The sun., 1903-11-01
WHAT Is A FIRST NIGH7ER?
AND WHAT DOES HIS OPINION OF
A PLAY AMOUNT TOp
Social Distinction OF First Night Audiences
at Wallack's In the Old DayS-Nariety
In Spectators At First Performances
Now Their UnexDlalnablc Moods.

beyond the habit Of going to theatres on
first nights3 The first nighter of the mas
culine sex may be man belonging to the
best clubs, an actor out of employment,
bookmaker, a gambler, divorce lawyer
or a dealer in artificial flowers and feathers.
Or he may be Just an ordinary, common
place man Of business, with nothing to
connect him with the theatre except the
enthusiasm for going to first nights.
The first night crowd changes from
year to year, as the less virulently attacked
victims recover from the microbe. Three
regulars are an architect, an art dealer,
and man of wealth whose hardest work
is to keep his figure, These three are
known as the Three Guardbmen" and
are seen at every first night performance
that offers any premise of especial excel
lence in the show girl line.
The first nighter as woman offers equal
variety. She may be in society or she
may be an unemployed actress. She may
have been graduated from the stage after
few weeks in the chorus, or she may
be the wife Of bookmaker.
Sometimes she is the wife of the in
conspicuous business man who for one
reason or another wants to acquire the
reputation of being a first nighter and
Joins the army for longer or shorter
period.
There was a time in the earlier history
of New York when first night audiences
had a social character that made them
distinctive. This was especially true OF
the first nights at Wallack's old theatre,
at Thirteenth street and Broadway.
Lester Wallack was then a member OF
the Union Club, and many Of the men he
knew personally made it habit to attend
the first nights at his theatre IT was not
until the uptown theatre was opened that
this feature Of the Wallack first nights
disappeared.
At Dalys Theatre during the period OF
its greatest prosperity. when Ada Rehan
and John Drew were at the head OF the
stock company, there was always more or
less social distinction to the audiences on
first nights. The same is true OF the
audiences at any theatre In which Elsie de
Wolfe appears and draws out the large
number Of friends she has in New York;
at Richard Mansfield's opening perform
ances, at Eleanora Duse's and at Maude
Adams's first nights.
But, as Il rule, the New York first night
gathering Of the present has the social
element l.ss enphatically marked than
any other II may in ordinary cases
be sporty, literary or fashy. But it is
very rarely brilliant from social point of
view.
The special etformance, Of course has
it's effect on tho audience that gatle!s 20
start il of. In the days Of her hlie, stellar
career. Della Fox was able to draw out the
49,, IL -nI n
said that the 1enderloin began 20 dress
for her first nights by O'Clock in the after
noon, and that there was not soul in the
fat from o'clock until IL. II is certain
that she drew first night audience distinct
from all others.
lillian k,!ssel. in her days of stardom
had a some what similar audience, but II
was never so characteristic ns that which
Della Fox used to face Whenever she had
q new piay
Nowadays the Rogers Brothers get this
public They usually begin to act here
when the racing season ia ON, and the tracks
contribute their crowds. The Tender loin
supplies the feminine element, which is
varied by the presence oil few actresses
and the wives % :Een who are first nlehteis
merely from o desire to i,e ~ the push
For first niyt.t performances mCft Of
the managers have a. resu!at list OF persopJ
for whom tickets are reserved. These
persons may get on ;he dist by asking to
have their names put there. winch, CT course
makes social exc!uSiVeuess out Of the CUES
ton The managers never know whether
the applicants are persons Of social dis
tinction.
Nowadays no theatre has any following
that assures it distinguished first night
gathering on all occasions, as old Wallat ks
The nIlhlir Wlprp
the particular actor or actress IN whom
it is Interested happens to be playing.
In addition to the regular old guard at
first night must be noted the friends OF the
actress who may be numerous enough to
give the gathering distinctive quality.
Before Elsie de Wolfe became a star she
was always able to attract enough society
people to make the first night audience
gathered to see every play III which she
acted very much smarter than the average.
First night audiences are freakiSh When
most representative gathering is expected
a very mongrel gathering may turn up.
The last time Sir Henry Irving played
here he opened in "Robespierre' at the
Knickerbocker Theatre, and It was expected
that he would play to an audience of the
kind that usually welcomes him here. But
instead crowd turned up such as might
have been expected to greet the Rogers
Brothers. Nobody could tell just how this
happened,
Ilg anOfa DuSe WUtll Slt NuHt " dtN mere
last wear in the d Annunzio plays drew a
very int electual audience on her first ap-
pearauce, but il was not In the least fash
ionable, while MaGane Fejanc when she
was here played to very small audiences,
but a list of the spectators would have read
like the guests at a fashionable entertain
ment.
The regular band Of first nghters that go
whet her the show is likely to be good bad
or Indifferent, cannot always I'll the theatre
Thev may occupy all the best and most
conspic,ious seats. but ii takes public in
terest TO insure a large audience.
Many of the we'll known stars draw COM
paratively small audiences on their opening
nights. The first nighers are all there
and often the rest of the house is given away
to deadheads IF the play is great success,
the small profit on the first night is not
Ethel Barrymore, F.. II. Sothern, Maude
Adams, Mrs Fiske. Mary Mannering,
], X, Hackett, Annie Russell and estab-
lished favorites Of the same rank are certain
to have fairly good audiences on their first
nights, even il their plays are not known,
But managers believe that n play proved
10 be a success. even though it has never
been given near New York, will insure Il
larger audience on the first night than
the mere vogue of the actor would attract
The value of a first night audiences
opinion of plav has never been accurately
y maj hnu