Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-13

- DINING events cast their shadows
before this week in the shape OF
line Of ticket purchasers that SER
pentined its way from the Belasco
Theater box Office far down the
street and around the corner. The fame
OF THE Music Master has long preceded
1t and the announcement of its coming has
alone proved sufficient to point the fallacy
of occasional complaints by managers that
Washington is but an Indifferent city for
theaters. When 1t likes "A play it welcomes
81 with open arms and open purses. why
1.-The Music Master is such an overwhelm-
ing success Is one of the mysteries. why
an artist such for instance as r. s. Willard
ehould meet with patronage that Is nDerai
but far from mountaineering, while this
little stroke of dramatic pathos, interpreted
by man whose fame but recently rested on
his entertaining gifts as a comic character
impersonator stampedes the public to the
doors of the theater. is one of the marvels
of the stage. There Is a reason for 1t, but
It rests away down deep in some psyche
logical law that has not yet been fully
revealed.
In Pittsburg. a town that is much like
Washington in that comparatively small
population affords remarkably large and
reliable theater clientele, similar scene
has been going this week. The appear
ance of Richard Mansfield in Peer Gynt'
was the occasion of a demand for seats
which provoked conditions that seemed al
most To threaten riot and which called for
especial attention on the part of the police.
1t is the publics way of saying, Give
us the kind Of shows like and we will
throw money at you. We know oranges
from lemons and are willing to pay the
difference in price
This difference in price should. however |
be collected 10y means of increased at |
tendance and not by raise in the tariff |
for seats There are strong temptations
for ticket spectators to forsake their ac-
cus,omed haunts on Broadway and go into |
the provinces. Washington has. as a rule, |
been free from ticket spectators. Multi |
farioUs as the capital city's experiences with |
underground iinancicrng have been. this |
is one form of graft that it has in large |
measure escaped.
That Mi Belasco and the Schuberts fear |
the ticket Spectator even as the dove !
fears the serpent may he set down in print |
without the formdiity of personal interview.
Every New York manager hates him, yet |
he hourishes and has even permitted scan
dalous insinUatiuus to go forth that he en-
joys a certain degree of protection and |
patronage from the management itself. The
art of the theaIsr is essentially one of dis |
stimulation.
Yet ticket speculation is hard 10 regulate.
\ hundred OF so of men in line each day,
permitted to purchase half a dozen seats
each. can control very considerable por-
tion of u the1ter's seating capacity.
Mr. + s Willard is dominated as much
10y ar istic purpose and as little by consd- |
,rations Of commercial advantage any |
actor who speaks English. His Colonel |
Ncwcome" was obviously Tabor of love; |
an effort inspired by an artists sympathy, |
not only by the higher expressions of art,
hut 10y the higher types of humanity.
Tom Pinch" is another character whose
lovable quality is its greatest charm. In |
the opinion of many people this role is the
most delightful in the Willard repertory.
What a rebuke there is 10 the indiscrimi-
nate opponent of the sO-Called book play
in the list of great stage representations
that have been culled from the works of
Charles Dickens, Pleasant memories still
linger Of LOtta's dainty approximations in
Little Nell and the Marchoness;' of w.
]. Florence as "Cap'n Cutie" of Joseph |
jefferson as Caleb Plummer. And what
a grucsome procession of Bill and Nancy
Sykes have trod the boards. There is
natural relationship between the play house
and the library which no amount of arti-
fee in the way of scenery and song can
obliterate.
Chauncey Olcott has a place Of his own
in the hearts of the public. Sedate and
solemn criticism is wont to regard him
with patronizing indulgence, but he pro-
vides entertainment OF kind that leaves
no unpleasant impressions of any sort. 1t
is good, wholesome entertainment, an APP !
peal TO genuine sentiment
Henry Z. Dixey might be called the |
Ponce de Leon of the drama if Ponce de |
Leon had found the secret of eternal youth !
The difference is that Dixey has somehow |
managed to discover it,
PHILANDER JOHNSON. |