The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-24
rnn Margetts.
Comic Opera According to Union Rules

lis wan thing to Drisint TO tn public
a musical COMEDY or a light opera, lis
another thing to prisint It accordin' to
tn union rules, which must be done
nowadays to avoid throu5le an insure
the man behind tn ticket his moneys
worth 7 have been asked be an arm
est admirer whether TN labor unions
effect is being felt on th' stage as il
IS IN all other walks az life. 1t is.
Clarence, whOiVer We a-a-dTe. il is No
manager can pull off musical comedy
or a comic opera or even Sunday
school canJata these days without first
dOin business with long line av bus
mess agents. with III accent on tn
business, walkin' delegates, and lOafn'
delegates.
It began with tn stage hands. an
the spirit av unionism has kept on
StretChin' its tintacles across tn sta e
an around III scenery an into tn
dhressin' rooms until now tn beauti-
full an accomplished soprano who con-
descends to play tn leadin' female role
is allowed TO sing only inside tn union
scale. If tn cinthraT board av dill
gates decides tn scale must stop at 4
natural she wud be fined tin days pay
and set back into tn chorus if she were
caught singin uD TO &. You can see
how il is. Clarence.
Whin d bOUld manager with nothin'
but experience an an angel to back
him up sets out to rrojooce a comic
opera it looks like aIsy sailin.
Here" he says. is tn book an tn
music Wen give tn laddybUcks that
wrote 1t , per cent of tn gross, but Vel
do tn 5oOkkeepin'. IT'S d. bad season
fer ladies av tn chorus an We ought
TO get thin cheap. there's so many av
thin Testin'- se1sO1 of 'O6. I suppose
We must have a comejeen av some
sort an I know where I can pick UP tn
lad 7 want. He's with the Holy Show
BurIesquers' just nov. gittin' twinty-
five bucks d week an payin' his own
railroad fares"
Suits for the Throupe.
Good said tn angel who has been
iistin' closely to- see where his money
is gOin' Go out after that fellow
But won't we have to BUY some suits
for tn throUpe?r
DO you mean the costumes % says
tn manager, with foxy wink. Lave
that 20 me. / can break into a ware
house over there that's loaded to the
roof with the most fanciful costumes
ever designed be tn mind av Archie
Gum, an they're lsyin' there. waitin'
tn resurrection day. They're all that
is left av tin or twelve musical shows
that stharted oct with high hopes" he
says. IT can get thin for tn express
sage. almost" he says because tn
lad that owns thin is tired az payin'
storage on thin"
With these few simple words tn
manager proceeds to organize a high
class company be tn simple expeejent
av' teleDhOnin' around to four or five
agents an givin' thin tn glad word.
Sind me some people" he SAYS. "th'
lid is off"
In tn old days. Clarence, that was all
there wGs o tn Dreliminaries. The
people came around an was looked
over and cast for their parts an they
wint back 20 the AUDITORIUM Annex an
studied their paris an came around
and rehearsed until all was well Tn
press agent rot writer's cramD teIIin'
what a great snow it was gCin' to be
an on the happy day av tn Openin'
tn public came around an done what
it thought best with tn finished prod
uct aV the managers mighty mind
Now all is changed. Tn labor union
has placed its clOven hOOf on tn stage
an tn game is ruled from Labor Row.
where the business Jgints come from.
Wnen tn manager now sinds over TO
tn warehouse ami gets a few crates
fIFESC
IS for tn chorus tn wagon is stopped
at tn dure av tn thester.
Summons of the Union.
''Hold!" says an impeeryus voice
Whin tn honest and perspiTin' thruck-
man Unloads tn first box.
What's tn tTOUble?" demands the
who has been staudin' on tn
dark stage with his watch in ais hand
since 9 O'Clock in tn mornin' waitin'
fer tn goods.
In tn name az tn United an Anal
gymated grinder az Stage Hands." he
says. which tn same I have tn honor
to be president av. I forbid tn banns
This here is a nOn-uniOn thruck, an we
can't handle thin boxes"
That's jolt number wan fer tn man
agel. He argues a while. but the lad
with his fOrbiddin' hand in III air is
adymant.
.'They go back, says he. "or this
curtain will nivir rise he says TIL I
manager heaves a deep sigh an or
oilers tn unfair an uespiCyble thruck- /
man 10 take tie stuff back to tn ware /
house IN three or four days he is able /
to get hOuld nv a union thruCk that I
passes inspection an tn stuff is un- /
loaded.
Now" he says to tn angel who has /
been nervousiy peelin' thousand dollar /
bills off his role an passin' thin to rh' /
manage from time 10 time. now Wei /.
get down TO business" he says. Have I
everything squared up with tn union. - /
says he an there'l he no more throu- /
bic.