The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-07
NAUGHTY ENTERTAINERS
ARE IN DEMAND AT LITTLE DINNERS
OF SOCIETY WOMEN.
Vaudeville Artists who Can Give the
Fair Hostess Something Piquant
Are Always Preferred.
New York Press.

tureS-juSt much part of the menu as
the oysters or the coffee Whenever the So
ciety woman of to-day and of New York
gives a dinner she includes the dramatic
agency in her list, just as Systematically
and unconcernedly as she includes her
florist or her grocer. If she is a wise host
ess-a veteran giver of dinners-she will
place the dramatic agent near the head of
her list, for nowadays there is tremendous
rivalry between the members of her set.
This fashionable competition, in fact, is
the only way in which the dinner enter
tainers" can be looked upon as fad. Dur
ing the holiday week fifty hostesses OBJ
tanned the dramatic item of their dinners
from one firm alone. and the senior men,
Der Of it declared that it was not such a
remarkably good week, either.
For fifteen years this custom of entertain
ing guests at dinner with professional tall
ent has been growing in America, and this
winter finds it in the fullness of its popular
ity. The fifty society women who engaged
the artists from the one agency already
spoken of gave employment to eighty-seven
performers. and placed enough money in
circulation to bring peace and prosperity
and Christmas good cheer to goodly part
of the Rialto.
OF course a number of these performers
were the regular old-type parlor elocution-
lists, brought up to date and moderniZed,
for the dinner with vaudeville course has
opened up a new and prosperous field for
this species Of the talent, and they no
longer go about with the Noting plug hat
badge of their order or muffled in fur over
coats that have grown bald and gray.
Those who do not belong to this school
and who are in greatest demand at holi-
day dinners belong mostly to the vaudeville
stage and only accept invitations to enter
tain in private homes as "a matter of
courtesy" courtesy, by the way, which,
in the words of the talent comes high
TO the person who requests 1t.
An artist who has made any kind of q
hit with a concert-hall audience demands
anywhere from $50 TO $1,000 for an hour 5
work. In the cases Of most vaudeville ia
vorites this matter of courtesy" is a stu
pendous bluff They are regularly booked
by a dramatic agency for just such enter
tainments, and they have a given rate as
much the lowliest 'elocutionist." In
depend more upon the private dinner for
their income than upon the regular stage.
SKETCH ARTIST IN DEMAND.
In the holidays one popular performer
who has been doing negro dialect sketches
for several years was booked at least for
two private entertainments each night, and
one night he played four engagements in
four different homes. AS he received 500
for each appearance minus his agents 10
per cent commission, it is safe to infer that
he finds dinners a profitable pastime. The
dramatic agent, or middeman between So
ciety and the stage, has waded in prosper
ity this winter. too. There are only a few
firms in town that cater to the private en-
tertainment business, and they handle their
wares much as a florist does his. Novelty,
freshness and originality are the things
sought for by the agents, because they are
demanded by the society women.
a hostess whose name appears In nearly
all the among the prominent people who
were present lists called upon a we'll
known firm early last week She was to
give a dinner on the following day, and she
wanted something entirely new in the way
of entertainers
Now there are the Misses began
the agent running his finger down long
list of miscellaneous stars.
mo, no, They will never do. Mrs. F
had them at her dinner last week, and they
were at the It's a few days before. No. L
don't care for them. want something
that will make them forget themselves and
become really and honestly interested"
We have just what you want, Mrs. -;
only / preferred to let you make your own
selection" And the agent handed the So
ciety woman "A little pamphlet setting forth
In half-tone the sweet and mostly undraped
simplicity Of a vaudeville star whose
naughtiness is both notorious and artistic.
"Oh!'' said the hostess. with a little gasp.
winch was more or edSerneSS tnan dlSfnay.
Yes" answered the agent, evidently in
terpreting the OH correctly 'she can be
booked at either o'clock or 10:45:'
Make it Clock said the woman
quickly. and with a decisiveness which
showed that she meant to head off any
rival who might seek that same star.
Very well. At O'Clock sharp" the agent
replied. 'she will be there with an accom-
PIANIST. 1t will not take her long to dress
No; fancy; not; if we may. Judge from
her photograph. But you will have her
there without fail?''
AT o'clock madame"
without fail Good morning"
DEMAND FOR NAUGHTINESS
'Is there much demand for that particu-
lar kind of talent at private dinners now?"
the reporter asked after the society woman
with a triumphant swish of her silken
skirts had left the office.
Some" said the agent. guardedly
Sooner or later most of the seasons do
nestle and imported naughtiness gets into
the homes of the rich and the fashionable
Generally the real wicked ones are booked
to do their turns before small, selected
company of guests - just the intimate
friends of the host or hostess. who can
be trusted to keep what they have seen to
themselves.
Curious thing about it, too. the agent
went on; "our best business is done during
Lent: You wouldn't think it, would you I?
But it's so, and has been for the last two
ance and goes about in sackcloth and
ashes before men. ii is being entertained in
its drawing rooms and dining rooms by
artists whose work in the winter has made
them famous or infamous, whichever way
you want to look at it.
Those same society women would hold
up their hands in horror at the mere hint
of seeing them in public in Lent and vet
we have all we can possibly do TO fill the
demand. Why, in Lent last year there was
not performer in town of any standing
with the vaudeville audience who was not
booked for some fashionable function every
night. i tell you the rivalry was something
warm for four weeks. We had TO get tai
ent from companies out on the road.
have every reason to believe that the Lent
en- season this year will be better than a
year ago. Already we have bookd a dozen
more of the best artists for Lenten din
ners, and the orders are coming in every
day.
Yes 1 am inclined to think that the
tendency for what the world calls 'uues-
tionable performances is growing. That is
as far as the private entertainments are
concerned. The young folk-the buds-who
a few years ago were satisfied with the
parlor elocutionist type, crave something a
bit stronger now, especially in Lent We
gave them the beSt-or the worst-we had
last year. and l don't suppose they will be
content with any Sunday-schoOl benefit this
year. The booking, anyway, does not
show it.
Whatever or whoever strikes the popu-
lar fancy is bound to be in demand for the
drawing room. Let an artist make a success
with the public and he can retire from the
stage and live like q lord on private din
ners and afternoon receptions. 1 presume
that if boxing keeps growing In favor So
ciety will begin pulling off finish fights in
it's drawing rooms. Already the acrobats.
and strong men have entered the homes OF
the SWells The prize ring surrounded h,,