New-York tribune., 1909-08-08
A THEATRICAL PAGE
By eVILLIAk1 tvINTER~

! admrins, all the nns deeds that have been done
that within the last ten fifteen years tho ter
dency OF tho theatre has been downward: that by .
variety OF means some OF which havs bssn fre-
ouently designated by the actors themselves has
been largely de1poiled OF rs romance and beauty
that II has been made coarse and common: that II
has been turned almost exclusively into . shop:
that the 1ictators OF It proclaim themselves
shop pkeep<rs" glory In tire designation ana rejoice
thAt the methods OF exploiting beef. pork and
dies are applied to tho conduct OF the Theatre.
Many OF the new theatres finer than ths
old ones, but what ~ the spirit by which
the new theatres are animated7 Not long ago
local manager. Mr.. Marc Klaw, declared
that. twenty years ago. the business Of the
| theatre-the business which no supposes 70 %
so perfectly administered by the Theatrical
syndicate.-was conducted chiefly In bars cafes.
ana on the street" What 10 tho factr Twenty
years ago the Theatre ot America, artisti-
caly and commercially. was controlled by such
actors and managers Lester wallack Lawrence
Barrett, Augustin DAILY, Ada RehAn Dion Bouci-
eault. j. H. stoddart. Henry +. Abbey, John Il.
schoenel. Maurice Grau George Fawcett Rowe,
John Gilbert Dsnm,n Thompson. Cenevseve Ward
Edwin Booth. Fanny Janausehek. John T. Ray
mond. Wilson Barrett, Henry Irving. W. J. Flor
ence. Joseph Jefferson. Charles w Couldock. Mrs
John Drew. Stephen Fiske. Daniel Frohman. Mary
Anderson. Montgomery Field ID. H Harkins.
Steele Mackaye. Robson and Crane. George
Possart. Barney. salyini. the Kendal,s. and
so following. Can any intelligent person. any
person who knows anything about theatrical
history. really believe tina: those actors and mana
gers, and such a. those and their agents and rep
resentatives actually transacted their business "i
bsr-rooms. or on the streets.
lhere was time not long ago.-before the Great
Pesce-that the local reader, By reference 70 1.-THE
Dramatic Mirror" could easily the condition
| or the theatre in other cities forth BY the
| newspapers OF those cislcs-newspap<rs that Bit
terry protested against the quantity and quality Of
the theatrical performances doled out TO them by
the beneneert Theatrical Syndicate" Speculation
is The spirit OF the ase. Combinations exist every
where Monopocs flourish. In almost every
branch OF business life the ruling principle r.
| pedisncy. Any course OF conduct IL ,acitly ap-
proved, so that il be remunerative prnctition
! er. IL only he manages TO secure his pundsr and
Keep out OF Jail Unscrupulous cornmercaiism is
the predominant force. aud nowhere 1t more su-
prena than in the management OF the theatres OF
New York. Lately the promise OF theatre, 70
some extent endowed, caused sort OF panic, and
SPECTATORS suddenly huddlins together. Ike
upon cii1. at the approach OF a storm. could be
heard screaming in protest against The interference
with "our business There was. however but
little reason for their alarm considering Tn. hands
into which the new enterprise has been committed,
/ and so the panic was only temporary; bu, IL is
| another sign OF the times that now the Lion Of
! Commercialism and the Lamb OF Art lie down TO-
! sether and tha. the one is not yet inside OF the
other. Conditions were entirely unpro-
pitious TO the Art OF Acting and refined civiz-
tion than they have been since the Theatre passed
| into the iron grasp OF Monopoly and became sort
| of Amusement Department Store.
| Those conditions. however, cannot last Signs
| OF public revolt apparent about the be-
ginning OF the present year. Actors have long
| been restless and resentfuL MIR. William Fayer-
sham. Tor instance. unwilling 10 submit the dc
tstion OF Mr. Erlanger, who actually undertook 70
/ specify from whom he should or. rather. from
whom he should not obtain money 20 capitalize his
ventures. has been able 10 secure route, through
| arrangements with rival syndicate. MI. Henry
Miller. in the process OF accommodating fortune
has. happily. arrived nearly at the place. CONNER
| ciany speaking. that the late Richard Mansfield
occupied.-being permitted to conduct his business
| to a certain extent I'm way sal. himself; for
the reason that. II he not allowed 70 do so,
| II would not be long before he found oppor-
tunty TO do 80 in other theatres than those OF the
elder syndicate The professional partnership of
Mr.. Sothern and Miss Marlowe Is, unquestionahly.
TO the advantage 6f the Stage. whether those
| actors appear 81 the New Theatre at the
Academy OF Music. IL you can produce grea: plays
and act them greatly then where Maczregor sits
is the head of the table" Mr.. Mantell. the exiti-
| mate leader OF stage to-day. has bull, spsn-
did repertory, and. unless ne and his partner Mr..
William A Brady obtain satisfactory route
from ono syndicate X seems probable that IL will
not be long before they try the other. The opposl
| ton OF the old syndicate and the IS
A
auspiclous occurrence would be the termination Of
the agreements that prevent so-eaIed popular
price managers from forming third competitive
syndicate. FOR the production and routing of
| first class companies
But the most hopeful sign Of the times IA one
which has resulted from the announcement OF the
New Theatre,-namely. the promise OF the sstab-
shment of Legitimate. old-fashioned stOck-conl-
| pany. by MIR. Charles Frohman. at his Empire
Theatre. If the New Theatre sndures doubtless
that company will be established IL IL is. then.
before long, other stOck-comIsnies will be formed.
Reasonably long seasons. in a reasonably large
| number of varied plays. will be again th. rule.
and the only school OF acting from which the
great actors Of the future will be
stored Admiration OF existing conditions has
sirly condemned the stock-system. presenting
Square pegs in round holes "-whfcn Is nonsense
/ The student of such matters has only for
ample, consult the chronicle of walacks
Theatre, when it actually Wslacks.-a
theatre rightly representative OF the achievement
! of the Past.-in order TO obtain abundant and
decisive evidence Of the excellence OF the old
stock-company system and of Its superiority 90
! any system prevalent now. Acting, in our time.
reached its pinnacle of beauty IN the best days OF
Edwin Booth and Henry Irving. The period
tending from about 1873 TO about 1880 displayed
much and such variety OF opulence that u would
seem invidious to set ths Present In comparison
with IT, Observation therefore might fairly pause
upon season, far removed from that sNcep-
tional period. In at Wallack's Theatre.
that OF IS55-'66. when Lester Wailack vas man
ager well leading actor, FOTfy-Rtnc plays
were acted. nine of them being new at that
theatre and. with little exception, new 20 the
American stage. The range OF character included
high comedy tragedy. low-comsdy. romantic
drama domestic drama, mslodranna. ard sATce.
and each OF those plays acted not only ln
competen. but In . thoroughly brilliant manner.
Suecisl personatcn., indeed. were such as. In TIRE
present day would Inevitably ard airsost irneds-
Zoe. yyte1t tNlIvn