The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-14
THE DEMoRALlzED DRAMA.
The Decadence of the Stage-A Prolific Hot
bed for the Generation of immortality,


Theater, and Haverly's failure indicate some
| confusion in the theatrical market. The
theatrical business contains and belongs to
the class of stimulatons like over-manufac-
turing or over-ralroad building The max
ing of rowdies in this country has been al
| lowed to proceed unchecked for many years
through the triumph of low concerts saloons
and low theatrical performances. Thirty
years ago our young rowdes who
frequented the galleries OF the the
alters quarreled with each other over
partiality for Shakespearian actors. Mr..
Forests gods threw carrots at Mr. Mac
ready. Fanny Kemble says that when she
played in New York for the first time, about
1880, there were rumors that she was to be
hooted of the stage in the interests of two
rival American actresses. But more recently
all national interest has been lost in the stage
which has become to be the arena for old
men to be jealous of each other in ogling
concert-saloon girls, VINO have been suddenly
raised by the photographer and the silk
stocking-maker to the position of star
The most successful men in the theatrical
business, though | believe they generally fail
| at last are those who do not pay the least re-
spect to the demands of polite society or the
elements of patriotism, but buy across the
ocean costumes, scenery, and whatever has
bring it to this side and give it the run OF the
United States. =.
At the beginning of the war change
which had been preparing for some time
came over the spirit of our theaters. The
tendency had been toward large cities for
several years. Social causes like the dscove-
ry OF gold in California and the opening OF
railroads assembled both money and popula-
ton in more and larger cities, and they had
to be amused Larger and finer bar-rooms,
larger houses for cyprians. lager-beer gar
denS, academies of music and stylish theaters
began to appear after 1852; and the war and
paper money let loose the huge concert sa-
loon, which was designed to entertain only
men with female performers. During the
whole war dozen to twenty OF these things
existed on Broadway. They broke out in
staid cities like Philadelphia, and became the
rage at Washington. Volunteers, substi-
tutes and hospital inmates, removed from fe-
male influence, wife and home feasted their
eyes on the vestiges of the female nature
afforded by some low-bred girl with a cracked
voice and pair of tights.
The disease there begun spread from the
large cities into the secondary cities, and
into the more ordinary towns Negro min
strelsy became monotouous. Pictures of half
nude dancing girls were pasted ON the fence
next door to the Westinghouse One-half
the boys who went to school during the day
went to the concert saloon at night, to learn
slang and bring it home, and have the old
man and woman and the young ladies adj
mire it and giggle. Then it occurred to al
most every man of substance that he had
better build a theater. Sporting men natur-
ally took to theater building. The sharp
gambler or Spectator, or late negro trader,
or old circus showmen, put up an edfice
with a stage, and sometimes made stock
company of it In few years we had such
quantity of theaters that it took large
number OF companies to keep them supplied
and busy. All sense of legitimacy
vanished in the presence Of
these several hundred thea ters, there
being often two or three in the same town.
The theatrical jobber came to New York,
and had half a dozen agencies, went and Sc
lected his company as planter in Louisiana
formerly went to New Orleans and picked
out his negroes to be worked up into sugar
during that season.
The movement in theatricals was invara-
bly, from below, hardly ever from above. The
two impellng principles to make artists were
want and vaSrancy, hard necessity aud ig-
norance of any useful craft capacity for
any stable labor. Young men who had spent
all their money and failed to marry, young
women TOO proud to be base vet not virtuous
enough to be wives saw a great career open
before them from town to town. Minor
actors around the theaterS, who could never
get more than few lines to speak, blossomed
out at once into stars. From the other side
of the ocean the low concert saloons
of London and the provincial
theaters spouted their monstrosites into
New York, who forthwith demanded 500 a
week and benefit and their names to be
printed in letters not less than six inches
high. 1t is astonishing how you can feel
any want OF mercantile sort. The very
making of towns out of crude and strange
material, out of bachelor life and miner
and gamblers, seemed to require some ex-
change where night could be worn away,
and it became tine concert saloon theater.
Haverly's failure may possibly be CLEAN
of hope for the future OF the stage. He was
the most prosperous of these spectators
Old Barnum confines himself to one show
even if he has no interest in it except roy
atty. Haverly, however, like many sporting
men who become managers wanted to be
loud and brassy and nIultifarious.
He took plain old negro min
strelsy, which used to be sweet and
kind, and made it noisy and big, and sent
out to London host of gypsies to enact the
plantation darky. He took theaters wherever
he could pick them up, sometimes two or
three in a city. and began to play companies
as he would play cards. The whole genius
of the theater is in its unity. That unity
mast not only be confined as the Greeks en-
joined it, to time, place and people, but the
manager must also he unity, as Shaks-
speare was in his own theater when he wrote
the pieces and rehearsed them. In our time
Shakespeare would be sreculator, perhaps
producing piece and sending it around the
land to be inlitatively played with all the
gestures and quirks given it by the actors of
merit in New York. 1t thus becomes silly
imitation, and the elements of individuality
and progress are driven from it.
Now and then some poor girl of an obscure
family endeavors to get place on the stage
and she has hardly made her first appear
ance when some efficient. insnuating scamp.
Narho r1cn fha re ip,oa in In
stion of her patron, writes ner up where he
has chance, and perhaps secures her place
at another theater and somewhat better
parts to play Then he collects her salary,