The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-11

atrical clearing house, where managers
may safely intrust the details of their
small productions to experienced hands,
simply giving general directions as to
their wishes and the amount desired to be
expended. Such an enterprise, properly
conducted, would enable the producer to
get everything cheaper than at present.
owing to the large volume of work, and
it would also have the effect of inducing
writers to try their plays, at special NATL
nees, a contamination devoutly to be
wished.
A great many now well known foreign
writer's for the stage were started on the
road to success in this manner. An oppor-
tunity would thus be afforded to judge of
the actability of a play, and the 'pig in
a poke element which now pervades the
purchase of untried dramas would be to a
great extent eliminated. There is no use
to say that cooperation will strangle the
native drama. That which deserves to sur
vive will do SO, despite novel conditions
and the only wonder is that the present
status has not been reached sooner. 1t
ought to prove a boon to struggling au
thors who at present are unable to get
hearing.
Sydney Rosenfe1d's Genius.
In this connection the persistence of
Sydney Rosenfeld is worthy of mention.
The syndicate which bears his name is to
produce the plays of American authors.
Mr.. Rosenfeld's efforts will naturally get
the first hearing, and this man, who is, in
my opinion and that of many competent
judges, one of the brightest writers the
American stage has ever had, will at last
be given the opportunity to got proper
setting for his work. OF course Rosen-
field is not a beginner. He has written sue
cessful comedies, comic operas and farces,
but for some reason which no one appears
to be able to explain he has latterly lost
his grip, and it had begun to look as
though he had gone into permanent eclipse.
That he has not is good thing for the
American stage, because Rosenfeld is
conscientious author, who does not believe
in fakery and writes only what he con-
ceives to be worthy. Such men are unhap-
PLY too few in the field of dramatic au-
thorShip. He made a fortune out of 'The
SENATOR which he and Lloyd wrote for
Crane, and it is said that Rosenfeld then
spent all that he had made in trying to con-
vince managers that The Stepping Stone''
was the play the New York public wanted.
And it was a worthy effort too, but it
was play which could not by any posi-
bility become very popular. Mr. Rosen-
field, however, showed his faith by his
deeds, as he always does, and the result
demonstrated thRt he was mistaken. Now
he has one of his works which has been
tried and proved successful, and with this
as stepping stone'' he ought to be able
to put himself in comfortable position
again.
Mac 1.eay's Success Abroad.
The latest numbers of the London IL
Illustrated weekiies, just to hand, are full
of pictures of Franklin Mac Leay and ao-
counts of the phenomenal success he has
scored at the Lyric theater, in that city, as
the despicable tyrant Nero in Wilson Bar
rett's religious drama, ''The Sign of the
Cross" This news should prove particu-
larry gratifying to persons on this side Of
the water, inasmuch as Mr.. Mac Leay is
not an Englishman, but lone of u.s." He
is a very young man, too, and the fact
that he has never been under the manage
ment of but one man, Wilson Barrett,
during his experience of several years on
| the stage, speaks volumes for his deter
lnination to work regularly up the ladder
to the top. know that he was offered a
large salary last year to star here this sea-
son in bad melodrama. The temptation
to young actor to see his name on the
bills in large type and incidentally to re-
| ceive hebdomadal stipend of plethoric
| proportions is very great, but Mac Leay
resisted, albeit not without a struggle,
! and the wisdom of his determination has
| now been amply demonstrated. He has
| been Wilson Barrett's leading man for
! some time, and as he has made a hit in
| London and is hard student, without
! any of the widely prevalent big head,
| though with a full appreciation of his own
| worth, he ought to be heard from before
| long in g still more prominent position.
| Another gratifying feature of Mao Leay e
| success, to Americans, is the fact that he
was the fsyorite pupil of that excelen;