The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-13
STAGE is TO IMPROVE
IMPRESSARIo WHITNEY FINDS
NO ROOM FOR DOUBT.
Says Wonderful Change Has Taken
Place in the Public Taste-TeIIs
Why He Has Had New Play Writ
ten to Follow Up Dainty Character
dolly Warden"

Special to The Globe.
NEW YORK, July 12.-Plans are now
being made for the forthcoming dra-
matte season, which indicate that there
may be changes in the character of
some of next seasons novelties. Mr..
F. 0. Whitney, the New York impress
sario, when seen by himself in relation
to his plans said: Il think we shall
see new dramatic era when next
season commences. The first comic
opera produced under my management
was THE Fencing Master" with Marie
Tempest playing the principal role.
Then came Rob Roy by De KOven
and Smith, authors of Robin Hood
The next was Brian Boru, by STANCE
and Edwards, and then The Norman
dy Wedding by J. Cheever Goodwin
and William Furst. OF all the operas
l have produced, next to- Dolly Var
den,' think Brian Boru' was the best
But my way Of thinking Rob Roy as
given by the Whitney Opera company
was. the finest production Of comic
opera ever seen in this country.
Within the period I have been pro-
duc1ng comic operas wonderful
change has taken place in the public
taste.
Resolves on Substitute.
Until recently the slap-stick, putty
nose topical song style of comic opera
was in vogue, and 1t seemed as if it
was destined to hold sway for a long
time. To me it was symptom of de-
generacy in public taste, and resolv-
ed to substitute a style of comic opera
that was pure, sparkling and entertain
ing-a sort of getting back to the true
school of comic opera as it was under
stood thirty years ago. Many of our
friends told me that Broadway would
not stand for comic opera of this char
acter; that there was an, abundance of
tomfoolery to make a comic opera a
success in New York.
Il realized that an innovation such
as proposed was a dangerous expert
ment, and my chief reliance was in the
fact that it would prove a novelty.
Dolly Warden was the weapon of
reform.
1.-THE four months road tour pre-
vious to our coming to the Herald
Square theater proved conclusively
that the outlying districts approved of
my endeavor to get away from the
conventional type of comic opera, for
our tour was particularly remunera-
tive. That New Workers have upheld
me is amply attested by the fact that
Dolly Warden has made the phenome-
nal run of the season, the average re-
ceipts for each performance, matinees
and all, having been more than 81 200.
l do not claim to be a reformer, but I
do take considerable credit for having
proven that the opera going public is
ready to accept a clean and wholesome
performance from which all semblance
of coarseness and burlesque has been
eliminated.
Encouraged by Clergymen.
"a clergyman said to me not long
since that Dolly Warden has proven
to him that the theater- going public
of the metropolis We're by no means
deteriorating in moral sense when they
would come in such large numbers and
show the appreciation they did. This
gentleman thanked me for giving him
an evening of wholesome entertain
ment, and it was the first word of en-
enlargement that I have ever had
from the clergy during my years of
work. in the field of Comic opera. I
know positively that Dolly Warden
drew largely from church people whs
ordinarily do not go to the theater, and
from a count kept by the ticket taken
of the Herald Square theater 173 cler-
gymen have seen Dolly Warden since
the beginning of the New York en-
gagement.
Indeed, my missionary work has
proven so satisfactory that have been
encouraged to produce another opera
the coming autumn which is of en-
tirely different character from Dolly
Warden, but still contains the elements
which have made that opera so sue
cessful. viz: legitimacy decency and
brightness.
There will be no deterioration from
these principles. The name of the
new opera is When Johnny Comes
Marching Home written and compos-
ed by the authors OF Dolly Varden.'
1t is purely American, and the action
transpires in the South, within the
Federal lines, just previous to the close.
of the war of the Rebellion. Love, pa.
triotism and romance are the motives.
When Johnny Comes Marching Home.
will be produced in New York the COM
ing fall, and 2S4 people will be required
to present it. 1 promise that my new
opera will contain several features
that will be entirely new to stage
craft" Herbert e. Clamp.