The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-19


Lothrop Appealed to the Poiice-The
Saloon Keepers Mad Because During
"Ten Nights in Barroom" People
Cannot Go Out to See Man.
Boston. Mass, August 1S.-Proprietor
I,otlrop. of the Howard Atheneum, has
new way of doing things at that house
which is very displeasing to the liquor
dealers on Howard street, and in conse-
oaence the theatre performers had 70
compete Thursday night against the pun
gent and hardly melliiuous tones OF a
brassy sidewalk band.
The band had the call on the actors for
an hour or more, and threatened to
break up the performance, and then-
when things looked dubious for the peo-
pie on the stage ever being heard the IN
tervention of the police brought the mu-
sicians' efforts to close.
Manager Lothrop does not like to have
to pit his actors against the liquor deai-
ers' band, for his most stentorlous toned
villain cannot labor with such odds, and
the sun during anniversary week."
Some of the dealers threaten to break
ND the business of the theatre, and the
manager swears that as an abutter he
will turn some of the dealers down by a
word or two of objection to their licenses
being retained.
1t all comes of Manager Lothrop's in
auguration of new ideas in connection
with the house which the dealers think
rather hits their pocketbooks to the tune
of anywhere from 500 week to one
third of the business. This is too big a
loss to make them feel any particularly
large quantity of brotherly love for Mr..
Lothrop, and they accordingly don't.
They are playing "Ten Nights in
Barroom'' at the Atheneum, and the only
sight of ibation dispensary the au-
dience is allowed to get is on the stage
unless they want to pay extra admission
for the privilege of going out to compare
the mimic with the regular modern instl-
tuition and returning.
Mr.. Lothrop issues no checks and his
audience does not leave between the acts.
This is daring departure from the old
days when the entire house almost was
vacant before the curtain had reached the
floor and announced the end of an act.
this scheme, but have looked upon it as
such case of undoubted failure that
they chuckled and wondered that Mr..
Lothrop should be SO very unsophisti-
Gated as to expect to do any business
under these regulations. So they kept
quiet, but when the thing does not seem
to fail they begin to get aroused to oppo-
sition, and the ong-threatened demon
stration came last evening with the ap-
pearance ON the ground of brass street
band under the patronage of a dealer
about opposite.
The band opened up with After the
Ball. very consistent melody descrlp-
tive of the directly previous circumstan-
ces, about z pm, and continued playing
furiousIy with brief intermissions up to
9 O'Clock, interrupting the show and
drowning the voices of the actors.
The villain leered and ground his teeth,
but he could not get his applause. 1t
was no use to say "Aha!" for no one
heard it.
At 8 O'Clock it had become past endur-
ance, and at the application OF the man
ayers the police ordered the band to move
on. y aa IA
The dealers themselves are not hesi-
tant about admitting that the policy is
damaging their business. Their side was
fully outlined by one of the number,
who said:
"Of course this refusal Of Lothrop to
give out checks hurts our business. We
figure that we are losing anywhere from
500 a week to one third of the amount OF
our trade by this new policy.
"We always counted upon the between
the-acts crowd being worth at least one
third of our business and we naturally
don't like to have it cut off. Under the
old management with a good attraction
we would have good brisk trade, and
with variety show there would be a
class of people brought VINO would leave
considerable money with us.
'We think it would be better for Mr..
Lothrop if he would issue checks, and at
least it would not do him any harm and
it would help us out a good deal.
have suggested to the manager Of
the house several ways of arraigning the
matter, but Mr.. Lothrop does not seem to
be disposed to adopt any Of Them"
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