New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-27
BOOTH AND BARRETT.
THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THEIR PLANS.

THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THEIR PLANS.
TALK WITH Mr.. BARREIT-THE PLAYERS CLUB
Although last week was he first Of Edwin Booth
and Lawrence Barretts summer vacation IT was by no
means one of rest for the tredians AS soon as they
had recovered from the excitement of the Wallack
Testimonial performance they started for Boston, where
Thursday they played for the benefit of the Actors
Fund. Both the eminent actors were naturally
delighted at the results of the Waisck performance and
also at the thought that their long and arduous abors
were to he suspended for several months. The
| performance of Hamlet" SAID Mr.. Barrett was
artscaly surprise to We had scarcely dared to
hope everything would have gone of so smoothly mo
thorough and clfsacriicng spirit in which all con-
cerned entered into their work wonderfully graft
flying Think Of three recognized leading men playing
Francisco. bernardo and Marcellus. That audience WILL
| IN all probability. never such sight again. And
what sight In itself that audience was Never have
such imposing gathered In theatre. The
value Of the sofd style Of the decorations OF the Opera
House was admirably brought out. Above that mass
of white and gold forms the fronts of the circles.
the faces and hgurcs stood forth In strong relief and
the dark plush OF the orchestra chairs gave firm and
splendid basis The people on the stage were
quite anxious to the audience the audience
was 10 see the play At every crack and crevce and
| pnhoe In the scenery thee an eye taking In the
stage and the aspect Of the auditorium remained in my
dressing most of the tine when not on the
stage. or the excitement wosld have been too much
| for me- You know l irst announced to play
Laertes, have been doing al the but when
i looked into the glass and saw iow heavy my cheeks
were getting / said to myself, Not in New-YorE
Accept incontestsble facts and ps! the Ghost Now
I am very glad that / decided AS an instance of
how the stimulant of appearing before the public will
conquer pain and weakness, l may cite the case Of
| Mr. waack on that night Just befOrs he made his
speech he was sitting in my room, and felt SO much
pain In his leg that he didn't think he could stand
How will You get ON, john said TO him. Il don't
know he answered, but shall get there' And we
all know he did How well he looked In tho face TOO,
for, a man of his age: and then there was dear old
John Gilbert. about ten years older, and acting SO
admirably"
AZ think profession has the tendency to prolong
life Only the other day the veteran tragedian, E. s.
Connor called to see Mr. Booth and mo, and when we
went out into the street he stepped of with the activity
OF a boy, and he is over eighty believe the cause
of such longevity is TO be found in our regular fe
Don't SMILE l didn't say regular habits FOR am
quite aware that members Of the profession are
not distinguished in this respect although Its morale
is constantly improving. What l mean is that the
strain on our Intellectual and nervous systems comes
regularly each day and at the same hours and that
therefore acquire the strength to sustain the effort
In other professions there is none OF this regula,
one day and nothing the next The strain the
physician, the literary man. the artist comes at equay
irregular periods Consequently their nervous systems
are kept steady exercise ours are In almost
everything regularity is less destructive than spas
modic tension
"Our season Just closed has been so marvellously
successful that 1 can now scarcely realize that
the results great as they are The snare We
have received is over 100000 1t seems almost In
credible but it IS true nevertheless. have PAID 10
Mr.. Booth 100000 for his seasons work We
played thirty-sx weeks and our average share has
therefore been about $4,000 And in every case but
| two the managers with whom we played made money
more money than they could have mace with any
ordinary company. One of those was due TO the
manager having insisted on our playing in theatre
that was nothing like finished. know that there
have been reports that In several places the
entire receipts. That is not true 1t Is easy enough
to calculate that If played to $4,000 and manager
got only per cent, he better off than II he had
received per Of orinIry weeks business OF
say between three and four thousand dollars. In the
Baldwin Theatre in San Francisco, a rather small
house, we played to 81 5000 in three weeks and that
doesn't represent anything like what was paid by the
public as tickets sold the street for more than
double the regular prices II was not s,eo in
weather health and immunity from accidents: Wher-
ever we went were either Just ahead OF or lust
had been blowing for three weeks before we arrived
but we had glorious weather all through We did not
have any sickness the company and all the way OUT
, 10 San Francisco We did not miss playing one Gay.
II is true sometimes gave matinee instead OF an
evening performance and we used special trains on
several occasions. Once We took one for 700 miles
an a copdo alsa run Di Of
they strive to nike records but 1 said before we
s aant e of the sn Smaller night stands
raordinary In one Of 900 inhabitants we played to
that our success due to any very great ad.
vance boom. In places where We stayeu VIZ g1hts
longer the greatest sale was after the hrSt nghts
w Evcrywhere the press has been most kind TO us
We were quite aware Of shortcomings IN MANY
espects for the only piece for which we had special
scenery Julius Caesar As there were ere thr yD
and some time to get down. we were naturally !,
unable play it IN onenght stands sm AId s sSs too
; low to accommodate It,
aNext season we shall give performances that VIII
be more complete and artisticaly gratifying 10
ourselves though cannot reasonably expect That tne
, receipts will be enormous. We snail not pray
any one night stands, and in Boston, Philadelphia
and Chicago we shall stay four weeks each Our
season will begin late September and in November
we shall come to the Fifth Avenue Theatre ior elen'
wceks We shall have Venetian season, presenting
, alternately 'oheilo' and the Merchant OF venice
In both these plays everything Will be ne" ana VI
the most appropriate and richest Kind we can pro-
p cure The scenery will be supplied by the chicago
CIR, ubo odd Julius Caesar for / already have
with suggestions given by MI Booth ana iS c' a d
S tss s' viii ii sRTpas any Preyo
these plays The stage OF the Fifth Avenue Wall "
e GnaW my Viii be new when travel We shall
n give these plays with precisely the same complete,
'I more an donestc character than usual Generally
il is played In large arches ana sreat mans nno
ss ~ ' Witch are as true and touching II they
were events of to-day. In both plays there wiz DC
= great deal of and instrumental music 10 "nch
| speciaI care and attention will be given AS rule
this feature is neglected, but any one VINO has no
carefully considered the matter VIII De -
find how much music Is really called for ID the stage
: | directions Our company will remain the same ~
g the principal parts though there will be Jew aaa
r lions. Miss Gale and Miss Kellogg VIII stay WIN
us aud Mr. Hanford who has Of late done some cap
: tai work In Antony, Will have an opportunity Ioi
J. advancement
e The prospects Of my having new theatre IN ,n
= city nearer realization than ever before n ioca
. ton which Is acceptable to me has been cnose" an
n working plans submitted. Within three Weehs u !
possible that everything may be settled, ana III ina
case the theatre would be ready for opening In I'M