The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-01-19
NEDHARRIGAN'SLETTER
The Famous Player Talks About Old
Time Variety.
Music Halls OF Bygone Days and How
Performers Had to Work.

| from the ranks of the legitimate?"-ifa any
| man can answer these conundrums, Mr..
"Ned" Harrigan ought TO DO heard from.
He was on the variety stage ia what are
now known as the "good old days"
but which were not then considered so
remarkably fine and he has since been
ontinuously before the public a play
wright, actor and manager.
While Mr.. Harrigan's plays have re-
moved both MIN and his company from
the variety" ranks, he has occupied a
middle place between the Emusic halls"
and the "hesvy legitimate" in a position
to closely observe the workings of both
Mr.. Harrigan has not been blind to the
changes that have occurred Of recent
years, and, after thinking them over, he
has written the following letter:
1 have been frequently asked of late
many questions regarding the present.
condition of the theatrical profession,
such as: whats the matter with the
variety stage? Is it being overrun with
cheap actors from the legitimate and
with high priced foreign specialties" and
"What advice would l give variety actors?
Should they hit back by invading the
legitimste?"
go back in my mini to the period
when there were but two variety houses
in this country that were pure, whole
some ana essentially American in their
entirety, aud they were the Howard
Athenaeum, of Boston, and the Theatre
Comique, of No. 5l4 Broadway, New York
city. They existed before the law per-
mitted the sale Of rum in an aditoriam-
and that rum sale began, by the way, on
the Bowery, where rum and art never
dovetsiled.
The managers of the Bowery's so-called
variety houses could afford to offer larger
salaries than were paic to the people en-
ployed at the Iheater Comique and the
Howard Athenaeum. Ihe performers bit
at the bait, just as they 10 now, and
broke up the stock companies of those
two theatres. From those days the style
of entertainment drifted into the duo
speciality without the aid OF q farce and
afterpiece on the program, which had al
ways been given by the stock companies
of the Howard Athsnaeum and the Thea
ter Comique.
These speciality teams that play in the
"rum shop" variety halls never invent
q new speciality. They lack good origi-
nal ideas. They are doing their fret
specialties now as they did them twenty
five years.ago, q fact to which any OF tie
variety managers will testify. The abso-
lutte proof that they are doing the act to-
night that they we're doing twenty-five
vars ago is shown in the fact that man
ayers now spend thousands of dollars to
bring English speciality artists over here
who have new act; but even they, like
their brethren in America, have but the
one act, which they play from music
ball to music hall and II they live 10 be
IS old Methuselah they will still be
playing 1t.
In the days OF the Howard Athenaum
and the Theater Comique we were forced
to get new acts constantly. Harrigan and
Hart, rs remember, produced as many
sketches as they did plays; and it is as
difficult, bear i'm mind, to create good
25'minute sketch, original in its motive
and action, ss ii is to write three-sct
drama. 10 enumerate some of the Harri-
gan sketches. "The Sons Of Temper
snce," "a Terrible Example," "lhe
Bradvs," "The Little Fraud, ""The Day
We Went West," "The German Emil
grant," "The London Comic Singers"
were only few among the many sketches
] had to prepare continually to get a sal
ary when We played In the OLD Comique
days for Mr."Josh" Hart.
The reason why the actors are going
into the vaudeville is that the commercial
spirit Of the age is permesting the
theater. Tbe continual buying OF foreign
plays, the number OF which exceeds TIE
output Of our American writer's, and the
importation of numter one English COM
panies have brought out hundreds OF
cheap shows, all tenoing to induce the
clever Amsrican actor to go into vsude-
Vile, where he is sure of a good salary.
There are a host Of people that began
in the variety business that have made q
success In the legitimate. la fact, every
actor of any note has been variety per-
former at some period Of bis life. There
arc "Jos" Murphy, Francis Wilson,
Jimmy Powers, "Billy" scanlan,
"Joe" Emmct ana lots OF others who
played sketches in variety shows and did
songs and dances.
There have been instances OF failures,
of course, on tue part of variety actors
who have trioo their ability al the legiti-
mate. A failure is seldom amusing.
have been up against 1t myself. but some
failures are due not to lack OF ability in
the performer. out some unfortunate
attending circU
FOR instance. recall an incident at the
Thoster Comique one afternoon. at
benefit to the poor of the Fourteenth
ward. II was an amusing failure. A
lady who was very thin came upon the
stage and sang In splendid voice, quite
worthy of the Legitimate operatic stage.
Suddenly tenor voice was heard In the
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