Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-09-23


ri EW YORK. Sept l9,-rhe man
M ayers OF New York theaters are
| Y In a quandgry to account for
the existing condition of things
which is entirely different from the sit
ultlcn OF any other opening season Of
recent years. Plays have failed TO at
tract favorable attention this fall which
would surely have had a better. recep-
ton In other years Take for instance
the case OF George AIDES new comedy
The Bird Samaritan which VIII close
it career on Saturday night after
TWO weeks stay az the Garden Thea
ter. Nearly everybody who saw
this piece liked u as a whole
Some criticism was leyeled at
the second act, but not enough
TO account for the coldness of the public
who failed utterly to respond But even
II the play had been bad one the fact
would not explain the state of things
that developed on the very first night
one would think new work from the
pen Of George AIDE, with "a long string
OF superlatLye successes TO his cr.dit
would have been sufficient TO draw q
first night audience no matter how poor
the receipts might be afterward. But
the Garden Theater did not sell out for
the first performance OF THE Bad
Samaritan and the Spectators, who
had loaded up IN anticipation Of au
active demand, found themselves I'M
able TO dispose OF any considerable part
OF their holdings. Then ii there had
been general condemnation Of Mr..
AIDES comedy the management would
have telt perfectly satisfied To place
the property on the shelf ana let 10
go at that But It isn't surprising
under the circumstances that Mr.. Saw
age, as well as other managers in
New York, don't know how 90 account
for the apathy Of theater patrons at
this tine. The case Of n. C. Goodwin
In Beauty and the Barge affords an
other example Of the situation that
doesn't seem susceptible OF eXplana.
lions One would naturally think that
a comedian held In such high favor as
Mr. Goodwin would draw fairly large
audiences for week or two IN almost
any sort OF play Yet Beauty and the
Barge possibly by reason Of it's in
tensely English atmosphere new
err had single packed au-
dieuce aand was inc0utlnently
sent TO the discard by Mr. Frohmau,
There are some entertainments I'm New
York, to be sure, that are drawing
crowds but they are few and far be-
tween. one manager with whom / was
talking upon this subject today OBJ
served; There Is 10 doubt In my mind
that the enormous success OF the Hip
podrome is cutting into the business
Of nearly every theater I'm town. Where
from eight to ten thousand persons
a
amusement the other public re-
sorts must suffer u pretty
nearly that extent. Every city has its
thclter-gong population and any en-
terprise that absorbs the attention of
puy considerable portion of this popu-
latlon cuts into the gross receipts OF
It's competitors Any Hippodrome per-
formauce. afternoon or evening, that
IS Witnessed by 1900 or 5000 individuals
may be said TO take away not far from
that number of spectators from the
New York theaters which now more
than ever before will be compelled to
provide the goods In order TO attract
paying receipts, II is all very well
for Thompson and Dundy TO maintain
that the influence OF their Hippodrome
will tend TO make new theater-goers
or to bring back old ones who have
given up the habit for one reason or
another The establishment may in
deed produce this result so far as the
Hlppodrome itself Is concerned but it
isn't going to make patrons for other
places OF amusement, Many hundreds
OF persons go TO tho Hlppodrome over
and over again first to satisfy their
own curiosity and afterwards to show
the institution TO visiting friends, This
IN my opinion Is the real cause Of eX-
istlng stagnation IN New York amuse~
mCnts. the quality Of which Is certain
~ as good as ever before"
The lack Of interest extends even TO
the vaudeville and continuous perform
ance houses, which until the opening
OF the fall season had been patronlzed
so literally as 10 practically establish
the existence Of vaudeville fad. Tho
receipts of these establishments have
dropped to an extent that has alarmed
most Of the managers I'm this particu-
lar field. At Mr. Hammerstein's Vic
turia theater, where Eph Thompson,
the negro elephant trainer made real
sensation the poorest week in many
months has just been recorded, Percy
Williams at the Colonial theater gave