The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-30

uiStitlS uishihS Icdtuic 10 ITO ottSA
colorlessness. The situation as between
the contending interests of the legitimate
theaters, the movies. vaudeville. and the
dancing places is about where it was
when the sea son began. about as much
progress having been made as between
the opposed forces on the French and
German frontier. The restaurants have
made a little advance in making their
cabaret performances more elaborate and
more closely resembling entertainments
where there is a fixed price of admission.
The expenditure for talent in these places
has to be met some way. so it is tackled
on to the cost of food and drink. Some
Of the places even have the nerve to
charge % cents for tslass Of beer. but
the tax is usually more carefully hid than
In such obvious robbery.
In the theater proper there has been
nothing to make the season notable. The
European war brought us an influx of
English actors, mostly in the lower ranks.
and a couple of plays which it inspired.
That influence is likely to be more
strongly felt later on, not necessarily
next season. but in the years to come
The war bride and the war baby are go
ing to give us dramatic material on the
romantic and sentimental side. and. Of
course, there is bound to be any amount
of heroic and spectacular suggestion
growing out Of the mighty tragedy to
color and inspire the ina ginations Of
those who write. 1t has not been poverty
of this kind Of incentive that has made
the past seasons output so slender. but
most of the dramatists who would feel II
first are either engaged in the war itself
or occupied in work connected with 1t.
1t is really impossible to point out one
achievement Of value to the stage-in the
L.,
been content to work along the most
trivial lines. possible exceptions being Mr.
Knoblauch's Marketable" and Mr.. Shell
don's THE Song of Songs" Neither of
these plays marks great advancement in
the careers of our two most promising
authors. The ''On Trial. of Mr.. Reizen-
stein brought new name to the roster.
but the success of the play. evidenced by
its long run here and its recent success
full production in London. depended SO
much on a tricky way Of developing
not novel plot. that before the author
shall be recognized as a dramatist of
talent or genius. he must add something
more to what he has already done. In
lighter line. Mr.. Roi Cooper Megrue has
scored with ut Pays to Advertise and
Under Cover With these few accom-
plishments standing out az the note
worthy achievements of the season, It
cannot be taken as a significant period in
the history of the American theater.
On the Business Side.
One important development. though. has
reached its climax this season. and al
though it is on the business side. it Is Of
importance to every playgoer. The thea
ter. in New York. any way. has ceased to
be a fixed-price or one-price institution.
Until within a very few years compare
lively the theater was run on the busi-
ness principle of one price to everybody,
varying only with the kind OF accomo-
dalton purchased. the character of the
entertainment. or the class Of the house.
There was no important variation from
the democratic rule OF first come. first
served" If the patron made up his mind
sufficiently in advance. he got the best
locations; II he was late In choosing, he
had to content himself with a poorer
place for seeing and hearing, but for all
Corners the treatment was the same.
Those were the days when all tickets
were sold at the box ONCE, and when the
patron was shown a diagram Of the house
with the seats already sold marked of
and those remaining left blank for his
choice or rejection.
Then came the days when q few of the
tickets for the best seats were sent to
the nOtol uc"SSldHuo " oc Soiu " ehc
hotel guests, as an accommodation to
them, at a slight advance. Then those
of the public who were willing to pay
a little more for assured good seats also
patronized the hotel agencies and at the
same time there came into existence the
legitimate Spectator who backed his
Judgment Of an attractions drawing
power by buying seats from the box Of
flee we'll in advance and at box-ofhce
prices. He looked for his profit to the
increase he would get from late corners
who would willingly pay more on the
sidewalk for good seats than at the box
office for poor ones.
The further development of these prac-
tees is familiar: how sidewalk specula-
ton developed in ruffianly tactics to the
point that 1t had to be prohibited by law
and how greedy managers at times be-
came partners In this method Of extort-
ing an added profit from their patrons.
Then came the squabbles over the prof
its of the hotel agencies. resulting in the
present uncertainty OF securing good
seats at the hotels even with the In.
creased cost over the box-off1ce prices.
The latest development comes this sea-
son in the cut-rate agency openly sup
ported by some prominent managers.
where one may buy the best seats in
some Of the best houses not at a price
above that advertised by the theater it
self. but in most cases at a figure very
below. This industry, start
ing with the sale OF tickets given in ex-
change for advertising and tickets Sc
cured in other devious ways. has now
developed into a regular business recog-
nized by public and managers alike. the
latter utilizing 1t to dispose of seats
which they cannot sell otherwise or to
give their theaters a look of prosperity
by having the seats occupied. The cut
rate method has to a considerable extent
superseded the old process Of "rapering"
q theater rather than have 1t look
empty The new method cuts down the
perquisites Of some minor ofhcials Of the
theater who used to make the paper"
tickets stand them in good stead as an
exchange for haberdashery, cigars, and
like necessities and luxuries.
The pride Of the theater In its fixed
prices has disappeared. Instead We have
q chaffering and bargain business that
recalls the palmy days Of Chatham and
Baxter streets. The patron can pay any
thing from the exorbitant prices de-
manded and received by spectators who
are really the Managers agents when
he happens to have landed success
which the public Is anxious to see, or the
low price at which the cut-rate offces
sell some Of the best seats for shows
which are often better than the ones for
which hurry-ub theater-Soers with more
money than taste have created an artf.
fetal demand.
What you pay for theater tickets IN |
New York today depends very largely
upon your ability to shop and bargain.
Il not infreQuentiy has happened that oil
e0upln who have po1d = Ine thaar tvo