Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-30
STAGE NOVELTIES RARE.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CREATION
AND REPRODUCTION.
Value of a New and Beautiful Idea-Dram-
attic Haberdashery and Literary Cos
metics-The Vogue of the Epoch.

LST6SLcQ tAO Gto6S Se-J I'D -
succeeding production of new plays there
is feature of character entirely novel
to the STAGE On this the speakers always
advance and base their alleged belief in
the success of the venture.
Now, it is the hardest thing In the
world to find genuine novelty for dram
attic use, simply because nearly everything
human, mechanical and artificial has been
EMPLOYED by stage managers in some shape
or other during the past twenty-five or
thirty years. Prior to 1916, | believe |
am correct when say that realism on the
modern stage was practically unknown,
or existed only in small measure, just as
was illustrated by the theatrical gentle
mans announcement that the pump and
the water" used in certain barnyard
scene would be "real pump and real
water"
I am aware of the strength which lies
in the claims of the patrons OF the Old
Bowery and of Drury Lane IN London
that "pieces were put on as well and as
fully, SO far as realty was concerned, in
both these houses in the good old days of
the sixties as they have been at any time
since"
| am also prone to yield obedience and
respect to the old-timers like Charley Eos
ter. Bob johnson ard "Dunstan Kirke"
Couldock when they challenge contradic-
ton to their assertion that the stage man
ayers of the days of the sixties and "befo'
de wah, sah,' were as faithful to the real
istic necessities of the drama and scenic
effects as are any of the men of to-day who
have charge of the productions for which
SO much is claimed.
So YOU see that | am inclined to attach
as much Importance to the assertion that
there is nothing new on the modern stage"
as most of these gentlemen could desire,
and | admit that there is in truth very
little possible In the way of absolute nov
city in idea on the modern stage.
1t seems to be admitted of and by all
that novelty is the prerequisite Of success
in theatrical enterprises, and to insure it
in all branches of the profession, men are
employed "to get up ideas" The advance
agent is expected to do something en-.
tirely new" in the way of booming the en-.
terprise. The stage manager is supposed
to be agonizing over some keen applica-
ton of his art, either to the scenery OF
business OF the piece, and even in old OF
classical plays actors are expected to give
"new readings" to old lines.
This craze for novelty is the offspring of
the epoch and applies as much to millin.
cry as to the drama But 1t is more easily
satisfied in the former than in the latter,
because materials are more abundant and
the fabrics have not been worn thread
bare.
A very we'll posted dramatic agent in
this city said to me the other day that the
success OF a new entertainment depended
on one of three things-a new theme, a
strange scenic feature and an engaging
new star. 'With any one of these" said
he, ga manager may feel certain of moder-
ate success at least. Without any one oil
them bankruptcy is inevitable"
Finding that he had merely formulated
a sentence to convey the faith of his
brethren to me, | began to comprehend
the feverish desire of the profession to
seize upon and own even Jumbo, so long
as it had never been seen upon the stage
before. And | read more intelligently the
announcements of the. circuit manager to
the effect that this, that or the other thing
for which he was trying to book time was
entirely new, both in scenery, costume
and character"
There was only one thing which puzzled
me, and this was the ayidity with which
the managers in general declared their
preference for what they described as
'tried attractions" In other words, they
would refuse a piece, no matter who as
sured them that it was novel, and accept a
Chestnut" despite their ayowed belief in
novelties"
This seemed to be somewhat anomalous
if not worse; but then Mr.. Frohman I'M
dertook to explain it to me thus: "You
see, dear boy, managers take great risk
when they attempt to place anything new
before the public. The thing may be new,
you know, but it may not be the kind Of
novelty the public wants, and then, you
see, loss is inevitable, and failure to a
manager means more than mere money ii
entails loss of prestige and the confidence
of your patrons which engenders the
usual disagreeable consequences of distrust
for your next production. No; FL admit
that we are looking about US for novelties,
but we have to go slow, and sift the novel
ties when we reach them. Managers in
the country have great faith In novelties
after somebody in New York has proven
their value at the risk Of disastrous fail
ure. Managers in New York desire novel
ties, but they have to pay so dearly for
them that they never invest in them until
after they have done all in their power to
determine their quality. This is why SO
many of our conservative managers &c
abroad for what they regard as assured
successes.
Further search and investigation proved
to me that the country or provincial mana
ger preferred his chestnuts after somebody
else had roasted them to roasting them
himself, Just as his New York brethren do.
To put it mildly and directly, he would
book an attraction which had made money
somewhere else rather than to attempt to
test its drawing powers for the first time
himself. Hence we see that Lost in Lon
dom after Dark" "The Bottom of the
Sea" THE Blue and the Gray" THE
Veteran and long line of ancient win
ners are booked for production at some Of
the most popular tbeaters in America for
next season.
But this seems to be a depression from
my theme-the inestimable value of and
craze for novelty on the stage. Still it was
necessary to show the esteem of two lead
ing parties in theatrical matters-the i'm
pressionists and the votaries of. the re-
Nuisance. The former are hungry for
novelty; the latter adhere to the old
school, And yet both meet upon one point
which is, that even in the reproduction Of
antique successes novelty of treatment j.
Indispensable and vastly beneficial.
The entire novelties, If genuine sue.
cesses, become fortune factors; the antique
successes, if cleverly revivi6ed, follow
closely upon the heels of the novelties, and
widely as the two parties seem 10 diyerge
thnu are In the n,nsf cnmnleta accord on,