The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-17
STAGE UPS AND DOWNS.
MANAGERS WHO HAVE EXPERI-
ENCED FORTUNES CAPRICEs.

OeherOsfty Oh Actors.
The ups and downs of stage managers
are interestingly illustrated in the fol-
lowing article from the current number
of Junior Munsey:
Rudolph Aronson recently had a ben
eft performance at the Casino to re-
coup him for his losses on Vienna
Life" Not only was this a fresh evil
dence of the professions brotherly in
terest in its fellows who have been I'M
fortunate, but it goes to prove anew
that of all the callings a man may elect
to follow none~is so unstable as theat-
rical management up to-day and
down tomorrow would be a good mot
to not only for Mr.. Aronson, but for
many others-Edward Z. Rice, A. M.
Palmer and the late Henry Z. Abbey,
to mention only few well-known
names.
Abbey's Rise and Fall.
/ Abbey was known as the Napoleon
OIL managers" He dealt only in big
| names. 1t was he who first brought
Sarah Bernhard to this country in 1880,
and 1t is said that he was required to
| deposit 100000 in Paris before she
| would agree to stir a step. He also
brought over Henry Irving, Coquelin,
Hading, Mrs. Langtry, Melba and
Calve. He was born in Akron, Ohio, in
1886 the son of jeweler, and his first
essay at management was in running
the local opera house. This was in
1869. Later on he engineered the tours
of the Worrell Sisters, Edwin Booth
and Lolita. Among the theatres he has
| directed were the Park in New York,
| from 1877 to the evening of Langtry's
| debut, in 1882, when it was burned to
| the ground; the Grand Opera House,
Abbey's (now the knickerbocker), the
Star, and Wallack's, also in New York;
the Park and fremont in Boston, and
the Park in Philadelphia, to say moth
ing of the Metropolitan Opera House,
whose first season, as we'll as many
| subsequent ones, was in his hands. That
| inaugural opera term finished with a
| frightful deficit, and in April, 1894, Mr..
| Abbey received a testimonial benefit
which netted him $4,000. 1t was after
this that the Goelets built Abbey's
Theatre for him, working his initial let
ter into so much of the stone ornament
tation that no small expense was incur
red in getting rid of it when his fail
ure sent the theatre into other hands.
| Maurice Grau was at first his business
manager for the opera seasons at the
Metropolitan.
Manager of Hits.
Another manager who gave his name
! to theatre and lived to see it re-
moved is A. NJ. Palmer at present di-
| recting the fortunes of Richard Mans
field. At various times in his career
Mr.. Palmer has been known as the
| dean of managers" and "a manager of
hits" For ten years his Union Square
hna fro foe 8
York, and he made an almost equally
deep impress on playgoers by his pro-
auctions in the eighties at the Madison
| Square. His decline appears to have
| begun when, coming into possession of
Wallack's he caused his own name to
be painted across the front of the
| building.
Mr.. Palmer, the son of a Baptist
clergyman, was born at Westerly, R.
l., in 1S40. When he came to New York
as a young man of Il it was with the
intention of practicing law, but Sherl-
dan Shook was made internal revenue
collector and young Palmer found a
position under him. When Shook went
out of Office Palmer became librarian
| of the Mercantile Literary, and con-
tnued in this post for three years, until
1872. Then Mr.. Shook bought the Union
| Square Theatre, which had been built
a variety house. Shook wanted to in
stall in it better class of attractions,
and asked Palmer to take possession
Thus was inaugurated the famous firm
of Shook & Palmer, MIR. Shook supply
ing the money and Mr.. Palmer the
| brains.
Agnes with Agnes Ethel with
September II, 1872, was followed by
London Assurance" THE School for
Scandal and Money" With the beg
| inning of the second season Mr.. Palmer
formed a stock company to rival those
at Days and Wallack's. The first
long run after Agnes" was achieved
by Led Astray." For the third year
THE Two Orphans" with Kate Clax-
ton, was the piece de resistance. and for
the fourth Rose Michel" with Rose
Eytinge. The fifth season was signaliz-
ed by Miss Mutton" with Clara Nor
ris, and by 1.-THE Danicheffs." Later
came Bronson Howard's great hit, THE
| Private Secretary" Saints and Sim
ners." Jim the Penman," Captain
Swift" and Alabama His leading
man at the Union Square was Chas. r.
| Throne, a great favorite in his day; at
the Madison Square Maurice Barry
more.
His Last Success.
IN 1871 MT. HdlmeT moved TO w al
lacks and brought e. S. Willard from
England to play there. Lady Winder-
| mere's Fam by Oscar Wilde, and
Bronson Towards "Aristocracy" were
later productions at this house. II was
here. in October, 1892, under Charles
Frohman's management, that John
Drew began his career as a star. The
play was an adaptation from the
| French by Vlyde Fitch, THE Masked
Ball." and Maud Adams walked into
favor at once as leading woman. In
1894 Mr.. Palmer added the Garden
Theatre to his list, and here he made
money out of '"Trilby." That was his
last success. He tried to organize a
new stock company for Palmer's. but
was unfortunate in his choice of plays,
and in December, 1896, the house re-
| verted to its owner Theodore Moss,
who had been treasurer in Lester Wal
lacks time, and who at once restored
the original name. 1t is an eloquent
| commentary on the mutability of things
| theatrical that the first engagement
under the new regime was that of +. S.
Willard, who had won his American
spurs in this same house but short
while before under Mr.. Palmer's
auspices.
For a time Mr.. Palmer tried to re-
coup himself by directing the affairs of
the new Great Northern Theatre in
| Chicago, but again the plays he Sc
| leCted failed him, and at last he took