The San Francisco call., 1904-06-03
London TheGfcr NaSdnceS.

Q HENRIETTA STREET. CONENT
GARDEN. LONDON. May 22.-Since
Sir Charles Wyndhan was practically
.'booed" of his own stage the other
evening. Il is being declared on every
hand that something must be done 70
check this peculiarly British means OF
expressing disappr0val in theater
Probably nothing actually viii be done
The 'pit-queue" has been threatened
many times with abolition. likewise
The custom cf charging for pro-
grammes-not 10 mention the censor
ship and the thester dinner that re
suits in fashionable folk arriving in
the middle Of the first act; yet all
these draw backs 10 play-going in Lon
don we still have with Us. However
II is rather amusing to compare the
various opinions that have been OF
fered on this pOrtentous subject since
the affair at Wyndham's. What is the
origin Of the boo" as an uncompli-
mentary manifestation no one seems
to know. but il is a rare thing for
fhe final curtain TO fall on a London
production without some bOos being
heard. And when the pit and gallery
are really on the war-path, the bovine
sounds that come from them are alb
solutely deafening. The boo" how
ever. may mean anything. Some Of the
"boo-ers" arrested at Sir Charles
AVyndham's playhouse the other night
declared that although they disliked
Arthur Laws new play. The Bride
and Bridegroom" most heartily, they
made a row because an actress who
had pleased Immensely in Wyndham's S
previous production was not re-en-
Gagged. The fact that it is booed"
doesn't necessarily mean, either. that
q play is doomed William Gillette had
e lot Of this sort of thing TO face on
the first night OF sherlock Holmes
in London, but he played il at the
Lyceum for nearly twelve months.
Perhaps il should be observed that
some "boO-ers' boo" as a matter OF
conscience. 1t is a London first night
custom TO "dead-head" all Of the house
except the pit and gallery. The ear
nest students of the drah-ma" seated
fn these parts declare that the stalls
and dress circle are in duty bound
10 applaud a piece whether il be good
. or bad, so II the pit and galleries deem
a play to Re the latter t-e believe
in voicing their opinion as loudly as
POSSIBLE in order that the dramatic
critics may not be able TO write that
the piece was favorably received.
BY the way. The writer's on theatri-
cal matters are largely to blame for
the abuse, greater even than "booing," q"
that has sprung up in London lately
For some time, mixed up with the
"boos," there have been expressions Of
opinion shouted from the gallery and
these some Of the critics have been
foolish enough TO quote. AS a conse-
Quence there is reason for believing
that the kind Of Jibes with which
Wyndham was literally deluged the
other night are now delivered by their
authors for the simple purpose of get
ting into the papers'-a tendency
which the following skit, published the
ether day, hits off rather amusingly:
IN THE PLAYBOOERS' CLUB.
Tom: 1t was epoch-making, I tell
yer WhatTl yer ave to drink?
Dick: Small Bass. please. say, the
papers ave done me proud. Ell?
Harry: 'Ow dyer mean?
Dick: Why, don't yer remember me
csllin' out, 'Ow about organized ap-
plausey" They've all got that.
Tom: And yelled out, We want ter
get ter bed" It's in all the papers.
Harry: OF course you did. an so
did. /
Tom: You cid?
Harry: Didn't yer 'ear'me2 'eld my
'ands like that and 'ollered fer all
was worth.
Dick: Com, of. You didn'. ave a
line IN the papers after Alexander's
show.
Tom: Didn't u 90 said, Keep
your air on" then?
Dick: 7 dunno.
Tom: They 'ad it in the Telegrawf.
anyway.
Managers, however, have the remedy
for this sort OF thing in their own
hands. They could SNUFF it out by the
simple American expedient Of number
ing the seats in the gallery and selling
tickets for them just as they do for
the other parts Of the house. Then
II would be simple enough to identify
boo-ers and other noisy rufians and
refuse to admit them after one o--ense.
AND this would also do away with the
queues OF people waiting in all wealth
ers for the gallery and the pit. Here
tOfore. however, the proprietors Lon
don theaters have been too penurious
10 inaugurate such a reform
Belasco and Longs Darling Of the
CSds" is about TO be withdrawn at His
Iajesty's Theater, where it Will have
been played for about $50 nights Tree
viii follow II with several Shakespear-
can revivals, by means of which he
expects to finish up the season.
At one Of the chief London music
halls a Kings protege is to appear
next week. This is Yyonne Lamor,
who is Of Spanish-ITish extraction, and
who viii give a sort Of musical mono
logue. Nile. Lamor's kingly protector
was, not Leopold, this time. but the
ill-fated Alexander OF Servia. When
the actress was a girl the monarch
came TO see her frequently at her faith
er's house in Madrid, but never al
lowed. her 10 suspect his true rank.
Finally, with her fathers consent. he
sent her 70 the Paris Conservatoire
and then 10 Frankfort and Vienna. But
never, until in company with her faith