The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-27
THEATRICAL GAMING.
Some Idea Of the Money II Costs to
Produce Play.
Immense Sums Expended Before a Dol
lar Returns.

The case of Belasco- Carter Fairbank In
vites attention TO the extraordinary pains
and expense incurred by the modern the
public eye and ear and incidentally ex-
tract the almighty dollar from the public
pocket The developments of that case
must come as revelation to many bud
ding aspirants TO histrionic honors. As for
the public In general, 1t may be said, with
out rejecting upon the average intelli-
gence, that IL possesses little or no knowl-
edge and less appreciation Of the conssien-
tious labor performed and formidable risks
involved In this managerial effort to please.
Now and then some adventurous layman
like Mr.. Fairbank Of Chicago gives the
matter some attention and becomes In an
unsatisfactory measure an authority on the
subject, but the managerial field is usually
confined In its great enterprises, successes
and failures to those bred to the business
II 1t happens to be q failure, the losses are
hidden or halved and If 1t Is a success tho
quality Of the triumph is proudly doubled.
If the losses sustained in the theatrical
business could be correctly estimated, they
would doubtless foot up considerably more
than the profits taken out of 1t. This Is
true with regard 20 all purely speculative
games from the sweatboard Of the "skin
gambler" to silver mining and corners in
wheat. The theatrical Is a speculative
game, and those who play IL successfully
are usually men of keen perception, indie
fatigable energy, iron nerve and uncon-
querable will, who are known as "good
losers" and smile alike In triumph or dis
aster.
High stakes are the rule. The Saratoga
or Pennsylvania clubhouse gambler who
loses or wins sl0, 900, SEQ, 900 or $50, 900 at
a sitting creates a wide sensation. But
what of the man who Is staging play at
the cost of from S10, ,000 $50, 900, $50, 900
and even $50, 900, and which nlay have Ia
be taken off the first week. For the pub
lie is quite as fickle as the card. II is as
unsafe to say what Ii will do with play
as TO bet what IL will do in a given presi.
Dental election.
But the theatrical gambler-using the
term In the generic sense-not only puts
up his money on the popular verdict as to
his Judgment. He works like n slave day
and night, for weeks and months, and
even years increasingly to obtain that vcr-
dict In his favor. And If he fails he not
only loses the money and time, but the
most harassing labor of contriving goes for
naught II he wins, it is to hear himself
envied as lucky dog" And the failures
outnumber the successes 90 to l.
Let us take this particular play, for
which Mrs. Leslie Carter received some
$50, 900 worth of instructions, for In 1t was
her first real success as an actress With
out counting that item eff labor for which
the distinguished author Of 1.-The Heart OF
Maryland" now sues, the piece cost about
$50, 900 TO stage, besides n responsibility
for as much more. Had the play been a
failure it would have carried down the
$50, 600 actress with it and as much more
in hard cash besides. Mr. W. ID. Mann OF
the Herald Square theater gives me some
interesting figures from his books:
oaano~r xvar,, ,,a1,n~a<o oon