National Republican., 1881-10-22
TouJOuRS COMIQuE.
In the Public Taste Changing ?-McKee
Rnnkin's Trouble.


The Dramatic N1rs calls attention to
the fact that the public have grown tired OF operas
bouGe, the musical variety and obscene comedy
business which managers have persisted for a few
years past In presenting 10 the exclusion Of almost
everything else in theatricas. The tendency
among managers is. so the Neigs says, toward the
melo drama pieces like youth" which Wallack
is soon to produce, and "Lights O. London" which,
Il is said, Mr.. Palmer will soon bring out at the
Union Square; but, after oil, this will not answer
the requirements OF the public. Says the Netps:
ave think these are not high enough to satisfy
the taste which is apparently developing, or
rather reviving. What is wanted are plays in
which the human interest is strongly developed,
the coloring serious and sentimental, the char
acters natural, and the situations not forced.
The manager who FIRST secures such play as
will make women weep will at the same time Sc
cure q fortune. II used to be the policy Of an old
and successful manager to produce plays which,
as he said, made children laugh or women cry
for, as he would add 1t generally required two
grown persons to take one infant TO the theatre to
cry, and II invariably demanded an escort for
every woman who wept,"
Let us hope that managers win heed this advice,
at least TO some extent Even as they used TO d9,
everything like light comedy, opera bou6e &C.. II
would be q great gain-a vast Improvement. But
learn i that II the public are Of various tastes and
| have capacity for the enjoyment of all. and the
theatres will double their business; The" World v
| which on the boards Of variety theatre would be
styled "lurid" has had, with its expensive
mountings and graphic scenery, a great success
Il Is a little discouraging to. find that Messrs
Palmer and Walack argue from that fact that in the
words of the old formula of the profession, " the
| public won't have anything else" aud are prepar-
witch are equally entitled to be styled lurid"-
discounging because It goes TO show that these
hFs RG saseess aSsn in hS
new line usually induces In the less intelligent o
their profession. That the " World" was success
ANYTHING qSfs only proves public
10y the new features. The public win have
everything else II managers VIII only give II
Mrs. MacTayish may, be gratihed to note that hei
boarders take kindly 70 a new dish, but she will
make great mistake u she argues from that cir.
that they viii suddenly lose ali desire for potatOc:
and bcei and good bread and butter. still, we are
glad to see that we are to have change Of some
sort, and hope that the plays OF human
given an opportunity; The public will Away
so to see them and al me more readily y tney
spectacular, the luridly melo- dramatic, the com
edy, even III should be of the atter-day &c ham.
and coniigue. Above all things let us have don,
with the horse-play pieces-palch. work Affairs II
%nch nHa na doSe,ailsd Without o Reference
common sense or sequence or any sort of logic
arc presented by lot Of barn-st -storming imiiator'
who haven't tile brains 10 create role or 10 con
| ceiye one even though Sheridan were TO writ,
the lines
The Mckee cRankin-Joaquin Millersquabbe hail
this complexion,viz: Rankin hired a poor devil of
| Philadelphia journalist (fitzgerad) 70 write him
play for which he paid Fitzgerald SIS per act Il
all, stO0 This play he called "The Dunites," anC
paid Miller $500 for the privilege of advertising
IL as his (Afillers) work. Fitzgerald died-sarve,
to death 1t is fair to presnme-before the play wa
, produced and his widow Is in destitution. Subse
qncntly Miller wrote n play for Rankin which
didn't suit Then Rankin wrote one himsel
which did suit, and Miller claims 1t. Miller call
Rankin "a colossal liar" and an "impuden
thief" and Rankin has him arrested for crlmlna
libel Altogether II is dirty squabble, and neithe
individual has much to be proud of, while botl
| have much to be ashamed Of