The Washington herald., 1907-12-15
NEW YORK THEATERS.

NEW YORK THEATERS.
Special Correspondence OF The Washington Herald
New York. Dec. l4-These be dun times
for the men of the sock and buskin. How
different a year ago. or even a few
months! The actors millennium had come
The Shubert- -Belasco- -Fiske alliance was
nghting the syndicate and creating COM
petition. Competition meant that some
thing was doing in the actors line, and
he gave himself 20 the highest bidder
The actor became still more insoIent
when Klaw & Erianger opened up a
vaudeville fight with Keith & Proctor.
In order TO ill their houses good actors
We're offered engagements in vaudeville.
and when player could not get the
value Of his own estimate OF himself in
so many shining ducats. he simply had 10
threaten 10 accept tempting vaudeville
engagement waiting for him around the
corner.
Oh. those were halcyon days-days par
tcularly pleasant to look back upon in
times, for they have vanished. First
came the consolidation or merger be-
tween the Shuberts and their old enemies,
leaving only Belasco and Fiske to fight
Tor actors. Then came the retirement Of
Klaw & Erlanger from the vaudeville
field, and on top OF that financial strin-
gency! More swiftly than prosperity had
ever overtaken the actor came disaster
on disaster. And now he is face TO face
with hard times. and tales of hard luck
are reaching Broadway from all over the
country.
In three weeks 120 companies have
closed, and are either disbanded or lying
on until after the holidays They are not
al fy-by-night concerns by any means.
for the list includes The Hypocrltes,
and Virginia Harmed is back TO rest until
the new year. along with others Of equal
standing II is all right IN the cities, but
the one-night stands are showing no dis
elimination in their apathy toward the
drama. and the best are suffering along
with the worst
AS result the market price Of actors
has taken mighty tumble Mind you
l am speaking Of actors Of some reputa-
ton The great army of the half sub
merged is always formidable. and IS only
relatively greater Just now. The strivers
are always besieging managers Offices
and theatrical employment agencies.
whether times are particularly good or
bad. They rarely have an opportunity
10 thrust their insolence upon the men
who have their fate in hand. It IS any
thing to get an engagement with them
Tor they are spuTred by ambition and
realize that they have a position 10 gain
before they can assume the aggressive
The tumble chiefly affects the snug. we'll
groomed, good-looking leading men, who
commanded all the way from so 70 500
a week. year ago. and now are glad 70
get half, and would not be insulted If
they were offered less The entrance 20
vaudeville is barred 20 them, for the
tWice-a-day houses are OveTstOcked with
talent A number of good actors in
money-making sketches have been laid
on Tor no other reason than that vaude-
vile managers have no time TO give them
until there has been a wedding out of un-
desirable material now under contract.
These good-lo0king leading men are much
IN evidence at the Lambs and PLAYERS
clubs these pinching days. where they eX-
change their tales OF hard luck and ad-
ventures on the road, and wonder when
the times VIII change.
The best Of the New York attractions
are only holding their own. This Is In =
relative sense. David Warheld The
Thief" The Merry Widow" ''The Girl
Behind the Counter" and THE War
rens OF Virginia are playing 10 crowded
houses. but the feverish excitement which
80 a l.
theater is leavened with a certain degree
Of conservatism among playgcers, and
the Spectators are heard 20 complain
bitterly OF the few attractions that offer
a field for their enterprise and com
pensate them for standing all day on the
sidewalk in rain and cold TO dispose of
their tickets.
Joe Weber closed his house last Satur-
day night. and the popular Music Hall
viii remain dark for several weeks. When
il reOpens it viii be with a bUrlesque on
The Merry Widow" Truly Shattuck
was engaged to re-enforce the. company.
and her case offers a pathetic commentary
on the situation. She had spent upward
OF $1,000 on new gowns for the perform
ance. When she reported at the theater
the two-weeks notice Of closing stared her
in the face
At Wallack's Elsie Janis closes to-
night and a Night for a Day" is an
nOunced TO follow. At the Lyric Nuvelli
closes tonight in his first performance
Of Macbeth" and his place will be taken /
by The Secret Orchard. overhauled and
newly rehearsed BY Henry Miller. who
has been running over from Philadelphia |
daily, rehearsing here in the day, and ap-
pearing there in The, Great Divide" in /
the evening. The Lancers," with Cecilia 4
Lotus and Lawrence D'Orsay, is a failure
at Days. and Will be taken OF shortly /
John Drew is drawing prosperous run in /
My Wife" with Billie Burke TO a close 4
at the Empire. and Will enter upon his 4
last week on Monday.
No successor has yet beer. announced to ]
The TOymaker of Nuremberg" at the /
GaTrick, but this pretty play failed Of the
success confidently presaged by Mr. FrOh- \
man. Marie Doro is still playing The
Morals Of Marcus" at the Criterion. and
John Mason. in The Witching Hour" al 4
the Hackett, is doing so well that when /
James K. Hackett comes to town in Su-
tro's John Glayde's Honor" he viii not \
be able 10 appear at his own theater. but /
open at Daly's. The date is December 3.
No date has yet been announced for
the termination Of the engagement OF
The Roundup" at the Broadway. and /
Rose Stahl is meeting with good patron
age at the Hudson in THE Chorus Lady"
At the Berkley the short plays were
abandoned this week. and on Wednesday
Candida" was revived. with Margaret
Wycherly in the title role and Arnold