The Washington herald., 1907-03-17

and even the country weekly now finds
space for a theatrical letter from New
York. 1t is evident, therefore, that here
is an institutiOn that is working to some
end in shaping American life: its morals
and manners. \ great play is a great SER
mon, for while. If it is great, 1t is founded
on life and "hClds the mirror I'D TO ma
ture" il presents life, through the art Of
the dramatist and the skill Of the players.
with all those shades and contrasts and
analyses which the average playgoers are
not able 10 deduce from life as il is lived.
More and more the theater is coming 10
be a great moral force; its function is not
primarily TO entertain. to amuse, 20 dis
tract from the cares that infest the day
it is to teach. and II does 1t subtly and
none the less effectively because the les
son is interesting.
But one must not decry even the theatri-
cal entertainments that are built and
produced solely for the purpose Of enter
tanning. for these have a decided use.
Vaudeville, which is becoming more and
more popular. aud which, day after day.
is attracting more and more high-class
actors to its stage, comes in this cate
CORY. These entertainments attract
thousands Of people who, If they did not
have a bright. luxurious theater to go
to, would find their amusements else
where, and would. in all probability. fare
worse. It has been said with some truth
that without the theaters such cities as
London. Paris, and New York would have
to double their police forces after night
Vaudeville has made such strides in the
last two or three years that it is not sur
prislng to find that the leaders Of the
theatrical syndicate are entering the field
Abe Erlanger frankly says. My asso-
ciates and myself are going into vaude-
vile because il is without doubt The most
profitable branch Of amusements with the
least risk. The vaudeville manager fur
nishes nothing 20 the public but the thea
ter and what is called q scene in one.
That scene may cost S100 or $500, and Il il
is street scene with an advertisement on
il the manager makes a profit on the
scene, coming in direct connection with
the newspapers as advertisers
He shows that the actors who use
special scenery carry II themselves; the
entertainment the vaudeville manager
gives is Independent of him and beyond
his control, except IN the arrangement
Of the programme The performer takes
the risk Of staging and putting on his own
act. and If il does not suit the public
it is only the actor who loses. Mr.. Err
ianger contrasts all this with the case OF
the producing manager. who expends from
$4,000 10 100000 before he raises his cur
tain He Is responsible for the actors
for the scenery. for the play. and when
he produces it he is subjected TO a criti-
clsm much harsher than any vaudeville
show is obliged TO suffer II he has one
or two features in his expensive show
that do not suit, the whole play falls to
the ground while in vaudeville. If there
is one bad act it can be at once eliminated.
and the show go on as before. without
loss.
These facts are very fairly stated by
Mr.. ETlangeT who has made a fortune
out Of the other branch of thcatricals. Il
viii be mighty interesting TO note in tho
season TO come what viii be the result
OF the incursion into the vaudeville field
of klaw, ErlaHger. ct al.
Very interesting in many aspects must
have been the revival Of Bernard Shaw's
Mrs. Warren's Profession" at the Man
haitian Tneater, New York, a week ago.
The play. although Mr. Shaw himself in
cluded it in the list of his Unpleasant"
plays is not. as so many who have not
read it believe it to be. an immoral play
When Arnold DAILY started to produce il
last season at the Garrick Theater. If was
stopped by the police. and this gave IL un-
pleasant notoriety. but the fuss was not
caused by Shaw's play. but by the press
agent Press agents are often RESPONSE
Die. IN their efforts 20 create a sensation
for the damning Of a play or Of a player.
one Of the highest-salaTicd press agents
in the country was engaged for Mrs. Pat
rick Campbell when she revisited this
country after long absence, and It was he
who was responsible for the fame OF the
poodle, Pinky-Panky- Poo. and il was "a
trick Of the press agent which caused the
street in front of the theater to be COW
cred with tan-bark so that the actress
nerves might not be shattered by the noise
Of passing vehicles. Both the dog and the
tan-bark made good newspaper stories,
rivaling Anna Held's alleged milk-baths.
but they served 10 make Mrs Campbell.
who is clever artist and can appeal on
her merits alone SO ridiculous that IL
really hurt, instead Of helped business
throughout the country.
It was another press agent thinking ne
was doing smart trick who went around
New York telling everybody how saIacious
the "Sapho" OF Olga Nethersole was. in
sisting on it, printing stories about it.
and displaying Illustrations from Daudet's
novel. He got the advertising, but he
also succeeded in getting his star arrested
for public immortality, and the advertising
proved a boomerang. Soft was with Mrs
WaTren's Profession when Arnold DAILY
sought 20 produce it in New York Sam
Gumpertz was Daly's manager. and Gum
pertz. who had probably read portions Of
the play-those parts he could comprehend
went about chGckling over the theme
and telling everybody of its immortality.
Insisting on this feature so strongly that
the police interfered and stopped the pro
duction.
As a matter Of fact the play is intensely
moral in the lessons it conveys. The pic
ture Of a young girl emerging from an
environment reDugnant to the clarity OF
her soul. putting behind her al the evil
that seems to enmesh her. but which she
is strong enough and healthy-minded
enough TO ignore. cannot but be helpful
10 many weak souls who feel that be-
cause they are in the fell clutch of cir
cumstanCe" they have to succumb Mary
Shaw. who is a capable and conscientious
actress, deserves credit for the bravery
of her trial, and it seems that the play has
been such a success that It is likely
to continue until the Manhattan Theater
is torn down some time in May.
Tive LacISaye Stories.
Wilton Lackaye says ne will back his
property man against any other in Amer
lea when it comes 20 making out a prop