The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-12
standar Il Higher I'm Every Way,
and n Better Class of Girls
Is Required.
WHAT THE MANAGERS REQUIRE
CURIOUsLY ENOUGH, THE DEMAND
is GREATER THAN THE SUPPLY.
She Is Not Particularly Well Paid,
and Her Period of Usefulness
Is short.

Correspondence Of the indianapolis Journal.
BOSTON, July Sit is probable that
there is no class Of wedge-earners which
has undergone a greater process OF evolu-
ton during the past two decades than has
the American chorus girl. The younger
generation of theatergoers. it is possible.
will not remember the buxom maids, OF the
old days, who were used more for local
color than for genuine delectation of tired
eyes or burdened minds, but their fathers
certainly will.
In those days the girls were, most OF
them, recruited from the slums OF our great
cities. They were. as a rule. a rather coarse
and unintelligent lot. but at that time re-
fnement and intelligence were not required
from members of the chorus.
Costumes were different. too. and for a
long time it was thought that no chorus
could successfully exist were it not arrayed
in tights, and even when long dresses were
permitted IT was not at first thought neces-
sary to make the costumes elaborate. and.
in fact, the chorus was made as inconspic-
uous as possible and had very little real
work to do. 1t was used more as a back
ground for the principals than a fea-
ture of the production, and the girls
made no pretense of interpreting their
lyrics.
This sort of chorus might do very well
for an English audience. In fact, such
choruses, in a milder form. do still exist in
London. The girls dress well, look pretty
and nave good voices, but they lack the
vivacity of the American girls; their dances
are sluggish and their movements and car
rage are languid.
An American audience will not counte-
nance this kind of chorus. 1t insists on an
intelligent, sprightly, better educated and
cleaner one. 1t requires that the chorus be
elaborately attired and that 1t appear in
modern costume.
INCREASED IN IMPORTANCE.
In this country the days of lights. me-
chanicaI gestures. inarticulate and phono-
graphic rendering of lines are numbered
This result is due in a great measure 10
the prevalent and ever-increasing popu-
larity of the musical comedy, the spectac-
ular extravaganza and the refined bur-
lesque. The Importance ofShe chorus girl
has increased 100 per cent, and with the
increase in the demand, the qualifications
for eligibility are more numerous and
harder to meet.
Consequently, the chorus girl is recruited
from a different walk of life than she was
fifteen years ago. There is no place now
for the gutter-bred girl. 1t is the girl OF
, refinement and culture, the girl with a
home and family, the girl who wants TO
earn a little pin money" who goes into
the chorus. The majority of parents no
longer raise the objections of former days.
and the daughters of clergymen. lawyers.
doctors, and, in fact, of all branches OF
professional and business men. find their
way into the ranks.
For the most part they are quiet girls.
whose horizon is not clouded by visions or
champagne suppers and garters with dia-
mond buckles on them. A great many OF
them enter the ranks in order that they
may learn to dance, and others use the
chorus as the stepping stone TO a higher
musical education. For a few years, rem
rants of the seasons matrimonial market
endeavored to secure spouses by entering
the theatrical profession. but as nine out
of ten of the marriages contaminated in
this way resulted In hopeless family en-
tanglements. this class of chorus girl Is
rapidly disappearing.
Strange as the fact may seem. there are
not enough chorus girls to supply the pres
ent demand. That is to say. there are not
enough dCCCpldOlC OlAC lOA taCi &c AN
chorus becomes a more and more important
element in the production Of stage spec
tacles, the audiences expect more from
them and the demands of the managers in
crease proportionately.
KEEP GETTING BIGGER.
Not long since a chorus of twelve was
considered large, and an aggregation OF
twenty-five was something TO wonder at.
-ro--.aors ua~4,- Ave ofrls scare ~ouoI
a chorus, and a glance at the following
table of figures will suffice TO show the
reader why there is a dearth of good chorus
material. Among the shows that are on
the boards to-day there are a number which
boast of very large choruses. "A Chinese
Honeymoon" has eighty girls. 1.-The Defend
er" sixty and 1.-The Wild Rose fifty. There
are sixty girls in the Weber and Fields
chorus, and sally in Our Alley utiIizes
fifty. The ROBBERS Brothers have sixty. and
Jerome Sykes, in THE Millionaire as
many more. 'The Liberty Bellies company
is almost all girls. and 'Ben-Hur' and
1.-The Sleeping Beauty and the Beast re-
quire about 80 girls apiece, while sixty
support Lulu CHASER. There are one hun
dred in when Johnny Comes Marching
Home" and about sixty in "Th Toreador."
II DAO0O nave AS'At
three hundred. Besides these there are the
Savage companies. comprising the grand
opera in English, two King Dodo's." tho
prince of Pilsen'' and the sultan Of
Sulu," which utilize about five hundred
girls in their choruses. and there are sew
eral other musical organizations which are
not mentioned here.
Every manager has his own peculiar idea
of what the up-to-date chorus Girl should
be. and he has a certain method of pro-
cedure when he is trying out" the talent
offered him. There are four necessary quail
tiles that a chorus girl must have. accord
ing TO Mr.. George W. Lederer. THE first 10
beauty. the second Is beauty. the third 10
voice. and the fourth Is beauty
Mr.. Lefingwell. who selects the girls for
the Savage companies. once Remarked:
1.-THE three necessary qualifications for q
chorus girl ought 10 be voice. face and
figure. I'm the order named. and in the Saw
age companies the voice does come first.