The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-02

by george Henry Faynes
NEW YORK. Sept. lone by one they
have folded their tents, group by grouI
they are gathering at the ferry houset
and railway stations. and over the striI
of Broadway that is called the Rlalto-
that White Light thoroughfare that fo
q month they have made populous-ther'
settles an unwonted calm.
Twelve thousand strong, these hopefu
representatives of tho histrlonic art are
prepared 10 fall upon the country West
South and North. All during the ho'
month of August they have worked un
ceasingly, learning new steps, inventine
new tricks, studying new and old roles
and today the Official opening, one might
say. Of the theatrical season Of 1s06-e7
they go forward prepared TO reap their
reward.
Be gentle with them, therefore, all ye
who live ON the highways and byways
Of the theatrical country; give them at
least applause for their poor but honest
efforts. even II you give them not that
which they appreciate even more.
Ye critics, who mark. the passage from
East to West, from North to South. try
TO be generous and understanding OF all
the preparation and inspiration that lies
back Of Violet Sassafras when she
says. "My lord, the carriage waits and
pass not slIghtingly over the way Clar-
ence Grifkins declaims, 1.-The man who
would lay his hand on n woman except
in the way of kindness" etc.
Only en- approximation can be made
Of the number OF theatrical ventures that
are starting out In this month OF Sep
tember with the hopo Of furnishing
amusement to the eighty millions OF the
country Those on record form COM
parativeIy small percentage Of those that
go unrecorded playing one night stands
year in and yenr out. New York with
It's sixty-nve theaters In two boroughs-
Manhattan and the BronX-rcpresents
but a very little portion of what is going
on in the theatrical world, although II
assumes an Importance that theatrical
people OF the country, rather than the
thcntergoers OF the country, are inclined
to indorsc. ....--
.'One reason why New York Is a great
theatrical town. said a Southern visitor
recently. is due TO the fact that there
is nothing to do in New York but go to
the theater or go crazy" aud only 10 per
cent of the population go TO the theater.
Theatrical managers throughout the
country watching New York take more
stock In the yerdicts that are passed here
on theatrical productions than DO the
people TO whose tastes they cater. That
fetish-a long run In New York City
throughout the country and New York
is beginning to be blamed for the con-
coctions of managerial enterprise that
the rest Of the country has no taste Tor.
Producers Of plays who have asked for
a New York verdict and got it-not eN-
actly in the terms that hey wanted
point with some qualification to the lact
that many a good play that the New
Yorker turns away from can go into
,,.hor Ia
at theatrical expertness and more gen.
uine culture and be well received,
But. II the judgments OF New York on
shows thai are wrong In many instances,
If it laughs at and encourages what the
rest OF the country may find vulgar and
cheap: and if II condemns and sniffs al
what other cities find serious and inter
esting, rather should 1T be pitled than
condemned, for with the nervous tension
incident to some sixty-nve theaters
spawning theatrical efforts weekly. there
is bound to arise more or less intellec-
tual and critical astigmatism.
And however badly it may do it, stand
Ing at the theatrical gate OF the nation
with a club IN one hand and hatche'
in the other to protect the country, II
at least is ever vigilant, and IL all ye
who condemn us for our bad taste ant
worse manners find that our work is moi
well done; II ye nre angry and abusive
1 over what Is approved and passed on
ye should also think in Christian spirit
II how much we save you by the thing.
L that are not passed on.
The number OF new plays produced las
year In this country was siXty-two, thir
H ty-nine OF which were by American au
\ thors and the rest by foreigners. Abou
Il the same number is promised for til,
l coming season, and the same percentage.
4 will, in all probability, hold There arr
about one hundred flrst-class companies
| lrst-class In the financial sense-far b,
| IL frcm any one TO insist that they are al
\ hrst-class artistically. All of these ar
headed either by star OF sufficient i'm
| portance or by leading man or LEADING
| woman OF enough prominence to maxi
| the movements of these companies In
! teresting generally.
In telling of their plans no attempt 4
\ made to make q roll OF honor-they ar
| set down simply in the groups into whicl
| they are naturally divided by managerial
| divisions
4 Probably the most Interesting phas
| OF Charles Frohman's activity is tha
\ which concerns his plans for his TIVE
1 leading stars--Maude Adams and Johl
| Drew-and his most interesting author