The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-11-27
BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
This is mo mean city"

BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.
| This is mo mean city"
But sometimes it's mean city.
And inexplicable in matters pertain
ing to the theater.
There has been much complaint
round and about concerning lack OF
straight" theatres at our legitimate
theater this season.
1t was said that we are getting the
little end of the deal.
| The theatrical season las those who
keep abreast" of those famed "cur-
rent events" alike exploited by the
women's clubs and the moving-picture
houses, know is a bad one.
| Some excellent companies booked
here at the beginning have had their
local dates Cancelled because of disbar-
ment.
But others, not scheduled, have been
secured for the pleasure of local thea
tire patrons.
Among them is THE Spring Maid"
just seen.
| Ready Money" here last night.
| With "Bunty Pulls the Strings" and
"A Modern Eve" early in December.
| Here are, in short, four of the domi-
nant plays-for the moment ranking
"The Spring Maid thus and which is,
after all, musical play-all playing in
the big cities and all secured since the
original bookings were made.
| That is they were not announced at
| the beginning of the season in the list
| Of the Gennett's attractions for the
coming winter
It is impossible to book plays in
town of this size at those intervals
which are the most convenient for the
ater-goers.
There may be nothing for several
weeks and then several follow close
on the heels of each other.
Thus did Ready Money" follow
''The Spring Maid
The latter played to two packed
houses.
The former to more or less empty
benches.
The fact that one was here on Sat
urday night, the other on Monday,
should be no excuse.
If theater-goers were sincere they
would support the best that comes
here regardless of the time.
Ready Money" is not, like ''The
Spring Maid" several seasons old.
| 1t is bran-new.
| The only two other companies play
ing are those in Sir Charles Wyndam's
theater, in London, and in New York.
The company which appeared here
is the only one outside New York in
this country.
! 1t recently played a weeks success
full engagement at the Murat theater in
Indianapolis and at a leading play
house in Cincinnati.
This is the sort of thing that Drama
Leagues organize themselves to pro-
mote in one-night-stand towns.
| And yet when it comes to one of the
latter, it gets no patronage.
| 1t looks very much as If this town,
| for instance. couldn't support more
| than one good theatrical attraction a
month. And still theater-goers will go
down to Cincinnati, up to Chicago or
over to indianapolis for the express
purpose of seeing the same thing, oft
ener than not, and think nothing of the
expenses of the trip.
There is a lot of absurd suspicion,
too, in the smaller cities, which is as
amusing as it is unfounded.
In instance the other day the town
was rife with rumors that Christie
Macdonald would not appear here in
the Spring Maid.
That She had heen advertised
But that an understudy would be
featured instead.
That, indeed this was not the orr
ginal company, but the second.
This was more or less preposterous,
of course.
But people quoted other people to
| the effect that the latter had seen this
| in dramatic papers. What dramatic pa
| pers the writer doesn't know as in
the ones she saw, Miss Macdonald
was billed here on that particular date.
| In running down these rumors, in
her professional capacity as theatre
cal writer for this paper, this column
found and was positively assured by
varying authorities that Christie Mac
Donald would, on the evening of No
vember 23rd, appear in Pittsburg, Buff
falo, Columbus and Cleveland.
This is about the disclosure in all of
these wild stories floating round town,
It's the same way with the nasty
tales peddled about by alleged decent
people about other decent people.
Nail 'em down. mash 'em up against
the wall, skin them to the bone and
you'll find in ten cases out of ten that
nobody can say for certain"
We'll, anyway, so and SO told me, !"
says Mrs. or Mr.. Gossip defiantly, land
he ought to know"
| But why ought he to know"
Ay, there's the rub, to quote our
friend Mr. William Shakespeare.
And it's the rub almost every time.
And while the topic is on tap it
might be pointed out that the worst
gossips aren't found among the wom-
en-.
Lots of real nice men, are just as
fond OF nasty gossip as their wives.
Indeed MANY of the latter are loaded