The sun., 1881-07-17
THEATRES AHOUND THE WORLD.
The Longest po,.IbIe Dramatic Circuit
Amuscments the Enrth's Other Side.

| IhEaIhEO dhOtND THE VOhLD.
| The Longest To,.Ibie Dramatic Circuit
| Amuscments On the Enrth's Other side.
The only theatrical manager who has
| ever taken an entertainment literally around
the world is Mr.. John r. Rogers. and he has
| done 1t twice. Mr. Joseph X. Emmett. the Ger
| man dialect actor. was the principal performer
| on ono OF these tours. and Messrs. Baker and
| Farron. whose mimicry is OF about the same
| sort made the second circuit. Mr.. Rogers is
| getting ready to start again. this timo with Miss
Minnie Palmer. an actress OF the Lotta type.
and Mr.. Robert F. r. Graham. o comedian and
clever imtator OF Emmett.
| Probably you have n mistaken idea" said
| Mr.. Rogers to tho reporter. who ask cd him to tell
| about giving theatrical performances in New
Zealand. You have pictured to yourself some
| rude kind OF theatre. filed with halt naked
| Maoris. ready to swarm on the stage and devour
| tho performers, cannibal fashion. II the show
didn't prove pleasing. You're wrong. White
| men outnumber tho aborginea almost seven to
| ono In New Zealand. remember. The audiences
| contain only few blacks. and those OF q civil
lied kind. The same is true at Honolulu. In
the Sandwich Islands. whore King Kalakaua
has built theatre. There Is q good native
orchestra. and the house Is open perhaps
three months in the year. A stop is usually
made there by companies on their way
| to Australia from San Francisco. a trip often
| made by professionals Americans and their
| ways nre liked greatly in tho Sandwich Islands.
| and an American traveller Is always q welcome
visitor In the best houses OF tho civilized natives
or half breeds. When you get to New Zealand.
| the next stopping place on tho way round tho
world you ind that English manners and
tastes prevail. Next you strike Australia.
which is wonderful country for thea,ri.
1tnr CT,
Melbourne are cities OF somewhere near 30o.-
| 600 Inhabitants. and n star who makes n real
| hit in either can play profltably month after
| month The Same people will 90 again and
again to see him. the reason for this 10 the
| lack OF social and homo diversions. The thea
| tire Is the only place OF amusement except the
| circus and the race track Ths theRtrss are all
built on the English model with a ch cap pit on
the main floor with four rows Of higher priced
orchestra stalls In front. and tho most fashion
able part OF tho house where Americans place
the orchestra circle. Australian audiences are
not what you suppose. unless your superstition
Ia unlike most persons who have never beon
there. 1t common TO regard Australia as a
California OF 40 and worse That is a mistake
The country is full of fortune seekers TO lie
sure but they not OF a rough class.
II costs about $500 to go to Australia
from England in tho first cabin. and near
s-co ~ tio SHNHpfSt' 81 tIdl tue TOuEHS Oh
London can't easily get thero. The Australian
miner who goes into Melbourne or sydney for a
holiday doesn't swagger and bully. oven when
drunk. and Is not bad man at tho III satre.
Tns climate OF Australia is so cool that the
theatres are open twalye months in tho year:
hut et me tei! you that clear weatnsr isn't what
the Australian MANAGER wants. Here in New
YORK wet night e.sens the audiences; there
It increases them. The people there stay out OF
the streets and squares. but storm sends them
swarmiag into !ns theatres. Australia ia OF
course the objective point OF NIL actors who ven-
ture into the Pacific. American actors 60 a.
far as that by the way OF San Francisco. and
The theatres are large though not very hand
some ana cannot cOnpars with American tho
formances is about thu same as in the Lon
don theatres. and includes tragedy, bur
lssaue. opera. pnntomimes. and all the
mime as understooi In Grsa, BrlIain S' and
her provinces is not a dumb show. except for a
few minutes Of harequnads at the close but
effects. baleis-in short what Americans call
spectacular piece. The natives OF the Pacific
islands do not as a rule 60 TO dramatic enter
tainments. and visiting companies must de-
pend on the foreign population for audlepces
Not much can ne done until Australia is reach
ed. Ihs late OF the venture IN that country is
Show or say awsy iSs ~, r5 nope VIZ 'cE 10 s inc
such thing as n moderate success-you get
either big money or none. Pays have run re-
bourne. which ISN'T So large q city MS st. Louis
where piece never draws for more than n week.
went 10 Africa on both my trips and gave
performances at Alexandria. Cairo. PorI Said
aud Suez. The audiences We're small, and made
up almost exclusively OF foreign residents and
travellers. The natives seemed II have no |
money 10 crafty the small curiosity they may
nave fe.t about US.
~ The next country In our way was India. |
Ihat IS the kind OF place whore You are com
paratlvely Goni9rtable when the thermometer |
drops TO a hundred. and shver ut eighty We |
PLAYED at Bombay and Calcutta. The theatres |
nave no side walls. heng opeD for the sake of |
ar and 10 Keep out froe crowd "a solid wall is |
lult around. leaving open space within, |
The arrangement OF seats is on the English plan. |
The audiences are made up of British army p.o- |
ple and other White foreigners: and from tho |
army are also drawn amateur actors 10 MI out |
the supporting east. Ia the absence OF pTofas-
snnais. wholly amateur performances are given
and very good ones. too. Great punsas or fans
are swuug constantly 10 make the atmos uhers
OF the theatres endurabls. Whenever the Gov
ernors wife gives Il ball. or there Is u garden
party or any oiher social event. the theatre is
closed, because there would D9 no sign of an
audience II the doors were ouoned. Those who
are not AZ the society entertainment don't want
- advertise the laet by showing Themselves nj
the theatre. All sorts Of shows. from opera to
circus, 20 to India; chiefly from England. The
natives cannot o7 drawn 20 dramatic perform
ahces. put Will 20 to see dancing, Juggling. and
acrobatlc feats.
You will observe that all the way round the
world. excepting only Honolulu. 1 encountered
LngHsh taste Ia tAeatrica!s. modified only |
sIg4llY 10 suit the circumstances. For exam
pie Friday night y the fas hloDable night every
where while in New York the best audiences.
Doth IN numoers and quality. assemble on Sat
urdaY nights. Another thing different irOm
American usage is the slow 2roYIh Of an actor
IN pubiio favor. ana the psrmanencs ol his
POPULARITY when he inally attains IT, Emmett
on his first appearance in Manchester. did not
have sing 10 paying auditor in the fashionable
part OF the house. Ina the entire receipts we're
next to nothing for two weeAs. Then hs
began 10 draw. aud during long re-
turn Enlargement We took In 81 600 in
week. which is enormous for England. whore
the biggest audiences Yiold only about half
what We get in America out OF CORES bonding
success. | saw Buckstons. the comedian play
In Dublin whom. from ago and weakness. not "A
from the front; yet the audience was wild with
delight In America memories are shorter. and
an actor ls appaudsd only so long as he can act
pleas lnGly. The American pays money lavish
ly and cheerfully for amusement. il he gets his
moneys worth. and not otherwise. No theatres
IN the worli can cumpare. except in isolated
cases with those OF America in cost or beauty. |
How about the acting WeH no better 10 done
anywhere In the English langusgs-Ihst much