, 1892-02-26
NYM CRINKLES LETTER.
A Sprightly View of New York's
Theatrical Week.
MIR. DALYs love IN TANDEM

DIR. Depew's Filtration with Carmen
cita-
NEW YORK, Feb. 1.-THE latest farce
comedy has found it's show case at Mr..
Days. 1t is called Love in Tandem"
an inexplicable title. Mr.. DAILY has taken
the material from the French, and in do
ing so had to deodorize it. The disinfect-
ant is provided in the dialogue. The piece
does nothing more than furnish an anus
ing at the disagreements of young
married people. 1t is an i~nexhaustible
theme with the French writers, who al
most always approach the subject in the
spirit of the ~dramatists of the Restora-
ton, which of course will not do for Broad
way for singular as 1t may be, the Puritan
sp. still exercises a strong influence on
this Partisan promenade.
In this piece of Love in Tandem" the
young couple quarrel after awhile and
agree to separate, but before doing so and
obtaining a divorce, the young wife has a
spasm of the self sacrificing sort, and con
ceives it to be her duty to look out for an
other companion for her husband who will
make him happy. 1t is her endeavor to
find somebody for him who will love him
for himself alone that furnishes the al
surdity Of the piece and limits it to farce.
The literal American wonders how these
people, who are living in New York, are
going to obtain the divorce under the laws
OF this state. Mr.. DAILY forgot to provide
for that when he Americanized the piece
IA soon as the wife discovers somebody
who will make him "A good wife she be-
comes jealous of her, and then the couple
stgree to make up and not separate.
The reception of this rather diaphanous
play by tho press was apologize. When
ever Mr.. DAILY produces a farce that is I'M
worthy, there is one redeeming clause in it
and that is Rehan. Upon Rehan criticism
focused itself powerfully. 1t should be
said, however, that Love in Tandem"
produced scarcely a ripple upon the placid
pol OF theatrical matters. There wa
nothing to provoke discussion and nothing
even to object to.
During the week the swell little uptown
Iheater known as the Berkeley lyceum
passed into the hands OF Mr.. franklin IL.
Sargent. This is the first public intima-
Iion Of IA movement for the organization OF
AN independent theater that has been in
progress for some time.
Mr. Sargent is the well known Lyceum
teacher who has done SO much to encourage
and devevelop n taste for true dramatic
tlrt here. He has now behind him an or
~Eanization of artists and literary men who
purpose to make the independent theater
a. vehicle for production OF plays which
shall not appeal to the v~ulgarity, the pref
lIdices or the love of sensation of the pub
lie. Their theory is that enough people
can be secured as subscribers TO support
one small theater ON n basis OF literary and
true intrinsic dramatic merit.
There are In New York twenty-five
theatres. The average attendance ut each
house is about 700 people. OF these
49, 800 people who make up the weeks
attendance Mt the playhouse, 1t is esti-
mated that two-thirds are furnished by
the hotels, the bachelor quarters and the
cheap lodging houses. They go to the
theater purely and simply for diversion,
itnd the more startling or snowy IL is the
better they ARE pleased. The result of this
frivolous majority is seen in the managers
bias in their favor. They control the sue
cess of n piece, except in Mr.. Daly's case
perhaps. They impart out OF their desires
the tone to the plays, and they prevent
Iuch plays ms Judah" Alabama" and
''Thermidor" from becoming ms popular as
the wholly vulgar hilarity of "Blue leans"
or the acrobatic glitter Of "The Lion
Tanner"
A protest against this condition of affairs
has been growing up for some time. There
has been felt by intelligent lovers of seri-
Gus dramatic work n need for n theater
that will be uninfluenced by the caprices
and moods of the mob.
There is here n group Of literary men
who nave both the ability and the desire
10 write plays, but they are i~ndisposed to
write them down to the catchpenny level
which is a prime condition of acceptance
with the manager. Mr.. Howells has
thown n remarkable cleverness at farce
writing, but the cleyerness and sprightli-
ness of his farces would not carry very far
with an audience accustomed to the horse
play of a "Trip to Chinatown and "a
straight Tip" The condition OF accept
,lnce in his case is an audience Of intelli-
gent people, who can appreciate literary
excellence and II fine order of wit and hui
mur.
Hence this movement to get n theater
where the conditions will be provided for
sincerer, soberer, finer work.
Since my last letter the enormous opera
undertaking at the Metropolitan opera
house has undergone some changes. 1t ia
now pretty we'll understood that Mr.. Abbey
will lose money IN the season. So far it
has been a brilliant one, but not n profit
able one. And that recalls to my mind
that there has never been n profitable sea-
ron of Italian opera in New York.
Any one can figure up the present season
by counting the artists who nave to be
paid from 5000 to 5000 every time they
sing, and then counting the house.
Nine. Albani, who sang in "~Lohengrin"
lhSI week ulu mOTC lnhh any DOu1 tlSe 10
revive what may be called a true prima
donna interest. l was talking with her a
siay or two after the performance and ven
tured to say TO her that | thought she
ought to go to the people with her voice
iInd accomplishments. Opera, ] said, both
German and Italian, always had plenty Of
prima donnas, but it was only at long in
Jervals that the people possessed one.
Jenny Lind sang to the people, 80 did
Parepa Rosa; so did Clara Louise Kellogg.
What was the result in each case'-a for
tune. The people worshiped them and en-
riched them. But the people will not go
20 the Metropolitan opera house
1 don't think my advice had any weight.
There is a strong feeling of musical caste
among prima donnas. They prefer the eN-
clusiyeness and precariousness OF opera to
the assured popularity OF the concert room.
Nine. Albani and Mile. Van Zandt are the
two American singers of this extraordinary
troop, and now that Don Giovanni has
been given with Mime. Albani as the Donna
tlvira, there is no longer any doubt that
she is, in point of execution as well as in