The Washington herald., 1907-05-19

N
/ soon as an actors girth begins to expand
and a fold or two is seen about the re-
/ gion Of his chin, he has outlived his use
/ fulness as "A leading mana misnomer.
by the way, for Juvenile, by the same
token that we call a barber "a tousorial
artist and address a chiropodist as
| doctor"
Then begins a skirmish for his success
sor He must be young and handsome.
and he must appeal 20 the female heart
/ in front-Call it magnetism II you like
even If his acting is nothing TO boast Of
Strange as it may appear, the combina-
tion is far more rare than II seems, and
the ideal leading man is as hard 10 find as
a tenor. He belongs 70 the ephemerides
and his artistic life is comparatively brief
Now when q manager looks over the
/ list Of characters for his new play and
decides that he must have a leading man
who not only looks heroic, but who can
act little as we'll rs pose finely. he is
as they say on Broadway. up against il
good and hard
The New York favorite has an he can
DO these days considering the hattering
offers that are made him by the rival
vaudeville combinations who are COM
PEELED 20 fin their houses with attractions
next season. From $50 his salary has
SCARED to-any figure you like He has
an offer 70 60 into "vOOdeville" with a
sketch. and he Is In no hurry to sign. d"
/ OF course, be hasn't vet got the sketch.
but that viii come. He is reading doz-
on day. He can afford 70 laugh az an
offer Of 500 a week.
And that IS the situation az. managers
find it as they 60 into the highways and
byWays In search of talent. II is not only
the leading man. bur the comedian and
Tie character actor. and the leading lady
and the ingenue and the old man and the
old woman, who feel their heads buzziug
with extravagaut offers 70 60 into vaude-
VILE.
l know one manager who teIsphonel
90 a fairly well-knOwn young leading man
an offer Of fine part In new play.
What's your salary he asked
My salary is $40 a week with a guar
anty Of fifteen weeks. was the prompt
reply.
The msa1ger dropped the telephone and
INDUCED En- copious drafts of-vichy and
ammonia AZ a nearby dispensary 10 re-
cover his senses Later he remarked.
II 1 have 10 go the limit I'm going
him fifty better and break into the
market with an offer of $500 a week for
leading man and the same for a heavy.
but II l pay that price I'm going 10 get
somebody like John Mason. who can
act For season OF fifteen weeks. this
is az the rate Of $1,000 a year, with
twelve weeks for recreation and study
Yet the government has paid its legisla-
tors only $500 a year. down to a few
months ago.
This IS the situation that confronts
managers to-day. The effect Will be
what2 Lawrance DOrsay is going into
vaudeville, and scores OF others will de
sert the legitimate boards The vaude-
vile manager can afford TO pay phenome-
nal salaries because he has no productions
10 make, and takes no chances. He
furnishes the theater and what belongs
% H. and nothing else. and he expects
his high-priced headliner % draw more
ttat-a4 NaAf A-ft'la-. ne k-t t-alll- " NIleE
the producing manager has TO invest all
the way from $4,000 90 &g1l0 in a pro-
dVCti0n If IL Is to meet popular demand
No wonder Mr.. Frohmau announces
that De is trying to induce French actors
% learn English. 20 replensh the eX-
haustzd supply OF native talent for the
Engiishman has awakened % the oppor-
tunities which American managers have
---HEe r-r=-flf.
came over here TO play for SluJ a week.
now demand 500 and more.
And the effect has been still more far
reaching. Vaudeville sketches, which
were a drug on the market. have sud
denly scared in price.
wrote about the success OF Arnold DAILY
i'm a little playlet called The Flag sta
ton Il was written by an English
man, who was probably rejolced to get
it produced at any price, The piece made
a hit and Daily who controls il. now
asks $50 royalty q Week-but reserves
the right to appear i'm it himself in New
York. Chicago, Philadelphia. ana several
other large cities. This royalty is for
territory where lie is not scheduled 10
play it himself
This | will say for Daily in this con-
nection, that, unlike others. he had the
far-sceing Judgment % try ont now pieces.
and that he has hit it is the reward of
his energy.
Manager Joseph Luckett was in New
York this week. According TO well-in-
formed sources. he came to look into the
rumors that the Columbia, Theater i'm
Washington is 70 be converted into a
vaudeville house. Just what the result
Of his visit was I am not i'm a position
to tell but It is understood that ne was
reaSsured regarding the future of the
Columbia. which sent him home in a bot
ter mood than he came II this is true
and the Columbia will continue under its
former policy, it is not vet clear al this
end Of the line where the new vaudeville
combination will have its Washington
home Rumors current cross each other
at different points. One story is that
the new Ninth street house may be Sc
cured, or is already under lease. hut
others cling TO the report that the Column
bia will ultimately prove to be the house
selected. Evidently those behind tba
movement are not ready TO disclose their
plans All that l can say is that regular
attractions are being booked for the Co
lumbia for next season as heretofore.
discovered this through, a manager who
assured me he was booked there.
Nine. Oda Nillsen. the Danish actress.
who was heralded like a circus to appear
in ibsen's Little Eylof." at the Carnegie
Lyceum, has made a complete fiasco. and
after one performance gave up the ghost.
The notices of her performances on We'd
nesday morning were so uniformly the
antithesis Of laudatory that the theater
was closed with the announcement that
the actress was prostrated as a result of
the disparaging treatment she had re-
celved al the hands of the critics md n ,,