The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-07-26
THE PASSING THROyG.

1t the Rainier. They leave this morning
for Victoria and will return via the Oregon
Short Line to Salt Lake. where Mr.. Fyies
expects to meet Daniel Frohmsn, the the
asricai manager. Mr.. Fyies is the we'll
known dramatic critic of the New York
Saa, With which paper he has been con-
nected tor over twenty years. He has.
however. iately become . successful play.
wright and. rs he says. he had TO get away
from New York to DO his work in that
line. II am combining . little pleasure
With . good deal Of work ON my trip"
said he. but it il . pleasure trip for my
wife and children, Is We have taken in the
fair. Yellowstone park. Helena, st. Paul,
and We will stop 1t Victoria. Port
land and Sal; Lake City. where
l expect to meet Daniel Frohman. for
whom l am writing play. Yes. have
kept up my journalistic and syndicate
work ali the time. but since have got to
writing plays myself have about made
up my mind TO resign newspaper work.
l don't like 10 stick pins into people any
way. rs one has to do occasionally in crit
ical work. The first play / wrote was
twelvs years ago. but it was no: > success
and was soon withdrawn. After De Mile
died not long ago had an opportunity to
take his place as a partner With Be.asco in
collaborating play. and together We pro-
duced The Girl l Left Behind Me- with
which Charles Frohman opened the new
Empire theater in New York city last Jam
nary. twas quite . success and ran $50
nights. It is now running in Chicago
and will reach its Tooth perform
ance there this week" How do
two authors work toge:her7" ION.
we just sat down and worked it out to-
ge.her. People said that wrote the story
and Belasco dramatized il. bu: that is not
the case; We worked together all the way
through. We had very good contract to
start with. which was obtained through
Belasco's high reputation. He has writ
ten four very successful plays The Wife,
Men and Women The Charity Bali for
tho Frohmans and Lord Chumley' for
Sothern. So We had . wide field before
N, the only condition BEING that It was to
DO an American play OF the Lyceum type.
that Is, . play for . stock company,
one which plays itself This il the best
sort Of play. both for the manager and the
author. Il being one in which there are
no star parts, no actor becomes indis-
pensable to the management and some
other can take his place. The play and
the Lyceum theater are advertised.
Both obtain . reputation and the play
lasts longer with the public. A play
written for . star. though 1t may have
equal or even greater merit. does not last
90 long. There il Lord Chumiey.' for in
stance, which l consider a good play, bat
it has not lasted ~ long az Belasco's other
plays which were written on the Lyceum
model. The reason is that the public ever
want to see q star in new role In one case
the actor is popular. in the other it is the
play and the management. Then there is
The Henrietta which, to my mind,
doan.' One was written for Rob
son & Crane and had a great
run 80 long as they played it together. but
is now laid on the shelf. while 'Shenan-
doah' is still running. doubt that Bron-
son Howard got over SIS 900 royalty out of
The Henrietta while know that he has
gotten 100000 from Shenandoah Yes.
playwrisers are mostly paid . royalty.
When the Frohmans first adopted their
present plan Of paying royalties other
managers said they we're crazy, but their
plan has since been adopted BY all the
most successful managers. He pays
authors an increasing commission in.
stead Of decreasing one. That il, he will
pay certain percentage Of the first 81 900
or 81 500 or 5000 gross receipts As q roy
atty, and on the next 81 900 he will pay q
still higher commission. and on the sue
ceeding 81. 900 one still higher Mr.. Belasco
and l have gotten rs high as 25 per cent.
on the eighth 5000 Of nights gross re-
ceipts. This plan has worked admirably
for both the manager and the author. a
the increasing commission il q great in
centive To the author. and the manager
can we'll afford it because it is merely
dividing his increasing profits. But COL
liberation is not pleasant. There 10 q
great waste Of time in settling conflicting
ideas as we'll rs . waste of work
and nervous energy. and SO /
thought wouid try working
alone. can get nearly as much as by
collaborating. Belasco does no. need any
one 10 help him. He is perfect genius
as A playwright. He says. though. that
when working by himself ne is inclined to
go off into exaggeration. and then he has
der.ake to prune his work and he says he
y
cooler head than his as . makeweight.
When rehearsing q play for production
man like Beiasco is an ausocrat. The ae-
tor is no; allowed to give his own inter
probation TO the character or to
work up his own business or
10 take the stage 20 the exciu-
sion OF other actors in perhaps minor
roles, but the effectiveness of whose work
IS often necessary to the smooth produc-
tion 81 the play rs whole. uftensimes.
however, an actor with brains makes a
suggestion Which is found usefal. in which
case il is adopted. The pay l am nov
writing for Daniel Frohman l should have
had ready the Is, OF June. bus my work in
New York inisrfered too much with the
play, and In order TO finish it l
had TO leave town 1t is now
nearly finished and l shall NEE,
him in Salt LAKE City. and | expect il
will oe produced some time this winter At
the Lycenm :hea,er. IL Is society play.
dealing with New York life. Belasco Is
also writing . nes society play for the
orening Of tie winter season at the EN-
piye ,heaser. Ii had no, been So d.Ia-
terry with my work, my new play might
have opened The season At the Lyeeam."
J. s. Garrison. Of Marcus. Iowa. and ].
Z. Beli. O. Geneva, lows. are guests At the
Arlington. Though haiIing from the
state and bearing the same nasae. the
former 10 not shs celebrated editor and
politician. but Is . substantial grain buyer
and land owner. Mr.. Bell IS also > land
GA aer. bat can hardly overeoms his early
rooessyssiss IS PFospecso-. snd waea
seen last nigat by a Fosr-ISrKIrgsESCER