New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-07
THEATRES THAT ARE NOT.
WHAT NETWORK HAS rHD'
A VISION OF AMUSEMENT PALACES THAT "h"h'
pr.xNrn gur NEVER BUILT.

acer But Il would not nave 0"ISe" " -
trouble If he had kept awake. IL n"'P .v,,.,ro
...,o ,ho, no was awake that ne was thinking
- -, ,ha, ,roubles New-York theatrical
managers n good deal namely, the mu"Pnos
and the multiplication Of theatres IN 'he cry. -.
a sad thought, but II never seems 10 pr 80,
building of any theatre inc 'ea'o" ..-s
every manager heartily wishes that 'he o'"' ,
would stop building them. but no m'""e' a.,
4, incumbent. on himself 10 stop. There COMES "
IN. huovancv which is 'chara cteristic OF the to'
"a, commencement Everybody thinks that MS "e"
theatre will succeed, though the P"o'' w"
not support all the new theatres. -,oa
IN This occasion the thought of the overwork.u
cor~peti,ion clung TO the manager ana ou'"e ',
his soul with unusual pe-sistehe!' me 800 h,,
u,oao hin, trust in better times 10 come soo"' Wv
Tor tho present he could not shake OF 'i'e -
ing spectacle Of his own theatre an" '"' .,d.
around all but empty, and OF three '''e''. 49,
ing actually empty and closed III D'o"N""'
,,rouch nearly the whole season ne
hered one OF the largest houses IN low" "','." -.
niovod such prosperity for mony years 'h'' is
n,s,,pcr decided 20 build a new mousse winery"
neither the old house Tor the ne" one cam. w
expcctations He thought oil Il pe"u' 49,,
49,. hn hee, ruilt in the middle Of the choices'
,,ca.rcal district. It was planned lor ''ie mn"
~ attractions and il had them pu' II ""s
,,..d n.th such layishness &C l;xury ana 'Npe'i'
,ha, Il did not make any money. Tic '''o"s"' "a
,-cat amusement lli-ldns Whlch "aS "'. " -
c;.1,s artistic urdes. yet the thea'r' III l. nav
,or months NJ dead less. lie thought OF si'"'
..a beautiful theatre Quilt Yea'S ago io e'"
,,c,;o,e n which grea, profits we're ye' ui
-, 40 Thought Of Two hg mi'sic nal's "''ei.S
orbtirc each other for The support Wi'i0" "'7 o
ononob for one Then he thought OF 'i'e AIM
nur,bcrIcss theatres that had been piai'ieu "',
- h,,u, and he tried imagine what wouio
ra,.n h.cn the state Of things II all oil 'ne', nav
nv ,n. :, r.os =, this point that he felt TOO
,h .ricr.cned 10 so on thinking and so loon
,,cb.cqo and vent 10 he'd 1t was men, ha'u'a"' any.
,ha, he went 10 sleep. ard II vas tHei'' wv .'
80 ro~, trouble began. through thai im"siha''o"
which was vivid even for 'hea'r''"' ''''''"
.r4tr, BEGINNING OF SORROWS.
For il fccmed to him at once 'ha' ne was AM" ~
w.. through the theatrical region OF New, u"
|.. "a ,ha, he could ser not "hN an Inv
80 ,,.,rh misguided persons had quilt III vi.
-, ,,,. ,oz,o wears but also all thos" I'M" hau
,,s,, pronoscd projected or threatened 'No'eo,s'
he 6 = Them ALL old theatres ana new ~ '''
would lie is they had all been DULL ,,s
He was setting out. it seemed 10 "',' I'm. ,na
ON theatre. because 1t about O'CLOCK III INC
W. 49,, =. had not the heart 10 stay 10 see
49, ,r,surer coun; IN the house. so re wake"
a,o,e 1,roadway and somewhere between Wen"
,v-6ftb-st and For;y-second-St~ una, i"'o''e
c.,on for projected theatres. he beheid Dig "'u,'O
han which was not there before. lie "'"' " ,,,
doorkccncr recognized him as manager OF h'sn
touched his hat as he passed IL. ,.
d, woman in q red and green gown WIN me-
sooneles and stage diamonds was S'iis''e ~
r,crine on the stage The audehcc cou'u NV "
ocrstand the words but it unders'ooo '"e
an, =, anrl,udod and called the woman PACK anu
,,1 chou, her matchess art and tried 10
- isef believe that it was having a soo'
,,nc The audience was not large. Inc ne" go
tator turned away ana saw inc i'''"'s an,
bo,se lie was who had oeeh pie
,,ho, he last knew of him. NOW look a' '""'.
no said. II have 10 pay that woman %'vc wen
g. ,h,rls herself lucky to get 500 at nome pu'
I-os,ors,ein offered her $500 TO come here anu
had 10 give her more or lose her ana ho" ,ooN
a, that house, don't know why we "o' gu ~
out OF the business. ,.,or, ,ef,
Tho manager fhc one with the imagination '
,,e hall and went his way. lie just ho'i'.
-, ,,ssod a differing doorway with the WORDS d.
:, Ir,u Manager" the posters al tie uoo' az"
recalled that he had heard that lhere was ~
s,ch \ theatre rs this on that favori'c Spo' so
rhoro between Twenty ifth-st.. etc. ana lie Sd"
,ha, Wis must be the one. He was al 'he oo'"'
:. -rh,r,y-seven,h-s, by this time ana there OH
,h e,,a tina, had been vacant so long, ne sd" d
handsome playhouse. which. from the ho'i'e a.
,be doors appeared TO he devoted 10 purieSqu
ven, in here and saw an audlehcc Oh l'
- a - looking solemnly upon the efforts OF
comn,nv Of actors who appeared 10 n">o
s,raved from the Bowery and 10 be trying 10 s"o"
, xc,se IN the way of play for the gorgeous
arA beautiful scenery wherewith the s'ase was
sei There elevators ana the piacaiu' W
eth. them said that they went 10 the care 'i'e e
-, nan the bowling alleys and the ROOF gardeh'
ca Intelligent a man could not IAN u ieoosn'.e
49,. ,,ace II was the very house evidently which,
oord,nq 70 announcements made long ago. was
80 he h,il, BY Tony Denier, the once wei-Kno"h
clown.
IopROR ON HORRORS HEAD.
Va. az the manager turned away from II again
he thought that he saw something %, -
the building The fact was that WINE II see".u
s,m N he Tony Deniers theatre IL hao aiso ''io
nee Of two or three other theatres u'ie''
r, ,.seIf and from one another. He remem-
,uad .ber tina. not one but half dozen theatres
q, this site had been promised or nan p'oihiseu'
aud ne understood that they were all "'ihs u w
crnv the ground at once. He had gone only ie"
blocks further when gancing .h'0usn
e,rec, he saw tall theatre. with rooi ea'"e.
etandine where years ago the Hotel Royal STOOD
He saw in this too the fu.hment OF plans ' IA
ne hac heard before. but nan iorSo''eii' Va, ' w
10. care 10 turn aside from his pain 10 look at
the Mace more closely. - u,
" rhe feeling which the poor manager was expert
encine now something more man her. hs,ond
lie walked rapidly thinking to g TG p nsssed
lie region Of theatres ana "heli az pd' ~,
tempted draw long breath But II was eSi
short in It's beginning by me sgH ign %
81 They we're clearly making the same attempt
that he had at Thirty, seventn-st 10 o,ctbs s
the sa,oe ground. half dozen or them, at tne
sa en- line He turned his eyes away from them
u,are no theatres. ana escape
But the instant he reached the avenue ne was
confronted by theatre which, In apparent
elegance and taste surpassed all that he had seen
before lie could not resist the temptation 10
inoL inside Noting with sigh that the poster
az The door announced Annual old comedy re,
vivaI The Road TO Ruin he passed inside ana
,,okei about In the lobby there were soft. deep
carpets; costly paintings hung on the walls; the
architecture was vision Of artistic beauty; the
eats in me theatre were like easy chairs at home
am usher In a rich livery led him TO one OF them;
actors whom he recognized rs among tho best IN
The country were indeed playing Tho Road to
Ruin I" but the audience, He was the audience
IIo nd ed