The Washington herald., 1906-12-09

TO see them. With a return TO such con-
ditions as we had in the middle sos. it
is to be feared there will be a mighty
trying crisis in the theatrical business in
the metropolis. It's expansion in the last
ten years hasn't been normal or healthy.
II has been forced and unwarranted.
Angels have lit in fiocks along Broadway,
or tried TO light, but usually got caught
up before they hit the pavement. Money
10 finance wildcat theatrical enterprises
has been too easy. When the pinch
comes legitimate business will suffer IN
the reaction against this wild prodi-
sality.
Speaking of people in the amusement
line who have big incomes, but seem 20
banker for bigger ones, there's John
Philip Sousa. His income must be SO
large that he is in position to lie back
and do only those things he really wants
to do, and do them so weH that his
own conscience and intelligence viii tell
him he can do them no better This
heing true, why on earth did Sousa per
NIT himself to compose the music for
such a libretto as Harry y. Smith has
jumbled together under the name Of ''The
Free Lancer" Putting respectable music
to a dull. stale. pointless mess Of this
sort is like enmeshiug secondhand
stoneware cup In silver fligree. Sousa's =
music wouldn't make the thing a 90.
catchy as some Of the music is. Only
the foolery Of Joseph Cawthorn and his
co-laDorers-they have to work and work
hard, all right-has kept "The Free
nm Fsas.rH in ..Ts4. rTs.tF F....
As frequently remarked In times past
by quite a respectable number of more
OF less keen observers. the very. greatest
of men will make mistakes now and then.
the very wisest say things that. if not
actually foolish. might better have been
left uHSaid There's that great man OF
the theatrical business world. Charles
FTohman- How great and wise and alto
gether wonderful a person he is a
brigade of intelligent, conscientious. and
well-trained press agents can and most
eagerly viii testify. His many-sided
greatness is proclaimed from 1000 bill
boards. on which are smoothly and
artistically pasted the documents whereby
he presents 10 thoroughly d0mesticated
theater- going public bis long string Of
successful plays and players. But great
ness should take itself and its output Sc
riously. Atlas should not juggle with the
globe, tossing IL bltthesomeIy UP into
utorstelIar space by "a hunch of his huge
shoulders, and then. dropping nimbly on
his back and pushing his feet straight
into the face of heaven. catch it on them
D.
whiriiUg by the alternating impact Of his
soles. This would create the impression
that Atlas job was by no means the un-
speakably OnerOus one legend suggests,
but was in reality dead easy for him.
whatever 10 might be for light-weights
Ike Hercules or Samson. Besides. il
might make the Wretchad inhabitants Of
the globe more rattle-bTained and sea
sick than they are under existing COndi-
tiOnS of relative StCadiueSs. Charles
Frohman ought not To speak so lightly
gayly, near-cOntemptu0usly of his Ma
pOleOnic role as a world power I'm play
production. Listen TO what he said the
other day before sailing for Europe on his
annual business s-and-pleasure tour. IT am
going 10 London 20 make at least twelve
productions Of all kinds of plays-pays
with Americans. plays without Americans.
EiHNG ~ amer li'fiitS. pays llDl 1N AIltfI-
cans English. French. and German plays.
plays with music and plays that have no
music; productions in Paris and in some
other countries"
Now this is the sort of talk one might
expect from a man about To cross the
pond TO play a series Of games Of bridge
whist. OF run Il series of automobile
races. or do something else Of a light and
frivolous character. II suggests that
serious preliminary study and thought
are not essential to the intelligent pro
duction Of plays; that it is all merely "a
matter Of engaging theaters and actors,
ordering scenery made and painted. de
Gliding when to use the spotlight. and
then rehearsing. Think Of the late Au-
gUstin DAILY OF Sir Henry Irving remark
ing that they were about TO take a few
weeks off for the purpose OF making a
dozen productioust With those great and
ardent and conscientious cultivators of
stage art, TO make production was 70
make history. They approached the task
with seriousness. for they took their art
seriously. To them il was by no means n
matter of money making pure and sim
pie. They had deep love for it: they
had pride in it, The failure Of one OF
their productions didn't mean to them
merely the loss of so much in time, cos
TUNES, and scenery. 1t meant personal
disappointment and humiliation. for they
gave long study to a play before they de
clded to produce it and convinced them
selves not only that it was likely 10 be a
popular success. but that it had real
merit But things are nightly changed
in the stage world. and Mr.. Frohman's
remarks reveal both the cause and the
effect Of the change. MAURICE SPLAIN.