New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-01-02
THEATRES OF NEW YORK
Visitors from abroad AstOunded at
Their Number-Big Business Done.

II not many years ago when the open
ing Of a new theatre in New York was an event
Now it attracts hardly ripple Of notice. 1t is
as common the sunrise. And yet, in spite of
the great increase in the number Of theatres
new ones still continue to be added. In the year
just past two new houses have been opened in
Broadway. and another in the Long Acre dis
trict is in process Of construction, TO be opened
next September. The two former are the Astor
Theatre, at Broadway and 45th street and the
Lincoln Square Theatre at Broadway and seth
street. The latter is the Stuyvesant Theatre
in West 44th street which will be managed by
David Belasco In addition to these houses
Oscar Hammerstein December 3 opened his
new Manhattan Opera House. in West 34th
street. which will seat 1900 persons and has
added materially TO the musical life of the town
It must not be forgotten. too, that the 1atiron
plot at the northern end of Long Acre Square
has recently been sold for theatre which will
be ready in couple of years. while E. H Soth-
ern will have house in West 10Th street
The result Of all this is that visitors from such
European centres London, Paris and Berlin
are astounded at the number of our places of
amusement London boasts that she has six
teen theatres where dramas of the best type are
presented. And London is still the biggest city
in the world. But we can go London not one
better but dozen better In Manhattan alone
there are now at least twenty eight theatres of
the first class, and though at some of them
musical plays are often presented at all Of them
the serious drama gets a share Of the time. And
10 this number can be added the Brooklyn
houses as purveyOrs Of amusement 10 our popu-
lafiOn Besides these theatres, there are scores
Of vaudeville houses, cheap priced places where
the rnelodrana reigns Yiddish, German and oc-
casionally italian theatres Altogether the
number is over one hundred. It is an astonish-
ing array. ana causes one to marvel where the
people come from to make up the audiences and
where the actors come from TO make up the
companies.
At a conservative estimate. counting in the
Hippodrome the theatres Of New York nightly
hold between 100000 and 100000 men and
women. Now. let set the average at 81 each
for admission, and let say that the season lasts
for go days. If there are 10000 people each
night, then the theatres represent an annual
expenditure on the part Of the New York public
Of S2J,ooO.OO0. AS many OF the vaudeville
houses keep open all the year round, and there
roof gardens and even plays running all
summer, these figures are doubtless Wei under
The actual facts. Perhaps S30,000,o00 would be
more nearly the truth. Out Of this S30,000000
almost ten thousand actors and stage hands
and managers and ticket sellers are supported.
the managers often riding in their automobiles
end owning their houses on West End avenue
and estates in the country The immensely val
uable sites which the theatres occupy show how
profitable they are TO the estates the individ-
tails who own them Theatres like the Casino,
the Herald Square the Victoria the Broadway
ground that is almost golden and yet
with the exception Of the Broadway, which has
few Offices, they receive rent save from the
theatrical attractions on their stages.
There IS but possible conclusion to draw
namely, that New York is the prize Show
town" Of the world. This is not to say that II
has the best plays or is the best Judge of plays
ANY such consideration is beyond the scope of
the present article. II is simply an announce
rnent that New York is more DESTROYS of being
entertained in the theatre, and more ready and
able 10 pay for such entertainment than any
other city II is an announcement that the
purveying of theatrical entertainment here is
business of large proportions. of serious eco
nonnic Importance. and business which might
reasonably be expected to attract recruits.
Yet IL is odd fact that most Of the recruits
for the theatrical business come up out of the
ranks of that business itself; the new man.
ayers OF year the theatrical Office boys
as IL were, of the year before. Here is a business
with no moro risks than g good many others
though the risks great. because nobody can
tell with certainty IN advance when show WILL
please the publc--with the lure OF rich rewards,
with the attractive feature of being related to
be dHe eftaL Of being : oonbfnatlod pR business