Omaha daily bee., 1917-11-04

1
city was placed in the backwater
several years ago, and troupes went
to the coast and came back without
hesitating here. Some astute person
down at New York has apparently
discovered that the magnates have
been overlooking a good thing, and
present indications are that the city
will be more sought after in the fu-
ture. just why the good things should
have been switched away from us
is more than anyone can understand,
even wise booking agents admitting
that it is mystery beyond their ken.
Only few years ago Omaha was one
of the prize stations for the showmen.
1t is easily recalled, for example, that
when "Florodora" was the rage
Omaha was the first city outside of
New York to see it, Messrs. Fisher
and Riley starting their tour of the
country from here. On another oc-
casion, when Henry w. Savage had
tried out Woodland" in Chicago, he
brought his company here, played at
the Boyd theater, and then went di-
rect to New York with the attraction.
Other similar incidents could be null
tiplied to support this statement, but
a change came over the practice of
the producers, and the new crop
couldn't seem to see this village at all.
One of the first effects of this all
was that our home folks learned to
get amusement somewhere else than
at the theater. Vaudeville and bur
lesque have prospered nightly, and
moving picture palaces have sprung
up all around, while the Legitimate"
has languished. Now and then
standard attraction has ventured
hither, always to receive warm well
come, but not enough to really MAIN
tain continued interest. Waits of two
and three and even four weeks be-
tween shows" is discouraging to the
public, and disastrous to the men who
have invested money in theaters. All
this time Omaha has been growing in
wealth and population, and the po-
tential patronage of the theater has
steadily increased, until finally the
knowledge has penetrated the glare
around Forty-second and Broadway,
and current bookings give appearance
of a revival of the playhouse here
abouts. We nave had more really
good things at the Boyd and Brandeis
already this fall than we saw all last
season, and more are on the way. In
dications are that Omaha folks may
keep their theater-going habits in
full play this winter.
o
"Fine Feathers" by Eugene Wal
ter, is to be the coming weeks bill
of the Brandeis Players at the Bran
deis theater during the coming week.
The story concerns a young chemist
and his wife, who long for the luxur-
les of life, but are compelled to get
along with the necessities on account
of the husbands limited salary. Temp
tation comes in the form of a college
friend, who, connected with a ce-
ment company with a contract to
build a great government dam, offers
the husband bribe of $4,000 to pass
an inferior grade of cement as the
article called for in the contract. The
chemist at first turns down the Of
fer, but his wife insists that he take
advantage of it and he finally accepts.
While the money thus obtained pro-
cures the house his wife had wanted,
more funds are necessary to keep up
the new mode of life, and matters
come to more and more desperate
passes. Comes the day when the
young man realizes that he faces
prison. and with it the news that
the poorly constructed dam has
broken with the loss of thousands of
lives. The chemist ends it all with
a revolver. d.
Roy Fosters sensational success,
after Office Hours" will be seen
for the first time in this city at the
Boyd starting a weeks engagement
with matinee today, with the excep-
ton of Thursday, November 8. A
special matinee will be played Tues
day and popular priced matinees
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. A
Wall street broker who CANDLES with