New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-01
WE'RE @sSSyS

Jus, az present, when It seems to be the fashion
%. ell - ,be fortunes made out OF plays perhaps
:. :. not ont OF place to tell os the fortunes
49, 8. not made out OF plays-and this does
30 mean a catalogue OF plays which have
failed m the stage. but description Of how in
,,,,-,e-sb bic PLAYS never the nnehght Al all.
Most OF them II might we'll be said ut the start.
don't deserve to There IS q good deal OF talk
about the slavish adherence OF theatrical managers
70 the beaten track TO the men who have already
written successful plays. II those who raise this
co-7plaiut could read a few score OF the manu-
scripts which come in weekly to the managers
from unknown or untried authors they would talk
much less. The number Of manuscripts
manager receives varies greatly, OF course, with
MS reputation as & producer. There are weeks
when Charles FTohman receives as many hun
dred plays and Mr.. Savage or the Shuberts have
forty or hfty look after IN the space of
time Almost none OF these, OF course, are by es-
tarlished pIaywrights. whose wares usually So
lIcited but one OF them might be the play Of the
decsde Just any American lad may be a future
President Yet the chances for the play are about
as bright for the lad! Those who read the in
flowing manuscripts for any manager will say
from long and bitter experience that not one play
n twenty-five, hardly one II hfry is fit for stage
purposes at all. and not more than one IN a hun
dre6-jf indeed, that's seriously considered for
production This only goes 70 show the extreme
difficulty Of play writing, the peculiar talent and
knowledge required The proportion Of manuscript
stories received by a magazine eOltpr winch Collu
be printed without fear OF making the editor a
laughing stock is much higher The art OF fiction
would seem TO be much easier OF attainment. at
least up a certain point Of literary respectable
fly
The long suffering play reader. OF course does
not read every play through to the bitter end
Often mere glance at the scheme OF It Is enough
For instance the other day play appeared IN q
New-York managers office labelled "A COMEDY
All three acts were laid II the condemned cells
Of 4 prison. An example Of the comedy" may be
drawn from this bit Of dialogue occurring between
The murderers:
First Murderer-Can't you work a political pull
Second Ditto-N5o but tomorrow al L the sheriff
zEiIl have the pull
The play reader decided that the proud author
OF this choice humor must be well educated
Iunatic To ais surprise. he turned out 10 be
sane and valued member Of a stock company Of
good standing Another play. called The Pas
eioua1e Persian Princess which amply lived up
70 its name. as quotations could be brought
e show were The Tribune not printed
O. infar1ulabIe material. got itself read through
because the play reader possessed the normal de-
gree Of masculine curiosity and wanted besides,
10 see how far the playwright supposed an Arneri-
can manager could sink IN the depths. To his
,tre- abatement he later learned that the author
Of the play was not q foolish youth saturated with
cheap French fiction. but q respectable New-Jersey
-rz+ron the fond mamma Of five children He
sskad her Why she wrote such play, and she re
-1sa5 that Z manager had told her q dash OF
snt,e" made a drama more acceptable The play
reader kindly advised her not 10 spill the pepper
box next tine, # she really felt there had to be
5oggb 5he musical comedy ubretto seems TO be
eooaL re -S an 81 me raaIUscrIpts which come
in are % this class the submitted IloreltoS are II
Sa2s tbs IS because they have 70 be written par
tally in verse ne verse "5Hg 81 T -oss The gifT
~ Eric xriTfrE-eveu such = low order OF writing
itSra-trsts are far below Gilbert in The mere mat
Ter Of music 10 say nothing OF Ia1lSE an, anu ee
ecoS--hz1 IS 10 say selected with taste and skill
But he Tsaoer mas S 0n 70 IS fnpossibe some Of
them, indeed not even Tag5!ae com e z,aIT
comic king in q mythical kingdom. tat duenna
s15 = naval Teutenant, who sings a song about the
z-e@lcs1 nag which is referred 10 by the original
epithet Of old Glory The soIneWnst R2i}e5
rlodernity and probantlIty OF the recent ftrg
musical comedies seem not yet 70 nave s=cs1
Ib-o--f 81. There Is a theatrical shoemaker in
New-York who is rapidly losing MS trade oeca1ss
he persists IN {rSn l r 20 SFl r;t{ 70
vaT of course il must he admitted that mana
- ~ 60 5oz,r7s' occasionally good plays.
more Of them than they should perhaps the s1gnt
That Charles Frohrnsn and Others turned down
Arizona is an historic LacL NLliLen M E1an9
f-o17 india p4ddled that farce for seven years
produced anq mage : 19l 1 raferted BY every
copied II " aE LIoWIl f1al = ,-rLs,c No won
der for is ritle was then Annie Laurie me
ST1zbspd Of the author. Lottie Blair Parker; was
erpioved BY NJ Brady, and he finally took The
manuscript TO that manager Mr.. b[aoy 1e So
to read it because II is his rule not 70 encourage
sr,~7 requests by his employees The pay We
[l1er sent 10 him through agency, with
rEa authors name erased. and he accepted it mat
I-ae five wears OF The play Is sun IJl-
Ming The late A NJ Palmer ADVISED 1haE EE-
r7-ol77rsn n accept Leah hIesc1Te- out NJ
57-CE-7sr refused point blank The Climbers was
refused BIZ many managers because OF me Qual,
7itv OF mourning in the first act. and Lover
1are9 also by M Fitch. Cor q long TINE VEN
tazrf-r Augustus Thomas refused 70 dranl<at-zss
.S7SEe Pr because he said II would not succeed
vet THE PIT has made a small fortune IL,
Al n these plays mentioned. however. prooaplIy
eC4 = tborough reading ard consideration al I4@
managers Fewer plays LFl7E llie ptt'-
- 80 been 90 70 suppose are refused ne(au1e
tLe,. are not read. their merits IN paTL
49, - +hzr7 20 begging because they deserve 20
5T-e number Of successful playVrights Is sinai
-ze -Ia number OF who cornoine llleIatE Sh
- (. tro7ledge Of stage requirements WIFI 10
FaeIin for what is dramatic WhaL IS eI io,s
the tnssl ress Formidable than outraged fancy
----,7r,z sometimes ike 70 picture IT.