The times., 1899-10-01
THE PASSING SHOW.


week in Washington-a convention of le-
gitimate. old-time change-the- bill ll-every-
night actors who filled the air with cue
music, and on matinee days made Penn
syIyania Avenue resemble a section of the
grounds around the Edwin Forrest Home
or corner of the celebrity room" at a
waxworks exhibition. Romantic stars
roamed about with sword-dodging strides
Shakespearian tragedians posed on the
street corners in poster attitudes and frock
coats and standard-drama comedians in
dulged with their comrades in long, tender
memories of the past All ilks alike fire.
quented the vaudeville houses. The keen
observer may have noticed before this that
supporters of the sock and buskin shun
each other when possible with persisteney
worthy of better cause and take with
surprising readiness to their rivals of the
red wig and white grease paint. Perhaps
the only one of the entire collection who
did not strut or pose or visit the
riety resorts was Kathryn Kidder, who
is, after all, only an adopted child of the
Muse, having been essentially reader OF
light roles until very recently.
In all due seriousness, these players did
more than drive their colleagues to the
downtown theatrss-they drove nearly
everyone else there. For localities, with all
their mentality and other things, are not
inclined to taking Shakespeare by the wag-
onload, and religiously shunned the places
of amusement at which it was provided,
Only an exceptional man can hear Her
mione accused unjustly on Monday, see
Hamlet's end on Tuesday, be at the death
bed of Matthias on Wednesday, watch the
lovemaking of an ex-Ingomar on Thurs
day have another round OF mad Danes
on Friday, and then turn up in an oDti-
mistic frame of mind for the arrest of
French father on Saturday evening and
the implement of few other French gen.
tlemen at the matinee. Most exceptional
men of this sort are morguekeepers or
orchestra leaders at concert halls, and their
work keeps them busy. The consequence
was an exceedingly bad week in town-and
the lecture herewith furnished.
The combination-be it company, syn
dicate, or trust-which, within a fortnight,
/ books for a city of the size of Washington
/ three troupes so nearly alike as are those
] of Wagenhals and Kemper, Creston Clarke,
! and James O'Neill, especially when pos
/ sessed of the knowledge that organizations
/ headed by Robert Downing and Harrison
J. Wolfe are appearing elsewhere in the
! vicinity, should be prosecuted under the
/ New York law against suicide. Nothing
! quite so foolhardy has been done here
since Frank Daniels, jefferson de Angels.
/ Della Fox, and De Wolf Hopper were made
/ to play almost against each other last
winter Then-as probably now-the men
responsible avoided the blame attendant
/ upon this blunder by declaring that they
/ had nothing else to give Washington AL
though the syndicate controls nearly every
star on the road and is accustomed to re-
cite its difficulties in getting houses for all
of them. this excuse may be taken at its
! face value. But, being accepted the ques-
/ tion that naturally arises is this: II mat
ters are as set forth where do the bene-
fits of the Frohman Hayman- Klaw- Erlan-
! ger, ETC., etc, etc, system come in! inca
| tregoers have been told so much about the
perfection which business methods would
bring to this country that curiosity n the
subject is not objectionable.
OF course, the alleged trust may reply
to such query that accidents viii hap
pen in the best regulated agencies and
that their affairs are the business of nc
one else In which latter answer they
would be quite right After all, 1t Is not
Washington playseers who are injured by
having every second legitimate actor il
the profession thrust upon them within
two weeks. Playseers have always the al
ternatiye of staying at home and reading
I
York TeIegraph'-an alternative which
has been pretty generally exercised. Blu
these mistakes fall on the shoulders o.
house managers and the pFoprietors o.
road combinations. No one need be sur
prised If something happens-despite th'
powers that be-after a few more Ma
Goodwins have been dictated to, a few
more partialities recorded, and few NOR
ionic opera or classic-drama convention
held TO empty benches.
And, speaking of the syndicate and tn,
Shakespearean star and the New Yorl
, Telegraph" one is reminded of the fac
that the prevailing craze for farce in Goth
, amtown seems TO have stirred up quite
controversy in the newspapers there. Thre'
or four of the important journals are ex
pressing the belief that this condition is
sign Of degeneracy-that humor is incom
, patible with dignity and merit. These out
: breaks have raised others equally ridicu
lous in the other extreme. Moderatist
! there seem to be few.
] The Dramatic Mirror" cannot honestl,
: be dubbed one of these, its recent remark
\ on the beginning OF the season in the me
D tropolis smacking Of prejudice and dispo
t sition TO revile at everything untearful
William Winter and the Tribune" shoy
G the same tendency. Then John Blair. VIII