Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-09


MSAN&M in manuscript form in the first place how
eSS6@ it ever brought into order from chaos
in the second place, and how 1T was ever
conceived in its entirety in the first and last place The
answer to all three queries is the 1t wasn't!
Since 1897, when l first became stager of musical
shows, have put on ("realzed the technical term
the manuscripts of hundred and sixty musical
comedies of every shape, size, COLOR and previous con-
dton of service From the acquaintanceshp with this
popular form of theatrical entertainment that have
gained during the period of my abOrs, may tell you
that the practsed brettis of the spectacular form OF
music show rarely does than furnish forty minutes
of dialogue for play that runs two hours and nan,
and that the experienced brettist of musical comedy
rarely furnishes the material for more than onc-thlrd
of the scheduled running time of the performance In
asrnuch as the brettis and lyric writer usually
and the same and nasmuch as the music and lyrics
obviously go together it may be stated that musical
show be staged exactly as written the whole
performance would not last more than an hour Nat
uray the question arises If this is the case where
does all the rest of the entertainment come from!
And the follows 1t comes from the man VINO IS
engaged to realize the manuscript
There eight men IN America VINO, ike
myself have made profession OF realizing such manu-
scripts. The public, while aware IN a way that this
profession exists is probably not in any OF
the curious of the work that the men IN 1t are
called upon do. To that the work IN point IS the
oldest in the big circle OF the theatrical producing Dust
ness would not go very wide of the mark The reasons
for this will reveal themselves. Most so-called
Straight PLAYS comedies, meodramas, tragedies prob
lem plays etc. produced the way they are written;
but musical comedy never is. With this in mind,
therefore, the unntated public may sense the close and
relation of the reaZer to the musical Show
FIRST let me quote a sample hypothetical page from
the manuscript of modern musical comedy The
scene according to the manuscript, is laid at 42d-st
and Broadway:
Enter MatinSe Girls.
SONG: 1--WE Are Gay Little Madens.
Enter Reggie Van Slyck.
REGGIE Hello Girls How about having little lunch
with me!
GIRLS: Oh. that would be lovely!
REGGIE tell (he looks around edntiondy) have
YOU seen m wife in the neghborhood!
GIRLS: Oh, myi Are you
red?
REGGIE: Yes; but why let
marriage stand in the OF
luncheon? 1t isn't fair to the -
/
luncheon. By the way. do you girls 80 ~
like Holsters? <\I>~ x
GIRLS: Why? Are you going to
bring of your friends along? HH@ M
REGGIE (mneh pe1ed): Don't be V/@+ M
mean. Ladies! SL1ZH an
SONG Reggie and girls: al 4 f%M
WAYS Keep Tranquil Disposition III M
in the Happy Summertime IT ..
Could anything be cruder? If NM
this were to be placed on 5Eh NJ
the stage it appears in the ksLAN
manuscript, murder would
doubtedly be committed by the 1ESSSs
audence-and probably not Saky
without But let
where the reaizer comes in. Mind 49,
you, am not criticzing the
uscript way the other.
musical show manuscript ALWAYS Slapstcks PRODUCED
looks sort of crazy, anyway. 1t -