The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-11-27
THEATRE DEADHEADS.
-.<POSmRE OF THE INIQUlTY OF THE
OF FREE TICKET SYSTEM.

Mania which Certain People Have OF
Going to the Theatre for Nothing
Woes of Theatrical NIanaEers-wealthy
Observation-Disclosures Editor.
One of the standing human curiosities
of New York, is the wealthy deadhead
1t may not be generally known, but it is
a fact, nevertheless, that no deadhead
was ever known to be impecunious. The
poor man who wants to go to the theatre
will steal the money like a man and buy
a Hticket. Your professional deadhead
viii make $1,000 and then write for a
complimentary" For some unknown
reason the professional deadhead has in
grained antipathy to paying for seat at
theatre or on a railroad train. He viii
lie, fawn and dishonor his family TO get
his seat for nothing and then he will take
his friends aud spend $25 in wine between
the acts. Good society is honeycombed
with deadh6 ads. They own their coaches,
dress in Partisan finery, wear diamonds,
give late suppers after the performance,
at the brunswick, but they never pay for
their seats.
SOME CURIOUS CUSTOMS.
This has given rise to some very curl
Gus customs at the New York theaters
First of all is what is called the coach
ers,' They are swell deadheads who own
their equipages, and are sure to come on
the first night in them if they get compli-
mentaries As it is very desirable to make
show OF carriages on the IlTst night of
piece, the managers pet them and take
every means to get them out To faciIi-
tate the theater, there has recently been
published little book called the Coach
ers List, which gives the names of the
swell families that can be depended on to
turn out with their vehicles on first
night, if they receive complimentaries be-
fore o'clock. 1t is but fair to say that
this list is very accurately and honestly
edited. If a respectable family is known
to receive tickets and then takes horse
car it is stricken from the pages.
The ingenuity and persistence shown by
some of these people passes belief There
is wellknown lady, moving in good so
ciety and well-to do, who is seen at all
first night performances. But she is never
known to pay for her seats When she
can not obtain them directly from the
manager, she succeeds in getting them in
a roundabout way. There are always
railroad men, editors and OF hers to whom
the manager is under obligation for IA
vOrs, and it is through one of these chan
nels that she will work the tickets On
several occasions special efforts have been
made by managers to give a first night
peIlOI uldhCe WIInOuU nef 10 her request
for tickets the polite regrets were sent
that they were all sold, not a seat in the
house But she was there all the same,
in full array. The marked tickets were
traced in one case to a dramatic editor, in
another to a prominent banker. When
asked about it, the dramatic editor dis
played letter he had received from the
lady, in which she piteOusly begged him
to get her two seats as a special favor, as
she had been unable to buy them. Here
she had deliberately lied about the matter
rather than pay out 50, and it is curious
to know that she is in every other respect
a most liberal, exemplary and seft-respect-
ing woman.