Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-11-11
THEATRICAL. RIVALRY.
Actor-Managers and Stars in
No Happy Mood.
THEY TALK FREE ART"
Spectacular Realism, in Their View,
Is Drawback.
THE RISE OF THE MANAGERS,
Daily Was A Critic. and the frohmans
We're Journalists. aud SO Were
Hoyt and Henderson.


best known actors has dubbed him. the
financial theatrlc adycnturer" It Ia
claimed by the actor-managcr that these
gentlemen have gone into the business
merely as apeeula;lon: that they are
demorallainE the atage ard oorruptlnE art
They are held responsible for the "trihing
society play" the "Eaudy burleaque," tho
tank drama and other theatrical mon
atrosluop."
History repeats itself What IA(now
coming TO pass In this country ia almost
an exact counterpart OF what occurred
in England nearly $50 years ago. The
same warfare between the actor manager
and the female hls,rionle iumlnnry who Is
no, given tho support and encouragement
she imnglnea she deserves. has been kept up
all these generations.
Thirty odd years after tho death OF
Shakespeare Sir William Davenant. his re-
puted natural son. produced the irat opera
ever put on the English stage. The
aocnery was so attractive. tho costumes 10
elegant, SURPRISING anything seen M TO
that time, that the public almost entirely
neglected tho Bpicndld tragedies OF the
Bard Of Avon, This orlgion Little Chris
topher Columhutlsm was. OF course, Sc
vcrcly condemned by the buskned rhes-
plans Of tragedy.
1t waa not until this discussion had
reached It's present height that the pub
lie was not aware thai tho aetor-man-
aver was Ia tho business merely for mis-
sionary purposes; that love OF tho beau
tlful dominated HIS being. and that tho
purpose OF improving public taale and
muraia was oil no lived for--iho low, COM
mercial greed for god never once having
entered into his calculations.
The Arst confederation for tho actor
and manager TO- WIN It pay7 Does any
body for a moment suppose that Richard
Mansfield put on Arms and the Man"
simply aa dveralon7 EIo thought the
public would rush to SEQ H.. as they have TO
hla other splendid productions, because It
has not done 30. he accuses the "npecula-
two manager Of having corrupted tho
publlo taste. and haranguoB the public for
a lack Of It.
Il Ia well known fact that the actor
Ia most always poor lnanclcr II would
DO hard matter to montion successful
star who has not had the assistance OF
a business man OF large ability to aid him
In HE art. Tho wise Thespian has always
allowed himself TO DO controlled" (which
lR often most dinieult matter OF accom-
plishmcnu by such hand. 1t is we'll
known that 40 great an actor as Edwin
booth was ever chained to tho wheel Of
debt as long az he attempted 10 man
age his own affairs. Barrett, splendid
performer aud man OF nne executive
ability, was Edwin Booths Moses. Booth
owed as much 70 Barrett al Barrett owed
10 Booth.
nut tho question arises. Who arc these
speculative managers" that We bear 80
much talk nbout7 II these criticisms aro
not aimed at Augustin DAILY. Daniel and
Charles friedman, Charlea IIoyt, David
Henderson and Edward Rice. who arc they
meant FORT
MIR. DAILY. before no became u manager,
was a dramatic critic. lilo IL a gentleman
OF culture aud ability. and has developed
several Of our very best actors, The public
has him to thank, too. for aoyeral elegant
rivals Of shakespcarea best comedies.
The Frohmana wrra both journalists Of
standing before they entered the field
CT ,hcatrlealn. Both OF those gentlemen
have been lavish In their expenditures,
and have put upon the stage some OF the
most charming entertainments seen In the
United States during the past few yeara.
Charles Hoyt, before entering tbcatricais.
waa a writer for the press David Hem
deTaon went from a managing editor'a
desk 20 the managers office OF the Chicago
Opera House. Edwari Rice. who has been
pointed out as among those who have
an Crane, Goodwin and Dlxey their Htartl
N 1t fair then to refer 10 these men as
'sotiilcss theatrical gpecnlatorsf" ~ not
the stage tho better for theml They know,
better than anybody elise, that "shekes.
poaro Hpeila ruin and byron bankruptcy"
How absurd, too, IL the charge that "a
diyorceo with foild story behind her Is
tho brightest star IN the managerial nrina-
mont"i ThcaH men, better than anybody
olho, know that they cannot offend public
taste and morals ID there any star now
before the public that answers the above
deaoriptlong 10 there any such person now
At the head Of any OF these Rentlomon'H
companles1 guoas not.
II has been moro often the actor than
the manager, the speculative manager"
that has offended public morals. Nell
Owynne aid not receive public recognition
on account OF King Charlea. Before she
shared him tho ,hhd won ronown back OF
tho footllghts. Lola Montez IN another er-
ample After winning Worldwide fame.
she yentnred TO this country IN 1851, where
she appeared In play Of her own writing.
called ''The Adventures Of Lola Montcz no
Not muohi Che was almost entlraly IT,
norcd. and soon took TO scoldlng managers
and 10 the lecture plntfor1n--the last re-
sort Of the withered and broken hctreaH.
TO be sure, We lately had a Chicago de
yorcoN; yet SHE attracted but small atten-
tipn--the public would bavo nons Of her.
The record should not be confused. Tho
manager. as well a. tho actor. muSt con-
form 10 the rule laid down by tho great DR..
Samuel johnson hundred years ego: "Ho
who lives 70 please, must please 10 live"
n We should take seriously and literally
the acoldings Of disappointed hixirIonlca. We
would be lead 70 suppose that 10 uploa back
We had nothing on the stage but Rosa
lluds King LesFs. ftomeos and Lady Mac
belhs-ihat the public demanded these char
actors from one years end 20 tho other.
Whsn such actors as Forrest, CushInan,
Macready Anderson and Booth appear 4
hearty recognition 10 given them IN thost
splendid roles. The public does not want
any necond rate Roaalinda or Lady Mac
beihs. But such great performers when In
the ''full Hight OF fame were not able 10
maintain thonselyea IN a purely Shaker.
perlan repertoire. The public de.
manded somethlng lighter romoihlDg meln-
dramatic. Eomethlng amusing. Every actor
knows what a terrible test Of genius the
tragedies 81 Shakespeare are: and no knoNs
TOO from hlE manager that the public viii
not stand me strain either Tor any great
Tsse down your Biography Of cgshpaa