The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-21

Opera House. New York. and she will surely
present Twelfth Night" in this city dur
ing the spring.
So far as Chicago is concerned the the
atrical season is dead. Several of the more
prominent theaters have reopened their
doors, but they are not doing the business
expected. Even Sir Henry Irving has failed
to draw large audiences. The new laws in
sisted upon by the Chicago authorities are
working extreme hardships on theatergoers
and are making playgoing more of danger
than it has ever been before. The regua-
tions formed by the authorities necessitate
the opening of flues in the theaters that
form draft such as threa tens every per-
son in the first four or five rows of the
parquet, to say nothing Of the actors on
the stage, with pneumonia. 1t is said that
under present conditions 1T is impossible to
make the theaters comfortable for patrons
during cold weather and so the playgoers
are staying away. No other city in the
world has such theater ordinances and it is
little wonder that Sir Henry Irving became
sarcastic the other night when he alluded
to the course pursued by the powers that be.
7
1t is said in New York that theatrical
salaries are TO be cut in a startling manner
next season. The newly-formed Theatrical
Managers Association had this idea in mind
when ii organized, it is believed feeling
that the salaries paid were out of all pro-
portion to the services received. and the
various managers have acted almost unan-
imously in deciding that in the future the
actor or actress who rates his or her serv-
ices above the four-fgure mark will either
be without work or in other business. Men
who have been drawing $3.50 week the last
few years will work for S4G0. even less
and light comedians who have been receiy-
| ing $3.50 will take half that amount or have
no engag ements. Other salaries will be re-
duced in proportion. In many cases, the
managers assert. productions that might
have been classed as successes if given time
have been taken off the stage before they
| nave had a fighting chance, owing to the
| enormous salary lists.
"a Chinese Honeymoon" celebrated its
9S5 performance in London last week 1t
thus ecipsed the run of the late Alfred
Celiers comic opera. Dorothy" by several
| nights. London distances all other cities
of the world in the matter of the length Of
successful engagements. and Frank Cur
zon, the producer of "A Chinese Honey
MOON" may well feel proud of the career
OF his Offering While this piece now holds
the championship belt far as concerns
musical entertainments, it is quite q way
behind the famous run of the drama, "Our
| Boys" which was acted consecutively 1852
| Charles Aunt" which went as far as
1906 performances at one theater.
:
The curious fact has leaked out that over
| twenty drama tizations of Wagner's opera,
'Parsifal" have been made in New York
alone, and submitted TO managers for pro-
Guction At least a half dozen of these
have been accepted. and one manager an
! nounces that he intends to present "Parsi-
| feI In the one-night stands and advertise
| his route with three sheets. showing the
| climaxes OF the play. The number of plays
| onered 10 managers nowadays is aston
| ishing. One New York manager says that
| he now has enough manuscripts on hand
| TO paper good-siZed fat
| Sydney Brooks. writing in Harper
| Weekly contends that American theatrical
| managers have something to learn from
their English contemporaries when it comes
| 10 the safety OF playhouses. Saws Mr..
Brooks: There is getting away from
| the fact that your London theaters are the
| safest In the world. Year after year I'm
that city more than 800 places of public en-
| tertainments are licensed by the London
! Common Council-theaters, music halls,
| concert halls. etc. and not in q single one
| OF them has a death been caused by fire
J .ar rc""'y fifty years