New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-27
Need the Gallery God and May Reduce Prices to Attract Him
Daniel Frohman Has a Plan
to Reduce All Gallery
Seats to Twenty.
five Cents.
dressed the assembled New Yorkers. And

dressed the assembled New Yorkers; AND
now. my friends. II Is for you TO decid@
Am I guilty or not guilty A unanimous
roar Of Not guilty. led by tho enthusiast
tic gallery boys answered the actors Ap-
peal, and the tour OF America, begun IN
fear and trembling was thereafter marked
by the creates: cordially and oy big pay
ing houses.
In the earlier days OF the American
stage actors and audience were undouot.
edly on closer terms than they are To-
day Daniel Frohman, comparatively
young man recalls that az the old Lyceuna-
where he presided likewise WallacEs
and Days. each important member OF me
stock organization had a following. and
each was greeted with a round OF ap-
plause as ne or she made appearance be-
fore the scenes Gallery folk knew their
shakespeares and their standard comedies
perhaps even better than did the folk who
lived In Fifth avenue and occupied boxes
and orchestra chairs. Merits Of plays and
players were eagerly discussed. There was
less dramatic fare 70 choose from, and there
were no hfty hrst-class theatres as now 70
present battling variety OF entertainment
and n Kaleidoscope succession OF different
sets of actors ON and on" every few
weeks. The gallery was truly catholic IN us
appreciation. At variety house 1t would
Join Justify with Maggie Cline In singing
THROW him down. McCIuskeyw Az Har-
rigan and Harris It greeted the drols with
shouts Of glee; in the melodrama houses
IL hurrahed for Virtue and Missed Vice. ana
in the temples Of art It's demonsuatiNs
handclapping its cheers and tears, carried
the more plethoric auditors along with u
10 work the visible success OF meritorious
plays and sterling players. But the Eng!ish
tradition OF pit and gallery that tyFannize
the art Of the theatre was never trans
planted here. Booing was unknown MSS
ing rare for disapproval was manifested,
usually, by empty benches.
L have known Sir Charles Wyndham'
saws Mr.. Frohman, speaking OF our Eng
rsh cousins, TO stand on the stage for nve
minutes In a London theatre unable 70
make himself heard above the racket ot a.
hostile gallery, which he finally won over
and charmed by MS el0quence. / have
seen authors brought out and subjected -
unmerciful guying because their works cI'
not please the people. a striking instan'
~ the gallery's power was brought home
10 the late Wilson Barrett who IN "Nin@
charge OF a theatre uttered in a curtain
speech some rather personal criticisms ~.
his predecessor IN Office. who was loca'
favorite Look out. Wilson" yelled
gallery voice waruingly, and. though some
az the audience laughed gooc-natured't'
Barrett took the instant hint and shifted
Immediately 70 an unforbidden topic.
..The control Of the drama remarked
Mr. Frohman. with a twinkle In bis e'r
Us the rnalienable right Of the British
pittites and galleryites. II is right I'D
ono can invade or alter. as managers have
repeatedly found when they tried 90 rai''
the scale Of prices I'm gallery or piL l1eF
won't even submit % reservation or mo
creap seats over there. They prefer 10
stand out in the sunshine or tho rain Io'
twentv-four hours. perhaps and take me"
+ chances of First come, first served. me
rrice II admission to the gallery Us 4"
shilling. and even 20 attempt no reserve
the front seats and sell them for s.Npen'e
extra was firmly resisted and met with
total failure"
In England the actors stand 20 their pub
lie sq humble servants" Remember.
don't YOU. how Irving worked that raras"
or IFS equivalent "obedieut servants INTO
most of the curtain speeches that be made
I'm the United States and how II struck
American ears as almost the afectation N
humility r wasn't though Merely a
manly acknowledgment OF the actors de-
voir and his duty 10 please. Here 10 IS fii-
ferent The traditional relationship IS abb
sent. And If audiences are cold and actors
unduly puffed up and egoustical, the fault
must be due ar least in part 20 the fact
that the masses-typIfed by the folk In
the gallery-are far less influential IN thu
life Of the theatre than they are in Eng
land or IN France.