Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-16

strictly enforced In the New York thea
ters from now on. and that the standing
room only signs might Just as well be
used now for kindiing wood as at any
other time.
In tho meantime the vaudeville houses OF
New York have been going right along
without any inter mission whatever In their
prosperity. Vaudeville parties are grad
uaily becoming the fashion among persons
OF n class who never went in for that sort
of thing before. and In consequences there
are indications OF a soOn-to-be general
scramble on the part of many legitimate
actors and actresses to "enter yodeville.
as they Phrase IL There are going TO be
some stage fgurantes on the vaudeville
stage next season-tiey have already signed
the conifactS-who, had they been even
Jesitngiy accused year ago of even enter
tanning such an idea. would have famed
in'o immediate wrath. Now they are fren-
Zieily casting about FOR suitable sketches
snd 'monologues' for their new and not
altogether voluntary field of theatrical en-
deavor, and. Ito take the sin off OF it,"
they are somewhat apologetically telling
their colleagues who are determined to
stick to The legiL"-iT they can-how much
better off they are going ~ be at the be id
of little ''vodeviile' companies c: their own.
getting the "hsg money" Ok the headiners.
even II they viii be required to do their
two day.
Trouble to Get Proper Material
Many of these have already been con-
able material for vaudeville Appearances
1t looks like singularly easy matter fol d
person of any sort of literary ability and
dramatic instinct TO write q neat and ac-
ceptable sketch" for a "headlner" of the
vaudeville stage. but 1T isn't. if the ac-
counts of a large number of unusually
clever persons who have tried II are to be
believed
A very well-known American actor. who
in former years n matinee idol of the
legitimate stage, and is now very capable
and highlypaid performer of vaudeville
sketches, WAS conyeTSng on this subject
the other day.
''Take the sketch am hard-faced enough
to accept real money for doing now, for
the picturesque language habit. IT'S
horrible, isn't 1t? l know that IL Is. It's
putrescent. It's the worst ever. 1t gags
me even to think of II, much less to have to
maunder through 1t twice day. But its
the best / can get, and l perpetratsd it
myself. at that. It's the most perfect bald
erdash that be imagined, and | speak.
as 1 say. with first-hand knowledge. for
I dubbed the abomination together my
self. did that as a last and final resource.
too. ! had been to scores of first-rate
writers in this country, begging them to
fix me up decent vaudeville sketch. and
offering them good fat lump sum and a
more than decent share of the royalties IL
they succeeded in fitting me. Lots of them
tried it, The hand-me-downs that they
turned out were simply unspeakable, i'm
possible from every point of the compass.
And they were all clever people, too, ap-
proved writer's of short stories and longer
fiction that is known all over the land.
Plant Of the Monologists.
The notable ''monoiogists'-accent on the
second syllable, please-of the vaudeville
stage make similar complaints as to the
dearth Of now material for their acts
I'll be going back to the almanacs OF the
Eos and COS presently for my wit and hui
NOR II don't get hold of some funny writ
ing person who can write things that will
sound funny when uttered in front of a
DROP, said one of the distinguished yaude-
vile 'monologists" while ago. In COM
planning OF the lack of fresh stuff" Some
how another, none of the professional
funnyists seem to be able to connect when
1t comes to writing funnyisms for the man
in front of stage curtain to say to an au-
dience. There are lots of them who have
the knack of expressing things in type that
evoke laughter on account Of their quaint
ness or dryness or righteousness, but very
few OF them are able to put words into the
mouth Of q 'monologist that are not cal
culated to make an audience long.to be out
in the open air"