El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-21
Cost OF Production Of
Musical Shows Increases
Managers Of the Big Attractions May Be Forced to In
crease Prices Of Admission They Declare-Miss
Haber Gets Praise in Los Angeles Many Sue
cessful Shows Are Running in New York

IN BE cost Of theatrical production
has increased so enormously in
recent years that managers are
nov united in the opinion that either
producing costs must be cut or the
pTlCe Of theater tickets must be in
cres sed, and all leading managers are
cudEeling their brains TO find some
way OF solving the difficult financial
problem which confronts them. This
is true Of New York and London. too.
IN the musical comedy field the stu
aLcn is really desperate.
authors ices are very much higher
than they were, the performers sal
aries have increased enormously and
The mounting Us FAR more sumpuuOus.
me scenery. dresses ard properties
fO- an uprOdate production viii prob
ably amount TO $4,000, Of which $1S,-
900 viii be spent on dresses.
1t is not at all uncommon for the
leading WOmans dress Dill 70 amount
to $1,000 during a long run. The total
wages fCr the whole Lheater VIII
amount 60 about $1,000 weekly, which
includes about $3.50 for the orchestra
TEeater rents too have increased
Consider the case Of the two lead
ing German composers, Franz Lehar
and oscar Strauss. Five years ago
one could have bought the American or
English rights Of a piece by the first
nenled for $500 each. The other day
an English manager who wrote to
Herr Lehar inQuiring as to the pos
sibilities Of negotiating for new
booked ahead until 1917 Are you
prepared to pay 10000 lS5O,o0o)
down.
Salaries have gone up in stiI larger
proportion. A leading woman in music
al comedy received 20 years ago about
SIS weekly, whereas now she VIII
earn, say $500 or more.
The manager who produces q mod
ern play has now to face an enormous
expenditure on costumes and incident
al effects. The former have grown 70
be very heavy item since the days
Of the Amazon chorus, when the stage
was filled with figuranu clad Simply
in tights Show len carry Illusions
on the stage TO great lengths Out you
can't make a cheap gown look the real
thing. even on the boards. fashlon-
able fr0cks are expensive
That FL Paso is not the only place
that likes Miss Eleanor Haber is evil
denced by the following tribute TO ner
work by Otheman Stevens on the coca
sion of her visit there this week In
'The Barrier
"Of particular merit is the perform
auce Of Miss Eleanor HaDer, tne Ne
cha. Miss EabeT adds~to decided per-
sOusT charm. and the charm OF youth
as we'll high powers Of discernmenti
the role is the difficult one Of an emo
ti3naI iugenue, a young indian halI-
brnc6 girl who is in reality white
Girl and whose love affair Is compll-
.e5rs.d ~ the question of mixed blood
belief All of the gradations Of the
furreuuous girl slowly realizing the
stC1n facts Of life, which eliminated
in the third act by her complete as
sr.uDffon of the dignity Of woman
hood were delightfully."- portrayed
Porh in what she did and in what she
did not dos Miss Haber played with a
sx1u that is not often seen ID the
1eadine women Of the New York com
DaTsrs- q skin which explains the sue
cess that was hers in New York
Eva Tanguay. the cyclOnic and in
frftable comedienne, VIII shortly be-
SIN a tour Of the Orpheum circuit
Mss Tanguay recently returned from
England, where she was a sensation
in the London music halls. Mcintyre