The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-19
SOME GOSSIP OF THE
THEATRICAL WORLD
BY PAUL COOK

are reminded of the infinite care to
detail with which Mr.. Belasco stages
all his productions. He is a master Of
the art. No other American manager
achieves such happy results and no
one among his competitors has done
SO much to make modern stage set
tings realistic. On one occasion 1t is
said that when Mr. Belasco was stag
ing play in which the principal char
acter was supposed to be man we'll
versed in a certain branch of science,
Mr.. Belasco, not satisfied with the
usual 'phony' library used on the
stage, insisted that real books be
used, and not only real books, but
everyone must treat of the particular
subject of which the principal male
character in the play was supposed to
be a master. Now, this may have
been press agents yarn, and prob
ably was, but Mr.. Belasco does use a
great quantity of furniture, pictures,
bric-a-brac and other stage effects
that are genuine. No modern play of
any pretensions whatever can hope to
make much of an impression if it is
not staged in such way that a vivid
impression of reality is created.
"Ben Hur' is beyond doubt one of
the most successful dramatic spec
tacles ever produced in this country.
Recently a revival of this semi-bblical
drama did an immense business on the
Pacific coast, with no reduction of
prices. "Ben Hur" is not only staged
in most admirable manner, in which
pictorial beauty is greatly enhanced
by the life and movement of a large
dramatic personae, picturesquely
garbed, but it is besides a play whose
appeal to the emotional side of an
audience is very strong. Just as the
chariot race is in the novel one of
the finest passages of descriptive
writing the language, affords, SO is
the stage presentment of this thrilling
climax one of the most stirring scenes
ever staged. Time and again the
writer of these notes has witnessed
that chariot race, but never without
being deeply moved by the exciting
incidents that take place before the
amphitheatre at Antioch, just before
the race begins, and afterward when
Ben Hur and his peerless Arabian
horses are in full flight to victory.
| Certain burlesque managers have
hit upon novel scheme to increase
the attendance at their theatres. On
a certain night each week the stage
is filled with an assortment of useful
gifts and the holders of winning num-
bers are presented with a horse and
carriage, barrel of flour, cases of
eggs, boxes of sugar and other prizes
| Quite naturally the crowds flock to
these theatres and "The Country
Store as it is called, is decided
success. A better scheme than that
and one which has perhaps not oc-
Cured to the managers in question,
is to put on a good show. 1t is not
necessary to give away prizes to make
people come to the theatre if there is
something worth seeing on the boards.
Just let the opening performance be
| a "rattling good one and maintain
the standard during the engagement.
The first nights audience will spread
the news and after that all the mana
gers will have to do will be to rake
| in the coin. However, the old idea
still prevails, not in burlesque circles
alone, that the way to make money in
a theatrical venture is to put out
something poor and make the public
think it is something good.
| Mrs. Fiske has won a new triumph
in "The Highway" the latest play
written for her by Edward Sheldon,
who is also the author Of Salvation
Nell" and "The Niger" The critics
praise Mrs. Fiske's genius in por-
! trayal and Mr.. Sheldon's ability as a
dramatist. In the first glow of its
success "The Highway" would seem
to be one of the best vehicles for the
display of her talents that Mrs. Fiske
has ever had. There is no other
woman on the American stage with a
more perfect mastery of her art than
that which characterizes Mrs. Fiske.
Her splendid results are achieved in a
manner so natural and matter -of-fact
that her technique must be the despair
of less fortunate players who rave
and rant without avail. Mrs. Fiske
has been seen here more recently in
VANITY Fair "Tess of the D'Urbe-
onI CoIvatfoY, Na11 ~