Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-07
The Uncertainties of the show Business.

~'ft 4 Urn Letter.
The uncertainties of the show business
are never lacking Of current illustration.
Edwin Booth has just closed so prosperous
an engagement in this city that, by resort
to the trick of pretended ticket specula-
ton, the receipts were forced up to about
$1,000 night. Only five years ago he
played here in an almost empty theatre.
lie was then as good an actor as he is
now, and in neither instance could his
supporting company have been worse
than The other Again, look at the four
beautiful women whom we have this year
sent to the London stage, Lillian Russell,
Mary Anderson, Minnie Palmer and L0tta
Crabtree. The fame of the Grst named
may not have extended widely be-
yOnd New York city, but here
she was supreme as the hero
inc Of comic opera. $50 to
London" everybody said TO her. "and
your fortune will be made" She followed
the advice by clipping with a married man,
who had the means of placing her on the
stage over there with all desirable ado.
Her failure was quick and complete. The
impression that she made wa so unfavor-
able that she was Withdrawn as soon as
possible. Nobody can explain this. She
is well-nigh perfectly beautiful; she is an
excellent singer, and she is in her acting
devoid Of Americanisms. Why she did not
please the Britishers as well as she
had US is a mystery. Seeing her bad
luck, some Of our managers said that no
American woman could find favor in Lon
don, least of all Mary Anderson, with her
kentucky accent and crude methods. She
made the trial, however, and was Instant
ly accepted as the greatest Of living trage-
dlennes. There may be some OF her
scheming stepfather's nonsense about his
stories OF royalty cOddling her, and Of
ducal desires to marry her, but for posi-
tive fact she is filling Henry lrVing's LOl-
don theatre with cash crowds.
The experiences Of Minnie Palmer and
LOtta Crabree, taken together, are funny
as well as curious. All American theatre
gOers know that Minnie is a eOmpara-
lively worthless imitation Of Lotta-a
mechanical reproduce of those winks,
kicks, grimaces and pranks with which
the originator has for twenty years de-
IiznuCu 0uo. ~ CIf, 4ufifIiIC Was -IahUu
England by John Rodgers, her mana
ger, and pretty soon the dramatic
critics of the United States, from
Maine to California, began to receive
his assurances that she was making q
phenomenal success. OF course he was
not believed, and his news went into the
waste baskets. 1t was incredible that
his actress had hit the English taste.
Then came letters from the salaried and
trustworthy correspondents of the New
firmation; and the files of the London pa
pers gave additional proof. The most
dumbiounded reader of all this was Lot
ia. She had never acted on the other side
of the water, though a frequent visitor for
pleasure. l once asked her why?
81 am afraid Of failure" she replied,
''the two pubiics are different. / am rich,
and wouldn't so much mind the loss Of
money, but it would dreadfully hurt my
feelings TO miss the mark with my au-
diences. / have declined a good many
offers Of London engagements"
But after Minnie had succeeded, Lolita
no longer had a doubt. If Englishmen
liked the imitation, they would 60 wild
over the original. She was naturally
blinded to the uncertainties which are in
separable from the stage. The cable has
already told how she was derided by the
rude portion Of her first London audience,
and cOldly repelled by the rest. Who can
eXDlain It?