The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-30

final verdict for no manager can gauge
its real worth. In the first place, II
10 by no manner OF means a typical
audience. Its point of view is not that
Of tho average plnygoer.
Take look at any playhouse on the
opening night of a new production;
writer's of special dramatic features are
present, producers other than the one
vitality interested, members of the the
atrtcal profession, friends OF the man
aver Of the play. of the playwright, and
players, and that strange onlooker who
invariably attends a first performance
because he Cor she) wishes to be a
part Of what Is generally accepted as
a distinguished audience. I speak of
him a. strange because It L. incon-
ceivable TO mo that any true lover Of
the theatre would wish to see a play
on Q night when the actors are inevi-
tably at their worst, as they are bound
to be when feeling that they are being
weighed In the balance by a houseful
Of people who. In the main, are there
70 ana them wanting. The first
nixhter' 10 not in the theatre to enjoy
the play. He does not como there for
any such purpose. He isn't expecting
to b amused, or educated, or enter
tainod: or X he Is. 1t 10 in spite Of
himself. have seen occasions when
a pieoe has been 30 big, SO powerful
30 nawlessly played and so beautifully
staged that FIRST night audience rose
up out OF its own destructive cyni-
ctsru into storm OF honest and gen
erous applause. But that is not the
rule OF nrst nights audience. which
forms biased verdict seldom shared
by those who WIN later come to see the
play. II may be a brilliant aggregation
| OF folk, but the brillinnce Is az cold as
q glacier. The governing thought is
hypsrcritical and consequently not to
be taken rs typical OF the public. Never
| after tho first night Is cast OF players
called upon to please such a captious
audiences. In such circumstances II
10 utterly impossible for the opening
performance Of any piece to come up
to the standard II will later achieve.
Time was, perhaps. when the public
relied upon the first nights verdict to
great extent, but people are gradu-
ally coming to realize the disadvant-
ages under which the initial perform
anos Of q pay Ia given and in con-
sequence they are becoming more and
more inclined to form an opinion for
themselves'
-Of course there Is no advertisement
for q theatrical entertainment so po-
tent a. word OF mouth commentator
II 10 not however. the word OF the
first night audience which weighs the
heaviest In the scale OF public opin.
ion. but rather that OF those who &C
later to SEQ q play and tell their friends
what they think Of it. Their at.
tendance at the theatre is inspired by
a very different motive. They go pri.
marily to DO entertained. but they are
not avcrse to boing uplifted and edu-
Gated. should q play prove either edu-
cational or uplifting. They are moi
there as guests OF the management
but have paid money that in many In
stances they can Ill afford to pay, and
the standards by which they Judge 9
play and rs performance are very IA,
removed from those Of the first night,
audience. They are there to get theii
moneys worth and II they feel thai
they have accomplished that they leav,
the playhouse satisfied and generous
TO faults. And because the theatre 4