The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-18


play four nights engagement at the
Willis Wood beginning on Monday.
May 20. There will be a matinee on
wednesday afternoon.
Joe Weber and his star company in
Dream City, will be seen at the Shu-
bert on June 2, 3. and 5.
Our New Minister" will be the at
traction at the Grand for next week.
At Chicago.
Joe Weber's all star company in
Dream City, begins a two weeks
engagement on Sunday at the Garrick.
A return engagement of Henry
Woodruff in Brown of Harvard" be-
gan at the Studebaker on Thursday of
this week and will continue indef-
nitely.
George Cohan's Fifty Miles from
Boston" continues it's engagement at
the Colonial.
1.-THE Man of the Hour" one of the
successful productions of William A.
Brady, is still at the Illinois and will
remain there as long as business keeps
up. This is expected to be we'll on
into the summer.
For two weeks longer 1.-The Lion
and the Mouse will be at the Powers.
The four hundredth and twenty
fifth performance of 1.-The Time, the
Place and the Girl'' at the La Sale
has been passed and there is no falling
off in the patronage. No date has
been set for the termination of the
play at this house.
Frank Daniels in 1.-The Tattooed
Man" will be seen at the Grand for
another week.
How the New Merger Will Work.
The recent coalition of the Klaw &
Erlanger and Shubert interests in GER
tain branches of their business re-
opens the question as to what will be-
come of the small manager who may
wish to own one or two productions
and give them personal attention.
har ora Of IOh 11aT a Or IN
the United States. most of whom are
rarely heard of. Under the conditions
that prevailed up to few weeks ago
these managers had two chances of
booking their productions. Competi-
ton was positively the life of the small
managers trade. for If satisfactory
arrangements could not be made
through the KlaW & Erlanger booking
department., there was the Shubert
agency to fall back upon. Such an
arrangement will not be practicable
now, and the man who has been pro-
ducing his one or two shows a year
able to do business at all. He will be
obliged to pay a stipulated proportion
of his gross earnings, amounting any
where from to 10 per cent, to secure
a. chance to play, and this will be a
first lien on his receipts. to be taken
out even before he pays salaries. II
the average tax be per cent it would
mean probably $500 a week on the
ordinary production.
But the new combination will carry
matters even further in the matter OF
recurring contributions to the general ,
good of their own cause. They Will
exact a booking fee" from the man
ayers of theaters which are not abso-
lutely controlled by the combination
Thus the production owned by an in
dependent manager, playing in house
outside of the combination, Will be
laid under a double tribute The re-
suit will be that a new antfsynd1cate
ganization is certain to be FORMED
almost Immediately. Such coalition
among the smaller managers, ooth OF
houses and productions. is likely 70
have but one outcome, however. IT
will be a case of butting ones mead
against a stone wall for the new com
bination is well intrenched, and the
smaller managers will have no re-
course except to take all the chances
and meekIy turn over goodly pro-
norton of their profits to the men
who are at the head of the syndicate.
ON the other hand, the public may
benefit from better plays, produced
with greater care. and under more
favorable conditions than now OBTAIN.
Chaliapine, the former 1rleno OF
Gorky, does not need all the crazy au-
stories circulated about hlm' |
with his voice and his personality ne
succeeds in giving the shivers to those |
who are usually immune to them IN the |
theater."