El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-07-05

of plays calculated for winter con-
I sumption. AT this heated season Of
| the year, the regular playgOing public
| of the city, or at least the more de-
scriminating portion OF it. is easing its
way through the dog days at the sea
shore or at cool lalleSed) mountain re-
Z treats. The manager. therefore. knows
that the public he invites in TO pass
upon his new play, consists largely OF
out of town folks who appreciate any
effort to entertain them and that
sumner colony of actors and actresses.
I who for one reason and another are
I obliged TO remain on or near Broad
way through rhe hot months OF
course this latter contingent never
! knock a play-at least not in the sum
mer time, il requires TOO much effort
[ place they go TO the theater as guests
of the manager. As the unWritteu
code Of the profession fOrbids adverse
comment on play which was wit
messed at the expense of its producer,
YOU can readily see the advantage Of
E July production And then. as
usual thing. the regular newspaper
critics are out Of town and the press
reports are generally supplied by the
heroic press agent of the show con-
cerned- The result Of this is that be-
[ fore the playgoing people Of the city,
/ they who make OF unmake a Broad
way production. return from their va
cations, the new play has built up
/ favorable reputation and is out Of
I harms way
But supposine it doesn't stand the
test when the more discriminating crit
icism is turned loose on it2'' one may
ask.
Very well then" we reply. as cooIIy
as possible in this Park Row melting
pot the nimble manager shoots the
thing onto the road. where II has the
F.. prestige Of its magnificent mid summer
advertising"
Home for Light Opera.
Turning from these low spirited
thoughts. we wipe our perSpiriDg brow
and pass on to the contamination Of a
pleasant topic that is now the chief di-
version of the converse tiOnaHsts along
the rialtO This is nothing other than
q proposition TO establish a permanent
home i'm New York for the exclusive
production of light opera. Such an in
Stiuti0n as tho Gaietv and DAYS in
London and the Fouies. Bergere in
Paris
This is q good idea The wonder of
IL is that it hasn't been done before.
The answer To that. doubtless. is that
theatrical productions in America are
more Of an Individual enterprise than
.h@[ are a"ro1u especlall\ IN Eng
land Knowing full well the great
monetary risks which attend every
production. it has come to pass in Lon
don that an individual producer is
thing unheard Of Productions are now
Put out by Syndicates on the other side.
While this lessons the personal profits
or those Interested, it does. on the 9TH
er hand. lessen the inroads on the per-
sonal bank account.
If such an enterprise as the London
Gaicty Is launched he-e. and it looks
as lI the launching will be good along
about December. il VIII not be the
usual individual affair. y number of
prominent Broadway producers viii
have a hand i'm the pie. And their
names are such as inspire confidence
that it viii be a success.
The american Playwright.
Now comes Lee Shubert. Just back
from dear old London. who saws that as
C-iug down. that of American plays
is going up re states there is q posi-
tive demand I'm E0-laEd. France and
Germany for America nplays. He also
announces that hereafter he viii de-
pend almost entirely on the native out
rut, being thOrOUgnly disillUsiOned
and CisgUsted with the things he saw
in Europe.
The American playwright has ar
rived says Mr.. ShuDert. Not only in
New York. but in London. Paris ana
Berlin. And he is getting ready to in
wade Vienna and St Petersburg. Our I
authors are turning out better plays,
not only trUer to life but better tech
4lcally. than the foreign pIayWrlghts- I
There is an Increasing demand espe- Z
Cially i'm London. for our productions 4
and ii looks as il New York in tho near I
future viii be the great play market /
of the world"
OF course it was very hot day. the !
one ON which Mr.. Shubert arrived from 3
London, and the spectacle of the Cod I
dess of Liberty in her cool clothes [
might have had an undue influence on I
the managers conversation But Mr..
SEuhert is one of the leading producers
i'm America, and If that is the way he
feels about American playwrights. why,
i'm manner of speaking. should Amer I
lean playWTignts WOrry2