Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1896-08-14
opgRA CLIQUE Now ofFIoIAL.
End OF Cheap Tickets in Paris What the
Head of tho Claqre Has to Do.

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An important innovation has been re-
Gently introduced at the Paris Grand
Opera, says lie Figaro, the claquc SERVED
being taken over by the state and ceasing
to 10 commercial undertaking. Hitherto
the claque had been a mere matter of bust
ness at the OPERA, as in the other theaters.
/ Paris has king of the claquc who under
takes TO provide applause in all the large
| theaters In return for u considerable sum
| of money ehis august parsonage receives a
I fixed number of seats, which lie sells Mt
I his own discretion, with the understand
/ ing that he will provide the quantity Of
/ applause that the manager calls for As
/ ie combines with this trade tho sale Of
authors tickets the chief of tho claque has
I it in his power to determine the price of
tickets bought outside OF the box Office.
10 the profits obtained IN this way are
added the obligatory gifts Of the artists,
! many of whom pay from $50 to $50 n
month to have their entrance and their re-
calls looked after.
Consequently an intelligent chief Of the
claque soon becomes rich and has always
So, 600 or so to help managers who are in
trouble In return he receives $4,000 or
ST., goo in tickets, or else they let him have
the curtain raiser for "a certain length Of
time He then buys any sort Of play of
some poor devil for $40 and has it acted
200 or 800 times running, keeping the au-
thor's rights. Combinations like these ex-
plain why we see the same stupid one act
piece performed for two years running at
some Of the Boulevard theaters, no matter
what the main piece is.
At the Opera the head Of the claque used
to receive some so partcrrc seats which he
had sold at "a well known Office in the Rue
Aubert. The normal price was francs,
instead of ., the cost Of the seats at the box
Office, but at first performances or other
unusual occasions the pcice often rose as
high as 20 francs Tho system long in use
at the Coincide Franchise has now been
adopted ut the Opera The head Of the
olaque is employed by the manager and re-
oeivcs 500 n month Ho has at his dis
pOsal 30 tickets, which lac must distribute
without compensation to the amateurs who
are permitted 70 applaud under his orders.
The change has caused discomfort not only
among ticket agents, but among many
good people Of moderate means, but fond
of music who wesc enabled to attend the
Opera with these cheap tickets
The new employee is a graduate Of the
Conservative, an excellent artist, who docs
not give the signal for applause according |
to IA cut and dried programme prepared be- |
fOrehand, but who selects with tact the
moments when applause fits IN naturally |
The persons whom he has selected TO assist
him are doctors, lawyers, engineers or civil
service employees drawing no high salaries J.
Dr. Neron, who was diroctoPo of the Opera /
under the second empire describes in his
memoirs chief of the claque Of his day, /
gigantic fellow named Augusta who was
paid regularly by artists and authors AT
all first nights he received at least 100
tickets After a play had been brought
out, if it needed to be helped along, Au-
gustc received 40 or 80 tickets, but if 1t
was successful and the public did its own
applauding he only got 10 tickets
He was present at all dress rehearsals,
and before each performance he used to
havo long and serious conference with
the manager His idea was that at the
opera it was not right to warm up too
much during tho first act, but that his
efforts should be reserved for the last act
and the finale. Il do not hesitate 10 give
three rounds OF applause in the last act to
Il piece which would obtain only one if its
place had been in the first. In the middle
of piece you should caress success and
not force it, " and then hewOuld say, " But
whit trouble we used to have with those
Fascally people who bought their tickets.
He used to earn $4,000 to SS 600 IL year
and retired when he had made his fortune.
Those who followed him made even larger
sums