The Washington times., 1914-11-15

Whether it is nobler to maintain in
violate the 81 Responsibility of plush
covered seats by hiring strong armed
ladies TO dust them or let in a horde
of 81 patrons that will keep them busted
by continuous occupation, appears to be
the real theater question this year. The
styles in explanations of the causes OF
bad business from the hives of type
writing industry ajacent the Offices of
the leading producing magnates seem to
change as rapidly and as continuously
as those combinations of a state Of
mind and gymnastics known as modern
society dances. And the increasing
sheerness of the chiffon draperies of the
fair victims of the last named disorder
seem to be about as successful in con-
ccaiing undeniable truths of nature. or
the wrinkles in a union suit, as these
explanations are in yelling the real
reason. They tell US that business OF
all sorts is very bad throughout the
country. and that amusement enter
prises are sure to suffer when the
people have no money.
The payroll of the population of Wash
ington hasn't suffered to any alarming
extent-and never does suffer-from
business depressions in other sections
of the country, but the local managers
are experiencing an acute contraction of
their bank accounts One manager ad-
vanced the very ingenious theory that
the people of Washington are in doubt
as to whether their jobs will be safe
under the new Administration, and
therefore they are not spending as much
money on amusements as they have
heretofore This would have been fine
theory to advance two years ago or
even last year-but it doesn't go down
just right at the present time.
There has been no suggestion that
Washington has failed to get good at
fractions in its theaters during the FIRST
six week of the season, for 1t has had
some of the very best shows that have
ever been seen here. Some Of them
\ were exceptionally good-we might even
say superlatively good, without being
guilty of great extravaganza. "A Pair
of Sixes,'' THE Misleading Lady" The
MacKay' came here from long runs
elsewhere. With the exception OF the
last named, they were presented here
by casts that We're far above the aver
age of the very best that have been
seen in this city. and every one of the
quartet played to business that did very
little more than pay expenses. Ii ever
the public was encouraged to see plays
by the praises of the managers, the
press. and the people who saw them,
this quartet enjoyed the greatest pos
sbIe encouragement And yet the pub
lie did not go to see them. Eliminating
every other reason that could be pre-
sented. there seems only to be the
question of cost
In discussing the matter of high
prices of setting-and this refers to The
Jo-cent gallery seat as well as the u
orchestra chair-managers call attention
TO the increased cost of production.
One ingenious press agent has figured
that chorus girls, trimmed and dressed,
now average about IS per pound, while
automobiles average 50 cents per pound,
thereby showing that the average mu-
sical show, with forty 125-pound chorus
girls, will cost $4,000, and is consider
ably more expensive to maintain than
an automobile. The fact that there
less dressing to the choruses only seems
10 increase the cost. The statistical
value of a chorus girl might be all the
press agent has calculated and the fig
uress he has presented may be as easily
analyzed as those he makes the subject
of his mathematics. But all this doesn't
prove that a theater one-third full Of
people at prices ranging from s2 down
will produce as much money as theaters
full at three-fourths or half of that
price.
That, it seems to us, is the real ques-
ton. And the facts of this are easily
demonstrated by a glance at the aver
age audience in the average washington
theater on an average evenings per-
formance,
We have been told that the people
who really want to see a show will
just as quickly pay the 81 rate as a
lower tariff. And that, therefore, the
managers might just as well get s2,
considering the high cost, etc, as not
The trouble is that the people who sup
port theatricals in this country are very
much in doubt nowadays as to just
What n the 80 other rate
to see. The way in which they have
been inveigled into the theater to wit
ness Door productions of good plays or
good productions of poor plays has had
much to do with this.
When the much press-agented millen-
ium arrives and each littlee soul can
crank q siX-cylinder hobby and go tear
ing full speed around that wonderful
Elysian field where, despite the alb
sence Of traffic regulations, there are to
be no collisions and no blOw-outs or
punctures-when this blissful period ar
rives. the theater moguls will have
learned that the. display of a
set of relics Of missing personalities
does not satisfy PEOPLE who pay money
TO witness the exercise of those per-
sonalties. And they will know that
when they strip a production to its
we were going to say union suit. when
Il occurred to US that this was not ex-
aCtly the term. Besides, we are think
ing Of using Il in another paragraph
lnter on, where il will fit better-not
meaning that it would not be appropri-
ate in the case Of which we are think
ing. because considering the weather.
the drauehtv stage, etc, there was one
particular place in a certain production
where we imagine a union suit would |
have been mighty comfy to the per- |
former. even If out of harmony with |
the artistic incompleteness of the other
features of costuming.
The i}ea we wish to convey is that a |
light. frothy form of entertainment |
which is becoming very popular these |
days depends very largely on the per
sonality of the entertainers who origi- |
mated each Of it's features. The methods |
usually followed in building such con-
fections is to secure a long list OF
picked and piduant personalities. give
them a massive series of scenes, and a
chorus OF beautiful women as a back
ground to bring out the high lights of
their peculiarly individual talents. and
tie them all loosely together with a
slender thread of play which allows
the production to go into a legitimate
theater with a name instead Of into a
vaudeville house as q program. The
result may not make for the uplift Of
the drama. but We must be perfectly
honest and confess that il is very en-
tertaining and highly satisfactory to
the tired business man" and to almost
everyone else who has a genuine desire
tc he amused. Such productions are
worth the money spent to see them by