, 1879-05-11
THE STAGE.
THE DRAMA.


s.fencrolly should say the oesna'1c eeason
.,, hainc wound up has been good one nnane1al-
- ;, -cmarked the other day an actor anu man
,,o- - nromincnt in Eastern anu "este1n 'aeat.
Ic.l circles for the last tosty yeafs' ~ eo"so.
~ eo,thern States it has been bad enough, but
ew 0! the large CLUES -Sots1 " So'4
.,son to complain" 49,.
,rsa, one GETS hold OF an old manager, be gen
III hears something about 1.-THE good old times
!. sa.e the War" The conversation took IN this
retrospective shapc, and our friend Ind
something to say
.rhere we're undoubtedly advantages in the old
,.>f tb,ncs. said be. .'The expense OF run
,hcatre was lighter. a business that in 'Gl
y. pIu 70 xrould have paid handsome profit Is now
.s,s y. everything has como down to bottom prices
~, actors salaries I don't mean the herd that
= 80 suddenly jumped from the counting house.
-. r,nb,c shool, or the workshop upon the stage,
sehittoua enough hut untr.fned,-the salaries OF
aus w.: eay. ure higher thau they ever were"
as %ss ,r,tcr questioned whether tho rank and 1lc
' r.,d anT more than In former years.
,.yes: they are,' replied the manager; ''but
a,;ectiou is to the salaries OF the lending men
~ ~ -ror1eu on the stage today,-the Thornes and
-. coohlans, the Maud Gran.ers, and the rest.
49, s.ro,s IS simply question Of demand and sup
~ - xrc yentured. .'Leauing men and women
~. ~ arorce: these people know it as well ns man
aas~s and. like merchant in cheese, try to get
.ss i'm pr:ee in the market"
As 10 the Chicago season, our friend said:
~ hare watched it closely, and guess all the
.,ostres haye paid. To TN outsider. AcEtcker's
t.e dime the worst business, but Tn satisfied
.hc,c,s been more money in It, His attractions
,s.,ar,t heeu as strong the others, but his ex-
.,anses have been lighter. uaverly and Hooley, 1t
r. nretty safe to say have paid their combinations
~ not less than 65 per cent Of the gross
ss.airts and they can't make much money out OF
AZ mr. cent One OF the evils Of the star and COM
h;n,t;on system to managers springs from the
s.ct that there Is no equity IN it.; and
.,srs. properly, too, take advantage OF the
m.naeets' anxiety to secure thcm and charge
e1orbitaut terms. The country Is large, every
1,u1e town has Its place of amusement. and all
,ho;r owucrs want have something going on al1
The time even i they only set eioush = 10 pay as
Starring, iu the majority OF cases, reduccs the actot
~ the Icyel OF tramp. irresponsible people be-
come managers because no cap.ta. 1s rsqn'5su.
70 down to Cambridge and tell him YOU want to
iform company. He does It for you. All you
have in the world probably IS $50 to pay "a rsliway
s,re for percentage Of the receipts Iou get this
romnsuy away from home. The first performance
rs enough to pay faseS 10 another paee 50 WIN
%'einSe' n two; no oAN1 salaries have been seen:
The company then reyolnnonlae, !tt a ,,osa ea'
he same thing goes e,n week or two longer, and
the company eventually find themselves stranded
away from home, without railrond tickets, 1he
1ott Goors shut in their face ard not The slightest
chance OF ever receiving i dollar for their SER
vices" s." .,. ,oa,
this. People will 60 on the ataee-eSen II only 'of
les, returned the veteran, ~ think it can
be remedicd to a certain extent II the managers
OF these country houses would insist upon de-
posit to secure rent before opening think in time
circuits would be formed by responsible Hcn. II
tAis were done the towns would get better enter
ts tannssns,, and stock companies would DC again
.:Tas CO. country manager a;s; must charge positive
That's the idea. 1t would oreak up the 1rfe. r.
profession would be bettercd." ..
..Of course, ron, like all other managers, hare
your notions about the taste Of the public now aud
what will I've the go next season.
1.-THE taste OF the public! give It up: Some
body says taste goes in waves. You know the
wave that has struck the country this season. The
They won't be lectured; even the lecture bureaus
have fallen of in business II you give the people
serious thing they say its very good; artistic;
zee it. They don't want lessons, or misery, u
pathos, or sentiment. Where the thing Is going tt
END, don't know. Undoubtedly. there fl. . grow
class. It vas like good Old ballad. simple aaee
easily understood. The 'PiuaIorc' class OF wori
think will give place to nctter class OF music
bpt 1t will be set to comic opera libretto. HeAs,
heavy tragedy a7tez while. Tragedy even playc
BY the best people can draw no
his stock company next season.!
.sYes. Well, he, suppose. is CHANGING bis pol
icy because be eau make money easier BY folow'n
than attcmntng to lead the public taste. Juh
Ellsler the other week said 10 me, Managers Inv
ceased to be anything but janltor5. and the bas
liar makes the best janltor.' he SAID be "as Is
Wicker has reached the samc conclusion, 9ucss
With a stock company manager Is IN continue
trouble He Is an ns a. n ae fh
fis house IL properly swept and lighted. Eve
Wal}ock has reached the salne conclusion. ne w
the last remnant Of the old system IN the Eas'
and NcVicser uay be snid to he the last In II
West Everything that NaIiack touched o3
serious nature this season failed. He mas cor
right down to the baby Pnafore IT anyooa
Two or three years neo had come 10 nm WIN cue
anronosition he would have tainted He Is ey
IDENTIFY now willing TO trot nfter the pubic sshe!
ever it may CO.. As to MeE1cEer. witness LOOM =
engagement, which closes this week, One OF It
worst he ever played, and certainly the very WOE
he ever went through in this city;
Aludirg to the system of deadheadfng, OF
friend Remarked:
..ln New orx and all over the country the systc1
Of dcadheading has sprung frum the OIL.
system. / think ii managers would confne Then
EElye3 to newspaper advertising Lucy "oa1u =
more for their money. AS It ts now, whoever pu
out the larcest number OF bill boards has tue lars
est audience Of aeaGhcads It was said last wes e
York that nase5 fo2 P9t; n;a oSh nu
strela. That called for 3, COO seats alone, IN pa
ron can readily imagine what effect such nnmoe
would have upou.a theatre like the Lyceum. 1t
safe to say that, seven t1pes ont OF tei
what is called big business in theatr'
Is poor A combination coming
Chicago has no interest whatcFer In the TOWN e.
cept the week. If they find they nre not gong
b. attractive, they DON'T want TINT fact 10 isas
ahead of them So out comes the paper. nj
the houses are good, OF course, some comoln'
1ions do very little Ut this sort OF thing, ana
Justice to those who don't do 1t think dramat
critics should never alIudc to the size OF the q,
dicnce, because they have no mems Of knowil
decldedly whether 1t is paying OF 'pape
one.r .
Mr. Managers attention had been called to T.
Sunday question, and he expressed disgust at !!
growing disposition OIL the part Of the pubic =
Sunday amnscmcnta. - Performances on th
dag, " said he, ''arc more numerous in this cit
and generally OF lower kind, than in any cent
Worse than New 0rleans:"
Yes, because you give mztiuees. In New Y
leans 1t IL an old French custom. think Il
amuscments Of city should bs governed the san
~ household. No performances should DC
lowed @ to 60 On any day that would be detriment
10 the community" !"
lainy' ~ 49, W = >@~ :: :
Yes. ! happened TO take up THE TE1nu:
1ae o!ner day.-1 think Mpnday-and saw thai
t.cs. Af: Earlin. in sermon had regretted tn