New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-20

'ParsifaT' cannot get without the girls
Think Of a show at the Casino or the Weber
Music Hall without them. 1t would not have
a leg 10 stand on Think of one OF Mr.. Savage
most successful musical comedies without the
charming. fresh young things he provides so
pentifully.
They call US the chorus.
But the principals.
sang Miss Helen Hale in George AIDES Peggy
from Paris" Mr.. AIDE is an obseryant young
mamie knew what he was talking about
Without them we should lose at least eight of
the attractions that Will be shown on Broadway
this week by actual count What would our
stage be without them? Why. 1t would be re-
duced to performances Of the legitimate drama!
Perish the thought!
Such is the Importance Of the chorus girl
What is her actual position. on the payroll. In
the managers estimation, socially? As Tar as
her pay goes, the answer is easy-the average
weekly salary paid TO chorus girls in this city
is SIS. This means in some cases that she
gets SIS a week. in others that she doesn't I.
Lillian Russell said the other day that during
all the time she was with now deIunCt
company she never saw a girl draw her Iu4I
pay. The reason was that the girls were
made TO buy their shoes, tights ana other cos
tune accessories. Not having money TO do this,
IL taken out OF their weekly salary, and Dy
the time their debts 10 the management were
paid I'D new costumes were due! When one
considers that the girls have to rehearse for q
month or so before they begin to draw any
money at all, and further considers the cost OF
living decently in this city, few sad and pal
pable facts regarding the habits Of these girls
off the stage are eXplicabe.
These conditions of course, are not universal
perhaps not even typical now-certainly not Of
the better class Of managers. All the girls, to be
sure work at rehearsal for nothing, and go
through an amount Of physical exertion daily TO
earn their SIS per that would make strong
man hesitate; but such managers as Henry w.
Savage do not compel their girls to pay for any
Of their costumes-the girls get their full pay
eekly. Mr.. Savage, indeed. is at present pay
ing for music lessons for no less than twenty
Ave of his chorus who have given promise or
voices or OF stage talent He looks after their
welfare too when they are In trouble. and prob
ably his left hand could tell his right. if It
wished. Of many trip down into his personal
pocket in response to stories of distress. The
moral is. of course, that if a girl who isn't
afraid OF deadly hard work wants go into a
chorus and get the muniticent sum Of SIS every
week in return for showing the gaping public
the contour of her lower limbs she had best
choose her manager with discretion.
But choice is limited, since the choruses are
SO uany-hence the low scale of wages. doubt
7ess The Sbuber.s recently advertised in Bos-
ION for twelve chorus girls. and the next morn
ing there were seveuty-three applicants waiting
at the theatre. The supply always more than
equals the demand, apparently. in spite or the
enormous number of musical comedies SO II
frequently happens that a giri has to take what
she get Where do these girls come from3
There used to be a regular line OF them, who
reappeared In each new Broadway show; but
hey are gone, the old famjliar-well faces.
Now each manager seeks TO find smallish, slim,
and, If possible, young and fresh girls 10 back
up his sOubreUte and comedian. Mr. Savage
gets most of his girls from music colleges" In
Boston and the Middle West 4 great bulk OF
them are in the chorus with the hope Of thus
advancing TO higher things. Miss Hale,
Wellesley College girl, graduated from his
chorus. But most chOTuses are not COM
posed-rnost chOruses lack the refinement OF
Mr.. Savage's. This Is because the girs come
from lower strata OF social life, and are at
tracted more by the false glitter OF the life than
by legitimate ambition. They are little shop
girls from Boston. PHILADELPHIA Chicago-and.
OF course. Newly rk-thOugh this city furnishes
only small proportion OF the understanding
10 our musical comedy stage-Or the young and
hyaway girls who so familiar on the
streets of the poorer quarters of all cities; not
q bad sort. but ticAIled with the aIluring pros
pect OF a life on the stage. They don't know
what a burden OF hard work they are under
taking, doubtless Their visions are OF dinners
rather rather than Of dance rehearsal lasting
late into the morning.
But the hard work comes. and as always with
hard work comes the need OF relaxation Tn
fortunately, SIS a week relaxation Is hard 10
procure for ones self I'm a big city unless one
Is q student or a disciple of Mr.. Wagner's sim
pie life-and your average chorus girl Is neither.
But she Is pretty. and the invitations come 20
aid and abet her In her search for relaxation.
What follows. or course. depends on the girl.
But when Il is remembered who and what she
is. how hard her labors and how slim her re-
ward how In the realm behind the scenes where
she lives and moves, the ordinary conventions