Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-09

the scene Oh one OIL us cH6d6c-
ments, preliminary to presenta-
ton in the city whose name 1t borrows
for a title This representation of Amer
ica's largest city as a scene or seeming
iniquity is by no means a new idea
Frank Mayo had a play entitled Inc
Streets of New York" which dealt more
or less with the underworld. 1t was,
however an underworld which dealt in
crime of the more conservative types.
such as theft and assault and battery
Its thrills were quite suffic1ent TOT the
patrons of its time. and led TO much
query as to whether the drama was not
in immediate need of moral improvement
The record of New York titles, no
doubt, goes considerably farther back
than that and has numerous subsequent
examples up to the cynical social analysis
10y Langdon Mitchell. entitled THE New
York Idea The dramatists have done
enough to excuse that city If Ii some
times relapses into a morbid state OF
introspection. Observations of New YORK.
like impressions of Paris, or any other
great center of civilization. vary accord
ing to whether they are prompted by an
interest in the substantial achievements
of able minds or to pathetic catch-penny
indecencies Having employed characters
of such infamy that the events in which
they were concerned could not be other
than degraded, it is small wonder that
the story fails to reveal the faintest
glimpse of that struggle for some sort
of an ideal which has hitherto nlumi-
mated even the murkiest problem play.
But some concession had to be made. So
rPcOR
nized as needful requisite of speech all
the way from law to art and poetry, was
scratched out of the dialogue. leaving
the players more dependent than before
on incoherent exclamation to denote great
emotion
Query: Will that monosyllable get back
into the manuscript before the play is
seen i'm New York?
No example could be more convincing
of the impracticality of play censor
ship Offensive as might have been the
effort to go beyond the profanity now
so freely tolerated in stage speech in
ordinary surroundings it was a small
matter compared to the inherent Of
Tense of the entire theme The position
Of the player in d performance of this
kind is peculiar. The popular esteem
in which an actor is held depends so
much on the characters with which he
Is identified that more caution might
be expected in becoming associated
with repulsive roles. The position of
the recognized actor in this country is
so independent that he cannot be
wholly absolved from responsibility
when he merges his personality into
reprdiated types of humanity. 1t is
curious that in the early English
drama, when actors were utterly barred
from social recognition. they played
high minded and heroic roles much
oftener than now when personally
eligible TO tea and reception invitations.
Suggestion: When it is announced
that the moral aspect of play has
created much controversy in other
cities. don't believe what the agent tells
you about its uplifting aims.
The dance-drama was cheerily ex-
plotted by Bessie Mccoy and her sup
porting company in The Echo,' which,
both in plot and melodies, is quite
true to its title. Miss Patsy" proved
to be a production which was hardly
serious enough to be thoroughly I'M
pressive. nor yet sufficiently ire
sponsible to take rank with the genial
nonsense that defies. reason.
A STAGE MANAGERS RESPONSE
BILITIES.-It is safe to say that people
In the audience, when they watch
shifting vista of sixteen different scenes,
have no adequate idea of the detail in
volved in running the stage" for such
q performance. If the impression from
the front of the curtain is too placid the
impression which the non-profeSSional
gets behind the scenes during one of the
acts is false from precisely the opposite
standpoint The rushing about the stage
of some 20 people. including principals.
chorus people and members or the me-
Chanical department, seems turmoil with
out head or command. AS a matter Of
fact. all this apparent confusion is un-
der perfect control. The man who pre-
sides over it all is the stage manager.
de works with the stage director during
the work of producing the entertainment
and, after the first night, is in supreme
control behind the scenes.
AT the Belasco, for instance, the stage
manager of Up and Down Broadway
has d role more complex than that OF
any performer. Instead OF lines he must
commit cues OF all varieties. He must
know precisely when eve.y performer
enters or exits and must watch with I'M
firing vigilance the same mass of de-
tails for every performance. There is
not single dressing room in the Belasco
Theater which has not all the occupants
II can accommodate. The chorus women
have twelve changes and the men have
nine. OF course. all the women of the
chorus do not maze all these twelve
changes, but some few have many
as eleven different complete costumes. In
all go complete changes of costume are
required for chorus women and 157 COM
plete changes for the men. This includes
everything from head to foot. and not
dresses alone, and is exclusive of the cos
TUNES required for the principals or for
the extra people.
The scenic production calls for 80 hang
ing pieces OF scenery and - set pieces
There are 5ST stage properties without
c6ahting Gertie, the cat, who is carried
on the stage In a bird cage. For the
mechanical stan with the production
there are required II ''clearers," prop
erty men, with ) assistantS-all under
the charge of Mr.. Cavanaugh-a head
electrician, with assistants and Is op-
orators and a carpenter who has men
In the flies and s on the stage.
LAURETTE TAYLOR.-BeSore finding
her way to her present popularity Lau-
rette Taylor struggled for years in a
western stock company. studying and
x1Io nd