The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-12-31
UNIQUE STAGE WARFARE
M1NAGER WM. 4. BRADY PLAYS
 ONEOF HIS ORGANIZATIONS
Against Another in "tvay Down East" With Results Not Expected by old- Time Theatrical Men.

|
 acting the same play In the same thea
 ter on the same day? It seems a curi
 GUS thing, and yet while unique 1t iF
 none the less true, and New Haven vii
 see one of the organizations when Way
 Down East" is produced at the Fly
 perion theater on Thursday next.
 l This event. novel even in the theat,
 rical world. which is made up of novel
 ties, took place early in the present sea
 son at McVickers theater, Chicago, and
 it not only happened on single occa- sion, but the same condition continued
 for some weeks, and resulted in com
 plications not anticipated and which eventually turned out to be most ex- celent thing for all concerned includ- | ing the theater going public. It came about in this wise. Manager William A. Brady of New York, having found ! in his production of way Down East" 8 play which was in ravenous demand ill all sections of the country after it's
 phenominal run of 427 performances in New York, determined to put out three companies in it, all to be of equal merit and each to be equipped with identical scenic and mechanical accessories. To this end he ransacked the stage world for players who would be in every way
 fitted for the various parts, and at last
 after careful rehearsal by Joseph R.
 Grismer, who elaborated the play from
 the manuscript of Lottie Blair Parker,
 they were sent out It was MT Brady's
 ll..
 in the weekly salary lists of these three
 companies, that they were absolutely
 even as to the finish and art of acting,
 and that there was really no choice be-
 tween them. That there should be no
 invideous distinction between them they
 were known as the Eastern, Western and Central companies. That he was right in his judgment was proved by subsequent events,
 When the western company opened in
 Chicago 1t was intended that 1t should only play brief engagement there. Each night, however, the crowds grew. At every performance hundreds were turned away. There was a demand for seats double the supply, and as he could not put in another company at ohOlHtl bhSotVl III SllICdSb MI. Dildy resolved to solve the problem of supply ing the demand in another way. He decided to give matinees every day, but the weather was warm the work hard and the actors not capable of standing the strain of two long performances in each twenty-four hours without greatly deteriorating in their delineation of the quaint New England types which the play so we'll pictures. Then 1t was he decided to cali in the eastern company and let the public take their choice of the two, if it had any.
 Old-time managers shook their heads sadly when they heard of this novel idea. Why, he is bound to make trou- ble between the companies" said they "The public will like one organization better than the other, and then only the night or matinee performance will re- ceive patronage. It is madness to think they will like both equally''
 But they were all wrong. The public seemed to have no choice. It liked | both, and afternoon and evening per formances were in equal demand. In fact, many went to both performances 1 to see if they could not pick flaw in | one or the other organization. But they could not. The general verdict | was that both were as nearly perfect as possible.
 But the effect upon the players them selves was marked Each one tried to To better work than his or her rival in he other company. Each one was strung to the highest tension, and not | m opportunity to score the smallest point was let slip. Each one went to tee the rival production time and again 0 try and gain an idea for new busi- less or effect. The result was that what were apparently perfect produce ions at first grew perceptibly better intil both were absolutely nawess rom the very first the motto of Way Down East had been to "hold the mir or up to nature,' and realism of the test and highest sort was the result. 'here was no bitterness of feeling be- ween the rivals apparent, but there can ,e no doubt there was at times jeal- usy of more prolonged applause, more opious tears or heartier laughter. iome of those concerned have since con essed as much, but at the time it was yell concealed
 To complete the work of amalgama- ion and perfection so well begun MT. ,rady decided upon a still greater nov lty. Various members of the com anies were shifted from one organiza- on to another. So perfect was the rilling that there was no perceptible , hange in the performances. Then lembers of the central company were < rafted into one or the other. Still lere was no change, and still the great ublic showed no discrimination in fa- pr of one or the other. Up to the end I the engagement, when previous con- acts compelled MT. Brady to take
 Is companies to other cities there was f , dimnution of attendance, and the hicago management sought so earnest f
 for a return engagement that at last q ,ntracts were signed for eight weeks \ 1ditional of Way Down East" to be ayed when previous engagements had n 'en fulfilled It is one of these two r companies which New Ha- a n will see at the Hyperion theater V Id those who go to see the play will t itneSs Q performance perfected in this F iendly warfare for the honors of the n imic world. n Ex-Selectman Stahl passed very n stless night Saturday night, and yes rday was unimprOyed. Last evening N