The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-27

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the same result. First and foremost, it
must be confessed, is the disinclinatiOn Of
the artists themselves to change their acts
and thereby make themselves of new value
each year Then, again, there is also. Of
course. the natural tendency of the alnuse-
ment loving public to demand mOl6 for its
money with each succeeding season. The
manager who does not meet this desire
when it becomes too manifest to be iGnor-
co is very foolish and in the end must
pay for his stubb0rnnegs in the way of de-
creased attendance at his performances,
for il is as impossible in the show business
as in any other to force upon the people
that which they do not want. Give them
something which they like, and they viii
pay well for it, but try to compel them to
attend an entertainment which does net
suit them, and you viii speedily find that
you are en- the wrong tack, even though
you should 90 to the length of Offering
them admission free of charge 1t is hui
man nature-nOrhing more.
Up to a very short time ago the usual
variety show consisted Of lot of turns
following each other indiscriminately. If
the audiences had not seen these people be-
fore, all we'll and good, but if they had, as
was more than likely, there was dissatis-
faction. A great many shows. it is true
opened with first part, - in which an
effort was made TO jumbo a lot of sense
less stuff together through the medium of
eLecrsble rhyme, which was innOOently
supposed to constitute the principal ele-
ment of burlesque. The music was gen
orally taken from wherever it happened TO
suit the fancy of the builder of the enter
tainment, and it was of course, promptly
recognized as having been stolen by every
person who happened to hear it. That
would naturally not tend to increase the
pleasure Of the auditor, either But that
was not the worst Of it, for at the end Of
this style of vaudeville show there was
what is called an afterpiece and it was
usually regarded by the regular patrons as
being just what its name indicated-a
thing which came after the show and was
not worth staying to hear and see. Thus
at the end of the clio there was g mighty
exodus, and the performance was finished
before an audience at least so per cent
smaller than it was at the rise of the cur
tain.
am not oritioising brother managers
or performers, because until the present
season was doing all of these things
which I have just pointed out as tending
toward the undoing Of the vaudeville
branch Of the amusement profession. I
might add, too (striotly in conhdence),
that it had cost me good many thousands
of dollars to learn what later experience
has warranted me in assuming to be a
fact. Last season, toward the close, I
made up my mind that if I intended to
continue in the vaudeviiles it would be
necessary to improve vastly upon what
had gone before. Not wishing or, IN fact,
daring to be too radical at the start, con
Guided to make a qualified departure,
keeping the main old lines in view con
stan5Iy-in other words, to build up the
original style of entertainment to the ex-
IRENE limit Of its possibilities. This did
by having written a really funny and
bright first part, which is a burletta, and
I also put together a burlesque Of the then
popular Trilby." I confess that I felt an
almost uncomfortable desire to omit the
Olio altogether and to introduce the spe-
0ialties by means Of appropriate illusions
in the bUrlesques, but I reflected upon the
well known fate of reformers and refrain
ed The result of the departure which
did make, however, with my Twentieth
Century Mai Isl company has been emf
nently satisfactory, and shall stick to
these lines ia my Offering for next season,
only I shall t. en- do Napoleon instead Of
Svengar. hail leave it to others to 60
still farther along the paths which have
blassd out.
That there VIII De those who viii do
this / do not doubt, anu believe that if
the ventures are properly managed from
the business end they are practically GER
tain to succeed. I am gratihed with the
part I have ? aged in bringing about this
reformation, because Without something