The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-09
TOPICS FROM STAGELAND.
PHASES OF AUGUSTIN DALT'S THE
ATRICiL MANIGEMENT
Some Reasons why Hls Artistic Success. Did

In MOney-His FINAL RocOurse to MuSi-
cal Farce and Sensational Melodrnmn.
The obituary accounts OF Augustin DAILY
| have rated him. without dissent. as n genius in
stagecraft. 1Ie was years and years ahead OF
| all other American managers in the artistic
| production OF plays and after his example had
melted and directed others to similar achieve
ment. none OF them excelled him. Why was it.
then. that tho merit OF his work and the
vogue which 1t enjoyed during moro than
quarter OF century did not make him
a rich man ? One reason is that he was boldly
experimental. In later years his failures were
frequent and costly. But the main cause Of
his several bankruptcies was his lack Of bust
ness ability. His company was usually larger
than necessary. His mountings Of plays were
often extravaEantly expensive. His methods
were for years in other respects so much at
variance with those OF other managers as to
excite comment. lie refused to make any
effort to secure tho plays Of contemporary
dramatsts for original production. and. with
the exception OF two earlier pieces by Pinero.
he seemed Indifferent to all fresh work
except that turned out by the German farce
| writer's Since Sardou's "Odotto." in which
| Ada Rehan made her first attempt as serious
! actress, only NINE. Sans Gene" after its pop
| ularty had long been exhausted here. found
| its way to the footlights OF Days Theatre. He
occasionally bought modern plays. but more
often kept them in his desk than put them on
| his stage. Herman Sudermanns Honor
was one instance OF this. He bought the
Jerome. $1,000 to make an English YER
sion. but the piece was never used by
BY ne eS Mas beaae his Gains hs9
| lapsed. He owned other plays which might
sSe tbs thew ws
Only two seasons ago manager a,Ged about
| Ha tafM tn lat mr.
dpcei it am not sure III ever use i my;
self was his answer: and, as you say. it viii
nn Acted ye te'G ros f a pRa "f
%hFn ff s as sSSss IN N this
speGt was UNEXPECTED, as many OF the
adaptatons from the works Of French dramut-
ISIS Frou-Frou.' in fact. first turned The
tide Of MANAGERIAL success in his direction He
| man comedies when that school of polite
drHwng ROOM hum2r was in its b99 Tne
Schoenthnn and kadclburg were at their best
when their first works were turned into den,icS
"The Pas;sinE Regiment" 4 nYiignt orr and
! repertoire OF the German theatre. while others
written since them are forgotten Mr. BAY
mans after after It had become merely mechanical
| repetition. His audiences wearied OF them. 1t
| is singular fact that after he surrendered tho
| option he held for so many years on tho works
OF two OF these men they tried new yein and
o. of the Sa %9s' Ma thing e' W fd H5T.
| Tavern" by Blumenthal and kadelburg
.....-.,,
tho ;shnknspearenn plavs came with The
ru NJ ,h p"'s T, rae mt,"
OF his succeeding productions was generally
up to the average OF the taste lavishness
| and beauty OF that performance But the
| vivals OF Shakespeare in recent seasons were
not as splendid. nor were they even adequate
in some cases. Costumes that had once been
fine and appropriate were old. faded and worn.
! Tbov md all bean odmir,i,Ia onoe hut littIe
my nav an zen "'.il Io.' '. 49, Va. ''''e
their FIRST Quality They we're usually
praised in these respec.s rather for what
| they had boen than for what they were
| Frenuent chorpes NJ bill in racent sensons
| made the FIRST nnrform,nces Mt Dalvs often in
| complete Tho actors we're frequently un-
| familiar with the text. scenery was moved
| clumsiIv and stage hands IN their shirt sleeves
appeared unexpectedly and mysteriously.
These were all details that had been perfect
| earlier in his career. His decision to try melo-
drama nj his theatre tbis season f. said ia have
| been the result Of the failure in n money way
of"The Merchant ofVenice. :" a beautiful spec.
tacle. as most Of his ShakesIearean revlyals
were IN their hrst c3hHitiohi ~ ne was unable 70
| the fact that Ada Rshan Was n great T1yffa In
| seeEinr 10 attract bubble attention To his
| tHeatrs .vain he chose n violent nonfrast
and imported THE Great Ruby, Which
| Irourht the first c0nsiderabe prosperity 10 his
princinnl cnmnany thai il md known in n LONG mo
| whiIe The Daiv Thentre bubble chanrod curt
| onsiv Ava or six vesrs ago 0nIv Tho nusIraI
farces, begun there with The Gaiety Girl"
| brought ont the modish gathernps which Ind
Been cbaracteTistic Of the place In recent '1It
| seasons The Shakespeareap plays seemed 70
| epncoi chiaov r. strdents and II was No mn ~
| cpnmon tbine 70 sac them rendin1 the TOW ne
| mo action nroceedcd First-ni fashion ia
| rother a VAGINA ounlity But whntover thnra
was ~ Il left The Daly auIierces some Tina
| 400 only 70 be brought hack nv tho / ondnn
musical plays. MIR DAILY was tho only mana.
| 66rnAtnhIe '''''' VIZ 'o ''''
pioH'"''
The hitherto disrcgarded law against Sum
dav tbnstricois under which tho term "con.
| uay lheatfica's' uti"'t WHY" ''e TERM con-
| cert cannot be legally stretched to cover
| vaudeville show is to be obeyed on Roster e.
| ~ WY, ,a.Io, an oan,,,,, ,r,,h ~ ~
bial s root garueh' 10 comply WIN 'he act
| forbiddnR dancing. acrobatics and all manner
| NJ acting" said Manager Aarons last night
| 80 .hau r,Lo our snrd,r co,oorts oo,,,I
concerts and nothing else There will be