The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-04
DRAMATIC MANAGEMENT.

! A member of the staff Of the ARGUS met
Frank L. Bixby, manager of the Madison
| Square Theatre Company, which played
Hazel Kirke at Harper's Theatre on Mon
day evening, and during the conversation
which ensued obtained some facts as to the
manners and methods of the Madison
| Square Theatre management which will
prove of general interest. The converse
ton was inaugurated by the question: ITO
what do you attribute the almost unprece-
denied success of the Madison Square man
agement, Mr.. Bixby?"
There are number of things all of
which tend to make our management dis
tinctly great. The first is pluck. A sec.
ond is a thorough understanding of tie
fact that the press is the greatest and most
powerful assistant we have in our bust
ness, which business, let me assure YOU, is
as thoroughly systematiZed as any CONNER
cial undertaking in this country. In the
first place our preprietors or principals,
the Messrs. Mallory are men of sharp and
acute business discernment and that dis
cernment at the outset showed them that
in the first place they needed good and
competent men to handle their enterprises
And having cast about for such
men their choice fell upon the Frohman
brothers Daniel, Gustaye and Charles, and
Ia y VIII Sp2AC sCIlAlAS dQOdNIty
and not include me in the general catalogue
/ viii say that think the Messers Froh-
man have gathered around them as good
corps of assistants in the persons of their |
travelling managers and business managers
as could be had. They themselves divide |
the business, each one having certain |
portion allotted to him, so that there is never |
the least hitch or misunderstanding about |
the duties Of either principals or assistants.
ITO what do you attribute the marvel
lous success of the play of Hazel Kirke%
3 Its great purity and freedom from the
ordinary run of stage yillainy is one thing.
The great simplicity of the language and
plot is another and then these are both com
bined with brains in the management and
the combination has made and is making
of dollars each week for our
treasury.
will the popularity of the play contin-
ue?"
Undoubtedly, why the play grows in
favor so much each day, that we are already
booking six Hazel Kirke companies for
next season, and we will soon have a COM
pany playing Hazel In Germany"
Another thing about the Madison Square
Theatre company is the attention given to
even mirror details in order to insure sue
cess. Nothing is neglected nothing left
1ndone that will in the least add to the
beauty of presentation of their plays
Have the Professor" and "Esmeralda'j
,een as well received as was Hazel
Kirke?'
s'of course. said Mr.. Bixby. 81 do not
ike TO admit that Hazel has an equal in
anything. or even rival, but candor COM
oels me to say that both the Professor
md sEsmeralda" have received and merit
a their share of flonular onod will oss ev; i
fenced by the 152 consecutive nights of !
he Professor" at the Madison Square
Theatre, and the still unbounded patron
Ige accorded s'Esmeralda" at the same |
louse, and which will undoubtedly greet |
Ter next season when she has at least two 4
ompanies presenting her beauties IN the
arious cities and towns of the United
'tates and Canada.
FLASHES. r
T, j. Tooney. one of the scenic and de- i