New-York tribune., 1907-11-06
THE DRAMA.
CONTEMPORARY THEATRICAL CONDI-
TI0NS

In The New York World Of November Mr
Daniel Frohman the respected manager Of the
Lyceum Theatre, published the subjoined views of
the drama in this city They are, in themselves.
slghlucant, and coming from prominent and In
huentlal manager. they worthy Of particular
consideration Mr.. Frohman says
1t is fact that the drama in New York,
tnan ever before and more than anywhere else
Speculative theatre Building. instead Of having run
to drag downward the art which theatres are pre-
There are now in this city more than fifty places
Of theatrical amusement That represents the real
estate side and It has prosperous sound. But
on the other hand there is most limited supply
Of good dramas, offset by great prepondeTance
or less good of their Kind, but lacking the element
Of Of sound, sane and stimulating entertainment for
The absence of good plays is not hard ex-
wholesale demand There @ are not enough writers
Of intellectual and technical equpmeT TO compete
ing material @ for entertainment 49,. .-o,,, -
correspondlnSly greater discrinInatlon by man man
ayers IN the selection OF plays, There would Z aiso
better plays. The theatregoing public; that has
tastes crowds the reigning sensations Plays Of
promise, of fair merit, go quickly to the wall.
system. In the absence of strong dramas for all
OF single name Ihus the star eInergeS Tor II It's IS
assumed that a play with a star stands IN less @
In Af,fric tT P t6 Ir5a ~ is % worse off Than i'm Eng
land. one does not 20 TO the theatre in England,
but one does go in London. I do not mean that
but they are humber in quality than in London.
:, In This country all cities compete with New New
latiOn assert their claim TO good plays and good
gradually had the effect Of dlutng both the drama
and its performance and, consequently, OF lower
ing the standard of the stage as all institution
and nyeT will change Thev are the same today
80 49, ~ LIS JroIs bngan we are
affected with the emotions that life has
done. is only mirror that reflects life, Taste in
plays and costumes may change but life remains
Whatever may be its form, any play will have
universal interest The American public will al
ways patronize what is good of its kind, whether
or farce The successful manager must he allied
universal public to against this taste is to try
TO force water up stream.
for plays which reflect what is contemplate sordld
or degrading in life or which depend for their
My personal ideal of the drama is that plays
details, but in those inspiring universal truths
which exalt the mind The Ibsen drama for IN
only as clinic OF the morbid emotions. l regard
II merely tentative form OF drama, because
it represents only the groupings and experiments Of
modern philosophers They are proving around
Such plays are seldom produced by theatrical
managers or experience but by actors who see IN
fessional sense. Even now reaction is setting In
OF paywrtng it has created in Continental Europe,
the established idea OF what Is dramatic art. The
general public except a limited number Of
cranks-do not want Il in the theatre. If they did
Arnold DAILY, with all his ambitions, would be not
only a prophet but hnanCier. He must surely
fai! In pursuit OF his mistaken Idea.
With others who admire the literary side OF
dramatic art. l regret the frequent failures "a
poetic plays. But, unlike most of the rest, / do
not charge their downfall TO lack OF Intellectual
appreciation among theatTcEOers. Their stumbling
block is that actors are not trained 20 poetic
preston So just now the instrument that trans
mits them TO the public is absent. Whenever a
poetic drama containing universal interest is
n mo wit a
quick and generous response on tho other side OF
the footlights.