New-York tribune., 1910-01-07
TOO MUCH OPERA
SO SAY MANAGERS.
Theatrical Men Think Nezo
York Has OUersupply.

The sixth annual dinner OF the Associa-
tion of Theatre Managers of Greater New
York was held last night at the Hotel
Knickerbocker. All the members belong
ing to the association were present with
the exception of AL. Hayman, who sailed
for Europe on Wednesday, and Henry w.
Savage, who is out of town for an open
irg. There were present los managers and
guests
The idea that peace was to be the
motif" of the dinner was expressed In the
decorations I'm the inner space formed by
the tables Joined IN large rectangle. At
one end was hatehet buried in bed of
flowers, and a pendant dove looked kindly
at the diners from the other end
Charles Burnham presided and opened the
speaking. Other speakers were Sir Charles
Wyndham. William Gillette. Oscar Ham
merstein and Henry b. Harris. Marc Klaw
presented loving cup to Mr.. Burnham.
In letter MIR. Hayman complained OF
the unsatisfactory business of last year.
There are too many theatres in the city.
he said. Greater New York, with 3 pepu-
lation of 4.500oO0. is asked to support over
three hundred performances of grand opera
In a season of twenty weeks" he said 1T
is asked to support thirty-nine first class
theatres. also forty-eight theatres devoted
to vaudeville. burlesque and popular priced
attractions In addition to these eighty
seven theatres, there are over five hundred
theatres and halls licensed for moving pict-
ures.
This is asking New York to support
more theatres and places of amusement
than the cities of London, Paris and Ber-
lin combined. Managers and capitalists are
going theatre mad. A halt should be called
or a colossal amount of money will be lost"
With the condition into which the theat-
rcal business is drifting, Mr.. Hayman
said. some of the theatres would be forced
into the market through foreclosure sale or
otherwise 1T is easy to get money to
build a theatre, but it requires an attrae-
tion to keep theatre open,' he continued.
II know only three actresses and one actor
who can be relied upon as drawing cards
in America to-day"
Mr.. Savage devoted a large part of his
letter to discussion of grand opera! which.
he said. lis a form of musical art that is
now permanently part of our entertain
ment field. but it will not be permanent in
its present form>or, rather, in the prevail
ing manner of its presentation and con-
troll.
Mr.. Savage looks for a decided modifica-
WV VI tAN 6AoAAN OPcAd NiooO' DNt ne
also expects "a steady and sure growth"
following the reaction.
Continuing, Mr.. Savage said:
How absurd it is that a musie-drama-
and practically every opera since Wag-
ner's epoch making time is a drama with
chief component parts! How grOteSque
that 50 per cent of those who attend. say,
performance of "Madama Butterfly
should be compelled to trust to Providence
and a riniRHlOl1SlXr Hhrarrn Tran nzla
ton to know what it is all about
And therein lies one of the prime rea-
den or some other pieturesquely presented
parsonage to draw an audience. Why
should the people go otherwise, when the
be told by the music proper? Were The
Merry Widow or any other marked popu-
lar success sung in Esperanto or in Swed-
a different aspect, And how incon-
Sistent to demand English in operetta and
permit foreign tongue in grand opera,
when between the two lies but the one art
form of opera comique-a step that is daily
becoming smaller,
The present system is automatically de-
stroying itself. A star TO be star must
not only possess rare and distinguished abil-
itfeS, but he or she must be one of a very
few. If there were hundreds of great stars
all would soon become commonplace in
the estimate of the general public But
it is sought to extend the star system of
grand opera throughout the country.
Regarding the effect of expanded grand
opera upon the purely commercial aspect
of the theatre, 1 do not believe the final
ence of one art upon the other. The grand
opera public will grow, without a doubt;
popular appreciation of higher forms OF
music and drama is clearly on the in
crease.
Sir Charles Wyndham thanked the mem-
bers of the association for his cordial re-
ception, He likened the relation OF actor
m of y-ifo
the actor who loves and Obeys and the
manager who cherishes and endows with
the best he has
Oscar Hammerstein, who spoke next said
that he listened with much interest to the
remarks of Mr.. Savage, which seemed real
savage" to him. In speaking of the COM
plants about poor business, Mr. Hammer
stein said that operate business was no
worse than the dramatic. Everything mas
been dull this season. he said. Everybody
has been looking for a reason for this, and
nobody has found 1t. You must excuse me
tonight for not making my speech more
flowery, but business has been so rotten"
William Gillette, the actor, devoted his
speech to the attacks made by critics upon
managers. 1T is pleasantly known" he
said, that theatrical managers are scoun-
drels. 1 have met manager now and then,
but there was no use telling this TO one at
a time so waited to have you all together.
There is one thing only which has sunk low
er than you are, and this is the drama. You
would think that there would be no more
space left for the drama to sink deeper, but
the men who write about it take care OF
that.
why are you so low? Because you are
commercial The idea of running thea
tres to make them pay! How dare you. 1t
is outrageous! 1 am glad to know that
some of you run theatres that do not pay;
but most of you put on plays that draw"
After few words of praise for Mr.,
Hammerstein. George Kraus called upon
Marc Klaw to complete his speech. and MIR.
Klaw said, facetiously: 1T must strike
some of you that the selection of spokes-
man is strange one. because / don't
know how the rest of you have Jared, but
SO far as the firm of Klaw & Erlanger
have been concerned. we have never yet
been able TO secure good terms at Wall
lacks Theatre for any of our attractions
Mr.. Klaw became serious and addressed
Mr.. Burnham In terms of high praise be-
fore giving him a loving cup from the as