The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-10-12
ONE BIC SHOW
BRINGS FORTUNE
Fred o. whitnsy. FORMER Dstroitsr,
Says "a Chocolate Soldier" Will
Make Million and Q Half.

Making q flying trip from Chicago 10
New York. Fred g. Whitney stopped
OF couple Of hours in Detroit. Tues
day morning, to see his brother, b. &.
Whitney. Mr.. Whitney says the aver
age travelling salesman has nothing on
him these days In the matter OF train
travelling, vita few ocean trips
thrown In. ~ =.
II landed In New York from London
two weeks ago Thursday and went al
rectly TO Indianapolis. where / re-
hearsed A Chocolate Soldier com-
pany for the opening in Chicago, Sun
day night, and I have been jumping
around since like hen on q hot grid.
die. getting some more Chocolate &c.
der companies under way" said MI.
Whitney, while trying to get his
breath In his brothers once In the
Detroit opera house Tuesday morning.
IL am now on my way TO New YORK.
and then to Boston, where another
Chocolate Soldier company opens In
the Majestic next Monday night. After
got the Boston engagement Launched
am going to French Lick Springs for
a ten days rest with my brother, Bert,
and then IT'S back to London again.
Mr.. Whitney produced his phenom
email success, "A Chocolate Soldier
In London, Sept. 10, and II made such
q hit that he Immediately signed .
three-year lease of the Lyric theater
there, In which 1t IL now playing To
business that Is sold out six months
ahead.
ITS curious gamble this picking
plays" remarked Mr.. Whitney. who
has had his big successes and no sue
cesses at all, In the theatrical game.
while was Lying in London l pun
chased the English and American
rights to A Chocolate Soldier before
II was even produced In Vienna. It
was shelved In Vienna in three weeks,
taken to Berlin, where II failed, also,
and feared had white elephant OH
my hands. / went to Berlin while the
piece was In its closing days there and
determined that the whole trouble laJ
In the lack OF comedy, or, rather, In
the lack Of appreciation by librettist
and players. Of the satire In the sham
play, Arms and the Man." from which
the book was made.
81 decided to go ahead with an
American production Of the piece. but
when got to New York the booking
managers would have. none Of me be-
cause they had heard OF the European
failure. Finally, after weeks of wit
Ing, secured o six weeks lease Of the
Lyric .theater, made the production
land the result II thsakf IGaI historys =
Chocolate Soldier viii make me onx
million and q hall dollars. Next sprinl
I am going to take tosLondon q com
pany mace up of the best members o
the four American companies playin>
the piece this season, and put them In
at the Lyric while take the English
company to Berlin, Paris and Vienna
boarding the lion In his own den
you know I want to show Berlin and
Vienna the American way Of doing
things"
| Mr.. Whitney says that hereafter. he
Twill make all his productions first in
London.
Experience In the recent past
shows me that a piece with a London
success to its credit is sure to make
hit I'm America, and, besides, the
Londoner, when you respect his pc
culiar ideas, Is the best fellow In the
world to play to and the Broadwayitt
the worst" said Mr.. Whitney. who
has been a producer for 20 years and
may be credited with knowing some
thing about the matter.
1.-THE mistake American managers
make in going to London Is In asking
the Britisher to accept play that Is
purely American In theme and locale
and giving II to them with American
players The British playgoes likes to
see his favorite actor and actress sea
son after season. They are conserva
| tive and loyal to degree. The Ameri-
can, on the other hand, wants new
faces every month and unless you pro-
vide new people and novelties his
| feverish appetite Is unsatisfied. He
| forgets the thing that pleased him last
night before tomorrows's breakfast IL
served In America l would rather
make "a production in Chicago than
New York any day. | had planned to
launch a new Viennese operatta called
|, Baron Trenck' this month In Boston
but cancelled the time. and instead
will produce II next spring In London
and In America year from this No
vember. The book of Baron Trenck
Is by Feliz Albini and the music by
Wilmer, who wrote The Dollar Prin
cess and other European successes
and Il will prove another Chocolate
Soldier in popularity, am sure. It's
music is enhancing and It's book bub'
bles like champagne
A large share OF The Chocolate
Soldier" earnings are going into a mag
nificent home which Mr.. Whitney is
building in Renwich, Conn, on an
estate he recently purchased and
where he will make his home In future
when not In Europe.
This good old native town of mine
has been mighty good TO me always
and I am looking forward to bringing
A Chocolate Soldier here later In the
season with much pleasure. Wherever
live. there's no place like home-ant
that means Detroit" said Mr.. Whitney
NEW MICHIGAN CORPORATIONS.
LANSING, Mich, Oct. 1.-THE fol-
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