contrast with all this dulness Is the ao-
tvity OF only three or four years ago. UP 70 thcpres.
ent year season without opera would have been con-
sdered calamity 10 be avertcd at every hazard Not
only was the Academy Of Music brilliant with grand
opera but the theatres were all musical TO the
echo Tos,eo came went, and other stellar attrac
tons in opera boGe followed until Aimee almost sue
cceded In establishing herself as a permanent New
Xnrt fuvp
ing us-''Arc we musical people y-seemed answered
IN the affirmative. Rubinstein came and gained
great triumph, and Won Buow was tempted to come
after him. Ohenbach nearly believed that New
York almost like Paris, and came in during our
Centennial tor n season of mutual Fluctuations The
only wonder is that Verdi has not been here. Sud
denly however, all this brhancy was extinguished,
ana musical art not only lanruishcd but died Emf
ncnt artists who had learned to regard New York as
their home and the scene Of certain aud long to be
continued triumphs found themselves compelled to
SIM 10 empty benches, wh.Ic managers like tie
Strakosch brothers we're In despair over an empty
treasury Enforced idlencss followed only too
quickly, until now the prospects OF an engagement
even the best singers are far N the dim and misty
future There Is no sign froviva IN the present and
the danger is that tor somo years at least music in
this country will cease TO be profession
ART AS COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY.
People who have not studied usica and dramatic
art as commercial activity can form no adequate con-
cepton OF the distress which follows the present stag
nation A single theatre gives employment TO as many
persons as ono OF largest commercial houses. Ac-
cording the receipts OF the business more money is
maid out ara,n IN salaries than any industry which
our statesmen Congress take such pains 10 promote
A performance in a theatre represents labor IN all It's
forms as well as art In every phase In such play
"Baba recently produced at Niblos The cast is only
a small part Of the working force. and when the play
stopped large army OF ballet girls. supers' scene
sb,itcrs carpenters and skilled workmcn IN all tho
diverse properties necessary to such spectacle were
thrown out OF employment II viii be seen
from this that when theatre Is COM
pelledA TO close It's doors the event is q public
calamity II the necessity Of closing becomes general,
n. 10 now throatoued the distress VIII he as universal
as when the mills shut down the mi nes cease TO be
profitable. When commercial house in Broadway
ias the failure lamentcd, especially because so many
persons are thrown out OF employment. The same
sympathy Is not extended to the hundreds who draw
their bread from theatre when disaster ovcrlakcs
theatrical enterprise Jones, the manager, has lost
fortune this dul scason-poor Jones, people say whom
II s whispered that lack VI patronage has doomed Il
well known managers fortunes but TO the pubic mind
Jones is only gambler in such delicious way that
his fate merely to be regarded as the late OF all