Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-11-10
DECLINE OF AN ART
ON The FALL OF THE STAGE
lie Exptzin. WHY Actors Are Out Of
Job and Hos the fsbik Graves
tbr the ses<sticss@l

-Do you know xhy there are more ac'
tors out Of employ nent Ia New York than
we're ever before knosnfr asked Hsiion
Lacxsye. The brilliant leading man OF
ths -Arisioeraey- company. 10 The Nor.
ton yesterday. ~ln nearly every cen
pany 90 the road there are at least fuur
rotten English actors; foE every quartet
u these British transformers there are
four good American actors out Of job.
The american public BANKERS for for
elgn stage performers Why. only the
Almighty knows"
In bic own original way Mr.. Lackaye
Is something IL pessimist concerning
the future % the drama The stand.
ard Of modern plays is being lowered.
unfortunately. rather than faissd.' said
be. who il TO blumes The pubic.
10 be sure There 10 no actor on earth
who would not prefer TO appear In
good play rather than Ia q poor enc.
There Is no manager on earth who would
not take out good play IN preferences
% poor one IL he could obtain the
same patronage. But managers and
actors eat and wear clothes. and have
habits that involve the expenditure OF
money. They cannot afford to produce
Shakespearian plays solely Tor their
health.
There IL a prevailing opinion that
the farce comedies are sustained BY the
patronage OF the lower, ignorant classes
It's wrong. Your swell society folks are
the ones who furnish the receipts, and
make the performances profitable The
L. - kas n an mn
sketches. heard the same songs and jokes
al the variety theatre. The boxes and
the orchestra circle shrek with delight
at the antics and quips OF the funny
comedians The occupants or the gal
lery smile. satirically and say. You ought
to hear Mugs and Murphy do that
down at McSwadden's theatre The
fashionable theatre goers are the main
stay Of the farce comedy. What are you
going to do about il?
Patrons To Blame
-why even Chauncey Depew said in
speech before the New York Players
club that he went to a theater not 10 be
instructed, but 10 be amused. Think OF
his telling that to company OF long
haired tragedians whose conversation
was a symphony in prolonged RS. Yet
be told the truth and his views are the
views OF the average theater patron.
Any performances. no matter what IL lie.
il as cultured and refined 40 its audi
ence. That is as memorable AZ the laws
OF the Modes and Persians- This may
not be pleasant thing 10 say. but un-
fortunately il 10 the truth.
while discussing this Same thing
once with Francis Wilson he made a
particularly luminous remark which l
have treasured. He said: My profess
sion is not only my art; IT is my living.
Yonder stands the stonewail of public
ignorance. may take my basket OF
eggs and throw the contents one by one
at the wall. Tho result! have no
eggs. and the wall 10 as solid az ever. l
rather not do many things ] am doing.
but must In order TO live
The newspapers have had much TO
do with the degradation OF the theater.
Let me explain. In the halcyon days OF
Shakesperian plays there were but few
books and these were costly. Men could
not afford to buy them. So they went
10 the theater for instruction. They
learned the lines OF Shakespeare mas
terpieces from the lips OF the actors.
Now every Sunday newspaper liz a
library. The stage has been robbed OF
its educational feature The news
paper points the moral: the newspaper
furnishes classically written book re-
views and criticisms that are better
written sometimes than the text itself.
The business man reads his newspaper
and he knows the doings OF the whole
world. the advancement In literature.
science and art Then he goes to the
theater 10 be entertained.
1t is a singular fact that Shakespeare
cannot be proiitably produced now. ex-
cept at one night stands Irving's work
may be an exception. yet really II is not.
His productions are the most finished
and artistic ever conceived; but do you
suppose the crowds are attracted Ia the
theater 90 that sccounty Not in the
least They 20 because IL Ii the correct
thing 10 do. and because nobody In
society can afford to say that be or she
H.. l..