The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-03
THE PASSING SHOW.

me strike OF the White Rats, as lls
members of the society of vaudeville per-
formers are known, retained its position
at the head of the news column in the
theatrical world last week, and after ten
days of the trouble everything points to
the difficulty lasting until the meet
ing of the Vaudeville Managers As
ISOLATION. on March 6. AT that time it is
expected the per cent commission over
which the present strike arose will be
abolished, not particularly on account of
the action of the Rats walking out of the
theatres in which they had been engaged
and violating their contracts, but solely
because the managers promised that such
action would be taken at their first meet
ing
Strenuous efforts were made last Mon
day in Washington and Baltimore to have
the performers refuse to give the regular
Chase entertainments. The Orpheum
Show, which was the attraction at the
Grand, this city is under the direction of
a member of the Western branch of the
Managers Association, and consequently
is not embroiled, but notwithstanding the
fact that the per cent commission has
never been deducted from any member OF
the Orpheum company, agents OF the
White Rats were on hand early Monday
morning. armed with persuasion and
refuse to give their performances.
In the case of the Grand the Rats met
with absolutely no success at all. although
at Baltimore they succeeded in having
several of the advertised performers vio-
late their contracts. Manager Chase was
on the ground and with him were i've acts
ready to take the places of any striking
vaudeviiians or their SympathizerS, ana
the usual programme was given with
d good deal of success during the week
The Rats continue TO send out euthu-
siastic reports from their headquarters in
New York City and according to these the
managers are in a very bad position. But
n filtration of these announcements us
closes the fact that the association $
houses in the different cities have been
open as usual during the week, all supplied
with very attractive bills, and 50 lar as
can be ascertained, haye played to their
customary business. The public has man
ifestcd but a small amount of interest In
the warfare that Is being waged between
the players and the managers, and all II
evidently cares for is an entertainment
worth the price OF admission, and wheth-
er the actors are White Rats or members
OF any other Organization Is of little con-
cern. SO long as the managers show their
ability to offer such good bills as nave
been in evidence throughout the country
since the inauguration of the strike just
so long will they be regarded with proht-
able audiences.
The Rats had most successful benefit
| in New York City last Sunday night,
| " mich was largely attended by Profes-
| SIGNALS. who supplied plenty of enthus-
| iasm. but it is doubtful II 20 per cent OF
| the gathering were regular attendants
] of the vaudeville theatres-the theatre
going family element that really supports
these houses. Naturally, the Rats mis-
| took the cordially of their professional
| friends as the real sentiment OF the gen
! eral community, just the same as they
were led to believe that the names of n
/ c. Goodwin, Weber and Fields, De Wolf
| Hopper. and several other actors who
/ have not been in the regular vaudeville
! houses as attractions for number CT
/ years. signify anything when attached &c
Z Froclamations. explanations. and the Ike
/ The mauGg gers are equally as cOnftdent,ano
support their claims Of victory by Ilooi
/ of houses in full operation, running os
well as ever. On the other hand. the
/ Rats are already ont of pocket two weeks
salary, for it is almost certainty that
! they will not receive any money for the
! portion of the week they worked before
! walking out of the theatres, on account
o. sudden illness.
| Apro3os Of the salaries paid to the
( vaudeville actors who have been seen ii
! Washington at Chase's this season. dr
| interested reader OF The Times has asked
I information regarding their compensa
| ton. Manager Chase, when questioned
| opened his books and Times representa-
| tive took therefrom the following facts:
Milton Aborn. a third-rate comic opera
! comedian, whose appearances nave prin
] Cipally been with 10. 20 and 30 cent orsdni
4 cations. received $l75; Lewis and Ryan
! the comedians, $25g. Horace Goldin, th'
magician, $3.50; Wright Huntington, in {
/ sketch, $3.50: lie Roy and Clayton. who
. U,laN an enjoyable Skit entitled Hogan
! of the Hanson $500; Filson and Enrol
I sketch artists, 500; Digby Bell, 500
! Charles r. Sweet, the musical burglar
/ 500; James q. Barrows. $500; Mcintyre
! and Heath. $3.50; Marshall =. Wilder, 500
Lew Sally, the blackface comedian, $l25
! Gardiner Brothers, musical entertainers
SIPS: the Hawaiian Queens, three chorus
, girls vino formerly received as much 81
! SIS q week each, now demand $50 each
! Charles Case. n monolOgist, who DISC usse!
4 his father and other relatives, $3.50; HI
/ Musical Johnsons, Two in number, 800
Johnny Carroll, $l,"; Tom Nawh' the lrlsi
/ comedian, who with his wife presents
I a sketch, SIS; Carroll Johnson. a worn
out minstrel, $50; Eckert and Berg, $50
TrovoIo. ventrilOquist, $780, Ezra Ken
dali. the comedian. 500. Painter trio. &C
rObats, SloO; Howe. Wall, and Walters
/ musicians. S225 George Fuller Golden
! the President of the White Rats and he
sides one OF the best monologue artists il
The vaudeville field, receives the modes
| sum OF $3.50 a week for working an hOu
each day In every instance except tina
| OF MIR Golden the above figures arr
actual salaries. paid to the different per
formers for their appearances ut Chase $
Mr.. Richard Mansfeld's press agen
finds time hanging so heavily on hi
hands that he has dashed Off the fol
lowing pathetic tale, which is forwarde,
to The Times, together with a statemen
Of the remarkable business that is at
tending the distinguished players produc
ton Of Henry W."
Pretty Dorothy Sherrod is in n sad
state Of mind and though the remedy
is in her own hands She doesn't know
how. to apply it. Miss Sherrod has
| been re-engaged by Mr.. Tim Murphy
as his leading lady for next season and
has been given the choice of parts in
the comedians new play, "A Capitol
| Comedy In all fairness, should so
| much good luck plunge a pretty, am
bilious girl into a sad state of mind?
| Miss Sher-od has read the comedy
and finds herselfeat a standstilI on the
| point of which part to play. There are
two almost equally. attractive roles.
| AS she expresses 1t, zone is a perfect
daisy and the other is a regultr
TO he sure. there is some difficulty
| in choosing between daisies and
| trumps she feels like that old gal
liant who said: How happy | could be
| or away" or something of that sort
| The choice of dressing rooms never
| presented the enigma to a leading lady
that the ch-ice of the leading part in
"A Capitol Comedy" presents to Miss
Shcrrod. Perhaps she can double
these two fascinating characters or
fnuybe she can influence the author TO
cut out one Of them, or write all the
| charms In one, or make the choice for
her and give his word that the unchos-
en- one is OF simply no consequence at
all. But she wouldn't believe him
Miss Dorothy Sherrod. who in prirat
life is Mrs Tim Murphy. must certalnl
be in sore straits If her press agent is t
be believed, although she is not calle