The herald., 1897-10-24

1fhc SuiCt lSSuGU ny Tie FTOuIIldU-
Hayman syndicate of theatrical man
ayers cutting off the Pacific coast from
any further participation in the New
York successes or failures which they
control, was the chief subject Of my talk
last Sutsday morning. Since then l
have read the remarks upon the action
of the syndicate that have appeared in.
the principal daily and weekly journals
of the state. In San Francisco the tone
adopted IS mostly one of persiflage, on
the principle, apparently, that there is
no use in kickirlg against something that
can't be helped; consequently the next
best thing is to cry "sour grapes" A
few esteemed contemporaries have TAX
err lugubrious view of the happening
and are inclined to think that because
Frohman and Haynlar desert US we
shall be handed over to the tender nler-
cies Of lot of transformers. Such a
view is lamentably shortsighted ard en-
treIy ignores the good work already
done by the stock companies on the
coast ard the possibilities of still better
work, when the snobbish idea is eradi-
Gated that nothing is to be tolerated
without New York traGemark
The people who are so crazy about our
being deprived of the New York sue
cesses do not appear to know that it is
extremely seldom that the New York
company goes ON the road in it's en- tire
ty. So seldpan has this happened that
it may safely be said that the contrary
is the rule. The practice has always
been that when a piece was thought
good enough one, Two or three road COM
parties would be gotten UP and sent
out on different circuits to present it
while the leading members Of the orig
inal company enjoyed their summer va
cation in Europe or elsewhere--the
piece being advertised along the road
as "the great New York success" In
other instances we have had two or
three members of the original cast and
the remainder of the parts filed by urs-
The business was immensely profit
able until the growth of the stock sys-
tenn on this coast taught people that
good acting was not confirsed, to import
ed talent, Then the income began. to
dropy-Eroisana IN an opartners realize tha t.
they can no longer firad remunerative
market for their wares on this coast and
like sensible business men they will go
where they can make the most money.
But 1t seems a pity that the squa bible
between Hayman and the Examiner
should have led the syndicate into maxi
ing the entirely false statement that the
adverse criticisms of the press have
beer the chief cause of the failure of the
eastern companies out here. AS mat
ter of fact, the criticisms have often
been more laudatory than the occasion
warranted and in the single exception
of the newspaper above referred to, the
animus was so we'll known that theater-
goers were never misled. l doubt very
much whether the fortunes OF a play are
either advanced or hindered seriously
by what the papers say. Very natural
ly lot Of journals feel that Frohman's
structures are an indirect compliment
to their own influence and therefore
readily adopt the idea of the dramatic
critic being all powerful. He is nothing
of the sort, no matter what joury.al he
represents. The very condempa ton
that he sometimes deals out will often
draw custom to the theater and as for
his praise 1t has been shown times out
Of number that no amount OF newspa-
per eulogium will draw people to the
theater. once they have become settled
in indifference. 1t would be very flat
terUg to the self-love of a dramatic
critic to think that he could thus easily
influence public patronage. but the idea
is futile. The most he can hope for is,
that being honest in his intentions and
fairly competent in his work, l1e may, in
course of time, influence public taste to
the exteCt of making it eaiscriminative
in the quality of the dramatic farc Of
fered by the managers, so that that por-
Won Of an audience which has not had
the advantages Of culture and training
may appreciate the difference between
the good and the bad points of acting,
and learn of the wide gulf that separates
patl7os from bathos; sentiment from
Stiffness; wit from indecency; and true
dramatic force from transforming
vigor. :ds}i. Stl
People will go to the theater whether
the entertainment be good, bad or in
different from the dramatic critics
point of view, but that is no reason why
the critic should cease to say that cer-
tain pieces are objectona Bile, that cer-
tain others are admirable, cor that the
work of the players and of The stage
manager is efficient or otherwise, pro-
vided he gives good and sufficient rea-
sons for the views he expresses, and
shows that he is governed by artistic
considerations and not by narrow view
IN which his own personal tastes, his
likes as1d dislikes are the governing
ideas.
= = =
And so poor Bettina Ord,way-Padel-
ford-Girard ct al. is dying of paralysis
in New York hospital. She will! be re-
membered here as the prima donna of
Manager Wyatt's English Opera COM
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