The herald., 1897-10-17


every member of the COMPANY and after
an allowance Of $50 pounds per head fol
baggage, every pound Of weight carried
by the railroad, whether it consists OF
trunks, properties or scenery. is charged
} at excess baggage rates. Many of the
large attractions like those of Madame
Sans Gene" "Gismonda," 1.-The Hear,
of Maryland" and a whole lot of others
have from one to two or three carloads
Of impedimenta. Henry Irving carrying
perhaps more than any one else. The
charges on long haul, therefore, 1t will
readily be seen, accumulate to ali
amount that, taken in conjunction with
high salaries and also with the con-
siderable loss Of time in covering long
distances, make it matter Of no wonder
that the business Is not a paying one
under such conditions.
Beyond the fact that the playgoers. OF
this coast will miss the opportunity OF
seeing few worthy. and perhaps splen-
did, productions, think that the change
will prove to be, ultimately, altogether
beneficial one. From the economical
as it will stop the draining Of the hun
dreds of thousande Of dollars that are
annually sent away from the coast in
payment for imported dramatic luxuries.
The complaint is good one that circus
does harm to a town by the large amount
of money 1t takes away in a short time
| and the little it leaves in exchange. and
this fact has been used as an excuse for
| high license, but no one has yet thought
| of taxing an eastern theatrical company
that will come to a village like Los An
geles and take away from $1,000 to SO, 900
| in single week. minus the amount of a
few hotel bills.
From the artistic point of view, the
| removal Of this foreign competition will
stimulate home talent and home pro-
| ductions. Local stock companies will
lhave better chance for existence and
young people may enter the theatrical
profession with little more certainty of
steady employment at regular remuner-
alton. The people of this coast have a
large amount of culture and will be
ready to foster any form of dramatic
art that shows taste and intelligence
and which is backed by enterprise. The
ranks of eastern companies have been TO
ro small extent recruited from California
] virility, beauty and talent, and there Is
no reason In the world why we should be
made to feel that we are in condition,
OF abject dependence upon the east TO-
alleged "frst-class'' attractions.
|
The great treat OF the week has been
the series of performances by the Ital-
ian Grand Opera company now playing
at the Los Angeles theater. Nothing of
the kind heretofore given here has
equaled the work of these accomplished
| artists. Their singing in I'll Trovatore'
last night was grand. There are but
| few opportunities remaining to listen. to
them. namely. during the first three days
Of this week, when they will present
| "Otello," "Rigoletto," "Cavalleria Rust
! icaesa." and I'll Trovatore."
+ y
Pitrot, the face-maker, fills another
week at the Orpheum. He is the finest
! artist in his line that has ever been here,
and he has that good judgment which
prevents him from attempting the i'm
possible. All the same, his changes are
so lifelike that one would almost hesi-
tate to say what 1t is that he could not
co. I confess that am not so worn out
but that can enjoy his performance, even
though 1t be true that he has committed
the sin Of having been here before. We
Los Angeles people must not be led, into
deriding or decrying an artist because
w h ftV1 Tya
member that we are located at the jump
ing off place ard we ought to be "heap
glad" that the vaudeville combine is rot
controlled by Frohman. and Hayman.
What does it matter If the vaudeville
artists do get twenty per cent additional
salaries for journeying out here They
draw just as well. if not more so, and the
price Of admission Is always the same
+ +
All of which leads me to remark that
the vaudeville combine of which Mar
ager Gus Walter was a rather unwil-
lirg member has been, after brief ex-
istence, practically broken up so far as
the Pacific coast is concerned, and. Mr..
Walter will now once more be free to
make his own arrangements for the en-
gagement of specialties for the coast.
He may have to pay out little more
money, but he will not have to take at
tractors of other peoples selection, and
thus will be able to satisfy the. people of
this coast as TO one is a better judge
than he of their wants.
The stock company at the Burbank Is
an exceptionally capable one. The alb
sence Of Sarah Truax, owing to tempo
rary in ndisposition, is to be regretted, but
1t Is expected that she will be able next
week to resume her place in the organiz-
alton
Harry Corson Clarke has made it up
with Frawley ARID the mild manered
manager Is so much ahead in retaining
strong drawing card for his company
This Is the time when local stock COM
panies are coming to the front, fact
which must not be forgotten.
4 4 +
I told last week of the people who vert
to the box office for tickets to see La
Boheme" under the impression that 1t
was ax1other name for "The Bohemian
Girl" But the theater managers go
one better, as in the special programs
printe6 for the first production in this
country Of the opera, La Boheme" an
pears translated as 1.-THE Bohemian"
OF course 1t should be translated. DO
hemia." Henri Murger's book. on which
= l.