The Portland daily press., 1893-07-10
ON GOTHAM'S ROOFS.
A New Factor In New York Anuse-
ments.


Glasses but the Poor Congregate-Roo,
Parties of the Poor-Hot Weather
Amusernents In a Great City.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, July 6.-The theatrical
roof garden has become factor in the
amusements Of this city. It is an out
growth of the constantly increasing crav-
ing for seat Of entertainment that i'm
poses no mental effort whatever upon
the entertained, and it came into being
somewhat after this fashion: When the
projectors of the Casino were casting
about for some unique feature to intro
duce into their proposed playhouse, it
was suggested that they borrow an idea
from the German beer garden and pro-
vide a place where patrons of the theater
could sit for time in the open air,
drink cooling beverages and listen to
music. Land in the heart of Gotham
was high, and this precluded the loca-
ton of this open air resort upon the
level of the street, and besides it would
not be novelty there.
But point might be taken from the
success of a certain Paris cafe chantant,
which is located on the top of the build
ing and has become famous on that &C
count. A garden on the roof would pro-
vide the place for the music and the
drinking and would be cooler and pleas
snter than at lower level. More than
that, it would be new in New York. So
it was decided to make the roof of the
theater fiat, to furnish it with chairs and
tables, to decorate it with palms and
other green things growing in boxes and
to provide orchestral music and innocu-
GUS drinks.
New York tried the new way of anus
ing itself when it was ready and pro-
nounced it good. The beautiful resort
under the stars was a hit. The breezes,
the colored lights with which it was
adorned, the music, were all greatly adj
mired. The noises of the street were
80 far below that they blended harmoni-
ously with the brass and strings of the
orchestra. All was satisfactory saving
and excepting the refreshments There
was a clamor for something stronger
than lemonade and the like. In response
to this demand the sparkling vintage of
champagne and beer and whisky and all
the rest were introduced. Then came
boom both to the roof garden and the
wine trade. A wine merchant told me
yesterday that he has never known Of
such a popping of corks as Immediately
followed the innovation. "More cham
payne was consumed during the first
week." he said, ethan was ever before
drank in the same time and space any
where in the world"
1t does not take amusement managers
in New York long to learn lesson, and
the success of the Casino roof garden
was quickly taken to heart. When the
American Amusement company decided
to build the new Madison Square Gar
den, roof garden was included in the
scheme. But in this case it was not pro-
posed to restrict the equipment to chairs
and tables, few musicians, colored
lights and some greenery. It was de-
signed to have a theater on the roof as
we'll as below it, and a stage, small, but
excellently appointed and we'll adapted
to variety performances, was built. The
town in the meantime had gone wild
over eccentric dancing. Carmencita, who
when performing at Niblo's Garden at
e15 week had not received half doz-
On mplimentary notices from the press,
had become the idol of all classes.
Miss Loie Fuller, a not very good look
ing but very clever young woman, had
Invented performance consisting of pos
lures, diaphanous draperies and colored
lights which she called a serpentine
dance, and this was made a feature.
Other dancers were engaged, and so were
performers Oh queer musical instruments
Ind singers of songs and acrobats. In
short, complete vaudeville company
was put upon the little stage under the
sky. The attendance was large from the
start, and so was the stream of dollars
that flowed into the Golfers of the man
hgement. The stockholders were much
better pleased with this part of their big
amusement building than they were with
The amphitheater, for it never paid.
The Casino management had to fall in
line in the matter of stage entertain
nent, of course, and the resort on the
roof there was quickly transformed into
theater. This season two more roof
gardens have been established-at the
Manhattan Opera House and the Ameri-
can theater. They have both been well
attended, and so have the older ones.
One of the results has been strong COM
petition for good vaudeville performers,
and the merry folk who devote their
lives to driving dull care away from the
test of US have profted thereby, for
though the best of their class are secured
for the roof gardens their monopolizar
ton in that direction has created vacan-
cies in the loSser ranks, and many are
prosperous this summer who have been
won't to pass the warm season in
"strappeG condition. Tt is likely that
more roof gardens would be as well sup
ported as those already running, and it
is certain that others will be established.
The new style of amusement resort is
affected by great variety Of persons.
The audiences are capital subjects fol