The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-04-22
SCENIC EXCESS REACTION.
E. H. Sothern Says Extravaganza in
Productions Is on Wane.

| 7 am quito sure that extravaganza in
stage productions is on the wane and the
public no longer demands the expensive
and elaborate scenery with which 1T has
become familiar in the past fifteen years,
1t has been surfeited. Believe me. sim
plicty will be the keynote Of future plays.
With the immense scenic investitures now
In vogue II requires a tTainload OF cars 10
carry n few productions about the coun-
try, and the expense entaied Is enormous.
Better less elaborate scenery and more
plays.
And. after all. the play is the thing,
not the scenery, and II Is no compliment
TO an actor to feel that an audience has
been beguiled to the theater with possibly
an even greater desire to witness sump-
tuous production than TO study his acting.
Managers. in an effort TO outdo one an
other, have forced extravaganza to the
limit, The Proud Prince" cost me Si1. 900
before the curtain rose on the first per-
formance, and | spent almost as much
money on III | Were King The day of
solid wood trimmings for room Of solid
silver properties, OF the essence of reality
I'm stage furnishings, has reached It's
zenith and we shall now have a change.
There has been entirely too much Of the
reul one OF the most effective scenes I
have ever witnessed was In an Irving pro-
ducton of Don QulXotc.' in which tho
scenery was all painted. with scarcely
trace OF carpenter work / cannot recall
anything moro beautiful-and, surely, fine
painting by the best scenic artists is pref
ernble TO the best OF carpenter work. !
am curious to see IL they VIII not adopt
this method at the National theutcT, In
New York, where they propose TO have a
very extensive repertory. am a hrm be-
lever In the National theater for. while
the stage is thoroughly a matter OF
amusement with the average theater-goer,
still rightly speaking. there Is no more
potent educational force With the regu-
lar manager, naturally enough, as on that
depends his living, the question OF money
must enter largely into the production OF
a play So that, with him, the educational
Idea has much TO contend against This
is where the value of a National theater
would come in. Secure against the on
croaChmeDts OF COmmerCiallSm, IL could
and should be entirely educational, Fur
thermoro, and this is imperative II the
National theater Is TO be an educational
force the prices should be as low II
would be possible 10 charge.
In European cities the government pro-
vides good theatrical entertainment. In
America, the poor people must pay or stay
away. ! have often wished that some ar
rangcment might be made whereby tho
poor could see the better plays In the
larger cities for instance where there arc
parks excelently adapted for tho purpose.
why could not open-air performances be
given OF Shakespeare plays Tor me oene-
fit Of thousands who VIII probably never
otherwise see his dramas? II would not be
necessary that the performances be given
by great or high-priCed players. Tho main
thing would be to famiiari2c the poorer
classes with the great dramatic authors.
The miracle and the morality plays were
originally performed In England on port
able stages. In the public squares, nnd
the players went. as they do I'm these DAYS
from town 10 town. The people sat about
ON the green sward to watch the perform
ances and II Is not impossible TO suppose
that Shakespeare who was a lad of six
teen when the last miracle play was sup
pressed by the archbishop OF York. In
1879 had occasionally been an eager. boy
ish spectator at some OF the representa-
tions-and they undoubtedly influenced
him Young as he VASE. IT Sothern, in
chicago Record Herald