Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-28
News and Gossip About Dra-
matte Matters.
An Opportunity Here for Good
and Cheap Amusement.
Peculiarities of Boston Realism of
the Fleshly School.
Attractions Which Are Booked for Early
Dates = Comment on Dramatic
Matters-News Notes and
Personal Gossip.

for some experienced theatrical man t.
make money by furnishing amusement
which shall be good in quality ant
cheap in price. In nearly all cities ir
the east there are theaters at which 6
frst-rate theatrical or operate perform
ance can be seen at a maximum charge
of so cents. The tendency in all amuse
ment enterprises is toward cheap prices
No more generally remunerative branch
of the business exists than the dime
museum, and to make use of a Hiber
nianism, the most profitable dime mu
scum is a nickel museum at Boston
where long and varied entertainment
is given for five cents. But then all
places are not Boston, and it would bt
very unfortunate if they were. Natur
ally every town will have one or more
fashionable theaters at which high
prices will always prevail. Such houses
when they make money, gain very large
amounts, but their losses are in pro.
portion.
A comfortable house here, which
would furnish varied and good enter
tainment at prices of admission ranging
from fifty to fifteen cents, would be al
most sure to do an excellent business.
For one person who can afford to spend
dollar and half to see play, there
are ten who can pay half dollar.
BOSTON REALISM.
Boston is surely setting the pace. 1t
now has a burlesque actress who has
discarded tights, stockings and slippers.
She does wear few clothes on the up
per part of her person, but the portions
of a burlesquer's body usually clad in
tights are naked. Her name is Carrie
Turner, and she plays the title role in
Niobe. 1t was but the other week that
a play was produced in the same city in
which the heroine on the stage unbut-
tons her dress and suckleo baby, who
is supposed to be the child of her hus-
bands mistress. These are instances in
different directions, it is true, of the
present fad OF realistic drama, of
drama which is supposed to be utterly
devoid of anything but truth, that
truth which is held to be most beauti-
full. The followers of this school hold
that the drama should have primarily
an educational purpose; that it's reason
for existence is not entertainment but
instruction, that it's themes should be
treated seriously. reverently and with
rigid fidelity.
Their argument in favor of their
methods is to some extent forcible. A
woman in real life, under all the cir
cumstances portrayed in the play re-
ferred to above, would probably give
the breast to the hungry infant, but
why present those circumstances
Niobe probably did not wear silk
tights, and her rosy toes were
guiltless of coverings, and Madame
Venus oftener than not wore no
clothes at all, but the law would inter-
fere with an actress playing Venus from
the Boston point OF view, even if beauti-
full truth demanded that all her charms
be exposed. Poor liza, clothed from
chin to toe in tights, had enough to con-
tend with in that direction during the
past season. The whole realistic fad is
a detail OF art carried to an extreme; a
detail which, by its followers, is mis-
taken for the art itself. The thing will
cure itself, and will do no harm, and
amuses it's adherents, who to the outside
Philistine world appear as did the ia
4AiOub iCO tallOio Va 1OOlCI ctlCCb.
COMING ATTRACTIONS.
The next theatrical event will be the
Grab Bag farce comedy company at the
Los Angeles theater, beginning on Fri
day night. William Mestayer and
Teresa Waugh are the stars Of the COM
pany.
The Lilliputians are booked at the
hnr1ca hA
The leading members of the company
are dwarfs, who have attained consider
able dramatic skill. They appear in
sort of spectacular play called Pupil
in Magic, and have found favor wher-
ever they have appeared.
By the way, it will be interesting to
see if the piece will be presented with all
the accessories which are employed else
where. The HERALD has several times of
late shown how companies coming to this
city have cut down their expenses and
sacrificed the proper presentation of
whatever they were giving to economy.
The Lilliputians, when in San Fran
cisco, gave their performance aided by
of local supernumeraries, ballet
girls and the like, who were not MEM
bers of the regular company. If such
was necessary to make the play go there,
it ought to be done here. No doubt the
will see that the Los An
geles theater-goer gets as much for his
money as did the San franciscan.
0. A. S.
NOTES.
The latest farce comedy is called the
"Devil's Editor"
Charles Frohman's company will play
in Chicago for their return
engagement.
Wallie Eddinger, of Little Lord Faun-
leroy fame, is now singing in church
choir in New York.
1t cost Bernhardt little over $1,000 to
ret her dogs into Australia. Yet some
people claim money is tight.
Manager Lehman is now bachelor,
Is his family have gone to San Francisco
ind Monterey to spend three or four
Payne Clark, the English tenor, late OF
The 'Juch opera company, has taken the
place Of Montegrifo, in the Heinrich
'pera company.
It is said that the prize fight in the