The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-31

L
Joseph Humphreys, the general stage
manager, then appears in response to
pressure on one of the battalion of
electric buttons which occupies panel
of his desk While Mr. Frohman and
Mr.. Humphreys are discussing the
scenery, costumes and properties Of
the new play, the production of which
will entail at least $40 600, quite as
though it were a matter of every day
unimportance (Which, by the way, it
Isl, careful survey of the desk is in
teresting. By unrolling its sliding top
one is Immediately in juXtaposition
with long distance telephone, speak
ing tubes running throughout the En-
plre theatre, series of pneumatic
tubes connecting with a branch Office
of the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany and the Mackay-Bennett Cable
company, located in the building, with
the offices of Mr.. Al Hayman, the
manager of many theatres from east to
west, who Isl consida rably interested
with Mr.. FrohmaE in the theatrical
business. with Miss Elizabeth Marbury,
the personal representative in this
country of PInero, Grundy, Jones, Sar-
dou, Bison, Faydeau, Chambers, Hat
ton and other successful foreign play
wrights But the most curious con-
trivance connected with this desk is
the telephone wire connecting it with
the entire stage, three floors below, of
the Empire theatre. AT the left of this
stage, opening upon it at a consider
able height is a vast trumpet-snaped
funnel. This instrument catches the
slightest whisper of the actors and
watts it upstairs to Mr.. Frohman, so
he may hear a rehearsal or a perform
ance without moving an inch. Further
more he may direct a rehearsal on the
same scheme. Possibly some day he
may find it convenient to make q speech
to first night audience at this novel
long-range.
It is just at about this time that
Miss Marbury comes from her office
Immediately above Mr.. Frohman's and
chats with him for five minutes about
the state of the play market.
Then appears Mr.. Al Hayman, the
general manager of all Mr. Frohmans
travelling companies. Within fifteen
minutes they have discussed the i'm
mediate prospects of the Frohman
companies. The rapiiity and precise
ness with which they must discuss
these affairs is indicated fairly well
by a mere enumeration of the organi-
cations: The Empire Stock company,
John Drew, Olga Nethersole, the
Comedy company, headed by Fritz
Williams and Katherine Florence. John
Hare. Beerbohm Tree, Albert Chevalier,
VI
son." "Charleys Aunt" 1.-The Sign of
the Cross" THE Two Kids" and half
a dozen others.
Mr.. julius Kahn, who makes out the
routes for all these companies, drops
in for passing chat with his chief.
Following Mr.. Kahn is Charles Klein,
whose most recent work, the ibretto
of De Wolf Hopper's successful opera,
I'll Capitane" has brought the young
10 hn ha
for his especial business the returning
of plays submitted to the Frohman Of
flee not found available, and the
calling on Mr.. Frohman whenever he
comes across a comedy, a drama, or a
farce that seems worth staging. Mr..
Klein, therefore, is one of the most sell
dom callers in the sanctum.
Henry Guy Carleton, inclined to be
thin, and Augustus Thomas, inclined
to be stout, have been waiting in an
outer Office with suspicious looking
rolls of typewriter paper under their
arms One after another the dramat-
lists emerge eventually from the inner
office. Undoubtedly Mr.. F'rohman has
enjoyed the scenario of a play that Will
diffuse laughter before long through
numerous auditoriums and magnetic
money into numerous box Offices with
which Mr.. Frohman is on friendly
terms.
1t is o'clock in the afternoon. Slip
ping democratically into a Broadway
cable car, the man who has 500 actors
Oh his salary list-enough to make half
a regiment, without including his large
managerial stan-rideS along until he
gets to Delmonicos. Here he may De
seen almost any afternoon lunching
Atonement;" Blakely Hall, the we'll
known newspaper man and publisher,
and one of two other intimafes.
By 2:90 Mr. Frohman is again at his
office. He receives calls from several
actors and actresses whose faces are
known everywhere. a yelled woman
sends in her card, and when she is in
the presence of Mr.. F'rohman and no
one else, she removes her veil. She is
a famous star. She wants to break
her contract with her manager because
he has annoyed, her and put her affairs
in Mr.. Frohman's hands. He politely
( but firmly gives her the cold shoulder,
and as she leaves i'm her mysterious in
! cognito she passes the theatrical re-
porters of the New York newspapers
on their daily call. Several out-of-town
correspondents drop in. More letters
arrive, and the mail brings a package
/ which Mr.. Frohman opens. 1t is from
a. young actress in his employ who has
q
/ signature of all the other members of
! her company, but has left large place
in the center for Mr.. FTohman's sig
nature The youthful sentiment brings
the first broad smile of the day to his
face.
These are a few of the persons and
matters that make UP Mr.. Frohman's
day Were we to mention the dozens
of unemployed actors side-tracked to
( assistants, or the innumerable mes
sages brought in person, sent by mes
senger boy or by telegraph, we would
have plenty of material for a three-col-
umn publication.
Quite often the manager is the last
to leave the building. It is, by the way,
perhaps the most complete theatrical
edffice in the world-with it's own the
atrical exchange, dramatic agency,
stenographic and typewriting depart
ment and the play-reading department.
Take note of a few things: In all
the press of business, business which
might readily be turned into anxiety
and send a less we'll balanced and less
astute man into the departments spec
tally set aside for patients suffering
from nervous prostration. Mr.. Frohman
has been perfectly self-contained and
! invariably affable. He saluteS a critic
that has knitted his pet play with the
same amount of aplomb that his dear
est friend detects in him. He has not
found a single fault, because he has
sized I'D those he has engaged before
he engaged them. 1t is only when he is
/ firmly convinced that someone whose
business it should be to maintain the
Frohman interests has deliberately
stultified those interests that his mind