New-York tribune., 1910-08-28
Is the Play
Ill? Doctor
May Save 1t
THE STAGE SURGEON
MANY a Success Is Carved
from a FoIedOOmed Fail
ure by His Knife.

Its 40 uses said the manager. Send
for the play doctor.
Perhaps the cool weather win revive the
patient" suggested the office optirrist.
Cant wait for September. We've got
frost on our hands already"
The play doctor came in response to
hurry call, saw. a performance, read She
manuscript and then remarked:
Your first act is talky and WINDY your
second act telIsF the whole story; your last
act is Just plain piffie.
Whats to be done?
Cut out the smart talk, introduce sdn-
plot and two nekg characers, shorten ACT Ii
and transfer the big situation at the cur
tain over to the last act of the play. I"lii
cost you. $500 for, my services.
Go ahead with your surgery. was the
managers order Trim the manuscript
to-night-1I get you a stenograpner-pring
down the new version in the morning, give
out the parts and rehearse the actors I'LL
they're right. We ought to be playing 1t
four days from now!'
The play doctor proved a ready ana Skill
full operator. He was chock full or ne"
ideas. and fadsa knack of inlpartms these
to the actors so their work was fresnened
amazingly Before week passed he nad
whipped dismal failure into a fair sue
cess-one that pays it's weekly expense
bills. anyhow, and Will get money on the
road on the strength of its widely ad7er-
tised New York triumph.
Like the ministrants to the human body,
the healer CT plays sometimes meets In
durable cases An occurrence OF TINS hho
happened the other day, when the play
! doctor was summoned by a manager max
ing his first Broadway production and
greeted with the query: What in thunder
is the matter with my play?"
Every ything-an8mia, nervous break
down, Iocomoter ataxa, valvular inefficien-
cy, softenng. of brain tissue, hardening OF
arteries"-
The manager cursed the frank spoken
one with great vigor before controlling
himself sufficiently to say: The rear
trouble, now? out with it!'
NOT A CHANCE FOR IT.
Nothing, my dear sir, nothing at all.
except that the plot is worthless, the situa-
tons are trite, the characters are puppets
and the dialogue was written by Ounce.
With these triffing exceptions. the play is
equal to Pinero and will make you great
Z
taued, adopting the serious, friendly tone.
drop it. There isn't a dollar in it; Belasco
himself couldn lick it into shape. Put the
stuff in the storehouse and charge UP the
cost of the production to profit and loss" :"
And the manager did.
Still another of the play doctors recent
hurry calls was to sick patient on which
all the ordinary tests failed. He found
avid of or of dis
ease The invalid wasn't even bedridden;
on the contrary. received three or four
hundred friends each week night and Sat
urday afternoons. But-to drop the meta
phor-the production lacked the stamp of
emphatic success. It excited no enthusi-
asn, and its DEATH though a lingering one,
was inevitable
I'll tell you what's the difficulty" said
the play doctor after a careful investiga-
ton. you've got the wrong star He
thinks he's a tragedian, master of senti-
ment and pathos. He isn't. He's a harle-
quin, a buffoon. and he ought TO be made
to stick TO buffoon parts Get him out OF
this production. quick!'
Impossible replied the proprietor of
the play Il have him under a long-term
contract, and he has made lot of money
for me-
We'll, then, shelve this play temporarily
and find a vehicle more suitable for him.
But, mark my words, this present produc-
ton will prove one of the biggest strokes
of your career once YOU revive it with
| So-and-So in the cast!
| The play Doctors busiest months are Au-
gust, September and October. OF the two
hundred productions of the new season a
| large percentage require tink6ring. Often
er the tinkering is done out of town, in
! the two or three preliminary weeks OF
trying it the dog before the play
reaches Broadway. The playwright, the
play doctor and the manager travel with
| the company Sometimes many as halt
| a dozen different versions are tried before
the particular one is hit upon that suits
audiences thoroughly. The craftsmen
think nothing of killing off a leading char
acter overnight or Of twisting. a tragedy
into a comedy, or vice. versa
PLAY WAS TRANSFORMED.
One of the. best plays of the season before