The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-31
THEMES FROM STAGELAND.
THE PASSING or AUGUSTIN DALY's
yErITRE TO THE FRoBMANS.

.o with the Daily Compnny-A Prob
ability She VIII GO on Starring Tour.
rho extinction OF AuRustin DAYS. dramatic
.,n,r,ny was an inevitable consequence OF his
d,nth The Obvious reason was quite SUM-
oiort IN the minds Of those who give close at
,or,t,u 20 theatrical affairs. The organization
h,d .eoscd to yield either satisfactory diver
atom fo its old.time following or adequate re-
ANNEXATION to its manager on the artistic
Level where il had formerly prospered. 1t was
bv din. VI assigning his actors to musical
,arcos nad mechanical melodrama and put
,ine inside the more dcnifed plays. old and
nav that Nr. Day contrived to do anything
lilo , rroNtaDle business durinR the last two
mr. ,lrsc years Of his lite. This must have
b..u a sore sacrifice OF artistic pride. Mr.. DAILY
Va, wont 10 late his stage career from Leah.
IN. Ior,.ken" although 1t was merely his free
translation from tho German. and to let the
r.rlrI Of Under the Gasght' grow dim. al
though that famous moneymaksr was his
original comrositon. 1t must have been In
,alpcs. and desperation. therefore that he at
length nut The Great Ruby. or The Kiss Of
E,,oi into the theatre Of his prouder achieve
nents Naturally his widow and brother did
NOT deem il prudent to float leak ing ship that
hal lost It's master. The project OF placing
Ada Rehan In charge. while It NAV have
scanned
moment rossible Under these crcum stances
It Is tortunate that Davs.Theatre has been ac-
oulrcd hy Charles Frohman. His taking OF a
seventh theatre in this city is not OF itself con-
selucntia That manager can hardly do any
thing t. lstonish a public accustomed to his
Naroeonir energy and ambition The thing
OF special importance in this his latest enter
prlse is that he will place his brother in con-
troll Of the house
DAME. Frohman is the one man Of proven
ability TO take AuRustin Days stage aud re-
store It to its best estate. 1t has been at the
lyceum only that the DAILY niceties and ele-
gauces have been equaled. Other managers
have been more liberal 10 expenditures and
more striking in general results. but Augustin
DAILY and Daniel Frohman have divided Ameri-
can distinction for tasteful blends Of dramatic
art and modi.h manner-the wholly satisfac-
tory transfer Of polite life to tho stage. The
ohliteration Of the DAILY company Is q matter
OF sentimental regret. hut 1t began with the Sc
cessiOn Of John Drew. 1t proceeded with the
death Of Charles Fisher and James Lewis. and
IT was SO far advanced that Ada Rehan was all
that was lott OF value to lie depreriated In Dru-
+, Lane melodrama. The stock company OF
BAYS, /, lualifed by general ability and sre.
cial training to. occupy that stage worthly.
man in commanding the irst choice OF PLAYS
from the world over. and OF the best actors to
perform them: VIII strengthen amply what
We may look not only. therefore. for a con-
tinuance ?f Dal%'s Theatre in name. but as
all our theatres in progressive modern stage
art.
Ada Rehan is the one member. left in public
interest at the DISARMAMENT Of the DAILY stock
company. She has held unique place in
American theatrcals. She came into her first
nj nS q lpatipp NOT nf
o, the Daly theatres and has never since then
been in other thaa DAILY employ. or partner
ship. as the case NAV have been. All Mr.
Dllvs famed ability as a developer OF talent
was devoted to her. This training OF her
natural gifts made great actress of her. Pos
sessed Of physical beauty and dominant mien
she was able to command the fullest attention
TO her merits, and, what WAS quite as much to
her good t97tuns induce an almost admiring
More discriminate PEOPLE ranked her. Il not Is
fr,' grade While Mr.. DAILY guided her on to
immense popularity and was unQuestionaoly
the maker Of her earlier career. ne was dute
a. sureIy,a hindrance toher in the later years.
snacting silly girls. after she had won better
renoTn as Shakespearean heroines Of comedy
serious roles: II she had become a star long
ago, as John Drew did she might now be more
y widely c ssa than she Is and surely
u
lew years prior to Mr.. DAYS death she was a
6o partner with him But those were
fame, or money. He did not provide plays in
which gains were possible in either direction.
Mis Is Rehan gets under the will: 20 per cent.
Its OF standard comedies and presumably
means to use them on proies ,ional tourt. Thus
lioG, Rosaliid, F6rtio. LaJv Ttas~ and other
standard roles in which she shines brightly,
there should he good times right anead for this
rfAh .t.at. hat 10
would recruit travelling company from the
i DAY forces Il was said that she had written
panions asking them to refrain from engaging
elsewhere until they heard from her again.
William Dean Howes 10 an advocate OF an
independent stage in the United States As
MIR. liowe'ls in his writings on the theatre has
rarely liked what pleased the public he IL
naturally man from whom such plea would
come. lie IS not in favor OF a playhouse en-
oowed through the muniflcence OF ono person
lie thinks that would do lit 10 to improve the
situation. Nor should a collection OF rich men
act as the sponsors. He describes the disad-
vantages that would como from such direc-
tion as follows
WITH Us the rich form some such class as the
hohl'S in other countries and they are too new to
ther Importance to hold it in personal contempt as
iohG'H'SceHdcd aristocrats safely may and some
1870 '' uVlu tnelrh; they nave not yet had time
osFoW the pseud -berality which sometimes dis
unsuIshos eccentric nnblemen. They stand by their
o'ue, more Teent!Cssly, and their devotion to the
t"c.aI framework which holds them in place is vigil
Ia" ana intense In theatre founded or controlled
mem 10 play critlcsing satiriAng society
u.u oe favored, and no play recognizing or repre-
nng occasional II not essential truth in regard to
S,F inl! mai conditions would be permitted. To
rpn9upilrh II need not be play celebrating q sue
.Ns'u II ME or depicting OF cruel exploia-
n.hi or 'lIc!datliH the methods of a combine; it |
IL" "nI' be play calling attention to such things
at.N h'' imaginable that their management would |
pp'TN,n 81 SUCH play a. lhsens " Enemy of tho |
1ITTPIt:, "r Die Weber" of HSuptmann or even |
,Iue thre or Sudtrmann. II Mr.. Herne wrote a |
i.a HeAI hg As frankly with life in a mining town |
NJ 'n.t'r y town as his griffith Davenport deals
me on Virginia plantation, II could ever pass
~ ~ ,'hsorship u such a body Of subscribers MIR
NJ tIrIhatI Sha" satire Of Arms and the Man" If
cn''i 'eN us IRONY and realized its Implications
81" not Dc gwen twice in their subscription the
80 WHICH would in no wise be free theatre.
W. H9wclIs s belief as to the qualities which
pHitnnas Tor this new theatre should possess is
n'"A from these words. Social commercial
MY experimental evils should Ds the subJects,
""u the treatment would necessarily hayd |
sWwu,eMhat revolutionary character. rs he pre-
""m.pnaeH that the performances would be OBJ |
ssn.,.,,."lIe TO men who depend on the laws Of |
r. Hb aN u exists to-day for their well being |
No. We hlted states, Of all countries in the |
U"tNi would an enterprise OF tho kind Mr.