Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-01-08
DRAM ATTIC REPORTER.
PECULIAR BRANCH OF NEWSPAPER
SERVICE IN VOGUE IN NEW YORK.
Not Critic but . Gossip Gatherer-Col.
Maple SON as Q Press Agent-An
Amusing Story of Edwin Booth.

"A rev Gays ago one or our neWspa-
pers contained an account of how two
young men went to eighteen theaters
in one evening and saw something of
the play at each one. If these young
men had been in the newspaper bust
ness they would scarcely have thought
of their performance as a feat to boast
of, for the same thing is done every
evening by the representative of each
of our large newspapers, and the re-
porter who makes the round of the
theaters not only looks in at the house.
but often interviews the manager and
sometimes one or two of the players.
The critics, both musical and dra-
matte. have nothing to do with the
news of the amusement world If an
actor falls dead on the stage, the critic
may mention the fact. bgt it is the
duty Of the dramatic reporter, if the
accident happens in a theater. or the
musical reporter, if it is in opera house
or a concert hall, to find out all about
it and treat it accordingly.
believe that Mr.. Leander Richard
son. now the editor of one of our dra-
matte journals. was originally respon-
sible for extending the field of dra-
matte Journalism SO that it might take
in everything. from the details of the
stars private life. down to the color of
the chorus girls stockings. Richard
son was employed as a reporter on the
Times. when, ten or fifteen years ago.
he began to make daily notes of what
this or that actor or actress had told
him. He was acquainted with many
professional people who were ONLY too
glad to see their names in print. Rich
ardson did his work so we'll that the
place of theatrical reporter was created
for him on the Times. and for several
years his duties consisted in visiting as
many theaters rs he could every even
ing, and following up every bit of Cos
sip about theatrical people. If Miss
Lillian Russell had made up her mind
to elope, he knew it before she did, and
told the readers of his paper all about
it. Managers have told me that they
often looked among Richardson's notes
to find out what was going on in their
own companies.
One night last winter I was told bv
clever and pleasant young fellow
who had for two years held the place
of dramatic reporter for one of our i'm
pOrtant papers, that in his rounds that
evening he had received no less than
three offers to join theatrical COM
panies as their press agent One of
the offers came from New York man.
ager who would require no travelling
from his agent and would pay him $50
a week, with a vacation of a month in
in summer. His duty would be to get
all the free advertising for his employ
er that he could manage. 1t may seem
strange that manager and his clerks
can not write what are known as press
notices so that they will suit the ed
itorial eye and find their way into
print, but it is a well-known fact
that a fluent writer with a knack for
dressing up little bits of news or Cos
sip for print is as rare as he is indis-
pensable in every large theater. 1t is
the duty of this man to know that the
chorus girls stockings were changed
to match the prima donna's hair and
to put this fact in such shape that it
will find it's way into print as an anus
ing item.
The famous Col. Mapleson, once
commander of Her Majesty's operate
forces, who made a great deal of mon
ey by giving Italian opera in this eoun-
try, was his own press agent, and a
most efficient one. Mapleson used to
say that he got more free advertising
in Il week than other managers got in
month. simply because the reporters
knew that he was always ready for
them with some tale worth printing
He kept a special notebook devoted
to such stories or anecdotes as might
look well in print. If there was
squabhle in his company, he was the
first to send word down to the news
paper Offices. with request that the
reporter should call upon him. tIe
reveled in squabbles, and have more
than half an idea that some of the
furious feu,ls between members of his
company were organized by the gal
liant Colonel in order that the newspa-
pers might find Il pretext for devoting
a few columns to his affairs. He used
to tell the critics that he liked abuse,
provided that there were columns of it;
he could stand anything but silence
upon the part of the press. When his
prima donna had her diamonds stolen,
which happened every season, he had
no end of "reminiscences about such
misfortunes, and he was always more
than willing to tell the reporters all
about the affair, Incidentally mention
ing the fact that the opera house was
always crowded, and the performances
under Col. Mapleson's direction the
best that America had ever seen.
Mapleson was remarkable press
agent. but he was too extravaganza to
succeed rs a manager. He made a
clear profit of about $4,000 wear
during the six or eight years of his
prosperity here, but he spent $50. 900.
As man. he never knew what it was
to be down-hearted. No matter how
desperate were his straits he found
means to drink champagne at dinner
every day and to wear a January rose
in his button-hole.
For instance. that story that old
Ben Baker used to tell about Edwin
Booth icing billed all over Rochester
as Simple Edwin Booth. drew out of
Baker. and it made a capital anecdote
for ever paper in the towns where
Edwin Booth is to play this season.
Booth took it into his head in RocIes-
ter one day that he would drop the
MIR. before his name on the blav-bilIs.
and sent Baker to the printers to make
it simple Edwin Booth wherever his
name appeared in programs. posters or
hand-bills. Baker gave the message.
and the printer took it literally, with the
result that the cast of the play appear
ed on every dead wall headed by
HAMLET Simple Edwin Booth
A good old lady from the country