Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-08
ABOUT PLAYS PLAYERS AND PlGYHOUSES

Aside from the return enEaEement Of
Katherine Willard. the last week q. the
thcaters presented nothing that may not
just ~ well be forgotten. II did give us
some things we are not likely to forget
poon. that IL TO say. tina: portion OF us
who went to see them. Fer example. there
10 the FIRE scene IL "A Ragged Hero It's
absurd IN conception. and ell nt laugha-
bic in execution, but the spectacle Of a
little girl in her nightie." with the waves
Of red fire billowing W about her. waiting
TO be snatched from apparently certain in
cineration by the tattered and torn hero.
doesn't fail TO hold the watchers in breath
less suspense, and the nightly rescue is
a certain provocative Of lusty Cheering
In Lovers Lane" a genuine miracle was
worked. one almost ss wonderful az the
cleansing Of the lepers in Ben Hur.
One OF the characters. an old maid. is deaf
as an adder. and her faithful old sdmirer
has 10 shout at the top Of his voice to
make her hear. But when she walked into
the minister's study. the reverend gentle
man addressed her in a conversational
tone. soft and soothing, such as youne
preachers are always expected to use when
addressing elderly ladies-and she an
swered with a promptness and husncy that
astouRded one who had just pitied her on
account of her suricular deficiency. II was
noticed that Immediately her old crony re-
sumed his conversation with her. in the
absence Of the minister. her deafness re-
turned; this giving the impression that her
afnicsion was due to the fact that she
couldn't always be under the influence Of
that perfectly lovely young man Clyde
Fitch created for stage purposes. To an
outsider. though, ii seemed that the stage
manager had overlooked a bet. II would
be very hard to pick from the many fea-
lures OF The Moonshinsrs Daughter" any
one that may be called pre-eminent, but 1t
IL violating no confidence to say that the
principal item Of expense for maintaining
the company is the ammunition bill.
Down at the Creighton Orpheum a bill
that was in many ways the best of the sea-
son had excellent patronage. The steady
attendance at the vaudeville house this
winter has been a constant evidence Of the
popularity OF this form OF amusement in
Omaha. and as OmRha's experience is no
different from that OF other places where
the vaudeville has its own home, the con-
clusion is warranted that there is no i'm
mediate probability OF the performers
being driven to other methods Of gaining
a livelihood. The orpheum Circuit COM
psny will have a new thester in Denver
next season. and its present combination
will be made that much stronger.
some idea OF the growth in the show
business" as the managers refer to their
calling. may be gained from the statement
that while there are already forty theaters
running in full blast in the borough Of
Manhattan alone, the foundations for six
new ones are laid ana construction we'll
under way on their walls, while plans for
sour others have been submitted to and en-
dorsed by the city authorities and work on
their construction will be commenced as
soon as the weather will allow. IT is the
intention OF the projectors of these theaters
TO have them in readiness to open with the
beginning OF next season. II they succeed,
New York will go into the season of 1904
with fifty theaters. II these have an aver
age capacity OF 1000. which is not large,
and business remains as good as it has been
this season, II will give 100. 900 people at
the thea;ers every night in New York City
alone. Admission will average 81 a head. SO
that the expenditure will be 500, 900 a
night. OF for the season Of forty weeks.
S2s. 900, 900 for theatrical amusements in one
city. Including the companies. each house
will employ an average Of 100 people. max
ing an army Of 5000 dependent directly on
the New York theaters for employment
Twenty-Five hundred as least Of these will
be actors. Al an average wage Of SIS per
week, which is not high. these people A.
tached 20 the New York theaters will rep
resent a pay roll for the forty weeks Of the
season OF IS. 200. 900. People Indirectly con-
nected with or dependent on the theater'
will represent half as much more, and the
rest OF $40, 600. 900 will easily be expended
in the necessary expenses Of maintaining
the business. At least $50. 900, 900 will b.
Immediately returned to the local channels
OF trade by these show houses, so tina
their existence will be a great item in thu
retail busine of Gotham.
With amusement enterprises Of this mag
nitude II is no longer a wonder that New
York is referred TO as the show center o
the world. Probably no other city cal
point to anything like this showing. Blu
20 pursue the matter q little further. al
though exact figures are not at hand, no
is It known where any may be found, care