St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-31
GOSSIP FROM CHICAGO.

GOSSIP FROM CHICAGO.
Romance and Realty About the
Theater-Interestin Facts and
Figures.
Special to the Globe.
AS there is the usual lull in theatrical
matters here at present. preparatory to
the coming storm of attractions that
will be here with the opening of the
regular season, the chats and discus
sions of theaters and theatrical matters,
now runs to what has been, is to be and
things in general concerning the his
trOnic boards. Just back OF the mag
nificent Chicago Herald building and a
few steps up what we Gophers would
Sale street, is located the head
quarters of that somewhat myS
FERROUS organization known as
the Whitechapel club. The club: is
composed largely OF newspaper men and
one involuntarily ShiverS as he passes
within its doors. Death marks, blood
despatched garments taken from muir
dererS, who some time during life played
a star engagement in some of the GRIM
inal courts. hangs Oh the walls. while a
few skeletons, numerous pieces Of rope
Cut HUN tt1t OlI Sltldl tiOUSSS. WiiiCil Will
the aid of sheriff or vigilance commit
tee has assisted greatly in stopping the
breath, likewise the career of some red
handed criminal of recent years are
placed about the rooms of this social
body by way of ornamentatlOn.
l stepped into the Wbitechapel club
day or so ago with Kingsley Under
wood, who used to be dramatic critic of
the Minneapolis Tribune, and there met
several well-known actors and managers
who were discussing very interesting
subject aS to which OF the factors play
the most important part in present-day
theatricals, the romanticists or the
realists, that is to say the plays and
players, or the managers and their
StaffS. TheatricalS of today consists of
a partnership between the two factors,
romance and realty. While the actors
arguments seemed to be very conyinc-
ing for their side, so did the managers
in behalf Of reality, in fact l was
inclined to side with the latter. This is
a matter rarely discussed, and one that
will prove interesting upon close inspec-
ton. | might be tempted to consider
the efficiency of each with view to
attempting to determine for the GLOBE
readers satisfaction which is the more
powerful moiety of the theater, but this
would be about as profitable an under
taking as the solution OF the problem,
which is the more useful to the senses,
the ear or the tongue? SO it Whuld APP
pear best to content oneself by showing
the amicabie and necessary relations
between both and leave the rest for the
experienced ones to form their own
opinion of. | think now of many in
stances where strong and interesting
play has been produced, Introducing
charming and nIptnrpSOup star vet
neither could command its due share of
popular approval without the aid of
reality"
Playgoers rarely give the manager,
the press agent or any Of the business
staff much consideration; they think
/ only Of the play and players, yet the
best pieces and best players i'll the
world have failed at times for want of
being handled properly. claim that it
is in the management where all the pre-
limlnarleS OF success are prearanged.
At this very moment probably any man
ager will tell you that there are hun
| dreds of plays beautifully typewriter,
| and the titles and good lines doubly
UNDERSIGNED, and hundreds of players
waiting for managers or business men
to produce and properly present them
! to the public. Actors, as a rule,
have very little money, is a
well known fact since the time of
| Shakespeare, and authors are very little
better fixed financially. they therefore
| are really dependant upon the ''realty"
| partner without whom they can ac
complish but little. Let one begin at
the beginning of the partnership be-
| tween theatrical romance" and ire
atty" As said before, the play and
players are the factors of romance"
business men are the factors of re
atty" The play has been carefully
and beautifully written; the players
stand ready to give it being. But
neither can move unless the manager
steps forward to wed the play TO the
| players and make the romance q re-
ally. Reality Outlines gives Ro-
nance its worth. Take exam pies
in the Northwest for instance.
Isn't Gus I[egee or Annie Lewis or the
play of The Ensign" worth more to
the stage and the profession now, since
Mr.. Lift, by booming them and reveal
ing their excellent qualities to the pub
lie, has made them more prominent
than they were when those same quail
ties were hidden under a bushel, or OF
questionable quantity? The same may
he said Of Julia NARROW, Margaret
Mather and the realities which revealed
their histriouic worth were Col. Bot
Miles and }. NJ. Hill. These are but q
few examples. The life of the romantic
ist is the happier of the two. Lawrence
Barrett WIS happier with the romance
Of the theator than with the
reality. Edwin Booth was nearly
swamped by the reality after he
had scared on glorious wings with the
ran;aiIce of the stage. He would live
! longer and have been happier had he
never been n manager. Outside Of
Henry Irving. perhaps, who, fortunately
for himself. calls to his aid some of ths
most astute business men OF Grea
Britain. nearly ali Of The children OF
romance become niorose and dissatisfied
! when they wed ana dwell continuousl,
j with stern reality, whose temperament i:
} ! naturally Incompatible with that of ro-
! nance. Yet reality makes an exeellen
| business partner for romance, SD long
: as they occupy different parts of til,
/ household and bear only official relation
/ with each other.
! | was told that tie four prncipa
! theatres III Chicago. the Columbia, Nc
Vicker's, Eooley's and the Chicago
! Opera House, cost those management