Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-05-18

Raymond's hands. In of
the enormous popular success of the
play. because OF the Extravaganza of
Raymond's interpretation. although il
was rightfully q legitimate caricature
of a type OF American. Mark Twain did
no. interpose; but he always claimed
that Raymond's Sellers was not his
Sellers"
Frohman produced Abby Sage Rich
ardson's version of Mark Twain's
The Prince n the Pauper,'' with
Elsie Leslie in the double title role and
Fanny Ward as her understudy. MIR.
Clemens made a humorous speech on
the first night. highly commencing the
work. but later he sent me a new
manuscript of the play, rewritten in his
own though +, Nowing Mrs. Rich
ardson's CONSTRUCTION. Though MI.
Clemens work was admirable, it was
NOT so suited to acting requirements
as tine adaptation 1 was using; so T
returned it to the author with my very
adequate. but to him un~convincing rea-
sons for its rejection.
After that l became embroiled in a
lawsuit. because it TRANSFERRED i'm court
that Mr.. Clemens had yielded the
rights of adaptation some time before
to- Edward III. House. the predecessor
of the Tribune. Though we wrangled
In, court on In subject n upon the
issue that l should be compelled to
pay double royalties to both Mr..
Clemens and MIR. House-Mr. Clemens
and l played our nightly games of pool
at The Players with unruffled amity.''
The change in popular taste is sug-
sested in this of Frohman's
production of PlnerC's Sweet Laven-
der" in 1883:
I'm those days the audiences were
far more unsophisticated and fastidious
nc In f1,Af,, <lcn~ -, $40 l. I'M o4
night patrons We're startled to find that
the heroine was an illegitimate child.
1T seemed to cast a pail upon the as
semblage. L felt it. and saw the reason.
II cabled the author for permission
to make a slight change in the rela-
tons OF the parents. He .grudgingly
consented. and deprecated the attitude
OF the public mind on the subject. But
the success of the play was at stake.
and as a result of my revision it ran a
season.
"A little reflection on the character
or the audiences of 1887 and of pres
ent-day theatergoers will show how the
public's acceptance of plays has
changed. When L revived this PLAY a
few years later l produced it as orig
fnally written. and there was not a
ripple OF objection. My experience with
The Second Mrs. Tanuueray' was sim
liar"
" S"Ao PIAS iS says. u was XIX
regarded as exceedingly strong meat.
Now it would Seem no stronger than a
nursery tale. when compared to some
of the subjects of the plays of 1909
lO.'
But this was not true of all Amer
lean cities. I'm San Francisco. where
one might suppose a play like The
Second Mrs. Tanqueray' would find
great favor. that work fell Hat. The ex-
PLANTATION was that the play carried no
illustion for the Golden Gate audiences.
The clty-it was explained-was full of
Mrs. Tanquerays then, and the play
seemed to be too much of a moral in
dictmeHt to find favor as "a superb
realistic Drama"
In relating the history of 'Trelawny
of the Wells" MIR. Frohman tells a
pretty story:
Several years later. when near the
end of the season at Daly's. / revived
the play for three nights as a fare
Well to Mary Mannering, who was to
leave my company shortly to assume
stellar honors the following year under
another management. The last night
drew for this occasion a large audi
ence
When, during the p p scene in
Act l.. Rose makes her farewell
speech to the members of the Bagnigge
Wells company, and she has to say,
Well, I know l shall dream of you
often; and If you send for me I'll
come behind the curtain to you, and
sit with you and talk Of bygone times
these times that end tonight, and so
on, the ears ran Town her cheeks,
and the immediate finish of the act
saved her from a complete collapse. 1t
was a real farewell to u.s."
Mr.. Frohman has a great deal to say
about how plays are altered and inn
proved at rehearsal n performance.
n now Vlgilant managers must be in
selling every hint that accident gives
them. He quotes Dion Boucicault as
saying to him:
AN author is foolish not to take
advantage Of every III that could
favor him.. He must be quick and alert
just and readjust effects and
Surprises come the first night that are
sometimes disQuieting, at other times
delightful.
Il remember on one OCCASION" con-
tinued Bouctcault, II was to play a
comic character in OF my plays. /
had arranged to get a round Of APP
q charge from a gun. which, it was
known. h villain would furtively use
to shoot h hero. When the scene ar
rived n the gun failed I listened for
that round of applause.
THE audience was silent. I saw !
had failed: but a few minutes after,
when my own head appeared triumph
antly at an upper window, q sudden
tribute OF applause followed. I saw
that the result was right. I knew
there was q round due for that action.
hut I did not KNOW had not OWNED
the exact place for 1t. But 1t was
there, and / felt relieved. It ID these
Things, the uncertainties, that make the
first performance Of q new play ex-
/ citing"