The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-08-23
Salaries for Actors
and Expensive Proper
ties Make the Man
ayers GT0an.
''TIE MERCHANTS" NECESSITIES GREW.
The Academy's improvements and
pening-Happcnings and Cos
sip Among Stage Folk.


were sitting in one Of the dramatic Offices
on the Rlalto recently and the discussion
turned on the increase, of sthe expense of
staging plays and salaries OF actors
It is simply terrible said one. "this
craze for stage settings II increases the
expenses il every way; there is not only
the cost of scenery, but also the extra
cost of transportation. Then, too. there
is the actor--hts salary has Kept steadily
increasing until now some Of them get
more money annually than a bank preai-
dent.a
We'll, broke IN manager. ''the actor
has 70 haye larger salary nowadays
aBecause he has to spend money bet
| ting on baseball games, horse races.
poker. faro banks trips to Europe and
high rate hotels 70 meet all these ex-
penses he must necessarily have more
salary than in the old days.
Il think the scenery craze is the worst
/ of the business remarked another.
/ III pholstering. modistry, thrum OF
/ musical instruments, tinkle of wafer,
artificial light phantasms. machinery for
sensations. all these have taken posses
| sion of the stage which is now ruled by
trade. mechanism and properties. y
We'll, you certainly must be all right
| this season for understand the play that
i you and your partner bought does not re-
/ quire scenery. that it was one of the
stipulations of the purchase that the
4 play should be written with a view to
using stock scenery altogether"
Yes, that is so, but my boy did you
/ ever hear Of the experience of a house
wife who buys new carpet and then has
/ TO refurEish the whole house on account
Of the new floor coveringg Well, that
was cur experience. We nave had COM
| panies out on the road carrying car loads
! of scenery and properties. When va
bought this play we simply congratu-
lated ourselves that at last the millennium
| had come and we would be rid of that
! bugbear, a car load of scenery, over
| charges for excess baggage and trans
portation, but alasi we reckoned without
| our host
why. have you got TO have scenery
/ after alps
"Haye we got 10 have scenery? Well.
! should say 50. My dear mar. don t
believe we VIII get through buying truck
/ for that COMPOUNDED play until the season
/ is over. In the first place, we thought it
| best 20 have one set of scenery, simply
/ hat and nothing more When that was
/ finished il suggested another set for the
/ second act as the first scene would hardly
I do for the business of that act. Then as
1 The scene represented mllllonairess villa
/ on the Hudson, we concluded that there
/ should be carpet in keeping with the
/ scenery. That was bought. 1t would
never do to put old furniture on that new
carpet, and we had to buy COM
| plete set Of furniture, a-brac,
chifioniers, hat racks, portieres
| what-nots, vases, flower stands
/ and gas fixtures Now. we thought
our troubles were over, but We
4 had forgotten one important item-Bic-
| lures. No well regulated Villa is com
/ Dlete without pictures This necessitated
/ visit 70 the picture store and another
| hole in our pocketbooks. Scenery and
| properties They have driven me about
| Wild Goodness graciousl forgot must
go and buy some books and library
1 table"
who was that?e asked young man
ager, as the speaker rushed out OF the
"Thats That is Tom McDonugh who
bought The Merchant with Harry Ken
nedy."
improvements at the Academy.
| People posing through Gregory street
| have wonered what the large amount
OF iron, lumber. stone, thing and
| cement deposited in front of the Academy
| OF Music have meant A complete change
! has been made in the front or the house.
| A new lobby. with two additional doors
for exit. has been made, attending an
| easy method of emptying the parquet. A
/ tiled floor and new stone and iron steps
have been laid New carpet ana extra
/ lights have been placed in the new divi-
| sion Of the lobby, which VIII be well VEN
| tilated and steam heated In cold
| weather. Instead of two double doors
for exits to the street from the parQuet,
there will be four A safe and coInmo-
/ dieus balcony goes across the front of the
| house, with iron stairways leading to the
! street Sfording q means OF exit TO the
| OCCUPANTS of the gallery without going
| through the interior OF the house at all
| in case OF necessity. The flooring is of
hard wood and will be painted to match
| the exterior Of the Academy, which
| will also undergo complete
renovation. The stage has had new
1 flooring ana new supports, and the steam
/ heating and plumbing thoroughly over
/ hauled TIE entire house has been dis
| infected, all carpets sent away 60 the
cleaners and many additional new ones
placed in the alsses and dressing rooms.
/ TIE Academy has been much improved
| By these alterations and additions. The
season commences on Monday, August
/ 81. Mrs Henderson Is giving everything
her personal attention. and states that
nothing viii be spared that will give COM
\ fort and amusement TO the patrons of the
Academy.
&c and ], . one of the best of latter day
| skis, viii reopen the Academy on Mon
I day, August 81. Since its presentation
here last season it has been entirely re-
| written, new songs, dances and witty
/ dialogue added, aud it Is now said TO be
( better and more amusing than ever. In
/ the cast viii be found Dutch DAILY. John
r.. Kelly, FloSsie Vest, GeoTgie DENIM
| and Chas. Watson.
! Indigo at the Casino.
The last performance Of the Grand
Duchess will be given tomorrow. Monday
! evening. Ga Tuesday night Johann
Strauss opera, Indigo, will have its first
/ performances at the Casino. Indigois Que
Of Strauss early compositions. 1t has
been given here in Preach ahd German,
/ but not ia EngIish throughout Europe