The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-01-26

| How delighted they are when they
get good thing cheap.
And. after q time, they haunt the
bargain sales alone.
The prices in the Legitimate" thea
tres of the size OF the Gennett are not
entirely controlled by the local man
agement. Every contract has its own
conditions. And they are based on a
! general estimate.
| Managers have to strike an average.
| They can't let every local "rube"
manager dictate their prices.
| Prices are set according to what is
called capacity"
In the Gennett there are less than a
thousand seats.
| Therefore. with a theatrical organi.
zation of the hrst class. the highest
prices Except in extraordinary cases
like the Russian Imperial Ballet. are
| generally two dollars.
II the theatre were larger the prices
would be lower.
But the attitude of the public is
amusing.
: In instance. when Daniel Frohman's
company in Thy Neighbors Wife,
charming comedy, visited Richmond
the highest priced seat was put at
$3.50 as concession to this same local
management.
: And with what result?
A packed house?
| BY no means. A few scattered ones
here and there.
And certain of the public-the ones
who kick the hardest against the two
dollar prices, saying that we are being
robbed and bullywhacked-said they
didn't attend as they didn't suppose 1t
was any good because the highest
priced seat was only $50.
So there you are.
! This column was asked why it didn't
roast" the Aborn Grand Opera Com
pany on account of the shabbiness OF
it's scenic appurtenances and be-
cause the personnel of it's chorus
had the general appearance of being
recruited from the black-hand society
For this reason.
Martha and, indeed, that class
of musical-theatric presentation called
grand" opera, which also includes
light" OPERAS concerned, broadly
with principals.
| The chorus is SO subsidiary as to
count for little. It's entire elimination
in fact, would not destroy the effect O.:
the interest.
The principals, in this instance. wer;
we'll cast.
They were not. as erroneousl.
thought, 'understudies."
The Aborn people do not carry III
derstudies.
/ They have different sets of princi
pals-some are cast for one opera
some for another. Jane Abercrombie
who sang the principle role here, l.
one of their best known sopranoes. !
Madame Butterfly had been put OIL
here. as intended by the company but
which was changed when they found
it had previously been given in Rich
mond, a different set of principals
would have appeared.
! AS defective as the setting Of MAR
tina" was-nonetheless it was a goot
thing for the town to have this stand
ard opera presented. And the princi
pals were good.
If the town Is ever going to get to 8
theatric shake-down some discrimina
ton must be shown in the throwing
of brickbats and bouquets.
If things are bad-and HEAVIER
knows they're bad enough-"roast'
EN- If there is any good in them. fer
ret it out and comment on 1t.
In the matter of the Irish Players
however, no matter whether you hket
them or didn't like them-they were
good.
That remains.
And the fact that this town had thu
opportunity to see this famous organi
cation of histrions-who mark the be
ginning of an epoch in the history o