The sun., 1898-02-23
POINTS OF THEATRIC VIEW.
A REPLY TO HEL ENA MODJEsKI'8
CHARGE OF DETERIORATION.

Ino lhteeb phases OF minstrclsy, rs ueVel0peo
and practiced by Primrose g. Vests company,
Is this wcek's entertainment at the Grand Opera
House. Tho singers dancers and jokers are
more white than black, and the comedians are
quito as apt to be German. Irish, or Yankee as
negro in their assumptions Of character. This
show makes old Eph Horn and his dead and
gone comrades stare in astonishment, II they
are where they can SEQ It. The other bills at
the week stands give Kate Claxton in Tho Two
Orphans" at the Star, Ward and vokcs in Tho
Governors" at tho Columbus, and Anna Held
with "a Gay Deceiver" and "The Cat and the
Cherub" at the Harlem Opera House. The
other changes are to "El Captain" at tho Fifth
Avenue, What Happened to Jones" at the
Bijou, and "A Normandy Wedding" at the Her.
Aid Square. The Castle Square company 10 de-
voting q second week to "Cavallera Rusticana"
and "Pinafore" at tho American. The plays
continued at the other central theatres arc
'The Conqucrors" at the Empire, "The Tree
Of Knowledge at the Lyoeum, "a Virginia
Courtship" a. the Knickerbocker. 'Tho Master"
ct the Garden. "oh! Susannahi' at Hoyt's, ''The
Little Minister at the Garrick, "way Down
East" at the Manhattan, Sweet Inniscarra" at
the Fourteenth Street, "One Summers Day"
at wallack's, and "The White Heather" at the
Academy Of Music. In the performances Of
these pieces are employed such approved ox-
ponents Of American stagecraft as William H.
Crane, MaMde Adams, John Drew, Henry MIL
ler De Wolf Hopper, and Chauncey Oleott, each
Frohman stock organizations. The actor.
MANAGER, Heinrich Conricd, is to be honored
twenty fifth anniversary of his connection with
He & SsrSn nSp d drama here 9y tokens Of esteem.
In the continuous programmes of our current
vaudeville, legit players are conspicuous.
snsn %hq
Cora Tanner plays twice each day "a at the Pleas:
ponies. Tho MOBILES and Isabelle Graqhart
ksnsono. Pastor . has ABBA Beatrice rice Mcrsland. ore John
sesIse Pa the Banks of tSs vi
s2s
Man" Iat Weber q Fieids'e and Bessie Cfayton's
specialty Is Incorporated in the burlesane.
Hsre@y Music @ T Hall u The F6e ' Si of aI specslties
and burlettas at Sam T. Jacks is quito unlike
or music halls
A wax statue Of Capt sigsbee of tho battle
Mnsde WSere petoya version the Pss S1
sion Play is an interesting exhibit.
Helena Modjeska was neither true nor politio
when, in her remarks at the matinee of the
Twelfth NiHht Club she deplored the indisputa-
BILE fact that dramatic art has become theatri.
cal business. She said that the condition Of the
stage had been degraded by men who used 1t as
means Of making money. That Is not SO.
Tho plays of to-day are better average of
literature and are presented in q far better
average Of taste and skill than those Of quar-
ter, q half, or whole century ago. refer
ence to the chronicles of those periods will sus.
tain this assertion. The proportion of worthy
matter to that which is meretricous is much
larger than then thta n duo Canaider-
ably to those men Of probity and resource, who
have to o controlling extent taken the places
Of reckless and irresponsible operators In the
management of theatres and companies. Tho
thrSSush the practice Of ,shrewdly eanitable
been raised to remunerative figures. Fortunes
are the rewards of great successes. and while
Of n
creasing demand for real excellence. Nine
because she herself provided refutation, in
neSatdSe WAY HI her m charge that there
@ great artist Not one m Of e tSe partlcipants in the
matinee Of the Twelfth Night Club ranked with
her In professional fame. But they were
oil that they did was praiseworthy in points Of
expertness and tastefulness Most Of them be-
this Justly actress w back sf to
pieces as "siaRda" and Camille and W hsre.
o s9 On IN
Viewers. white eonsidcsato q her own genius,
felt bound to regret tho old-fashioned made
quacy Of the production as a whole. In other
words. Mime. Modjeska's dramatic art is con-
possible dollar Thus it is apparent that she
denounced tho very evils which she is guilty Of
proved business practices at our theatres
The publication Of the receipts of the princl-
pal Paris theatres IN THE SUM- as quoted from
official reports has led to mistaken deductions
as to the support of New York theatres. The
Paris average at each house was $500 per day
the year round. One writer says that "a fair
house at a New York theatre IS $500. though
some managers have found profit in receipts
averaging much less" That is scarcely true
of the cheapest theatres, and Is absurdly false
of those Of higher grade What with liberal
salaries. heavy rentals. and tho large expenses
of producing and advertising. there is not the
ly on average receipts OF $500 a day. 1t requires
twice that to yield profit commensurate
Every theatre manager IN New. York has
offered assistance to mako the performance in |
ado sid Of the ~ Maine Victims fSmilies & next sanday
worthy entertainment. Cabinet members sher- |
man and pnnn L%nE Capt sigsboe Gen Miles Com,
the the Mfornfng f r.. Ifte0raph thanks and commcnda-
managers that they do not put Shakespeare on |
sale moro than they do. The reason Ia that the |
public will not buy him In sufficient quantity |
to render the traffic profitable. There would |
BIO supply II there were demand. Five |
actors are now travelling AT the heads of com. |
panies in Shakespearean plays. Not ono of |
them is meeting with good recompensc, though |
they arc doing their best. by means OF addresses |
to schools and other devices. TO draw attention |
to their performances.
The kind of stage art that some folks prefer |
to encourage was indicated by Fall River in |
cident. Congressman gave a supper to q |
female minstrel company, and the account says |
that wine flowed freely.
John II. stoddart and Louise Thorndyko Bon. |
cicault among the latest recruits to vaude-
vile. Beatrice Cameron Mansfeld's bad health |
compcls her retirement from the stage. Her |
place In her husbands company is to be taken |
by Carrie Keller: Ida Conquest will go to Lon. |
aon TO play in Too Much Johnson" with vii. |
liam Gillette. Fay TempletOn will soon join tho |
burlesque company at Weber d Fields's Syl- |
via Thorne Of that music ball is getting slowly |
Is TOO Ill to act. and her role in "A Stranger In
New.York" is played by Maud Haslam. Lillian |
t.