The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-23
TIE MODERN PLAY.
Clothes More Important Than Ability-The
Stage SObbing for Something Better.

Clothes More Important Than Ability-The
Stage sobbing for Something Better.
George Alfred Townsend.
The stage in our day has undertaken to set
the model for dress and social manners.
Consequently it has become a poor imitator
of a society it has not seen. The paryenu
who affects to come out of a certain society
makes the points for an actress An affecta-
ton of tone of extreme delicacy is running
up and down the spinal marrow of the stage
as through the magazines. Everything por-
tends change from healthy provincaism
and mock metropolitanism to something
which is not anywhere, but which is consid-
cred to be somehow society
When play is made in these DAYS. instead
of going to a lady like Mrs. Burnett and say
ing "Give us the fruit of your mind and
TASTE" the manager says: 81 will send my
dramatist TO you, and he will show you the
prevailing taste" So along comes the as
sistant dramatst like dress-maker, to the
poor little woman in Washington, and lays
down some points. First, it is necessary
that we have clothes in the piece. Next,
your man must begin somewhere on this
side and be transplanted, as it were, to the
boudoirs of Europe-otherwise we can
not get our clothes in. The first scene
must be set bare and rugged, in
order that our grand piano shall show well.
Be also particular, madam, to put
in the brass coal-scuttle and the new brass
sets of tongs-society is nothing without it's
brass ornaments" Consequently, out comes
the piece, like one of the magazine tales that
had been exploded in pyrotechnics. 1t signs
and moves around for while and goes out,
and nobody knows what it was.
What has been the result of all that have
described? The managers here find that by
centralizing the drama they have almost de-
stroyed it. The faith of the people is nearly
gone. The old audiences which regularly
attended the theaters are not to be relied
4 - al, eth ~
lacks Systematically every week. and be-
came good critics and guardians of the
strength and prosperity of the stage, there is
a suburban series of audiences here, picked
up from the ferries or from the hotels, and
they come in and look at an act or two and
go out, and often stay out for the rest of the
piece.
The people believe little of what they read in
the newspapers about the plays, particularly
not the praises. Their notions of what is sue
cessful come now by hearsay. In that way
Mantell, who is playing in "Fedora," and
who vainly tried to get respectable salary
here, suddenly flashed up as a prominent
actor. Managers at once went to him and
tried to get him away from Fanny Daven-
port, Offering him 5000 a week. These ex-
cessive salaries have not produced more good
actors There is no necessary relation be-
tween money and talent. 1t is not true that
for every necessity a talent will Immediately
appear. Dramatic talent must be educated
in humility and modesty, and not with loud
praises and by high salaries The stage in
New York is sobbing for capable actors and
actresses.
A gentleman very familiar with the stage
said to me recently: at is the hardest thing
in the world now to get leading men. There
are good many women on the stage who
play well. But actors, unless they are
brought up slowly and with care, amount to
but little. 1t is suddenly discovered that
the dollhouse methods of the New York
theaters, their competition, their extrava-
CANT salaries, have exhausted the stage both
here and in England, of good actors The
old race is dying out; and nothing comes up
that promises to live long. Hence the whole
world is being ransacked for something that
will supply the palled and injured appetite
here. There has been no school of dramatic
education. The riches of the New York stage
have about ruined it,"